pjc50 6 years ago

> The role of the audience is central in another context: MP3. MP3's explosive growth is fueled by the appeal of free stuff, of course, but at a more basic level it is fueled by musicians' fervent desire to circumvent record companies and their onerous contracts. Record companies do roughly three things: production, distribution, and promotion. Production can already be bought by the yard, and MP3 promises a new distribution system. That leaves the most complicated of a record company's functions, promoting records. [...] In order to circumvent record companies completely, it follows that bands must learn to use the Internet to promote themselves -- that is, to build an audience.

Interesting and prescient. A good reminder that the "copyright wars" are three-sided. The record companies like to pretend that they're protecting the musicians from the public, but who's protecting the musicians from the labels?

mojoe 6 years ago

The article talks about private, public, and commercial voices as if they're discrete things, but it seems more like a spectrum to me. For instance, my zine is ostensibly commercial (compellingsciencefiction.com) but I have specific goals about the kinds of stories I want to get people reading, which limits my audience pretty drastically. I think in most true commercial ventures businesses adapt their products to find a market (which makes money) rather than try to adapt the market to their product (which is harder and makes much less money). This is just one example of a point on the spectrum of private-to-commercial.

rijoja 6 years ago

I have some experimental ideas of a not so serious underground zine format. Please contact me if you are interested.

  • farleykr 6 years ago

    I’m interested. Whether I’d be able to contribute depends on subject matter. But I’m always looking for an excuse to write!

  • farleykr 6 years ago

    Also, I'm not seeing any contact info in your profile. How should I contact you?

    • rijoja 6 years ago

      Ah totally forgot that this wasn't reddit, and that there is no way for you to PM me. Drop me an e-mail at rijoja@yahoo.com and we'll take it from there!

  • knolax 6 years ago

    interested, but no contact info.