Telegraph: Google Not Screwing the Music Industry
January 21, 2009
Upscale UK newspapers are better with words than the addled geese at Beyond Search. Here’s an example. The headline appeared on January 20, 2009, in my newsreader. The Telegraph.co.uk wrote: “Google Boss Denies Screwing Music Industry and Defends YouTube in Warner Row” here. A long time ago I wrote about Napster, pointing out that the peer to peer mechanism required change in traditional music distribution. I am proud to point out that no one paid any attention to my article in Online Magazine. When I write about something, I expect to be asked “What’s a Napster?” or “Where did you get that? I never heard about that before.” When I saw the news of the dust up between YouTube.com and Warner Music, I heard Yogi Berra (maybe Yogi Bear) say, “It’s déjà vu all over again.”
Big surprise that Google is a threat to the music industry. Apple’s a threat. Most music industry managers’ kids are a threat to the music industry. Urmee Khan’s story is pretty interesting. Urmee Kahn wrote, allegedly quoting the Google executive, David Eun:
We don’t make money unless our partners make money, so the idea that we would screw a partner on whom we depend is not rational or logical. We’re not screwing the labels, and if anything, we need to partner more closely with them.
I love it when Google uses the words rational and logical. Mathematicians define tidy little worlds. In those worlds, the math just works. Pull the math out of a tidy little world (Newtonian physics) and drop it into the messy world of the nuclear weapons lab and the Newtonian math doesn’t work. Google likes to explain to people that their behavior or their understanding is not logical or rational.
In fact, the music industry is acting in a rational manner in its tidy little frame. Google, however, does not understand that frame and therefore whips reporters into a frenzy when the company’s wizards point out that entire business models are collapsing. Such collapses are logical.
And Google doesn’t understand why the music industry is upset.
The only problem is that it is now too late for the music industry. It’s too late for dead tree publishing companies. It’s too late for most organizations who have failed for the last decade to take the time to understand that Google’s power comes from consumers and advertisers. Oh, I almost forget the children of the publishing, movie, and music industries are helping Google.
Here’s how this works?
Music executive to his 12 year old child (female): What are you doing, Anna?
Anna, the 12 year old child to her father, the music executive: Nothing. Just getting some song links from Kaylee. You know her, dad.
Music executive to his 12 year old child: What music?
Anna, the 12 year old child (female) to her father, the music executive: I’m into The Fray now.
Music executive to his 12 year old child: Are you using iTunes again?
Anna, the 12 year old child (female) to her father, the music executive: No.
Music executive to his 12 year old child: Are you using YouTube then?
Anna, the 12 year old child (female) to her father, the music executive: No.
Music executive to his 12 year old child: Where are you getting the music, Anna?
Anna, the 12 year old child (female) to her father, the music executive: What.cd.
Music executive to his 12 year old child: What?
Anna, the 12 year old child (female) to her father, the music executive. Evident exasperation: What.cd
Music executive to his 12 year old child: Who? What.tv?
Anna, the 12 year old child (female) to her father, the music executive: No, what.cd?
Music executive to his 12 year old child: See the what?
Anna, the 12 year old child (female) to her father, the music executive: I really have to do homework now.
Google’s perception is closer to Anna’s in this humorous dialog. The gulf is wide. There are more young people than old music people.
The music industry has to do more than hitch a ride on its legal eagles. Innovation, new business models, and tech savvy are important first steps. Anna is growing up and will probably bring significant changes to her dad’s world, the formerly employed music industry executive.
Stephen Arnold, January 21, 2009
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4 Responses to “Telegraph: Google Not Screwing the Music Industry”
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the music industry is getting bigger because more and more people likes to hear new music artists and new genres ;;
the music industry would always be a thriving industry specially these days where we listen to a lot of music ,”:
this type of Telegraph: Google Not Screwing the Music Industry : Beyond Search is almost something like my own blog i’m guessing this subject is admittedly increasingly becoming widespread