The Royalty Scam: "...we need to establish the principle of artists’ rights throughout the Internet"
nytimes.com
nytimes.com
He clearly doesn't understand what really happens on radio. New musicians essentially pay to be on it, indirectly of course (to circumvent anti-payola laws).
On Bebo/Myspace they get to promote themselves for free. It's a symbiotic relationship between artist and social networks.
It is not really as simple as you make it seem.
he gave his argument point by point -- if you're going to make a counter argument to his whole piece, why not do a full counter-point?
"On Bebo/Myspace they get to promote themselves for free. It's a symbiotic relationship between artist and social networks."
And the big-name artists who are on the billboard 100 (and have millions of plays on their myspace pages) aren't getting royalties while myspace is making money on advertising -- that's the point he's making.
The value of Myspace is largely staked on the big-ticket musicians it has, while other sites like amiestreet do more to promote indie artists.
It's no different than Youtube making a deal with the major record labels to bankroll on all the unsigned musicians doing covers.
There's a balance to be sought here, and this guy seems to be an established musician, and for them, they are often getting the short side of the stick (even when the labels are suing web companies)
I don't think the author appreciates how valuable that world-wide, democratic exposure is. The artists may not receive any direct revenue from it, but it can greatly enhance real sources of revenue, like concerts and merchandising.