The world wide web has presented an excellent opportunity to reach markets globally, especially in the case of Australia and its potential reach to the huge opportunities offered by the English speaking world. The Australian Recording Industry Association reported that streaming led to a 17.6% growth in the digital music market in their 2016 media release. An ugly problem that continues to rear it’s head, however, is the protection of your assets. Piracy and copyright infringement is easy and widespread, but you might be interested to learn that issues can arise from the places you might not have considered.
The Basics
The most basic of copy protection issues is the downloading of music and reissuing on streaming websites like YouTube, often with subtly changed parameters – such as song tempo – to evade anti-piracy algorithms in the host websites.These videos can garner revenue from secondary advertising, away from Google’s AdSense service. There is, of course, simply downloading and reuploading songs, albums and other music media to P2P services, which is often controlled by crackdowns by regulators.
What You Might Not Know
In the age of Google, a lot of our data is finding its way onto the internet via their pervasive services. What some people might not know is that Google use your submissions as they see fit for their big data purposes without ever actually claiming your intellectual property – and long after you’ve stopped using their services, too. This can present a loss of potential revenue. A number of services have deliberately vague terms of service and methods of distribution. Whilst online services are undoubtedly crucial in marketing your products, you should be cautious of what you’re signing up to so you’re able to keep control when you feel you’ve been infringed upon.
What’s The Solution?
Historically, legal wrangles over copyright infringement have rumbled on into sagas and led to the reputation of artists becoming negatively impacted, as the infamous Metallica vs Napster case demonstrated. Both product developers, marketers and end-user services are keen to avoid litigation as a result.
With the advent of streaming services such as Spotify, the answer many retailers seem to be turning to is free at the point of use services. It’s deemed easier to reach markets globally by giving your product away free, but using ad services, or small, add-on services that are subscribed to as and when you need them, like the model Soundcloud uses.
The opportunities opened up by the internet are incredibly lucrative, and music marketing is developing every month of every year. Be careful not to get caught up in the whirlwind, though, and make sure you’re acutely aware of your rights and how to protect them.
