Free Music Might Just Save the Music Industry

For years artists and industry observers have been suggesting that the only way the music industry as we know it will survive is to completely reinvent itself.

To date, reinvention hasn’t seemed particularly high on the list for major record labels. Mostly they’ve blamed their problems on their customers - chasing down peer-to-peer music sharers and sending teams of lawyers after music fans.

A report from this year’s MIDEM conference indicates there may be some changes coming. MIDEM is the industry’s largest and most influential trade show - and while it doesn’t get the kind of media attention it used to get in the pre-Consumer Electronics Show era - it’s the place where the most powerful people in the music industry gather to cook deals over cigars and cocktails.

As The Guardian reports, this year’s show is buzzing with the idea of saving the music industry by giving music away…

Now a host of new services, with the backing of major labels, are promising to revolutionise how music is distributed by offering millions of tracks, from much-hyped wannabes to established acts such as U2, for nothing.

Competing for attention at the Midem trade show, the services promise a global jukebox, paying for the free music by attracting advertising. Meanwhile, some acts are queueing up to swap their deals with labels for agreements with big advertisers which would further blur the line between bands and brands.

The move into a free service is a sea change for an industry which spent years fighting through the courts with companies offering free internet downloading and sharing of songs. full story here

This idea isn’t exactly new - almost all of us are using free services on the internet that are funded by advertising in one form or another. But go back a few decades and you’ll fine one of the most successful examples of this model - one that endures today.

It’s called radio.

Not only do record companies let radio stations use their music for free, they have entire teams dedicated to ’serving’ those radio stations with the latest releases, arranging interviews with their artists, and often offering every type of legal incentive they can think of.

I personally know quite a few people who have massive music collections in their homes, provided gratis to them by the record industry, all in hopes of those same people playing their songs on the radio. These same people have been wined and dined for years, given free tickets to concerts, and flooded with music industry merchandise. I also know many people, recipients of these freebies, who augmented their incomes by selling the stuff to used record stores and other collectors, and aside from a few harsh words, the labels never kicked up a fuss. And why would they ?

By giving radio stations music for free, the music industry gains huge benefits. Their music ges ‘distributed’ over the air, people hear it, want it, and buy CD’s, concert tickets and go to live shows because of it.

What’s worked in one industry for the last 50 years will certainly work in this new industry, assuming the record companies adjust their business model to match what’s possible in this technology era. They’ve been actively fighting it for over ten years - and we all know what that’s accomplished. Now it’s time to get with the program - be brave and creative in doing their jobs - so they can reap the benefits for the next 50 years.

And if they need any help, just give me a call.

North Vancouver Trashes History - part 2

Yesterday I had a bit of a rant about the City of North Vancouver’s shortsighted move to remove the heritage designation from a number of shipyard building near Lonsdale Quay.

Now that I’ve slept on it, I’m even more pissed.

In fact, here’s another compelling argument for hanging on to the last our of shipbuilding history:

The Burrard Shipyard site which anchors the Waterfront has already been recognized at the local and national level as a heritage landmark. With the restoration of the Burrard Dry Dock Pier and St. Roch Dock, the City’s Waterfront is being rediscovered by residents and attracts both local and international visitors.

The Waterfront Project aims to connect the local community by creating a sense of place and pride that also celebrates the City’s past, present and future. One consideration for the area includes a Historic Centre, which may become a National Maritime Museum that chronicles the history of North Vancouver and pays tribute to the West Coast’s maritime origins….

The City is committed to preserving and revitalizing its waterfront heritage and rich maritime history.

Who said that ?

The City of North Vancouver on their web site and in numerous other publications.

I’d encourage you to let the City of North Vancouver know how you feel.

You can reach them at Tel: 604-985-7761 Fax: 604-985-9417 Email: info@cnv.org

North Vancouver Civic Leaders Trash History

People who visit us from other countries eventually make two observations:

“Everything here is so new” they say.

Then they say, “What happened to your old buildings?”

The truth of it is, we tear them down.

We obliterate them, and in the process erase forever important historical references.

Generally the key motivation is money. Perhaps occasionally ignorance. But primarily money. Ok, maybe it’s ignorance and money. Two fairly powerful and destructive motivators.

The latest shameful example is the council for the City of North Vancouver.

Years ago the council designating the last remaining shipyard buildings on the North Shore as historical sites so a small piece of our ship building history would be preserved.

This week, council undesignating them as historical sites and in so doing, sealed their fate.

Demolition.

Why?

Money. They want federal money for a Maritime Centre and their budget came up short when it included preserving these marvelous icons of our ship building past.

Everyone wants the Maritime money from the feds, so what to do?

Oh, here’s an idea. Over budget? Ok, just tear down the stuff that’s in the way. That way you don’t have to pay to preserve them.

Our kids and their kids will shake their heads in disbelief 40 years from now.

Unfortunately, I live in the district of North Vancouver so I can’t even do my bit to vote these folks out of office.

All I can do is say Shame On You.

