Musicians record album in rebuttal to File Sharing is Killing Music article

Marc Weidenbaum sez, "The May 2010 issue of the magazine The Atlantic featured an article by Megan McArdle -- the article in which she not only blames 'a generation of file-sharers' for the destruction of the music industry, but also manages to confuse the record industry with the music industry. In a small irony, the illustration used to decorate the article interpolated a detail of a preexisting work that appears to not yet be in the public domain. I got nine musicians (with more to come) to contribute to a non-verbal 'answer album' to McArdle's article. They accomplished this by interpreting the article's illustration (by the talented artist Jeremy Traum) as if it were a musical score. I posted it late Monday with seven completed tracks, and have already received (and posted) two additional tracks, and more seem to be on their way."

Marc WeidenbaumDespite the Downturn: An Answer Album (Thanks, Marc!)

(Image: Thumbnail from larger image by Jeremy Traum)

• [cbpxy]

  Presumably you meant an article by Megan McArdle (that is, there are two links to the Answer album but none to McArdle’s article).

  That said, I’ve been disappointed with the Atlantic, and let my subscription lapse a year or two ago, with no regrets.

• [urbanspaceman]

  Gee, I seem to remember an early 1980′s ad campaign from the Record Industry Association of America (RIAA) which proclaimed that home taping (you know, with those old-school analogue tape cassettes that boom-boxes use) was what was killing music. (“Home taping is killing music – and it’s illegal!”)

  The greed of the recording industry is exceeded only by its unwillingness to take its blinders off and look up the meaning of the word “promotion”.

• [Anonymous]

  Who said that music is ment to be made by an Industry nways? People, heart, passion and soul makes for good music.Industries make products, not music.

• [Anonymous]

  There is no doubt that filesharing is definitely one of the key issues that has aided in the music industry faultering. There’s no money in the industry anymore, and artists are being struggle to earn a living, though their ability to distribute has now become cost-free (but at what price?).

  Interestingly, however, according the latest ‘UK Evolution of Digital Media Survey’, people are still buying their cds and dvds. Check out this music industry article on the subject and see what you make of it – http://www.themusicvoid.com/2010/05/uk-evolution-of-digital-media-survey-points-to-consumer-rejection-of-subscription-services/

• [NDanger]

  Having had a hand and foot in the music business at various times, I can’t help but think that some small education about the business would push most people closer to the pro-filesharing position.

  The amount of money record companies spend on artist development is nearly non-existent.

  What they do spend goes into production and promotions, mostly promotions.

  But promotions aren’t what they used to be. These days, social networking is every bit as effective as having a regional promotions man shmoozing some radio jock with hookers and booze.

  The cost of producing a recording is also greatly reduced in the digital age, to the extent that any shmuck with a thousand bucks and ten songs on his mind can create a high-quality master.

  Like the cigarette industry, scrapping desperately for every dollar as their business slowly becomes untenable in modern society, the Big Four record companies are simply hanging on for the end of the ride at this point.

  The artists themselves get the vast majority of their income from touring anyway. In fact, until a second hit album, most artists see no income whatsoever from sales of recorded product. And most of them never have a second hit album. Big surprise.

  Filesharing is great for music, it’s the most perfect thing that could happen. Unfortunately, most of the other things happening in the world aren’t.

  I can totally understand why someone might be looking for a reason music sucks these days. But less participation by the record companies is definitely not the reason. Look to the spirit of the age instead.

• [Irene Delse]

  “The May 2010 issue of the magazine The Atlantic featured an article by Megan McArdle — the article in which she not only blames ‘a generation of file-sharers’ for the destruction of the music industry, but also manages to confuse the record industry with the music industry. In a small irony, the illustration used to decorate the article interpolated a detail of a preexisting work that appears to not yet be in the public domain.”

  Double the irony, here, with an otherwise respected economic journalist and blogger (McArdle) confusing music industry with record industry… But, hey, taking a part for the whole, and talking about “Wall Street” as short for the US economy, isn’t that a very common misconception among professional economic commentors?

• [Anonymous]

  Google maps 37Signals with Flickr iPod. =)

  • [the Other michael]

    I see you, and raise

    Ubiquity tweets Basecamp with BoingBoing Segway >:(

    ———–

    gah. I’m looking forward to seeing this article, when I get my two-year-old copies from my parents. Think I’ll find this one early….

• [Anonymous]

  The article states that there will always be musicians and music, even if the recording industry dies, there will always be art and artists, even if art galleries shut their doors.

  What won’t be left are the companies who profit from exploiting artists. It’s sort of like if there were no Goldman-Sachs or JP Morgans, there would still be money and banks and everyone would probably be happier too :)

• [thequickbrownfox]

  The fact is that the anal-retentive “industry” types with their DRM voodoo have pushed the contemporary Pop scene into an area previously known as the “underground”.

  You have the mainstream DRM acts like Lady Gaga and Kesha, with all their high-priced hype but very little value, being outshone by indie stars like Santigold.

  No surprise that the latest Gorillaz album went straight to number 1 in Australia and number 2 in Britain and the U.S.

  • [Anonymous]

    er… except Santi isn’t on an indie label and in fact used to have a job at a major label as a junior A&R staffer before striking out on her own as an artist. too much irony, way too much.

• [mdh]

  Megan McArdle is, in my opinion, a complete hack. She casts doubt on her publications editorial credibility with each breathless article she half-asses her way through.

  Wanna know what’s wrong with journalism? Folks with her talent getting jobs that should be filled by consistent, honest, interesting people.

  any more and I’d risk disemvowelment.

• [antiemantiem]

  Not exactly the kind of music I’d play while driving in a convertible with the top down, but somewhat interesting. But then again I’m not a big fan of electronic instrumental music

  I’m not a musician, but perhaps a more interesting approach would be a journalistic one, where involved musicians could do a little research and find arguments counter to Ms McArdle – then place these counter arguments inside an individualistic musical context.

• [Anonymous]

  What exactly is this “interpolation” of a work that may “not yet be in the public domain”? I don’t see any description of exactly what this is, which makes the irony difficult to spot.

  • [teapot]

    What exactly is this “interpolation” of a work that may “not yet be in the public domain”? I don’t see any description of exactly what this is, which makes the irony difficult to spot.

    The work in question is the written music used as part of the art which was included with the article (The guys stealing musical notes from a staff).

    Articles like this merely illustrate the severity of the author’s misguided & biassed views. Remember Lily Allen’s bullshit rant about the same issue on her blog? The same rant that included unattributed work of another author? These fools need to be hung out to dry like the self-serving bottom-feeders they are.