reboog711 's Techdirt Comments

Latest Comments (229)

• On the post: Why The Record Labels Are Still Confused: The Difference Between Transformative And Incremental Change

  

  reboog711 ( profile ), 21 Dec, 2009 @ 01:53pm

  How did the Internet affect the cost of recording?

  
  ...the internet presents a disruptive or transformative change.
  
  When you take an industry that has 4 big costs - recording, manufacture, distribution, promotion - and remove 3 of them, that changes everything.
  

  
  
  Although I agree that the Internet has been disruptive to the music business in terms of manufacturer and distribution, I do not agree that the Internet has changed the cost of recording. The cost of recording has changed with the introduction of low cost gear that can be used in your own home; but that is completely independent of the Internet, isn't it?
  
  I also wonder if that more money has to be spent on promotion / marketing these days due to the vast numbers of acts out there.

• On the post: Shouldn't The Labels Be Paying YouTube For All The 'Free' Service They Provide?

  

  reboog711 ( profile ), 17 Dec, 2009 @ 01:55pm

  Vevo is...

  The Vevo Player is a way to:
  
  1) Lock up the old computer that I use a "jukebox"
  2) A way to ruin my YouTube Playlists by removing videos from 'old' official artist page onto the artist's new Vevo page.
  3) A way to promote some piano riff thing
  4) all of the above
  
  I'm voting for 4

• On the post: That Random Coin Toss? Not So Random Afterall…

  

  reboog711 ( profile ), 11 Dec, 2009 @ 06:52pm

  Is a coins weight evenly spread out over the coin, or could the weight be more to one side than the other? If I flip my water bottle; it always lads "heavy side" down.

• On the post: This Is What's Wrong With eBooks: Amazon Loses $2 On Every eBook Sold

  

  reboog711 ( profile ), 08 Dec, 2009 @ 10:14am

  What are the real costs?

  I understood that e-books are not as cheap to produce as it appears that they should be due to the multitude of formats that they needed to be converted into.
  
  I also understood that the cost of printing and distribution of paper books makes up a very small portion of the actual cost of producing a book.
  
  If my two understandings are true, perhaps the 'production cost' is not nearly as low as people assume it is.

• On the post: This Is What's Wrong With eBooks: Amazon Loses $2 On Every eBook Sold

  

  reboog711 ( profile ), 08 Dec, 2009 @ 10:07am

  Re: Re: Doesn't amazon have the power here?

  I hardly think that refusing to "stock" items because you can't buy it for lower than you can sell it will qualify as monopolistic.

• On the post: Gimmicky Augmented Reality Videos Popping Up In Music Videos And Magazines

  

  reboog711 ( profile ), 03 Nov, 2009 @ 05:09am

  US Priority Mail Simulator

  I thought the US Priority Mail Package Simulator was a pretty useful and creative use of Augmented Reality:
  
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCcZX8qGAX0
  
  You use it to create a virtual box and decide how much stuff will fit in said box.

• On the post: Dean Singleton: Please Explain How Charging For Something Magically Gives It Value

  

  reboog711 ( profile ), 30 Sep, 2009 @ 10:36am

  Why not sell that blank pad as part of the CWF_RTB experiment just to be sure you're not wrong.
  
  There is a often a perceived value of things, which in some cases can be influenced by the price.
  
  Back when I was in a gigging band [quite a while ago], there was a perceived value to band CDs. If you sold it for $5 people wondered what was wrong with it. If you sold it for $15 people would gawk at the price. But, $10 seemed to be the sweet spot. They already had it in their mind that "Indy Bands sold CDs for $10."
  
  Consulting services is another example. It is easier to sell a company on a $125 an hour consultant than a $50 an hour one.

• On the post: Canadian Copyright Group Sending Huge Bills To Schools For Daring To Teach Kids With Photocopies

  

  reboog711 ( profile ), 29 Sep, 2009 @ 12:53pm

  Is there something like this in the US? Is that why my wife, an elementary school teacher, needs to buy her own chalk, pencils, notepads, books, and other equipment?

• On the post: Musicians Are Never Just About The Music

  

  reboog711 ( profile ), 18 Sep, 2009 @ 05:17am

  This isn't unique to the Music Industry

  As a business owner for about 10 years, and a programmer for even longer; I can honestly say that being a better businessman means more to my bottom my line that being a better programmer.
  
  Being able to communicate effectively in sales calls, being able to negotiate price, contract, and payment terms, Being able to instill the confidence in the client that I can do what I promise, and being able to solve the customer's issue is all more important than producing good code.
  
  I think that music is very similar. Making sure people have fun at your shows is more important than being a technically complex musician.

• On the post: The Propaganda The Copyright Industry Teaches Our Children

  

  reboog711 ( profile ), 14 Sep, 2009 @ 01:03pm

  After all is said and done, I'd much rather have content like this come from a known source with obvious biases than what we've seen in the pharmaceutical industry, where the pharma companies are paying publishers to publish propaganda as unbiased independent research.

