http://127.0.0.1/cgi-bin/forum/blah.pl/Blah.pl? http://www.eblah.com en http://127.0.0.1/cgi-bin/forum/blah.pl/Blah.pl?m-1237256080/ http://127.0.0.1/cgi-bin/forum/blah.pl/Blah.pl?m-1237256080/#num1 Amazing guitar work by FunTwo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNXtjSx71pY]]> Mon, 16 Mar 2009 19:14:40 TheNetStudio http://127.0.0.1/cgi-bin/forum/blah.pl/Blah.pl?m-1235361607/ http://127.0.0.1/cgi-bin/forum/blah.pl/Blah.pl?m-1235361607/#num1
http://www.pcworld.com/article/159904/u2_album_leaks_online.html?tk=rss_news

It's not really that surprising.  Nor is it an unusual story.  But it did remind me of some ideas that we have been batting around here at TheNetStudio.com.

I have been thinking for a long time about this very issue.  That it takes such a long time to really create a masterful multi-track recording project, such as the ones U2 is known for.  And that this extended period of time increases the likelihood that the recording project could be pirated before it is even officially released.  And that once that happens, the great copy machine known as the Internet will make countless exact replicas of it in a very short time.  And that once that happens - It cannot be undone.  It is a horrible but stark reality that, at least for now, does not appear to have any foolproof, technological solution.

We do think there are technology solutions that would make it harder for someone to leak an album.  And we have begun testing some new ideas at TheNetStudio.com to see how effective they are.  But in the final analysis, we think things like encryption, hashing, and watermarking can only reduce, but not eliminate the problem.

So we thought about it...  And we wondered: What if we could take ADVANTAGE of the fact that recording an album takes so long, and that it has hundreds of tracks associated with it?  What if we looked at each track, or each reference mix, or each stem, as a different song?  

What if the artist could sell each one (or a selected group) of those tracks as a separate unit?  Could that turn a single song into dozens of songs?  

Now, you probably couldn't (or wouldn't) charge for each track.  But what if you could allow fans to "subscribe" to a song.  And to receive updates to that song.  What if they could follow each song's progress and could connect with the artist as they go through the creative process and discovery of multi-tracking each song on an album?  Then a single leaked stem, mix, or track might have a more limited impact on the whole project.

We thought: If we could make this work, it might even help artists forge a deeper relationship with their fans.  One where the fans become intimate witnesses to the process of recording the song.  This process might even make the songs more meaningful to them.  The final version of the song would then, not be the only piece of the recording process that generated sales.  Rather, the entire life-cycle of the song could provide ways for the fan to connect with the artist and with other fans.

This is an idea that we are considering exploring on TheNetStudio.com.  The problem is that it would fundamentally change our focus.  And we are not sure that is the direction we want to take.

We know the idea is new and different, and we think it might work.  But before we launch into something that complex, we would like to know what you think.  We'd like to get your feedback.  And see what we might have missed.

Please post in this forum your thoughts about this idea.

]]> Sun, 22 Feb 2009 20:00:07 TheNetStudio