Music Industry Wants Apple To Pay For 30-Second Song Previews
4:40 pm, September 17th, 2009, Leander Kahney
The music industry is planning to introduce new laws that would require Apple to pay for music in downloaded movies and TV Shows — and iTunes’ 30-second song previews.
The move comes from the industry’s royalty-collection agencies — ASCAP, BMI and others — which collect royalties on music that’s broadcast or performed.
The agencies collect royalties on songs played on the radio or your local dive-bar jukebox, but say they are left out of the digital revolution. Artists are not being paid for music downloaded in movies and TV shows, or previews on Amazon, iTunes and other digital outlets, the agencies say. So they’re lobbying Congress to bring Apple and others in line with cable and broadcast outlets.
On the one hand, the agencies make a compelling point about the consumption of music. Music used to be public. It was broadcast on the radio of performed at concerts, and the industry had mechanisms for collecting royalties on this. But now music is private. It’s loaded onto iPods and played through computers — but there’s no mechanisms for monetizing these new consumption patterns.
“This is really a fight about the future,” one industry spokesman tells CNet. “As more and more people watch TV or movies over an Internet line as opposed to cable or broadcast signal, then we’re going to lose the income of the performance.”
This doesn’t sound unreasonable, but 30 second song previews? As CNet notes: “For many, this would also undoubtedly confirm their perception that those overseeing the music industry are greedy.”
Posted by Leander Kahney in Apple, Music, News, iTunes | Comment on this article
downloaded video/films? maybe. 30 second previews? that’s just silly. that’s biting one of the only hands still feeding the music industry, innit?
kdc, on September 17th, 2009 at 4:46 pm
Total bs. Pay for previews? Aren’t they called ‘previews’ for a reason? How dumb is the industry turning?
Harold, on September 17th, 2009 at 5:10 pm
Come on people, for artists like The Minutemen and TMBG it’s nearly the entire song! $$$$
solar, on September 17th, 2009 at 5:11 pm
This is insane. The 30 second preview is promotion, not performance. That’s like Tide charging stores to display a picture of its products. Or BMW charging dealers to allow a test drive of their cars. Consumers want to try before they buy.
This isn’t much different than record stores back in the 60’s allowing people to listen to a LP in the store before they purchased it. iTunes is just a record store on a global scale.
Nick, on September 17th, 2009 at 5:11 pm
Don’t the movie and TV studios already pay for the music used in movies and TV shows? As a content distributor, I don’t see how Apple should be required to pay those fees. Does Blockbuster or Best Buy have to pay for music in the movies and TV box sets they rent/sell? Sounds like double dipping to me.
As far as having to pay for the 30 second previews, I know I personally use those previews to determine if I am listening to the correct version of a song, something that is getting harder and harder to do in the age or remixes and mashups. If I’m unable to hear whether or not I have the correct song selected, I’ll be less likely to click that “buy now” button for fear of not getting what I would be paying for. That’s lost revenue for Apple and more importantly, lost income for the artist.
Jason Byfield, on September 17th, 2009 at 5:11 pm
They don’t get it.
As always!
Karsten, on September 17th, 2009 at 5:28 pm
Really? You want to charge the consumer to find out if they want to buy the track? (The cost will always be passed on in one form or another).
Sure, go ahead, give us another reason to pirate.
‘“This is really a fight about the future,” one industry spokesman tells CNet.’
The key here is which industry? They’re not talking about the future of the music industry, they’re talking about the future of the royalties industry. The sooner that industry dies the better, it’s holding back the entertainment industry as whole from moving with the technology, from working for the entertainers, the publishers and the consumer.
It’s old and big, so I doubt its going to go without a fight. But neither does it know how to adapt.
veeto, on September 17th, 2009 at 5:32 pm
Now I know why is there so much piracy on music. If they do this, people will be forced to find a way to get it for free, always. Maybe not on iTunes but they’ll go and download the entire album on torrent files… for FREE!
Tonni Pérez, on September 17th, 2009 at 5:43 pm
Wait… Don’t they already get their “cut” every time someone purchases a song? What is it exactly they’re missing out on. It’s not clear from your article.
They want to charge us each time we listen to the song we purchased or something?
As far as the previews go – that’s utterly ridiculous and without any foundation. In what world does that make sense to ANYONE?
YodaMac, on September 17th, 2009 at 5:51 pm
The whole industry proposal is so stupid I want to believe it’s just a bad dream.
If something is always the same (let’s say, a can of beans), I’ll buy it the first time and if don’t like the brand I won’t never buy it again, because it’s gonna be always the same. But if something’s always different (like a song, a movie, or an app) I definitely want to have a peek at it first. If this option is not given to me I will get very conservative and I will then only buy whatever I think fits perfectly my preferences.
