Digital sales outnumber CD sales at Atlantic Records

For the first time digital sales have outnumbered physical record sales at a major recording company. Here is an interesting NY Times article about the milestone (featuring the graph above). 

It is no wonder that the RIAA and the record companies that they represent are fighting so hard to stem the tide of digital media. As the Times article demonstrates, they have not figured out how to make money from digital downloads (or at least not enough). Rather than devote their time to reconfiguring their business models to fit new consumer trends, they are litigating to try to delay the inevitable. 

It is reminiscent of the American auto industry. For years analysts and consumers have been telling the industry that they want higher quality, more fuel efficient cars. Rather than retool and give the consumer what they wanted the American auto industry used their lobbying power to win tax incentives that allowed them to keep creating ridiculously outmoded vehicles

(subsidized by tax dollars).

Consumers and industry analysts are telling the major recording companies (as well as television, film, and news corporations) that they want easy access to the media of their choice on their own schedule. Consumers don't want to pay $19.00 for a CD that only has one song that they want on it. They want to pay $1.00 for the single on their computer. I don't think this is a trend that will be changing anytime soon. Yet recording companies continue to create the same ridiculously outmoded albums complete with antiquated publicity and lavish recording costs. 

Rather than compete for the business of consumers, media corporations, like the American auto industry, are attempting to use their powerful lobbyists and lawyers to protect their failing business models.

Post Election Bliss

My friend Cliff Murphy pointed out that I have not posted anything in a while. I blame the election. I was so wrapped up in it that when the election was finally called I needed to take a little break from all media. It is similar to the Olympics. For two weeks I watch hours and hours of television every day and then when the Olympics are over I don't want to see a TV for weeks. The difference is that this election lasted two years. 

I am beginning to make my way back to my normal life. I read the NY Times for the first time again today. In fact, there is a very interesting article about the possible demise of the "Southern Strategy" that Republicans since Nixon have been using to win the South. The article also speculates that the South voted so strongly for McCain (while the rest of the country went blue) that the political influence of the South may have taken a big hit. The Times provides compelling visual evidence off this as well.

Map of counties that voted more heavily Republican than in 2004:

National county map showing change in voting since 2004:

Another Copyright Documentary

There is a new documentary coming out centered around copyright, remixing, and, like Good Copy, Bad Copy, featuring Girl Talk. The new film is called RiP: A Remix Manifesto. It is not finished yet but I would imagine that it will be available for download once it is complete. The director, Brett Gaylor, has an interesting blog post about Go Home Productions. I don't know if the film will focus just on Girl Talk or more broadly on the mashup community, but it looks promising.

From the project website:

In RiP: A remix manifesto, Web activist and filmmaker Brett Gaylor explores issues of copyright in the information age, mashing up the media landscape of the 20th century and shattering the wall between users and producers.

The film’s central protagonist is Girl Talk, a mash-up musician topping the charts with his sample-based songs. But is Girl Talk a paragon of people power or the Pied Piper of piracy? Creative Commons founder, Lawrence Lessig, Brazil's Minister of Culture Gilberto Gil and pop culture criticCory Doctorow are also along for the ride.

A participatory media experiment, from day one, Brett shares his raw footage at opensourcecinema.org, for anyone to remix. This movie-as-mash-up method allows these remixes to become an integral part of the film. With RiP: A remix manifesto, Gaylor and Girl Talk sound an urgent alarm and draw the lines of battle.

Entertaining Documentary about Copyright

In case you haven't already seen it, Good Copy Bad Copy is a concise examination of the current state of copyright law. The documentary looks at several different ways that intellectual property rights are handled around the world and also offers some possible alternatives like Creative Commons. Another interesting alternative is a blanket licensing fee paid either to the telecom companies or in the form of a government tax. The proceeds would be distributed to the various companies that hold copyrights and then all the copyrighted content that they produce would be freely available. It seems improbable that this could take hold in the United States given the extreme fear of anything remotely socialist (unless it involves taking over banks and mortgages), but it is a fascinating alternative. It seems to me that no matter what your opinion of the need for copyright protection there is something wrong with a system that requires a 57 page EULA agreement to watch a children's Disney film.
You can stream the documentary Good Copy Bad Copy or download it via (a remarkably fast) torrent.

Girl Talk on NPR

There are a lot of differing opinions about Girl Talk. I think that most people would agree that he is probably one of the most well known mashup artists around. He was interviewed on NPR yesterday afternoon. The interview is not in depth but he has some interesting comments about not paying for samples. You can listen here.

Great political analysis site

I don't know about you, but I have become obsessed with the upcoming presidential election. I can't remember how I first came across the site fivethirtyeight.com but it is great. I check it multiple times every day:
http://www.fivethirtyeight.com
It has become my addiction.