Andrew Lloyd Webber calls internet "Somalia of unregulated theft and piracy"
This week Andrew Lloyd Webber pissed me off. OK, to be honest, Andrew
Lloyd Webber pissed me off a long time ago when I was forced to see
Cats and Starlight Express by a school field trip. But my latent
resentment for these turd plays, has nothing to do with why he pissed
me off this week.
The man has said:
"The question that occurs to me is whether in 10 years time Britain would be a place that say The Beatles could have emerged from.
The reason there will not be another Beatles is very simple, we already have the Beatles. Also the music industry has changed immensely since the 60s. Instead of five artists you hear every day, there are at least 15 artists that are played constantly. There are many avenues to find new music, YouTube, MySpace, Facebook, Blogs N' Roses, so artists don't need the radio to reach mass culture.I think Mr. Webber is suffering from "old man syndrome." He seems to be leery of new technology. My grandparents are very confused about the internet and the fact a machine can allow me to download way more porn than is found in a Playboy. They also don't understand that a small talking box can relay information on your current location and guide you to a specific location if you get lost.
But the youth get this. From my point of view, young rock journalist, I see streams and rivers of creativity in the face of file sharing, bit torrent sites, and piracy. The newer generation bands are using MySpace, Facebook, and other Web 2.0 methods to get their music to the masses. There is some great music out there that is redefining music, bringing music back to glory days, or just making great music.I think Mr. Webber needs to open his eyes and see things from our perspective. Many bands don't want to deal with the old business model of the music industry and are choosing to keep ownership of their music and creative direction of their bands than become soulless, dehydrated shells of their former selves.
In conclusion, I leave you with this YouTube video. If Mr. Webber wants to talk about piracy, let he who is without sin, cast the first stone:
The man has said:
"The question that occurs to me is whether in 10 years time Britain would be a place that say The Beatles could have emerged from.
"Will Britain be a fertile environment for all creative talent? Will Britain be a place where music, TV, film, games and publishing companies are sufficiently healthy to invest in British creative talent and take it to the rest of the world?
"No. Not in a world where
there are no longer shops where you can buy the physical products and
the internet is a sort of Somalia of unregulated theft and piracy." (source)
The reason there will not be another Beatles is very simple, we already have the Beatles. Also the music industry has changed immensely since the 60s. Instead of five artists you hear every day, there are at least 15 artists that are played constantly. There are many avenues to find new music, YouTube, MySpace, Facebook, Blogs N' Roses, so artists don't need the radio to reach mass culture.I think Mr. Webber is suffering from "old man syndrome." He seems to be leery of new technology. My grandparents are very confused about the internet and the fact a machine can allow me to download way more porn than is found in a Playboy. They also don't understand that a small talking box can relay information on your current location and guide you to a specific location if you get lost.
But the youth get this. From my point of view, young rock journalist, I see streams and rivers of creativity in the face of file sharing, bit torrent sites, and piracy. The newer generation bands are using MySpace, Facebook, and other Web 2.0 methods to get their music to the masses. There is some great music out there that is redefining music, bringing music back to glory days, or just making great music.I think Mr. Webber needs to open his eyes and see things from our perspective. Many bands don't want to deal with the old business model of the music industry and are choosing to keep ownership of their music and creative direction of their bands than become soulless, dehydrated shells of their former selves.
In conclusion, I leave you with this YouTube video. If Mr. Webber wants to talk about piracy, let he who is without sin, cast the first stone:
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