• On the post: Elderly Classic Rock Musicians Don't Like Music Video Games

  

  reboog711 ( profile ), 14 Sep, 2009 @ 05:23am

  Well....

  I tend to believe that the games do very little to teach people about playing real instruments. If you approach them as educational tools, you probably will be disappointed.
  
  I can respect Jimmy Page's sentiment that "our songs are too complex to be simplified down like that." I'm not sure if I completely agree.
  
  I would think such games would inspire people to want to learn to play real instruments, though.

• On the post: Is It Identity Theft Or A Bank Robbery, Part II: Couple Sues Bank Over Money Taken

  

  reboog711 ( profile ), 11 Sep, 2009 @ 06:58pm

  How long until...

  How long until legislation gets put forward that protects banks from these types of lawsuits?

• On the post: Serial Anti-Spam Lawsuit Filer Loses Appeal… And His Possessions

  

  reboog711 ( profile ), 24 Aug, 2009 @ 11:51am

  When are patent trolls going to be treated the same way that that this guy was?
  
  I see some similarities in that they are professional litigants who are abusing the law.

• On the post: Author Using Questionable Copying Claim Against Twilight Author For Publicity

  

  reboog711 ( profile ), 10 Aug, 2009 @ 08:23pm

  Streisand Effect at work?

  Isn't this the Streisand Effect at work?
  
  Although I have ethical reservations about filing frivolous lawsuits and/or using such lawsuits as marketing tactics; I can respect the marketing attempt from a business perspective.
  
  Or of course, this lawsuit could be real in hopes of getting a settlement.

• On the post: Is It Cheating Or Is It Collaboration?

  

  reboog711 ( profile ), 21 Jul, 2009 @ 10:51am

  In my education experience, the earlier grades ( 1-8 ) were focused on memorization and learning.
  
  High School (9-12) were primarily that too. But high school did have a handful of open book tests where the focus was on implementation and interpretation of ideas / formula's / facts; not memorization of them.
  
  College classes; at least in my major; were mainly open book style tests. Projects were almost always done as groups--whether the teacher new it or not.
  
  I've always said I had a better education than a lot of people in my field, I wonder if the collaboration study groups were the reason.

• On the post: Were We Smarter About Copyright Laws 100 Years Ago?

  

  reboog711 ( profile ), 21 Jul, 2009 @ 06:06am

  Less Lobbiests?

  Perhaps there were just less lobbyists spreading propoganda? And Politicians had to read bills they were about to pass and consider the implications?
  
  That seems very different than today

• On the post: Apple Does As Many Expected: Kills Palm Pre iTunes Syncing

  

  reboog711 ( profile ), 15 Jul, 2009 @ 03:11pm

  Winamp

  I just reinstalled Winamp for entirely separate reasons.
  
  I was thinking of switching back to it full time. However, it appears to be windows only based on the system requirements

• On the post: Does The Mainstream Press 'Make' or 'Own' The News?

  

  reboog711 ( profile ), 13 Jul, 2009 @ 05:39am

  Does The Mainstream Press Make the News?

  Does the mainstream press make the news? In many cases, I believe they do.
  
  If you look at shows such as Good Morning America or the Today show, half of the topics covered are thinly veiled product advertisements.
  
  How do you save money? Buy "X" product from home depot to help heat / cool your home. What summer toys are good for the beach? Buy "Y" product from Toys R US
  
  etc.. etc..

• On the post: Radiohead Manager, Nettwerk Launch New Label: Artists Get To Keep Their Copyright

  

  reboog711 ( profile ), 07 Jul, 2009 @ 01:31pm

  I wonder about other aspects of the contract...

  On the surface this sounds good, but I feel I don't have enough information to properly judge how good it is.
  
  What if these label contracts have a lot of the same 'bad' terms used in traditional label contracts? What if the label uses the same smoke and mirrors to mask income and inflate expenses?
  
  Is the band still obligated to reimburse the label for the recording of the album and the promotion of the band / record? Is each album cross-collateralized?
  
  50% of the profits, when you have a loss is no better than 10%-15% of the profits when you have a loss.

• On the post: Connecticut Town Tells ASCAP, BMI, SESAC To Get Lost Over Royalty Bills

  

  reboog711 ( profile ), 25 Jun, 2009 @ 12:31pm

  Re: Who do I route for?

  After reading the article [thanks to the person who posted the text]; I want to modify my above comment.
  
  The Maxx is [or used to be] a community center style venue. They used to get a lot of unknown / indy bands. I've actually been to a few shows there but not for many many years. Every show had a cover charge to get through the door. Remember that non-profit does not mean no cash flow. But, I wonder how many of their performers play songs they don't have the full rights to?
  
  That said, I suspect the societies are still probably in their legal right to go after this money.

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