Music Tank do standup comedy
It’s often scary when an industry education-focused organisation starts to simply spout the corporate PR. But it can be funny too.
I receive emails from the Music Tank people, and I occasionally go to their seminars. So naturally, I also get their mailouts. They started life being all ‘What should we do about DRM?’ and ‘How do we make money from ringtones’, but they’ve moved on.
Now it’s ‘Let us celebrate the honourable major record labels and their mighty crusade against the evil pirates’. Believe it or not, the following is a direct quote from an organisation that works in, for and with the music industries:
This week saw the RIAA gain its first victory in what is proving to be an epic industry war against the global menace of illegal filesharing. In fining Jammie Thomas (will the irony of her name ever carry over the pond?) a whopping $220,000 for 24 of the tracks she made available on the Kazaa network, the industry has issued its most severe warning yet to the worldwide illegal filesharing community: “get you’re a** to iTunes… or you might be next”.
The first sentence had me in stitches, and the last line (spelling error and all) finished me off. Their cheap-shot joke in brackets in the middle suggest they may not be the comic geniuses the rest of the note suggested — but then perhaps they’re not trying to be ironic.
And, I’m sorry, is iTunes the only record industry cartel approved site for authorised music downloads? Aren’t there other people Music Tank’s constituents have contractual agreements with?
They started to lose me when they started agitating for copyright extension (despite the overwhelming objections by the music industry people in the room at that particular seminar) and higher prices for music downloads across the board (higher?! are you insane?!!!).
The scary bit, of course, is that these guys are owned and run by the University of Westminster. Remember what universities used to do? Critic and conscience of society. Not corporate mouthpiece.
Music Tank are never having any more of my money, and I’m appalled that Westminster are allowing this sort of thing to go unchecked.
4 Comments, Comment or Ping
Joe Bennett
I’m extremely surprised (and disappointed) that Westminster students are coming out with this sort of reactionary backward thinking. Their music industry course (BA Commercial Music) is one of the longest-running in the UK, so one would have thought they’d be more likely to see the RIAA’s action as reprehensible. As is often said, what other industry prosecutes its future customers?!
Oct 13th, 2007
Joe Bennett
Reading the article itself in full, though, it’s more balanced than your rather mischievous quote suggests. It describes the RIAA action - it does not endorse it.
The MusicTank piece also discusses the;
“questionable tactic of suing the customers you hope to market to”
and also suggests that it
“…matters little that the labels who brought the action under the aegis of the RIAA, are in the moral and legal right.”
So I think you’ve over-reacted a little by refusing to engage with them again. That said, as an ex-journalist I can’t forgive them the you’re/your spelling mistake (which they’ve now corrected BTW - wonder if they read your blog Andrew!?)
Joe
Oct 13th, 2007
Jon Ramsay
Mischief? More like good old-fashioned misinformation:
“Everyone knows that Jammie, like many before her, should have taken the out of court settlement option and not attempted to defend a legally indefensible position in a court of law. Still, despite the comfort some feel now that the message has been well and truly banged home, the verdict arguably makes a mockery of the notion of a punishment befitting the crime. Such disproportionate action reinforces a negative public perception labels would do well to avoid, especially when alternative (and arguably more effective) tactics such as forced server take-downs are available.
It matters little that the labels who brought the action under the aegis of the RIAA, are in the moral and legal right. What counts is what consumers think, and, notwithstanding the tabled offer for her to settle out of court, if consumers become mistakenly convinced ‘The Man’ is intent on screwing them, then the negative perception of the business and accompanying attitude that a free-for-all is justified will continue”
Doesn’t do your journalistic credibility much good does it?
Oct 18th, 2007
Michelle
…well i hope that you can forgive a Lecturer of such stature for the misspelling of MusicTank (no space in between) An organisation he seems intent on causing malice to, on a subject matter he clearly has not read or understood in it’s full context. Stand up comedy!? Andrew, perhaps you should look a little closer to home.
Oct 18th, 2007
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