O’BRIEN: ‘ILLEGAL DOWNLOADS AREN’T KILLING INDUSTRY’
RADIOHEAD star ED O’BRIEN is adamant the internet is not "killing" the mu= sic industry - because fans who illegally download albums still spend cas= h on merchandise and concert tickets.
The guitarist, a member of the Featured Artists Coalition (FAC), has wa= ded into a debate over the British government’s proposal to launch a crac= kdown on internet service providers who refuse to ban illegal file-sharin= g.
He insists the record industry will not collapse as a result of online = trading - but bosses need to offer cheaper music in order to survive.
O’Brien says, "I have a problem when people in the industry say it’s ki= lling the industry, it’s the thing that’s ripping us apart. I don’t actua= lly believe it is… (Pirates) might not buy an album, but they’re spendi= ng their money buying concert tickets, a t-shirt, whatever.
"It’s an analogue business model in a digital era. The business model h= as to change. You’ve got to licence out more music - have more Spotifys, = more websites selling more music. You’ve got to make it slightly cheaper = to get music in order to compete with the peer-to-peers.
"I find it staggering that the industry seems to be really dragging its= heels on this - this is stuff that you could do in one week. Move quicke= r!"
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