WIPO: The Future Of Music In A Changing Environment

What lies ahead for music in the digital economy was the subject of a roundtable today at the World Intellectual Property Organization. Inaugurating a photo exhibition on the same theme, the United States ambassador stressed the importance of copyright.

The roundtable took place on 21 April and was one of the events organised by WIPO celebrating the upcoming World IP Day on 26 April.

WIPO Director General Francis Gurry said the fundamental questions about music in the digital environment relate to the impact of this new environment on the creation, distribution and consumption of music, as well as on copyright and on WIPO itself and its role. He said the panel represented different perspectives from which music is approached, with composers, performers, the recording industry, distributors and consumers.

Asked about the opportunity and challenges provided by the digital environment, the panellists said internet was a huge opportunity to reach many more people and have a wide music catalogue.

Composer, saxophonist and singer Bendik Hofseth said one of the challenges is to transpose all business structures to the digital environment and try to make it work for all concerned parties.

Didier Awadi, an African rapper, said the telephone was much more used than the internet in Africa but deplored that no legal framework was in place to make sure artists are properly remunerated. The question of adequate remuneration, in particular for artists, was also echoed by Christopher Ancliff, responsible for Warner Music Group legal and business affairs outside the US.

Lee Knife, executive director of the Digital Media Association (DiMA), a Washington DC-based organisation representing digital media companies including Apple’s iTunes, Amazon, Google/YouTube and Pandora, said the hope was to create a vibrant music market which generates enough income to provide for creators and retailers.

Knife remarked on the importance of the transparency of data. It is important to know who owns the rights, he said, and artists need to know where their music is being played and who is paying for it.

Susana Rinaldi, a prominent tango singer, said it is impossible to deny the growing importance of digital music, with rising income for the music industry.

The voice of the consumers was embodied by Alexandre Lombard, Masters of Law student at the University of Geneva, with a particular interest in intellectual property. He said consumers have the opportunity to access every piece of music that ever existed but the challenge is to keep the offer as broad and diverse as possible while remunerating the artists fairly.

Hofseth said artists now derive more revenue from live concerts than from recorded music, but said deals and conditions vary greatly from one country to the next and some harmonisation would be needed.

Awadi also said live concerts are the only opportunity to control the scenic performance. Ancliff also said the live performance business is “doing incredibly well right now,” with the number of concerts and festivals growing every year.

However, Ancliff said, a number of artists continue to make a living from recorded music.

Some panellists said streaming offers reflect a change in the business model and a decreasing interest for consumers in owning a physical CD or vinyl. Rinaldi and Ancliff countered and said that owning a physical record still has an importance for some consumers.

Lee argued that the issue is not the distinction between ownership and access but rather the model under which access is provided.

Awadi said in Africa, artists do not really trust streaming services because it generates very little revenue. Some artists are thus creating their own platforms, he said.

Photo Exhibition: US Ambassador Praises Copyright

After the roundtable, the audience was invited to the inauguration of a photo exhibition by photojournalist Janet Macoska in WIPO’s new building. The exhibition is on loan from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum of Cleveland, Ohio, United States, and is supported by a grant from the permanent mission of the US in Geneva.

US Ambassador Pamela Hamamoto, in her speech at the inauguration, said for the most part the copyright system has worked, “by a combination of industry standards and legal systems to keep people honest.”

“But in today’s world, it is impossible to ignore that new and evolving technology is changing everything,” she said. “The recording industry, would be the first to tell you that this is not a time to rest on our laurels,” she added.

Last year in the United States, digitally-based musical theft resulted in the loss of $ 12.5 billion and more than 70,000 jobs, she detailed. She did not cite her source for this figure.

New technology “offers incredible hope and opportunities to any new artist anywhere in the world,” she said. “A smartphone can serve as a radio, a recording device and a DJ’s turntable, all at the same time.”

“The potential of smartphones is exciting but it demands even more vigilance for protecting intellectual property,” she said. “More importantly it is essential that the intellectual property framework continue to support a vibrant musical market place so that the next generation stands on our shoulders.”

 

Image Credits: Catherine Saez