Resolve to keep happy, and your joy and you shall form an invincible host against difficulties.

Posts for September 17, 2009

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QDear 100 Hour Board,

How do online music services like Rhapsody and Napster work? Specifically, how do the artists get enriched by them? Do Napster et. al. have the upper hand, so that it's an honor for an artist to be noticed and invited to join, in hopes that people will buy their CDs or something after hearing the tunes first online? Or do artists negotiate to get a cut of the proceeds when their music is played?

I ask because I have several favorite but basically unknown groups, and if hitting play on their songs a million times a day helps them out, then I'll do it more.

--Rhapsody is my lifeline to sanity at work

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ADear sane,

First of all, congratulations! This is probably the oldest question I've ever answered! You must either be very patient, or have forgotten you ever wrote it.

There is VERY little information published online. Few companies are really excited to show off their business model. I eventually tracked down contact information for Rhapsody, Napster, and Pandora.com (probably the best internet radio site out there), and sent a request for information from each of them.

Rhapsody was really disappointing. I sent and resent your question, and was given only canned responses that had nothing to do with it:

Quote:

Thank you for writing back to RealNetworks Customer Support.

I understand that you would like to have more informative response on how Rhapsody works. I apologize for any inconvenience that may have been caused. I will help you with this.

I regret to inform you that we cannot give your more information on the product technology. However, you can visit our forum for further assistance:

http://real.lithium.com/real/...

Hope this information helps you. Please write to us if you have further questions or clarifications.

Regards,

RealNetworks Customer Support

Lousy! Rhapsody lists NO contact information on their website, so this was the only exchange I could have with them. Since I can only judge them based on my experience with their poor customer service, I can't give them a very warm recommendation.

Next, a spokesperson for Napster sent me this reply:

Quote:

Hi [Cognoscente],

Thanks for the email.

Napster and other legitimate music services pay for the rights to use artists’ songs and albums online. So, if you listen to some of your favorite bands on Napster, your Napster membership fee is contributing to their bottom line, as well as when you purchase the band's MP3s. We should note, though, that Napster and other services have tools in place to identify “gaming” type of behavior, such as “hitting play on their songs a million times a day.” When it is determined illegitimate gaming is taking place, such usage is excluded from any royalty calculations.

If these bands are not on Napster already, they can either work with their record label (if signed) to ensure they are included - or if independent, send an email to us at artistrelations@napster.com.

I hope this helps. Let me know if I can answer any additional questions.

Cheers,
Jen

A much more personal, informative response! Thanks, Jen! I guess you can't cheat the system. Which is probably a good thing.

I even sent a letter to a couple of addresses at Pandora, which has amazingly friendly and cool customer service people even though they provide a free service. I got two responses very punctually:

Quote:

Hey [Cognoscente]
Thanks so much for getting in touch - we appreciate the interest and your fandom! Thank you!

To answer your question, Pandora operates under the Digital Millenium Copyright Act (DMCA) which allows Internet streaming services to play the music of any artist, without having to make direct deals with the labels or the artists themselves. We pay for every song played, for every single listener - including songs that are skipped. We pay millions of dollars to ASCAP, BMI and SESAC, who are the composer's royalty collection societies and we also pay an organization called SoundExchange who pays the performance royalties. All of those organizations turn around and distribute those payments to the artists. So it definitely supports the artist if you listen to their music a lot on Pandora.

Hope that helps!
Best,
Michele

Quote:

Hi Cognoscente,

Thanks for writing. We do indeed pay artists for every song played on Pandora and have done since we launched. We pay a company called Sound Exchange which collects royalties from us and pays out to record companies and artists/performers. We also pay music publishing royalties which go to the songwriters and composers of the music.

Currently we only broadcast in the US because of this.

We believe the licensing rules apply equally to all Internet radio services.

There are actually two types of licenses that apply. For example if I were to grab my flugelhorn and play a rendition of Chuck Mangeone's "Feels So Good" in a public place I would owe Mr Mangeone a payment for this performance of his song. I would pay ASCAP and they would (hopefully) pass the money on to him.

On the other hand if I were to play a recording of Mr Mangeone's performance of his song, I would owe TWO royalties, one for the public performance of his song (as above) and another for the use of the "sound recording" of him playing it. This includes the specific performance and the production of that performance. Mr Mangeone's record label owns the rights to that recording. Under local law the label has the right to allow, deny or charge for the use of that sound recording in a particular way for a particular purpose. I need their permission and, assuming they grant permission, I will need to negotiate a payment to them.

In the USA we deal with ASCAP/BMI/SESAC for the "public performance" and SoundExchange for the use of all "sound recordings". The terms of the license and the rates we must pay are set by US government statute. Of course these statutes have jurisdiction only in the USA.

Other countries don't have an equivalent law. Therefore we must get permission, and agree a royalty rate with each label (or other rightsholder) for each sound recording. we use on Pandora. There are thousands of such rightsholders in each country. We don't yet have these licenses yet so we can't legally transmit these sound recordings to people outside the USA.

I don't know which other music services have obtained the necessary licenses and which are simply ignoring their obligations to the local rightsholders. I do know that Pandora will only do this the right way.

The "right way" is often not the fastest way. However our respect for musicians, rightsholders and the law leaves us no other choice.

Thanks for writing.

thanks, Jonathan

Awesome! Listening to your favorite artists will contribute "sound recording" royalties, so listen to your favorite smalltime, unknown, indie and unsigned artists and show them a little love!

As an aside, Chuck Mangione's "Feels So Good" narrowly lost the Grammy for Song of the Year in 1978 to that hack Billy Joel and his turd of a single, "Just The Way You Are." Is this justice? I think not!

