Ultimately, I think all of us in the Western world view the written word as ‘free’, not financially, but politicallly.

Some of us are old enough to remember buying a daily newspaper but we also always knew we could get almost anything in the local public library for free. And, because with the ‘written word’ the important thing is the message, at any point in the history of printing, somebody could produce a cheap little pamphlet – if the information in it was interesting, the quality of the paper or the ink was hardly important.

In the world of music, the quality of the medium is as important as the quality of the message, so from the start, the early 1900’s, when technological advances allowed for the recording and reproduction of music to become viable on a large scale, the industry that grew around those activities has been dominated by specialists and the cost of entry has allowed monopolies to form.

Unfortunately, nobody thought to charge the public libraries with the task of acquiring music recordings on a large scale from the start. What a missed opportunity for building a public domain for music!

To get back to Jon’s situation, in print (including the Internet), small and large publishers have been able to make a living by catering to given markets. Jon was able to make a living at doing only p2pnet while there were businesses out there who benefitted from advertising on, or otherwise financially supporting, the site. The current financial crisis has changed that picture and Jon is now getting income from readers who value p2pnet enough to pay for the content. It is missing the point entirely to focus on the fact that those revenues are not sufficient to pay Jon’s rent. And let’s acknowledge those people who are demonstrating, to the tune of $918, that patronage does work.

Meanwhile, as an outsider, the thing I wonder about when I think of the current debacle in the world of music is: to what degree do musicians really need all of the specialists whose fees inevitably raise the cost of producing a recording?

Jon is an amateur musician and with not a great deal of financial investment involved, he has acquired the ability to record his compositions at home. So why aren’t more musicians embracing the technical advances which now give them the ability to be their own recording studios? Also, as most musicians are aware, nothing in the past has equaled the opportunities afforded by the Internet for publicizing oneself. You’d think that in a way the world is their oyster.

From an economic point of view, the current music industry is a rigged marketplace; it’s an anachronism of the past. And if you dig even a little into the issue of recording rights, you will come across a musician or ten who feel like they have been chewed up and spit out by a soulless machine. Let’s try a different business model.

Finally, on the analogy of Jon’s situation to that of musicians, Jon has decided to keep doing p2pnet, despite the fact it is not covering the rent, because he really believes in what he is doing.

We are both trying to make money in other ways to make up for the shortfall. If a musician really loves doing their music, in a brave new world where there is no RIAA, they may have to make the same kind of choices Jon is making.

You decide what you want from life and you do your best to make it happen.

Liz Newton

Ok mate sounds like a plan, will see what we can do.

http://www.akirathedon.com/2009/09/f-the-fac/

Good one. I’ll do a post in that tomorrow (have to pack it in early today).

Cheers!

“please tell as many of your peers about A2f2a, and get them to come here or e-mail Jon their stories of success or failure so each of you can be FEATURED in an article here.”

Excellent idea. Please contact me via p2p@shaw.ca

Cheers! And thanks …

**” The truth is, Jon, a2f2a is dead. Without artists willing to come and engage,”**

“That’s odd, There are ( I think ) 2 new artist arrivals in this thread, some more in other threads. The only unwilling artists seem to be the ones that belong to the FAC. Are you suggesting that A2F2A is dead because the ‘important’ ‘Featured’ artists aren’t coming ?”

Totally 100% on the target.

He is so much a part of the label system with its AAA backstage pass “keep the plebs out” mentality, or should that be keep the zombies out – at least his imagery has improved if nothing else – that he refuse to even acknowledge any lesser bands.

Here is one guy who saw the error of his ways:
http://www.akirathedon.com/2009/09/f-the-fac/

Quote:
“So, there you have it. With that pretentiously titled “Air Statement” The FAC have announced that they are taking the Metallica route. They have revealed themselves to be greedy, backward, vindictive crybabies” End Quote:

The photo is pretty scary coming from someone who has used the phrase “witch hunt” – it looks like some kind of 1930’s rally, or better still maybe if they were all brandishing flaming torches, they might have come to destroy Frankenstein & his monster.

