Music Industry: Music Piracy Vs. Music Subscription

The music industry is under severe pressure from people who download, burn and distribute free, albeit illegal, copies of copyrighted songs. Will subscription music services solve this problem?

For centuries music has be entertaining people and engaging them into this beautiful art of melodies. The music industry has been developing with the advancement of technology and the vocal effects. The music market has become so huge and with the media convergence, music became more accessible for people. Moreover, Internet made it even easier for people to listen to music through online stores, free downloading websites, and sharing websites. Online stores are completely legal and allow people to purchase the songs and albums they want online to download them straight into their computers, and that actually helps with the marketing for the singers and musicians. An example for an online music store is iTunes. As for the free downloading and sharing websites, people argue about should it be legalized or considered as an illegal action. Also, copying and burning CDs, should it be allowed or is it considered as being illegal too?

The way I see it is, although these kinds of websites exist, artist such as Lady Gaga reached the Diamond level of sales for her albums and that just proves that the music industry is not affects by the music piracy! There’s nothing that replaces the original CD and clear songs. Furthermore, free downloading should be legalized, as with all the new technologies people should be allowed to enjoy music for free. Its like a painting, people would rather to go watch it for free and admiring the art and beauty of it, the same goes for songs people want to listen to it and enjoy the melody, and of course if people liked the music they probably will buy the original CD. Everything that is illegal gives people the motives to break the rules and go around the laws. Moreover, subscription music services may work only for the fans of the musicians, but otherwise people wouldn’t subscribe and pay for a musician that they don’t really like, but they liked one of his/her songs, it just doesn’t make sense and still people will go around it. Probably hack the websites and still get the music they want for free. Music is a pure form of art that everyone should be allowed to listen to it and enjoy it. Although it is the musicians right to get money for what they are doing, but the statistics show that albums are still being sold, online stores are still going and people are still paying to listen to good music.

Useful References:

Limewire?

Music Industry Piracy Investigations

Copyright Infringement

The Relationship Between Fashion & Music Industries

Cultural industries are very related although the have so many difference. Due to convergence these industries became interdependent, and in this article I'm showing how Fashion and Music industries are related ...

Fashion and Music changed so much over the last few years, they transformed from being classic forms of art into crazy creative industries.

Fashion design is not about having classy and neat designs anymore, nowadays it became something way beyond. Fashion is about giving statements, being crazy and artistic. Fashion industry’s products are considered as modern art pieces as the designers blend, fuse and mix different materials, textures and colors to create their fashion lines. Moreover, you can tell a lot about people from they way they dress, the brands they wear and the way they combine their outfits.

As for the music industry, more music genres are created and more people are going into this field as it became more acceptable to be a musician and its considered as a great career nowadays. Music is everywhere now in shops, restaurants, phones, iPods, laptops, cars, and people are consuming so much music that they can’t live without it. It takes you from a mood to another as the songs can manipulate your feelings and thoughts.

Although music and fashion are completely different industries, but they are blending in and merging so perfectly that they became interdependent. They became very huge and popular and they are approaching a wide audience of people, as they are a part of people’s daily lives.

The advertising for these two industries is very huge now as the technology advancement boosts it. Songs, catwalks, new designs, latest news about music and fashion can be viewed everywhere now! TV, internet (Facebook, Youtube, gossip websites, official designers or musicians websites, mobile phones applications and many more..

Therefore, both industries became influential to people, specifically teenagers as they look up for the models, singers and musicians and consider them as role models. Also, fashion and music affect people’s behavior, taste, they dress, type of concerts they go to which will eventually determine what kind of people they hang out with, and what social group they belong to. For example fashion designer could launch a new line of clothes very punk or hippie and singers can wear them and as people like these singers they will copy them in what they wear and how they act.

One of the most famous fashion and music icons is Lady Gaga, she became known for both her music talents and her weird, interesting, amazing fashion taste. She gives a statement saying you can wear whatever you want without caring about others. Lady Gaga is a trendsetter, as people love what she’s doing and her uniqueness. Also, she is representing something new and everyone simply admire that. Moreover, Lady Gaga promotes for her fashion and the brand she wears in her music videos as they will be shown everywhere by almost everyone. Also, Gaga is in a position where she can use her popularity to promote her own products like her fashionable headphones that everyone is buying because it carries her name.

Also, Tokio Hotel band were hired by DSquared to model for their new collection in a fashion show, just because of how popular they are and the amount of fans they have got. As that fashion show was a success, the band hired the designer to make a new look for their tour. That’s an example of how the two industries work together to promote each other.

Looking at these examples shows how much music and fashion are going commercial and its not really about the talent anymore, it’s about what you represent and how you do it. Most of the people in these industries look for earning as much profit as they can, and in every way they can do it. Yet, people still admire fashion designers and musicians.

I think the future of both industries will be very technologically based as machines will do everything and there won’t be a need for huge crews. Also, I think a lot of things will be based on the virtual technology. Like models, singers, concerts, catwalks and you can have them at your home while sitting on your couch with friends and family! How cool would that be?

As cool as that may sound, convergence is affecting the two industries’ privacy, as everything will continue to be online and easy to copy. Designs will be copied and replicated, songs will be downloaded for free and gossip about celebrities of the fashion and music world will be spread so fast! But disregarding all this, the two industries are still successful and will continue to be successful!

If you want to know more about the relationship between the fashion and music, here are the links which I got some of the information from:

Tokio Hotel: Fashion Show

The Norman Lear Centerainment

Gaga Daily

Music's Effects On Teenagers

Virtual Fashion Technology

The Intimate Relationship Between Music & Fashion

Lady Gaga's Fashion

Conglomerates Own The Fashion Industry!

Fashion is a huge industry that is owned by many conglomerates. Conglomerates own most of the international fashion brands that are not privately owned by the designers themselves. Conglomerates reduce the invesment risk of the companies, increase the growth and the companies can increase their market shares and increase their earnings.
There are a few international conglomerates that own the most popular high class brands. The following is a list of the most important conglomerates:
• AEFFE Group (Alberta Ferretti, Moschino, Pollini, Jean-Paul Gautier)
• Utex Fashion Group (Utex, U&I, Hilary Radely, Jones New York, Daniel Hechter, Massimo Moda)
• LVMH Group (Louis Vuitton, Loewe, Celine, Berluti, Kenzo, Givenchy, Marc Jacobs, Fendi, StefanoBi, Emilio Pucci, Thomas Pink, Donna Karan, Nowness)
• Inditex Fashion Group (Zara, Pull and Bear, Massimo Dutti, Bershka, Stradivarius, Oysho, Uterque)
• GUS plc
• Benetton Group (United colors of Benetton, Under colors of Benetton, Sisley, Playlife)
• PVH Corporation (Calvin Klein, Arrow, IZOD, Bass, Van Heusen, Chaps, DKNY, Donald J. Trump – Signature collection, Geoffrey Beene, JOE, Kenneth Cole, Timberland, Sean John, Tommy Hilfiger, Ted Baker, MICHAEL, NAUTICA, J.GARCIA)
• PPR Company (This company owns retail shops and luxury brands, for instance Gucci Group)
• Gucci Group (Alexander McQueen, Balenciaga, Bottega Veneta, Gucci, Sergio Rossi, Stella McCartney)