I took the photos in this article a few years ago

There are more including some newer ones in this set at Flickr.

also: See this story at Now Public

Anthony Horowitz Book Signing in Vancouver

The boys and I attended a book signing organized by Kids Books last night in Vancouver. Writer Anthony Horowitz was there to talk to a packed school auditorium.

Ostensibly the occasion was the release of the latest in the Alex Rider series, Snakehead. But this guy’s is brilliant. Instead of a boring presentation and reading, he told the crowd a bit about himself, and then took questions from the crowd for the next 40 minutes.

Anthony talks very fast, and he is very funny. His humour is often self-deprecating, but he clearly loves his job writing and he clearly loves kids.

Here’s what we learned, in no particular order:

• He had a horrible time in school, an English boy’s only boarding school.
• The school headmaster had 3 canes in his office for beating kids.
• The headmaster’s furniture was also made out of cane, so in the event he couldn’t get to his 3 canes he could beat you with a chair.
• Anthony not only hated school, did terribly at school. He says he was always ranked last in his class, even managing to come in 25th in a class of 24.
• The only place he felt at home in school was in the library.
• He become a ‘after lights out’ story teller in his dorm room - telling joke and elaborate stories.
• He’s a prolific writer for TV shows in Britain; his wife produces one of the shows he writes on.
• He thinks household objects are far more frightening than anything invented in horror novels; Anthony finds bath tubs to be very very scary.
• He created Alex Rider after watching James Bond films and seeing a 58-year-old Sean Connery portray 007 and thinking that there should be a young super spy.
• Anthony remembers vividly Ursula Andress wearing a white bikini and coming out of the water in that James Bond movie. Alex Rider’s last name is derived from Ursula’s character name in the movie, Honey Ryder.
• Not to dwell too much on Ursula Andress, but Anthony says if Alex had a mother she would be Ursula Andress. Anthony is a bit obsessed with her.
• Anthony knew from the age of 8 that we wanted to be a writer.  He says it’s a good thing that worked out because he’s not good at anything else.
• Claims to have a secret door to his home office where he does his writing.
• The only person allowed in his writing room is his dog Unlucky. The dog’s name was originally Lucky until Anthony accidentally backed over him in with the car and almost killed him.
• Doesn’t think there will be another Alex Rider movie since the last one got no support from the North American distributor. He’s name a character in one of his books after the distributor in question - he suffers an untimely death by fire.
• Believes that kids can make a better movie in their head reading a book than any movie made for any amount of money.
• Thinks kids would do a much better job running the world than adults.
• A lot of his characters are based on people’s he’s met in real life.
• Has been to all the locations he’s used in his books with 2 exceptions: outer space and Air Force One, though he did talk to someone at the White House who refused his request to get aboard the plane.
• Is going skiing in Whistler next month.

It was a great time - thanks to the Kids Books folks for doing it.

Anthony’s web site
Penguin Books web site for Anthony Horowitz (a bit out of date)
The Alex Rider web site

The Lions in the Snow and the Sun

Even if you’re not from around here - and by that I mean Vancouver - you’ve probably heard of Lion’s Gate.

It’s a bridge that connects Vancouver with the North Shore. Lion’s Gate is also the name of a film production and distribution company that originated in Vancouver.

The Lions, to whom the ‘gate’ belongs, are two amazing huge bumps sticking out of our local mountains. Apparently, if seen from just the right angle,  they look just like a sleeping lion, though to me, they always looks like, well, two amazing huge bumps sticking out of our local mountains.

Here they are in full sun and fresh snow…

And here’s the context…

Bunny Time

While in Richmond, waiting for EB at the Gateway Theatre - I paid a visit to the resident bunnies.

A Tom Bihn Bag Perfect for Mac Air

Wow, my pals over at Tom Bihn bags just below the border from us are on the case big time (sorry, pun).

Simply put, Tom Bihn makes the best bags in the world. If you’ve never seen one or had one, you’re missing out on one of life’s major pleasures.

Today, via email, the Bihn gang let us Bihnees know that he’s already set for Steve Job’s new laptop line:

Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock or are otherwise pleasantly disconnected from the mass-media, you’ve probably heard about the new Apple laptop, the MacBook Air. Macaholics as we are here at TOM BIHN, we’ve already introduced a new size of our Brain Cell laptop case designed specifically for the MacBook Air.

So all you MacAirHeads - go get ‘em. You won’t be sorry.

Tell him Bigsnit sent you. It won’t get you a discount or anything, but it’ll make Tom laugh. A few more details:

The TOM BIHN Brain Cell laptop case has gained a reputation for offering some of the best protection anyone can get for their laptop. Now the Brain Cell is available in a size specifically designed to carry the MacBook Air: Size 6X.

The Brain Cell is designed to clip securely inside a wide variety of TOM BIHN messenger bags, briefcases, and backpacks — bags including the Empire Builder, Super Ego, ID, Ego, and Zephyr.

A full list of the TOM BIHN bags that will accept the Size 6X Brain Cell and thus the MacBook Air can be found here: www.tombihn.com/page/001/CTGY/MACBOOKAIR

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