IP: behind the scenes at the SDMI

[David Farber <farber () cis upenn edu>]

> Date: Mon, 13 Sep 1999 18:42:37 -0700
> To: farber () cis upenn edu
> From: ehellweg () business2 com (Eric Hellweg)
> Subject: behind the scenes at the SDMI
>
> hi dave
>
> here's a story from our current issue on the the state of online music. I
> was able to get some behind the scenes info from SDMI members that doesn't
> paint a pretty picture for that standard's survival. feel free to post to
> the group.
>
> (for full story, go to
> http://www.business2.com/articles/1999/09/content/break.html)
>
> Musical Discord
>
> Two technologies — both ultimately inadequate for the task at hand — fight
> to be top dog in the downloadable music market.
>
> By Eric Hellweg
>
> It's fitting that the first spark in the legal, social, financial,
> political, and technological firestorm that downloadable music has become,
> was the golden oldie "Unchained Melody." In 1993, New York City's Frank
> Music — publisher of the song — backed by licensing clearinghouse The Harry
> Fox Agency, sued CompuServe for allowing its users to download the song
> from its "MIDI/Music Forum." The Fox Agency counted 690 downloads of more
> than 500 songs on the forum, and sued the online service for $69 million —
> $100,000 for each "willful and intentional act of infringement" — on the
> basis that CompuServe had not secured the licensing required to "broadcast"
> the songs. (In 1995, CompuServe settled the suit before it went to trial,
> paying the bulk of $568,000 to the copyright holders.)
>
> Jim Maki, the man running the MIDI/Music Forum for CompuServe was
> alarmingly prescient at the time. "The real question is how do you control
> this?" he asked. "The music industry is scared to death of this information
> highway."
>
> ....
>
>
>
>
> Eric Hellweg  Senior Editor  BUSINESS 2.0 magazine
> v: 415/468-4684 x732  f: 415/656-2483