At 11:29 PM 2008-01-26, Doug Henkle wrote:
> Will the science of Discography itself go out of existence
> entirely as a direct result of this rapidly approaching zero
> physical product future?
Hello, Doug,
Perhaps it will evolve more like filmographies. Collectors who care
will cache the MP3s (or hopefully full-resolution copies) of the
material in their collections on hard drives, assuming that the RIAA
doesn't sue them and will contribute the discographical information
to the discographer without contributing the file until copyright expires.
In a way, it's not much different, for example, of knowing that Judy
Collins recorded "I'll Keep It With Mine" by Bob Dylan but the rare
single eluded me for years. WEA then released it on a compilation
CD--of which I purchased two copies. However, I would have purchased
the download of that song and cached it on my redundant server system
if that were the model. Provenance becomes more difficult in the digital age.
We will all end up with redundant server systems, I suspect, either
in-house or some private e-storage-lockers someplace.
Here is yet another article surrounding these issues.
http://www.economist.com/displaystory.cfm?story_id=10498664
One of the interesting things is witnessing the collapse of major
business models. Reel tape has been somewhat traumatic to live
through. I suspect the music "industry" will be worse.
Perhaps what is wrong is that music became an "industry" when it's
really about expression and communication--in many respects something
personal. I'm not afraid about music's survival, in fact, locally
produced and supported music for the love of it is alive and well, at
least here in this small corner of the Great White North <smile>.
Cheers,
Richard
Richard L. Hess email: [log in to unmask]
Aurora, Ontario, Canada (905) 713 6733 1-877-TAPE-FIX
Detailed contact information: http://www.richardhess.com/tape/contact.htm
Quality tape transfers -- even from hard-to-play tapes.
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