October 12 at 12:00pm

Music Vs. Film : Copyright Control Comparisons

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I was reading over an article on BBC News on the state of the music business.  

Film people never like comparisons between us and them (Music vs. Film), but I find them useful.  Film vets dismiss the comparison of Music vs. Film over a couple of issues: 1) cost of motion picture production; 2) cost of motion picture marketing; 3) cost of the product; and 4) length of time required to listen/watch.  You can hear a song in two minutes for free and have a complete experience.
I think dismissing the comparison often comes down to seeing the Film Biz as 100% Hollywood.  It’s true that’s where the money is made these days (outside of distinct national industries and genres), but we do have potential to develop a true alternative now — that is provided the internet can remain truly free and neutral.
In the BBC article, they cite a panel that took place between Jazz Summers, the manage of The Verve (and a proponent of artists’ control of copyright) and Lyor Cohen, the head of Warner Music (and a proponent of corporate control).  Cohen stated the big money perspective:

“It’s very important for us to own those rights if we are going to have an infrastructure around the world of thousands of people, if we’re going to invest in new artists to create new music and promote and market it.”

Cohen’s perspective is also the Big Money Perspective on Film.  But here’s where it’s important to recognize the difference between Big Money Hollywood & Traditional Indie/Specialized on one hand and Truly Free Film culture on the other.  
Truly Free Film will be built on collective endeavor and an open source perspective on information and information sharing.  Those attitudes and subsequent action will build a new infrastructure that will allow Truly Free Film artists to earn a living.  The Truly Free Film Culture infrastructure will not be dependent on Mega-Corp investment.  
In a Truly Free Film Culture, there is no argument for anyone other than the artists owning their copyrights, or at least sharing in them with their investors.

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  • Ruth

    Copyright issues have to be one of the most confusing aspects of getting a film made. I never realized how much was involved until I started reading more about it. The best book I've found so far is the 3rd edition of Michael C. Donaldson's Clearance and Copyright: Everything You Need to know for Film and Television. He takes this confusing subject and explains it so clearly that even a dummy like me can understand it.

  • Anonymous

    I think there are some very scary comparisons to be made between the music and film business. Scary, because the music business is essentially dead and the film studios seem intent on repeating every mistake the music studios made.

    Luckily for musicians, they can tour. Live music was how they made money before recording happened and they will always have that option. I'm not sure how filmmakers will survive.

    The music studios were digging their own grave before the internet came along. They controlled the business, from top to tail, making sure that the music that they put out was played on all the radio stations, and crowded out the other music that was in stores. Because they had this control, they started putting out crap. They started putting out albums with one catchy song and charging 15 bucks for the CD, which cost them 15 cents to make. Audiences were fed up with the lack of selection, the cost and the feeling that they had when they brought their CD home and realized that the rest of it sucked, but they had no choice.

    When the internet came along, people couldn't wait to rip off the studios that had been ripping them off for years. How did the studios react? They got mad. They did everything the same way. It still amazes me that to this day they think they can charge 15 bucks for something I can download for free.

    Now the movie studios have virtually total control of theaters. They long ago took over the "independent" studios. They charge way too much for the movies, both in theaters and DVD. And they've been putting out crap for years, crap that keeps getting worse. Putting aside the quality issue for a second, the cost of going to a film is simply too high especially when there is a free option.

    I downloaded a copy of rec before it came out here - I'm not sure it ever came out here. My other option for seeing this movie would be the remake that just came out. That's the Hollywood model and they're going to follow it right into the grave.

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