Sorry Billy “this is one monster you can’t stop”……

Clark, Jaqui, Devious, and all of the other artists ( funny, there
are so many of you that showed up recently I have to apologize for
not remembering all of your names, though you apparently don’t exist )
since YOU are what this site is really about, please tell as many of
your peers about A2f2a, and get them to come here or e-mail Jon their
stories of success or failure so each of you can be FEATURED in an
article here. Show everyone, especially the FAC and the labels that
you absolutely DO exist, and what you like/dislike about the possbilities
the internet has offered you. Sell yourself here. Send your fans here.
FORCE your existence to be known, and encourage you peers and fans to
FIGHT for your right to run your bands, business, and lives the way
YOU want to on the ‘net, without restrictions or barriers.

This place is for YOU and YOUR fans.

I’m reminded of the current dissembling by the government where it is promised that people will not be disconnected from the Internet for infringing copyright. Instead their ISP accounts will be temporarily suspended, i.e. the modem can establish the connection, but the bandwidth is zero.

Of course Billy, you’re not proposing a TAX either…

Anyway, as you plainly exhibit the signs of someone who has given up reasoned debate do you really think such antagonistic withdrawal does you any favours?

You can still join the cause of helping artists and fans to do business and step back into the limelight. Or you can remain with the better funded recording industry and retire into the twilight.

Red pill, blue pill?

Who uttered the bizarre statement that sparked this supposed “rebirth of the undead” you speak of?… YOU DID. And, who dangled that brain that led the “zombies” here in the first place?… YOU DID…

Who came through p2pnet professing to be in this ideal position to help getting artists and fans talking?… YOU DID.

Who is was the one promoting himself as a revolutionary, and claimed to be the voice of a large collection of featured artists?… YOU WERE.

Who is Jon’s co-founder of this site?… YOU ARE.

Who was the first one to go into “hide and fling shit mode” when people disagreed?… YOU WERE.

Who continues to make the least effort to understand is being said, while still making the most bizarre statements?… YOU.

Okay, we’re now zombies (whatever!). You didn’t give us the brains you said you had for us. You wouldn’t even let us see them. Because there aren’t any, are there?!

You came into this thinking you could do all the speaking for a totally invisible group, who, at best, were only placating you because of the possibility you might eventually be able to “prime” your fans to agree with [whatever agenda they actually have].

How bloody long did you think this would go on before the group started demanding to hear from the rest of the artists you said were available to you through the Coalition, particularly when you were somewhat absent from the forum yourself??

If I were to ask others like David Gilmour, Howard Jones or Annie Lennox what they thought about any of what’s been posted on these pages, I have to wonder what the answer would be. Would they even be aware of any of it, let alone have any opinions they would have us hear?

Similarly, I wonder how any of them feel, on an individual basis, toward things like 3 Strikes, ACTA, or their own experiences with the Labels.

But alas, we’ll never know, by the looks of it. Their LEADER doesn’t appear to have injected any interest in extending their voices our way. If he has, I find it very odd that NOT ONE voice from the FAC was heard.

And I, for one, have a hard time believing artists like David Gilmour and Annie Lennox would be that narrow, or so unwilling to engage their fans. Something’s not right here.

Who had the privilege of direct contact with such artists, yet didn’t feel enough positive incentive toward this project to try to turn this around?… ( ? )

Who puts on the tinfoil hat of conspiracy at the mere suggestion that we contact FAC artists ourselves?… ( ? )

Who must have had a different mission than the one posted here… ( ? )

I have to ask, how is it that someone who can launch such a noteworthy one-man protest against the RBS (Big Money) have such a problem understanding the similar mechanics behind the problems with Big Music?? (My guess is, there is simply an incentive to not understand the latter.)

That’s odd, There are ( I think ) 2 new artist arrivals in this thread, some more in other threads. The only unwilling artists seem to be the ones that belong to the FAC. Are you suggesting that A2F2A is dead because the ‘important’ ‘Featured’ artists aren’t coming ? I notice that once again, you are the only one doing the name calling btw.

Something is just about dead though, and that’s the credibility of the FAC.