Article Collections
Music Industry
- An entry in the Egos & Ids column in Styles of the Times on Aug. 16, about Madonna's registering to vote, misidentified a music industry group that encourages voting. It is Rock the Vote.September 6, 1992
- To the Editor: It is time the music industry realized that the world has changed. Licenses become obsolete when the ability to recreate becomes readily available. With the Internet and the ability to copy digitally, the ability to control music distribution has ceased as we know it. The music industry will continue to make money but not by selling the product itself. The future lies in providing value-added to the music and linking downloads and plays to advertising. TOM KING New York CityJuly 6, 2000
- To the editor: Re "The Rush to Opera on DVD: Let's Not Get Carried Away" by Anthony Tommasini [Sept. 22]: Mr. Tommasini's fear of the "prettifying of opera" in DVD productions, and his likening of this possible outcome to MTV's effects on the rock music industry, are misguided. He is underestimating the opera-loving public. Rarely have opera fans reacted favorably to the kind of superficial imagery that often drives trends in the pop music industry. What makes Mr. Tommasini think we'll start now?October 6, 2002
- To the Editor: "A Racial Divide Widens on Network TV" (front page, Dec. 29) mentioned the music industry's success in reaching crossover audiences, with the implication that television should be able to emulate that success. But the problem is that television is emulating the music industry to viewers' detriment. Record producers were the first to establish that only "ghetto" sells. Few black artists that make it big in the music industry reflect anything other than hip-hop and gangster rap. Television producers have blindly followed suit and presented only this...January 2, 1999
- To the Editor: In "Suing Music Downloaders" (editorial, Sept. 12), you make this assertion about musical piracy: "This theft has real victims. It robs artists of their livelihoods. " Actually, outside the usual coterie of musicians speaking on behalf of the music industry, artists are supportive of file sharing. If artists were the ultimate victims of the practice, why would they speak out against the industry's most recent offenses? The livelihoods of musicians rest in their performance revenues much more than their recording contracts.September 15, 2003
- To the Editor: The emphasis on the protection of the music industry's sales ("Suing Music Downloaders," editorial, Sept. 12) overlooks the fact that the music industry itself is acting as an impediment to music. Why not let music downloading be free? That way, people could be exposed to a raft of different music styles and artists. The artists could make money through concerts or other schemes and be free of the contractual shackles that very often do not financially compensate them adequately.September 17, 2003
- To the Editor: The articles on the MP3 compressed music format ("Internet Music, to Go" and "Music to Feed New Player: Some Free and Some Legal," Dec. 24) underestimate the danger this format poses to the music industry. The first article says that "MP3 music on the Rio sounds better than FM radio," and the second says the music sounds "at least as full-bodied as a cassette on a Walkman. " The truth is, the MP3 format is indistinguishable from the CD format. Try a blind taste test comparing an MP3-compressed song with its original on CD, and you will find that you cannot distinguish between the two, even if...December 31, 1998
- Recently, you have reported on issues that give indications of what is wrong with the music industry in particular and perhaps our society in general. David Hajdu's informative article on how some musicians' sexual orientation is driving certain segments of the music industry (Aug. 18) pointed out most clearly that the music-buying public is perhaps more interested in the politics and perceived image of today's hit-makers than the actual music itself. Lynn Hirschberg's interesting article on Amanda Latona (Aug.September 1, 2002
- The struggle between the creative types and the "suits" is as old as the music industry itself. With the consolidations in the record and radio industries, it appears that the suits have won. Fortunately, lower recording and manufacturing costs now permit second-tier and other noncommerical artists to create music on their own. The Internet, satellite radio and other new outlets have created alternative opportunities for marketing and distribution....August 18, 2002
- The music arm of the Sony Corporation said yesterday that it might cut 100 jobs, or about 2 percent of its staff. The music unit, Sony Music Entertainment, is one of the five major worldwide record labels and has more than 5,000 employees in the United States. The music industry as a whole has struggled in recent years with weak CD sales.August 3, 2002
- The Universal Music Group, a unit of Vivendi Universal, named David Benjamin senior vice president for anti-piracy yesterday. In a news release, Universal Music said Mr. Benjamin would work closely with the company's record and publishing companies and their artists and songwriters, as well as the various departments within the company. He will also work in cooperation with sister companies within Vivendi Universal and the music industry's trade groups.July 16, 2002
- A report by the Federal Trade Commission found that since September 2000, the music industry has continued to advertise violent material in venues intended for teenage audiences, while the motion picture and video-game industries have limited such advertising. The report examined advertising trends in print, television, radio and the Internet, as well as internal industry documents.December 6, 2001
- Fighting for Recognition The lawsuit on affirmative action at the University of Michigan will have wide consequences, but the plaintiffs say they simply want acknowledgment that they belonged. PAGE 32 Anxiety in the Music World As the music industry thrills to the Grammys tonight, the excitement will only mask anxiety about the future of the industry's fundamental product, the CD. MONEY & BUSINESS Why We Love Fashion Spring is coming, and that means new clothes, from microminis and bikinis to kimonos and trench coats -- and enough riotous color to chase the blues away.February 23, 2003
- To the Editor: Re "Online Piper, Payable by the Tune" (State of the Art, May 1), about Apple's new on-line music service: If Apple's model of selling songs for $1 apiece catches on, the music industry will focus on producing hit singles, not hit albums. Most popular albums consist of one or two hit songs along with a bunch of filler. Why spend the money to create the filler when fans can download the single song they like? DAN JOSEPH Arlington, Va.May 8, 2003
- The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers switched its account to Margeotes/Fertita & Weiss a while ago but has just given the agency the O.K. to announce it. The former agency was Romann & Tanneholz, and the billings are about $1 million. According to John Weiss, executive vice president of the new agency, the shop will probably be doing 75 ads during the year for ASCAP, and they will run in trade publications that cover the music industry, such as Billboard and Variety, as well as in appropriate programs for award presentations and...July 13, 1987
- Controversial digital audio tape players went on sale in Tokyo today, with Japanese consumers praising the sound quality. The players are said to play back and record with fidelity superior to that of a compact disk on a cassette only half the size of the standard audio cassette. Unlike analog machines, DAT players can reproduce an infinite number of copies with almost no loss of sound quality. This has aroused concern in the music industry of widespread tape piracy and royalty losses.March 3, 1987