Killing your market softly
The New York Times reports: Fees Forcing College Radio Stations to Scale Back Webcasts. "About 70 college radio stations have been forced to pull the plug on Internet broadcasting in the last several months because of new copyright fees and reporting regulations."
Okay, recording executives, you are paranoid about piracy and understandably so. Those college dorms are stuffed to the gills with would-be pirates, right? But they are also your core market and the audience you want to sell to for years to come, because they'll earn more than the average worker.
If the radio stations stream your songs, they can't be grabbed and ripped conveniently, and your core audience will discover new music. When I was in college back in the early 80s, I worked at KUGR in Pullman, Wash., and we used to get calls all night long about what was on the air -- people went to buy what we introduced them to. If you stop the streams to these people while they are spending hours on their computers each night, you are, with all due respect, oh members of the RIAA, idiots.
If you're still scared about piracy, try some new pricing regimes that makes it easier and more satisfying music. Turning off an influential channel for introducing new bands and new music is a form of suicide.
Posted by Mitch Ratcliffe at October 19, 2002 06:26 PM | TrackBack