An Unlimited Supplyyyyyyyyyyyy

February 20, 2007 1:41 PM

The Big Four Become to Become the Big Three? EMI confirms Warner Music takeover offer.
posted by ZenMasterThis (26 comments total)

Oops. That should just say "The Big Four to Become the Big Three?" Little help here, please?
posted by ZenMasterThis at 1:43 PM on February 20, 2007

So much about diversity in 'free' markets.
posted by homodigitalis at 1:46 PM on February 20, 2007

Nice post title.
posted by jokeefe at 1:48 PM on February 20, 2007

Thanks, jokeefe. Some of the youngsters out there might not get the reference.
posted by ZenMasterThis at 1:52 PM on February 20, 2007

Nooooooooo!
posted by phrontist at 1:52 PM on February 20, 2007

This is far from actually happening. But EMI needs a takeover, bad. They're a bunch of knuckleheads over there, sitting on one of the most lucrative publishing catalogs in the world.
posted by phaedon at 1:54 PM on February 20, 2007

This week will apparently go down in history as merger week.

Now we just need Time-Warner to buy out AT&T, Microsoft to buy Apple, and Coke and Pepsi to merge to cut costs.

Meanwhile, Dr Pepper will go it alone — because he's a rebel.
posted by drezdn at 1:55 PM on February 20, 2007

In my former life with digital music, every time we had to deal with EMI, the sex pistols song just kept running thru my head. They don't seem to have changed much since the 70's.
posted by nomisxid at 1:58 PM on February 20, 2007

Oligopoly is consumer strenght, unemployement is opportunity job for the unemployed, failing social structures enhance freedom, left is right, right is wrong.
posted by elpapacito at 1:59 PM on February 20, 2007

Explain the title joke for me? I'm either a youngster or culturally illiterate.
posted by Aghast. at 1:59 PM on February 20, 2007

EYEEEEE ANNNDDDD EMMMMMMM *raspberry*
posted by KevinSkomsvold at 2:02 PM on February 20, 2007

Aghast: Part of the lyrics from the Sex Pistols' song titled "EMI."
posted by ZenMasterThis at 2:02 PM on February 20, 2007

Explain the title joke for me? I'm either a youngster or culturally illiterate.

It was sung by Johnny Rotten on the song "EMI" by the Sex Pistols.
posted by KevinSkomsvold at 2:03 PM on February 20, 2007

Isn't EMI the one company that has been regularly discussing the possibility of abandoning the use of DRM technologies in its music distribution? If so, this is one way to shut that down.
posted by hwestiii at 2:07 PM on February 20, 2007

Let's check the landscape:

Down to three major record labels, Clearchannel and Viacom/CBS dominating FM radio, XM and Sirius merging into the only satellite radio company, and iTunes dominating digital music distribution and which locks you out of foreign music.

Sounds like the USA...
posted by Pastabagel at 2:30 PM on February 20, 2007

iTunes dominating digital music distribution and which locks you out of foreign music.

You must have some pretty crazy DRM over there on the American iTunes because I'm pretty sure I can still listen to ¨foreign music¨ despite my unashamedly large collection of iTunes tracks. I mean lock in, sure, but lock out?! Jesus it's not like I can't buy the CDs still. And it's also not as if iTunes has some sort of horribly miniscule and restricted collection of music, there is plenty of ¨foreign¨ music on there.
posted by public at 2:48 PM on February 20, 2007

(wtf is going on with my speech mark symbols? god damn MacBook Pro + Bootcamp weirdness)
posted by public at 2:49 PM on February 20, 2007

This, of course, means more options for the consumer.
posted by quarter waters and a bag of chips at 3:27 PM on February 20, 2007

I'm pretty sure I can still listen to ¨foreign music¨ despite my unashamedly large collection of iTunes tracks

If you change countries, then the iTunes DRM will automatically revoke your license to listen to the music you've supposedly "bought" from their store. Tough luck.

Also, in each country iTunes has a different selection. There's lots of stuff in the US store that's not available from iTunes where I am in Spain, because of licensing restrictions. That's not a problem specific to iTunes or the major label cartel; I have the same problem with a lot of indie labels on eMusic.
posted by fuzz at 4:16 PM on February 20, 2007

Well, at least when it gets down to a single Megacorp flogging all the world's DRM-protected Brittney Spears and Mariah Carey Product, it'll be easier when we can light the torches and march into just one office building to string the bastards up.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 4:19 PM on February 20, 2007

From your mouth to God's ears, wonderchicken!!
posted by zoogleplex at 5:14 PM on February 20, 2007

I saw a comment about stating that this is somehow socialism at work and the failure of the left. That is a very shallow arguement to make.

The only reason this is allowed to happen is because the FCC is ran by someone who is more inline with the corporations then with the consumers. Net neutrality? So called deregulation in media markets?

The politicians of course don't bring this up and it's a non-issue to most voters due to no coverage by the mainstream media which of course wouldn't do to investigate itself. The news is no longer news, it's as Rupert Murdoch deemed it to be... an opinion. A view to centralize the populace around.
posted by Komsomol at 5:20 PM on February 20, 2007

Well, at least when it gets down to a single Megacorp flogging all the world's DRM-protected Brittney Spears and Mariah Carey Product, it'll be easier when we can light the torches and march into just one office building to string the bastards up.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 7:19 PM EST on February 20

Fucking amen to that!
posted by krash2fast at 5:24 PM on February 20, 2007

The only reason this is allowed to happen is because the FCC is ran by someone who is more inline with the corporations then with the consumers. Net neutrality? So called deregulation in media markets?

The FCC has nothing to do with record labels, but they do over the FM and satellite radio markets.

I wonder though, will this make any difference? I happen to like Soma.fm, and if have to get wimax service for work, I could listen to that in decent quality in my car, right? So I wonder if these guys are rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic...
posted by Pastabagel at 5:47 PM on February 20, 2007

I think Pastabagel has it--they're propping up an outdated business model. The major record labels are too used to selling pieces of plastic in various forms, and don't understand that what they actually sell is the music encoded on that plastic (or vinyl, or wax cylinders, or whatever since about 1870 or so). That they fail to grasp the obvious reality that better ways of distributing and storing/playing music are now ubiquitous (and cheap) is stunning to me, frankly.

But I love it. Music isn't a product, it's an experience, and anything that undermines the commodification of music is liberating to the art form.
posted by LooseFilter at 10:31 PM on February 20, 2007 [1 favorite]

Of course! The problem with record sales is too many labels! It's confusing! Because when I really want that Time-Warner sound, I don't wanna get stuck with an EMI imitation.
posted by klangklangston at 1:45 PM on February 21, 2007