Pink Floyd Wins Court Battle to Control Sales of Albums

It is reported today that Pink Floyd won a lawsuit against EMI that will ensure that Pink Floyd's albums will not be sold on a track by track basis. Their argument was that the albums are complete artistic works and EMI only had a contract to sell Pink Floyd's work in album form. Also there was an issue regarding royalties that was taken up in private and there is no news as to any settlement.

In many cases, the iTunes revolution of downloading an artist's work as individual tracks has destroyed the concept of an artist selling an album as a cohesive work. The other argument is that with CDs being up to eighty minutes in length many artists have too much filler and music buyers therefore would rather not pay for what is perceived to be less than excellent work.

In my mind the answer is simple. Artists should put together an album as the concept that they envision and then sell it at a reasonable price. A new album should retail for no more than $8.99 to $9.99. The new Broken Bells album is an excellent example as to the artists coming up with an album of excellent material that is an enjoyable listen from beginning to end; but it is only thirty seven minutes and thirty two seconds long. Yet at the local independent record store the CD is sale priced at $12.99 - too much. I can purchase movies that cost millions and millions and millions of dollars to make for something around $16.99. I realize that this is comparing apple to grapes, or some other fruit, but to consumers this must be an issue when it come to spending their hard earned money for for entertainment. A price reduction would also cut piracy way down.

I guess nothing is going to happen until the music business completely crashes and burns and the market can sort things out. Meanwhile landmark independent record stores all over the world have closed and the ones still operating have to be running on fumes.

It is amazing to me how, over my lifetime, I have seen the music business at its zenith and see it now as a withering shell of itself, essentially meaningless and incapable of functioning.

Click here for an article about the Pink Floyd court case.

And, here is Pink Floyd's album Animals for your listening enjoyment.

Animals - Pink Floyd