I found this book difficult to get into, mainly because I didn't understand a significant amount of the terminology. But, once I made my way further into the text, it was easier to understand some of the concepts being addressed. I think the topic in the text that finally made it "click" for me was in Chapter 2 when the music industry was brought up. The first chapter had me somewhat confused on "place," but I want to look further into it to gain more understanding.
Chapter two helped clear up some uncertainties I had regarding terminology. I had been searching the text for tools and techniques that were being put into practice. I had this goal in my head, yet I couldn't seem to figure out what I was looking for. I knew that what I read had a list of new techniques, I couldn't see, however, how they were put into practice. Peer-to-peer was one of those practices that I was having trouble with. Recently, at school, we had to discuss our technology policy with the students about peer-to-peer file sharing such as BitTorrent. When we discussed this, I had no clue what they were talking about. The music industry discussion in this chapter helped with this disconnect. Since I can remember being on the computer, if I wasn't downloading music, my brother was. Before getting music on the computer, we purchased CDs, the internet, however, made accessing music very easy and convenient. We rarely used iTunes to purchase music, and found various ways of getting free downloads. P2P file sharing makes for an easy way to access almost anything through the internet. It does have it's downfalls though.
As stated in the text, "The emergence of P2P was an obvious threat to corporations that perceived file sharing as theft of their intellectual property." (p. 51). While I downloaded music for my own enjoyment, I rarely thought that what I was doing was illegal, but I did feel that I might have been cheating the system in some way. As mentioned in the text, "music industry's revenues plunged," (p.50) and they continue to today. I personally know a few musicians, and they know the struggle of trying to sell music. Many people expect the music to be free when they find it online, but they often don't recognize the time and effort that goes into producing the music; something I didn't realize when I searched for free downloads. File sharing can be misused across the board. Individuals have been using other musicians work in their own songs for decades, that is nothing new. However, this file sharing is now being battled with copyrights. Sampling, quoting, and remixing songs is making it difficult for some original artists to be able to make money off of their pieces. "There is a very real problem of artists being able to make a living through their music." (p. 51).
Additionally, the distribution of music has changed drastically. No longer do people need professional recording studios or to be signed by a record company. They have the ability to produce and distribute their own music. They have access to how to produce their own music and what equipment they will need. All they would have to do is read a few articles online, and scope out a few blogs to figure out what they need and how to use it. After they produce their own songs, they can easily share what they have made through almost any social media platform. Anyone can use "social networks [to] spread new and unknown artists to their friends and their friend's friends." (p. 54). I know from a variety of friends that this method has been effective; I have helped share music for friends, and I have been opened up to new music from friends. When the music is shared on a social media platform, I almost feel like people will be more willing to pay for their music, because they will feel a different type of connection to these musicians, than those that you don't know personal connection. Blogs and other platforms are used by musicians, too, in order to "market" their personalities and their music.
I feel like I am only skimming the surface with this topic, and I hope to become more fluent in it soon. It is easy to see that the internet is making many things (more than music) convenient for consumers, but it is also making things more complex for bigger companies, businesses, and corporations. Corporations are trying to control the way information is consumed, but at the same time, consumers are trying to control the way that same information is accessible. It's a two way battle that seems like a tug-of-war contest. I can see a lot of things going on with this book, and I want to get more of a handle on it. I'm hoping that through discussion with the others taking this course will help me get a better understanding of the tools, techniques, and skills being mentioned. Additionally, I am looking forward to reading other blogs about this reading. I feel like I am aware of many of the issues mentioned throughout the text, but I want to hear how they are applied to these tools and techniques. I'm still working on clearing up some confusion, but I feel slightly better after reading about the music industry and how I can relate to it in some way.
References:
Varnelis, K. (2008). Networked Publics. Cambridge, Massachusetts: The MIT Press.
Hi Kelsey!
ReplyDeleteI also enjoyed reading about the P2P sharing because I have also downloaded music through these files. I will never forget when Napster first came out. I was a teenager and thought it was the best invention of all time. Buying music is expensive and when you are a teenager the thought of getting that music free is very exhilarating. What I found interesting was the way that the music corporations handled the creations of these file sharing systems such as Napster and Limewire. Instead of trying to find solutions they immediately began lawsuits against all of these companies for millions of dollars. As Varnelis stated, "The fact that widespread music file sharing happened relatively early also meant that the existing music industry was poorly equipped to deal with the new ecology, and it took a reactive stance rather than anticipating new practices and potential business solutions". (Varnelis, pp.55) I enjoyed reading this quote by Varnelis because I makes me think that something could have been done by the music companies so they would not have lost millions. If they had worked with this new file sharing system would things have turned out differently? I am also curious as to what the things are that they could have done and what the outcomes may have been. I also found it interesting in this chapter when Varnelis discussed the music corporations being the most effected by these P2P files and the fact that it did not seem to effect the artists nearly as much. Were these lawsuits really in favor of the artists? Or were the in favor of the billion dollar corporations?
Varnelis, K. (2012). Networked Publics. Cambridge, US: The MIT Press. Retrieved from http://www.ebrary.com.library.esc.edu
I also found this a difficult read. I reread it a few times before I started to grasp the terminology. After reading your blog I went back to chapter 2 to gain a better understanding before responding to you. I'm 34 so buying music when I was a kid had nothing to do with technology for me. But today, its intriguing to know that a teenager can access must via internet for free. CD's were the thing when I was growing up. When talking about producing and distributing music and how things have changed, is in my opinion, what is exciting about the music industry these days. People are in charge of there own success. They don't have to depend on someone to sign them to begin a musical career. The use of You Tube has helped people to share their music abilities and there have been numerous success stories. I have also seen people share things like this on social network sites such as Instagram and Facebook. I agree with you about just "skimming" the topic. There are so many things to learn from the information in chapter 2, as well as so many angles to look at the context of this literature.
ReplyDelete“No longer do people need professional recording studios or to be signed by a record company. They have the ability to produce and distribute their own music.” This is a great option the internet has brought about. Itunes for example is one way people can produce and put their songs up for sale, even a dollar a song is worth more if it is not shared with a record label. Amazon is a great way to sell self marketed books as well. As the text states, the internet has allowed for many “niche” markets and niche cultures to find wider audiences wher such nterests were once limited by geography.
ReplyDeleteHi Kelsey,
ReplyDeleteYou caught my attention with your idea that "the distribution of music has changed drastically," and your discussion of the ways in which people can fairly easily produce their own music in today's digital world. Getting signed with a record label isn't the ultimate goal anymore. I think this idea can be expanded to other areas beyond music. Authorship, in general, is no longer rare. People can self-publish print books, or they can self-publish online even easier. I also share your frustration with only being able to skim the surface of these topics. I have found that to be the case with most of our readings and assignments so far. I end up having so much to say, but have to cut it way back, or else I'd be posting novels for blog posts.
Thanks for a really interesting post. I hadn't paid much attention to that chapter in the book, but maybe now I will.