WASHINGTON – A just-released study by the Pew
Internet & American Life Project provides a current and comprehensive
snapshot of artists’ and musicians’ opinions about the internet and
copyright in the digital age. The report – "Artists,
Musicians and the Internet" – finds that musicians and artists have embraced the
internet as a tool that helps them create, promote, and sell their
work. However, they are divided about the impact and importance of
free file-sharing and other copyright issues.
Download report here: http://www.pewinternet.org/PPF/r/142/report_display.asp
The report assesses findings from three separate surveys: a telephone
survey with self-identified artists, an online survey completed by over
2700 musicians and songwriters, and telephone surveys with the general
public. The questions in the musicians’ survey cover a broad
range of topics related to the internet: from basic usage, to sales,
promotion, communication, fair use, copyright, sampling, and file-sharing.
Future of Music Coalition was instrumental in bringing together a
broad coalition of musician-focused organizations that then encouraged
their memberships to participate in this benchmark online survey, which
was conducted in March-April 2004.
Key findings from the musicians’ survey:
Musicians use the internet to promote and sell their work
87% of the musician respondents say they promote, advertise or display
their music online, and 83% provide free samples or previews of their
music on the internet.
69% of the respondents say they sell their music online. 63% say
that they sell their music online someplace other than their own Web
site; 56% sell CDs through online stores like Amazon.com or CDBaby,
28% sell downloadable files through digital stores like iTunes, and
18% sell their music someplace else online.
For independent musicians, in particular, this newfound ability to bypass
traditional distribution outlets and geographic boundaries has been a
watershed. One musician explained that having the ability to sell music
online was the most significant impact of the internet: “A huge
positive benefit is being able to have my music available for sale to
anyone in the world who wants it. Ten years ago there was absolutely
no way to sell your CD except through major distribution deals or at
your own shows.”
Musicians are divided over file-sharing
Echoing the sharply conflicting opinions within the ongoing public debate
about file-sharing, musicians are equally divided over file-sharing services’ impact
on artists. There is no clear consensus regarding the effects of online
file-sharing on artists.
35% of the online musician sample agree with the statement that file-sharing
services are not bad for artists because they help promote and
distribute an artist’s work
23% agree with the statement that file-sharing services are bad for
artists because they allow people to copy an artist’s work without
permission or payment
35% of those surveyed agree with both statements.
Musicians have a wide range of ideas about how to best address the
unauthorized distribution of music online.
In an open-ended question, musicians taking the survey were asked what
they thought would be the best approach to dealing with the unauthorized
music distribution of music online. As expected, the responses
ranged from “file-sharers should be prosecuted” to “music
should be free”. However, there were a number of surprising
variations provided by musicians that signal the difficulty in finding
a simple solution to file-sharing.
For example, a surprising number of respondents said that peer-to-peer
file-sharing is not the problem, but that it is a symptom of bigger structural
issues for the major labels. Many respondents suggested that the music
industry needed to recognize the changes that peer-to-peer and digital
entertainment in general have brought to the music industry, and change
its business model to embrace it, instead of fighting it.
Another batch of respondents used this question to talk about the need
for artists to control their own music. While negotiating control over
content is difficult in a digital environment, many artists suggested
that decisions over peer-to-peer file-sharing and digital distribution
should be made by the artist, not the label.
“This report highlights what the FMC has been saying for the past
five years,” stated Jenny Toomey, the executive director of the
Future of Music Coalition. “There is not now, nor ever has their
been one simple unified musicians’ position on these complicated
issues. To truly understand their concerns, artists must be included
as equals in future debates.”
“We are at a critical point in history, where policy decisions
can determine the future path of innovation,” said FMC’s
Policy Director, Michael Bracy. “This report clarifies that artists
and musicians are eagerly adapting new technologies as a way to interact
directly with fans. We also know that music fans are embracing
licensed digital download technologies. As long as policymakers refrain
from stifling innovation to preserve the interests of some entrenched
parties that control the major channels of promotion and distribution,
we are confident that this era will be viewed as the turning point in
the effort to create a legitimate, fully licensed and wildly popular
on-line music marketplace.”
Click here for a sample of quotes from musician survey respondents to
a question about file-sharing
Click here for background on this project