ica 2016: slicing the pie: towards an equitable music economy
TRANSCRIPT
TOWARDS AN EQUITABLE MUSIC ECONOMY
Aram Sinnreich, PhDAssociate ProfessorAmerican University SOC
ICA 2016Fukuoka, JP
June 10, 2016
SLICING THE PIE
STREAMING MUSIC IS BECOMING THE DOMINANT DISTRIBUTION MODEL
$0
$5
$10
$15
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Streaming
Other Digital
Synch
Physical
Global music industry trade revenues. Source: IFPI
(billions)
DESPITE (OR BECAUSE) OF THIS, IT’S CATCHING A LOT OF FLAK
“Music is art, and art is important and rare. Important, rare things are valuable. Valuable things should be paid for”
- Taylor Swift
“I tell people condoning streaming is like condoning the Chinese that are killing
elephants for their tusks and carving ivory statues”
- Tom DeLonge
“The old boss and the new boss have joined hands,
they’re singing Kumbaya, and they’ve changed the words to, ‘Fuck the songwriters! Fuck the performers!’ ”
- David Lowery
THE WAY THINGS WERE (2000)
‣ Effective royalty: 6.5% ‣ Chance of payment: 5% ‣ Percentage of professionalmusicians earning royalties:0.05% (1:2000)
‣ Effective royalty: $0.03/song
‣ Effective royalty: $0.00011/spin/listener
‣ Effective royalty: 0% ‣ Chance of payment: 0% ‣ Chance of getting played:very small ‣ Cost of payola:$100,000-200,000/song/week
THE WAY THINGS ARE (2010S)
THE WAY THINGS MIGHT BE (ROUGH MIX)Pi
e Si
ze
EquityPie
Blockchain rights/royalties
Fair Play, Fair Pay Act (FM $)
IRFA (FM/web rate parity)
Bypass SoundExchange
Bankrupt/balkanize Streaming
Undermine Net Neutrality/DMCAAllocation for Music Producers
Songwriter Equity Act (FMV)
?