The explosion of media has happened just because of the options we have now to choose what we’re going to consume. People are more open, they can expand their horizons by listening to new things, so they buy more.
If the record industry forces vendors to pay for previews they simply won’t offer them, consumers won’t try new things, and therefore they won’t buy more. And what it’s worse: because there’s a whole free world outside where you can get the entire album to listen to it, people will use it for preview. Once you have it, who’s willing to bet on you buying it instead of sticking to the pirated copy you just used as preview?
Whenever I read about something like this, my hopes about the industry finally getting what’s going on fade away into the most absolute darkness. Yes, it is pure, plain evil greed.
javier, on September 17th, 2009 at 5:55 pm
Apple would probably pass the cost to the buyer (10¢). The buyer would then buy less music. How is that good for anyone? less profit = bad plan
Brian, on September 17th, 2009 at 6:10 pm
Having licensed songs for inclusion in films, I can tell you that there’s a big chunk of logic missing from either this article or the proposed legislation.
When you license a song for a film, it covers all forms of media that the film may appear in. That’s why music licensing for film is so freakin’ expensive.
JAYnLA, on September 17th, 2009 at 6:25 pm
Since when does a 30″ preview count as a performance? Those previews benefit the labels, because they make consumers feel at ease about buying the music.
blondepianist, on September 17th, 2009 at 6:28 pm
Actually looking at the comments above, including my own, I wonder if this isn’t exactly the response the industry expects, even wants….
“Okay, we’ll take the ‘royalties on 30 second samples’ off the table. Just give us everything else we ask for.”
They’ll look like they’ve stood down, whilst all the time getting everything they wanted in the first place.
Clever dealing if it is.
veeto, on September 17th, 2009 at 6:32 pm
Corporations, even ones in the music industry don’t make laws. Governments and elected officials make laws.
TranceMist, on September 17th, 2009 at 8:22 pm
Apple should be charging an advertising fee to the RIAA, after all it is a free advert for something I might buy.
I don’t listen to much radio as there is not much I like where I can recieve it. Pandora was closed to me because I don’t live in the US.
If this goes through Ill just go back to pirate bay.
John, on September 17th, 2009 at 8:27 pm
As a musician I resent the music industry. Charging for 30 second previews? Apple should charge the music industry for these “30 second commercials” that they broadcast over their service for no charge to the artists or labels. Hey, I’ve bought more music because of the free previews!!!!!!!
Ictus75, on September 17th, 2009 at 10:52 pm
@TranceMist
Is there a difference between buying and making a law?
toast2042, on September 17th, 2009 at 11:09 pm
if the songwriters are not getting paid for when someone buys a music video, movie or tv show, then they should get a cut. but it should be coming to them from the studio/production company etc, as part of their contract to use the piece in the first place. not from Apple.
Charli, on September 18th, 2009 at 12:24 am
Without music previews iTunes is simply useless. Simple as that.
As far as music industry execs are concerned, it quite obvious they are …. quite mad.
cookeecut, on September 18th, 2009 at 12:37 am
LET THE BOYCOTT CONTINUE UNTIL THEY ARE ALL DEAD!!!!!
George, on September 18th, 2009 at 7:52 am
If I were Apple, I’d go with the scorched earth solution and just remove the ability to preview altogether and explain to its customers exactly why. See what happens then. This preview = performance thing is taking things too far. Next thing you know, they’ll want to subpoena you if you whistle the tune in public.
noname, on September 18th, 2009 at 8:41 am
This makes very little sense to me. I doubt I’ll be downloading music if I can’t at least hear a sample of it. That’s just silly. I’ll make due with the music I have, thanks.
susan, on September 18th, 2009 at 4:55 pm
Hmmh…Let me make sure I understand this correctly. They want me to download Limewire and get them for free? Please don’t twist my arm!
Surfa, on September 19th, 2009 at 4:12 am
Insanity. They have learned nothing. The 30 second previews are in order to sell their goods – the same goods that it is easy to just steal – and this sort of action just encourages that act – not just because of the reality of it – but also the perception of the industry suffers as a whole. I met some music lawyers once, its not an experience I have ever forgotten, those people are greedy greedy greedy. Personally I have bought a ton of music from iTunes – but no 30 free previews – forget it.s
Garax, on September 19th, 2009 at 11:52 am
First, I don’t doubt that the music industry guys are crazy and exceedingly greedy…but one thing that throws this entire article into the realm of doubt is the lead that says, “The music industry is planning to introduce new laws…”
Ummmmmmm…last time I checked, neither the music industry nor any other industry can “introduce new laws.” That is the province of state and/or federal legislatures.
So…how much of the rest of the article is also baloney?
MoodyRiver, on September 20th, 2009 at 4:41 pm