DOWNLOADING THE REVOLUTION

by Peter Gorman

The world as we knew it: bands struggled to get record contracts, only a few bands got promoted by their record company, the radio played the same hits over and over again. Fans were out of luck if the local record store didn't have the record they wanted, or they ordered it from the store and received it six weeks later, along with shipping charges and punitive damages. This wasn't all bad; most bands don't deserve record contracts, many of those who get one deserve their meager sales, and the best bands usually find an audience in spite of the industry's indifference. O.K, so it hasn't been the worst of all possible worlds out there in rock and roll land, but it is on the verge of a major upgrade.

With the right computer equipment it is now possible to download music from the Internet onto a CD for free, made available by the numerous web sites identifiable by their MP3 tag. Also out there on the Internet for your listening delight are hundreds of radio stations broadcasting in almost any format you can think of, including one of your own making. And if you think that new technology alone won't change rock and roll, consider that rock's first major development occurred in a Memphis recording studio, that it grew in popularity due to the radio, and that it owes more than a little of its sound to the electric guitar. Rock and roll would have been unthinkable without modern technology, and each new development brings major changes: FM radio revamped radio play lists in the late 60s and buying habits as well, the synthesizer and the sampling machines brought new recording possibilities.The new method of music distribution through the Internet is sure to have a major impact on the rock music industry, and the early signs are all positive ones.

Granted that this distribution revolution is predicated on having the right computer equipment, but that's only as of early 1999. Any criticism of the Internet's limited audience is both valid and shortsighted; technology is moving so fast that soon almost anyone will have the ability to download music. We are only a few years away from having access to the Internet through everyone's television, and with that will come the attached cd recorders performing the same function as VCRs do for television broadcasts. Already one can buy equipment that plays MP3 music, so essentially the technology has already arrived to a limited portion of the market. But this is not a defense or a critique of the technology, which will take care of itself. The more important issue is the new outlet of music distribution that will benefit both recording artists and fans, much to the dismay of the recording industry, which claims to be acting in the interest of both artists and fans by attacking MP3, but is really only looking out for itself.

The prospect of downloading music off the Internet has mobilized the record industry to shut down as many of the MP3 sites as possible, for the sole reason that the record industry fears declining retail sales. They suffered a similar fear during the 80s when they decided that home taping was cutting into their profits, which it was and still is, but it's safe to say the losses have always been minimal. Internet-distributed music will have the same effect, retail sales will drop, but not enough to make a difference, only enough to cause a panic and an overreaction that has already begun. It is interesting to watch the record industry attack MP3 as if those sites were doing anything other than hurting its bottom line. Geffen actually issued a press release that stated its opposition to MP3 because they "oppose censorship in all its forms." Oh. (Artistic integrity and all that.) It is true that some of the MP3 sites are distributing music illegally, and the record industry has every right to go after those sites; it's called bootlegging, the unauthorized distribution for profit of someone else's product, it's been around a long time and has been and always will be illegal. Fair enough. If the record company or recording artist has not authorized the sale of their music, then the recording industry has got the law on its side and should do what it has to do. Except when it goes after the equipment that downloads the music it steps over the line, when it issues press releases accusing most MP3 sites of bootlegging it is being misleading, and when it attempts to develop technology that will make digital music impossible to copy it is wasting its time. Accessibility will only increase, and every attempt to stop it will eventually fail. The record industry fears the Internet because it doesn't know what its ultimate effect will be. So wither rock and roll retail? Who cares? Other than major record companies, I mean. The consumer is only benefiting.

The Internet has already resolved some distribution issues by making all CDs in print available to anyone with Internet access. No longer does the Mekons' latest record go unsold because the local record stores don't stock it. Even costs have gone down because the Internet stores have lower operating fees. Now add in the possibility of unsigned bands putting out their own cds on the Internet, charging whatever they want, or even nothing at all. Some big names have already put out free music on the Internet, including the Beastie Boys, David Bowie, and George Clinton. The end result of all this is a vast amount of music being made available to everyone; you can now easily purchase any CD that's in print, you can get some music for free and some of it from established stars, and if you want to distribute your own music you can do that too, and none of it will be cost-prohibitive.

Possibly the most encouraging trend is the Internet becoming a source of radio stations, available just by clicking on a Web site. These radio stations are not limited to a frequency in the local neighborhoods; have computer, will travel. Rochester, NY can listen to a station in Cairo, Egypt, and Cairo can tune into Rochester. Formats are as eclectic as anyone could expect. At some web sites you can even construct your own radio station by filling in requests for artists or styles, even the amount of repetition; the radio then programs the songs based on your specifications. And for a fee the Internet stations can be bounced off a satellite and played in your car. All this awaits you, in fact it's already there if you have the money. We have the technology. Live it up.

This may all sound a bit utopian, and in many ways it is. The record industry will do everything it can to limit distribution of even "free" music, and it can do quite a bit, but try as it might it can't stop technology from advancing. Perhaps the near future will be less than the sum of its parts. Where will these new distribution channels leave us? Overwhelmed with choices, perhaps. Too bored to care, possibly. Splintering rock and roll into ever smaller market segments, likely. Still buying cds, of course. It's possible that aside from a growth of independent music outlets the rock and roll landscape will look depressingly similar, but there's one probable outcome that should be very welcome: at the very least the Internet should kill off rock and roll radio as we know it - no small feat. And we can always hope for more.