Ever since Napster came onto the scene in 1999 and redefined the way music could be accessed using the internet (until 2001 when it was shut down for violating copyright laws), distribution has slowly turned green. That is, music distribution has become digita.
No longer is an end user required to take a car or bus to the local Walmart to purchase a plastic disk, with it’s plastic box and the plastic wrapper with that paper and ink inserts just to enjoy a bit of new music. And oh yeah, those security tags and scanners aren’t exactly sustainable either.
Things have changed and now music is available (legally) all over the web from iTunes to Rhapsody, Amazon and yes… even trusty old Walmart (since discontinued). We all know how music works but sometimes we forget just what kind of game changer digital distribution really is. It’s extremely environmentally friendly when compared with the old system and it benefits artists, labels and listeners in almost every way. However, the system has more interconnected parts now. Files come in different formats, computers can crash and popular singles are taken out of context from their albums.
The new system promotes a kind of consumerism where the latest iPod or Zen pushes out the last generation Zune and stacks of old appliances start to resemble stacks of old CD’s. Maybe laptops are the exception, where loss or damage carries a greater cost. In any case, I would like to believe that the environment is benefiting all while consumers enjoy greater access and value…
One oft’ overlooked component of the new “digital” system is the secondary artwork and lyrical content that used to accompany music. While physical albums used to carry the lyrics, band information, record label and other interesting tidbits often created by the artist themselves, today that content is increasingly absent. For example, when you download U2′s latest hit single you do not get the lyrics to the song. You’ll probably end up searching and stumbling through a heap of confusing and add ridden networks to get them. Once you do find the song, the lyrics may not even be correct! Many of the lyrics sites in existence today are violating copyright laws and the writing is farmed out using Amazon Turk or other paid content networks to people who aren’t taking to time to verify accuracy.
In some rare cases, lyrics are included with the download but unfortunately they may only be available in an exclusive playing environment on your computer. This is a drawback because your local computer is not searched by Google and you might not be able to access the song remotely or share it with a friend. Maybe you heard the song once on the radio but can’t remember who sang it, so you search for the lyrics but they are only available to people who already own the album! So on the one hand you’ve got correct lyrics that can’t be found and the other a network of spam ridden sites that might make your computer or personal information vulnerable… not to mention make you dizzy or worse if flashing banner ads set off an epileptic seizure!
One solution to this challenge is arriving in parts. Yahoo has partnered with the major labels to offer the largest legal lyrics portal on the web. They monetize traffic professionally with their Sponsored Listings service and maintain a high level of quality which makes fans and musicians happy. Some other sites share lyrics semi-legally by focusing more on the community of listeners who share opinions on what a song might mean. The digital millennium copyright act does say you can reference parts of copyrighted works if it is being used for news or similar works. Additionally, while several lawsuits have popped up in recent years surrounding illegal distribution of lyrics (in one case prompting Media Wiki to purchase lyricswiki and “clean” it of violating content) some other sites are taking a different approach permission-wiki based approach.
Sites like Thesixtyone offer independent musicians an opportunity to voluntarily upload their music to attract fans. A democratic system of voting then promotes the best songs and artists to the top where fans can choose to buy a copy and download it to their local computer or portable music player. I decided to create my own lyric site for independent musicians where song meaning could also be discussed and I called it Indilean. My site provides indie lyrics using a similar model. Musicians voluntarily upload their correct and official song lyrics to a spam free environment that incorporates commenting and listener interaction but also carries copyright notices. These sites cater to middle-class musicians who are working to attract fans and don’t have the widespread recognition that Yahoo’s site relies on to stock songs. These bands also don’t have to answer to a label who might otherwise require that they not share online. Another great component of these systems is that they are searchable, solving the Google obstacle, and since they feature wiki functionality anyone can join in and share their stuff!
So where does this leave us? Music is one of those quality pastimes that is good for the mind, heart and soul. It’s way better for the environment than video games (depending on how many explosives are used at the rock show), but ever since man cut down the first tree to make a guitar, a trade off has indeed existed. We all love listening to music and digital distribution is one big step in the right direction but there is still work to be done. How can we make iPods last longer? When will they be more recyclable? Lyrics and artwork is becoming available but laws and labels make for an interesting mix of accessibility and advertising. I’d like to think a lot of progress has been made in the sustainability aspect of the music biz.
