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Posts Tagged ‘Digital Technology’

 

Today’s click-and-download technology presents a greater threat to the music recording industry than all other past music-delivery technologies combined.

 

Music piracy exists in 3 different planes:

 



Illegally mass-manufactured pirate music CDs

Illegal copies of legitimately purchased music CDs

Illegally downloaded digital copies of recorded music



 

A recent research study on the economic impact of music piracy (Institute for Policy Innovation, August 2007) paints a grim picture. The impact of music piracy to the U.S. economy is estimated at U.S. $12.5 billion annually. It is estimated that 71,060 jobs are lost or at risk due to the economic impact of piracy and the lost growth opportunities account for 26,860 jobs that would have otherwise been created in the recording industry. Even the U.S. government is affected by piracy with an estimated loss of $422 million in tax revenues from lost personal and corporate income due to piracy.

 

Of course, these figures are based upon the assumption that sales of recorded music on CD would have held constant, or increased, from year to year. The truth is, however, that CD sales are on the decline as MP3 players and other digital technology make the need for music on physical media obsolete.

 

In addition to falling CD sales, half of America’s independent record stores closed between 2003 and 2005. (NY Post). One of the largest international chains of recorded music sellers, Tower Records, closed its doors forever on December 22, 2006.

 

Want to see how prevalent music piracy really is? Here’s a real-time counter that shows the number of illegal music files downloaded around the world every second.

 

When the average person thinks of music piracy, he or she usually thinks of unauthorized sharing of downloaded or recorded music between small groups of friends. And while those numbers do contribute to the music industry’s losses, the biggest losses occur from the sale of pirated music that is burned onto CD-R disks by the thousands in small commercial laboratories by professional music pirates.

 

The costs of music piracy are staggering not only for the high profile superstars but for the new musicians as well. It is important for every musician and band member to understand the nature of music piracy and learn how to combat this problem. Know your rights, and learn about the technology that exists that can protect you and your intellectual property (music) from piracy.

 

Recording technology has advanced far beyond magnetic tape on large reels and recording everything live in the studio. New developments are happening all the time, both within the recording industry itself and with the technology used in recording. This is making more different sorts of recordings and recording setups possible.

Recording has actually gotten simpler and cheaper with each passing year. No longer does the would-be recording engineer or self producing artist need to invest thousands upon thousands in equipment. Newer recording equipment offers more capabilities and versatility with a lower price tag.

The biggest news in the field is of course digital recording technologies. Everything can be recorded digitally, right off of the board. Digital recording makes for a clearer, crisper sound and a wider frequency range.

New digital technology brings with it new, more compact mixing consoles. Great for bedroom studios and the like where space is at a premium, many of these boards have all the capabilities of a larger analog based board and can even handle everything without the use of an external computer or added software. This streamlines the entire process of recording and allows for much easier remote recordings, such as live shows and field recordings.

Along with these advances in recording is the near omnipresence of electronic musical instruments (think of samplers and sequencers, for instance), allowing entirely new kinds of sounds to be produced. That perfect sound once unattainable now is within reach and almost anyone can be their own arranger thanks to these new technologies.

Other musical equipment has kept pace. Amps, microphones and the like are being seen in constantly improving models. All in one amplifier/microphone combos are available, which can record as you play and are ideal for capturing a live performance without the interference of crowd noise, poor microphone placement, etc.

Due to the very different acoustics of studios versus live music venues, equipment can be divided into those that are better suited for one purpose than the other. Studio settings call for reducing resonance; in live recording, you’ll want just the opposite, for instance. Look for this separation of purposes to be a growing part of the recording equipment market, as well as that of musical equipment in general.

When putting together your own recording studio, consider these new technologies and how you can best use them for your specific purposes. You’ll want to take advantage of anything and everything that help you achieve that perfect sound, and today’s new digital recording equipment can get you there.