Posted on: July 12, 2005 in Technology, Music
BBC accused of “undermining the value of music”
A few people have been commenting on the response to the BBC’s decision to make all nine of Beethoven’s Symphonies available for free download. This is another huge PR gaffe for the record companies, and a missed opportunity to boot.
It has not been sufficiently demonstrated to me that the downloading of classical music from the BBC would have a negative impact on the overall sales of classical music. I think what we are seeing from the record companies is a knee jerk reaction to the market entrance of a perceived competitor. If the record companies treated the free BBC service as a government-sponsored attempt to increase the popularity of classical music (a genre that has been hovering at around 3% of total record sales for the last 10 years) , they might find themselves actually benefiting.
My advice? Instead of bemoaning the fact that the BBC service “undermines the value of music”, launch a new campaign along the lines of “If you like the Beethoven you downloaded from the BBC, you might like to buy our product X”. One thing is certain, whining and clinging to old business models will not win you support, new customers, or revenue. Sheesh!