Het kabinet wil de komende 3 jaar naar een downloadverbod toe werken (bron). Heel veel creatieve makers, waaronder ikzelf (zie ook mijn recente opmerkingen in Bright magazine), maar ook politieke partijen, waaronder GroenLinks, zijn het daar niet mee eens. Een downloadverbod lost helemaal niets op, maar criminaliseert juist alle burgers. Hoewel het vooralsnog legaal is om muziek en films voor privé doeleinden te downloaden, zullen veel burgers zeggen dat ze dat niet mogen. Ze kennen de regels niet en doen toch iets waarvan ze denken dat het niet mag.
Vandaag bracht voor het eerst ondergetekende Hagenees een bezoek aan GroenLinks in de Tweede Kamer. We hadden een boeiend gesprek over downloaden en mijn visie op de omgang met cultureel erfgoed, waarbij de kracht van internet juist positief ingezet kan worden. Naast downloaden ben ik een voorstander van ‘sharing’ en ‘remixing’. Ik wil dat mijn muziek gehoord wordt. En dat documentaires waar ik aan mee werk gezien worden. Juist dat. En ik wil ook dat de makers er geld mee verdienen zodat ze dat werk kunnen blijven doen. Creatief ondernemerschap is daarbij vereist: zie de kansen, gebruik ze en omarm het door te doen.
20/01/2010 @ 6:14 pm
Are you going to write about your meeting with the Greens? I would like to know what happened.
Sometimes (most times) it seems to me that people get in “consumer mode” when DL’ing music..the “more is better” mentality of ownership, especially if it’s something that feels slightly illegal, and they got away with it. The 10,000 songs on your ipod, none of which you listen to. As opposed to people who actually listen to music, who enjoy it for its own sake (and not as part of a video game or a television ad)..These people (and I count myself as one) understand that the person(s) who made the music put work into it, and it would be a good thing for that work to be paid for so that the work could continue. NOT that it is necessary, but as it is a good thing humans do..it amazes me how people here in the states pay $5 for an overpriced cup of Starbucks and then complain about paying for music, because it’s “like corporate man..” I am not a corporation, and I don’t work for one either.
Sorry for the american “english” Marco, but every time I use the !#$@^%& Google (now there’s a corporation”..) translator, I get the feeling that the translation never says what I mean..I have a hard enough time doing that myself ;)
20/01/2010 @ 9:07 pm
@John: in Holland downloading music and films is legal, but this is probably about to change within 3 years when there are good enough legal solutions. I am not happy if that policy will change. I believe in legal downloads. I believe in sharing.
I have to say that the industry has totally blown it. Great working payment systems were not around for years. iTunes with DRM was one of the few which started to happen years after the Napster success. A bit too late and too pricey and DRM-loaded. I never liked that.
I think musicians, composers, sound designers, phonographers, need to be able to make a living. But I am not sure if the only way to achieve this is by paying for the content they produce. I check out lots of blogs, photoblogs and they are all ‘free’. Lots of time has been put into that too. My blogs, I have put so much time into it. I guess there’s not a direct way to ask you readers to pay for your content. Same as with videobloggers.
Same as for the open source software I am using for my business. I don’t have to pay for it, although I need to respect and support the community when I am changing the code.
I believe in the gift economy and donate sometimes. But virtual goods are a bit to different to compare to physical goods I guess. Copying digital stuff doesn’t cost anything, so making money by reproduction should not cost nothing, any amateur can reproduce a digital product. So the reproduction industry is not needed anymore and that means musicians can earn a lot more by receiving money directly from their fans. Lot’s of musicians are doing this right now.
I think it all comes down to the amount of people who are interested in your music. If you have a group like a few hundred who would buy your CD, I would simply do that: create a CD. I still think there’s a huge market out there for bands who are doing great stuff and fans like to support them and buy their products. One way to create fans is to make people listen to your music. Make it sharable, so they can Tweet about you, share the file on their blogs.
I guess that people first need to be aware of your music, then find out if they like it or not and then, maybe, pay you money. I think this is the only thing that really works. And probably most people won’t like it, but hopefully a few love it so much, they will support you. There will aways be music fans. And money spend on music, music hardware etc.
21/01/2010 @ 12:07 am
a thing a lot of people miss is the way people actually get to hear you in the first place..when i started, the best way 9believe it or not)..the one every musician wanted (or THOUGHT they wanted) was to “get a record deal”..then everything would be ok. Because the record companiescould get your music on the only conduit available..radio. And it still works that way to a large extent..it’s TV and Movies and games and ads for beer..but outside of a few things, it still is that way. Record companies are now marketers..ok, they always were, but noiw they admit it!
So to have people hear you..give it away..I have agreed with you on this for a long time. But in a world where it’s all given away, the channels are over stocked. Too much noise, too many diversions.
One thing I do know..the power of live music, especially creative live improvised music from the hand, heart and guts..will always be here.
21/01/2010 @ 10:09 am
@John: the Internet is for me the best publishing platform ever. We can sell our music trough the Internet. I am sure if we make some tracks people will buy them on CD (make special package, great artwork and stories etc.) or vinyl. And we can make extra money by playing live.
I have this idea for years, but always something stops me from doing so… make a CD with new songs sang in Dutch. Some people would buy it straight away they tell me. So I should do that and you should play bass on it.
#Thinking out loud: must do it, must do it, this year!#
21/01/2010 @ 2:28 pm
not only will I be happy to play on it, I’ll make a trip to the Netherlands to record.
and do some gigs as well..what do you say?
21/01/2010 @ 2:33 pm
@john: bingo!