THAT'S RIGHT, CLAUDIO, BILLY JOEL STILL SUCKS!

Part of me can't believe that these two songs were considered the best the state of music had to offer. You know what came out in 1978? The Who's Who Are You. The Clash's Give 'Em Enough Rope. Elvis Costello's This Year's Model. The Jam, Blondie, Talking Heads, Television, and the Buzzcocks all put out records, and The Cars and Dire Straits had their debut albums come out. Why would ANYONE listen to Billy Joel, let alone give him a Grammy?!

ANYWAY, let me broadcast a warm recommendation to both Napster and Pandora for the info. Pandora especially, since they're willing to comply with U.S. copyright law and licensing even as they understand its obvious limitations. Everyone go there right now and jam!

-Cognoscente, who would love to learn to play the flugelhorn

ADear Cognoscente,

Billy Joel loves you just the way you are.

Look, NOT the best ever. But the guy has some great pop music. Just deal with it.

-Claudio

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QDear 100 Hour Board,

So I have been considering investing in stock recently since they're so low right now but having never invested before I was just wondering how to best go about it. First, are there any BYU professors or services that can assist with investing so I don't make any dumb decisions? and if that's not available, what would be the best way to go about investing for someone who has no experience?

- Get Rich Quick, or slow, it really doesn't matter

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ADear Get Rich Quick,

My dad is a finance guy with a major evil American corporation, so I shot him your question. I said this:

Quote:

The board just got this question, and I understand the approved method is to go for a Vanguard-style, low management fee, broad-based index fund along with some limited holdings in a t-bill fund and maybe some (physical - not paper or internet) gold for stability's sake. Is this right? Are there any funds in particular you'd recommend? What are you investing in? Any comments in general? (I'm neglecting the part of the question about BYU profs or services because I think there are no such services and that the relevant professors wouldn't be open to being used as free investment counselors.)

To which he said:

Quote:

Yes you've got it generally. The theory is to hold the market portfolio. You can do this with a very limited number of broad low-cost funds. US stocks: S&500 fund; international stocks: EAFE fund; fixed income: broad bond fund (70%) and a Treasury Inflation Protectio Securities fund (30%). For a student, probably 2/3 US 1/3 international. For someone at retirement age probably 60% bonds with the rest split as above. All this is after saving 6 months of living expenses in a money market mutual fund. The paranoid might devote up to 10% of the portfolio to physical commodities that would be useful in trade at TEOTWAWKI [the end of the world as we know it] such as gold, 1oz silver 'rounds', 22 long rifle ammunition or M&Ms. Don't laugh... After people have done a few weeks of food storage eating, they'll trade pretty much anything for a bag of M&Ms!

So, here's the plan summarized:
1) Save six months of expenses in a (very safe) money market mutual fund.
2) Put everything else into an EAFE mutual fund (one-third) and an S&P 500 mutual fund (two-thirds) until you get quite a bit closer to retirement.
3) Never, ever buy individual stocks or any mutual funds that are not very broad with very low management fees. You will only beat the market by getting lucky, you're just as likely to get seriously burned, and in either case you're getting hit with tons of management and transaction fees. Save yourself the trouble and stress by investing as described in (1) and (2).

I'm making the hopeful assumption that you're aware of what a mutual fund is and how you might go about investing in one and were just looking for strategy advice; if that is not the case I'll be glad to clarify.

~Ƥ. Ɗ. Kirĸe

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QDear 100 Hour Board,

An inactive friend was telling me that it was announced in the Church News that the Church no longer considers the Pearl of Great Price to be part of LDS scriptures ~ that it has been proven not to be authentic. Is this true???

Sharon Wilkins

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ADear Sharon,

That is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard.

He's probably referring to some inflated rumor about the translation issues of the Book of Abraham (read an Ensign article about it here).

If you believe that our scripture can be "proven untrue," then you might want to take a long, hard look at your testimony of the scriptures, not to mention revelation.

Ask your friend to show his sources next time, and then when there are none, invite him to your house for dinner with the missionaries.

Love,
Waldorf and Sauron

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QDear 100 Hour Board,

The phones on campus are supposed to work with all local calls. At least that's what the OIT department website says. But I've noticed that only some (801) numbers work. A friend told me that generally only phone numbers in Utah Valley work, which does not incorporate all 801 numbers.

Is this true? Which 801 numbers work and which ones don't? Is there a way you can tell by the actual digits in the telephone number whether it is in the area that byu will call?

- No Cell Phone

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ADear No Cell Phone,

Yes that's true, and no you can't tell by the numbers.

Love,
Waldorf and Sauron

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QDear 100 Hour Board,

I have a Birthday coming up in a month. I have been recently married and my wife and I are entering "the poor student" phase of our lives. When asked what I wanted by my wife, I simply informed her that I don't need anything and things I want (ie 4G of RAM for my Macbook) are too expensive to ask for, so I'll just take the money that my family would use on gifts and use that to pay rent, tuition, or Groceries. As I told her this she was upset with me and told me to "have a Birthday and not to be so selfless." What do I do? I want to support my family, but I don't want to be selfish. I know it's not that important, but I just love asking you guys for your opinions! Thanks!

- One year older

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ADear older,

This is the reason I keep a wish list on my blog. As I think of things that I'd like, but don't have the money for, I put it on my wish list. Items range from expensive (a decent DSLR camera) to cheap (books). Then when gift-receiving events occur people can look at my list and find something I'd like that fits their price range.

Something that you should understand is that people giving you a gift isn't about you being selfless or selfish. It's about those people getting a chance to give you something as a token of their affection for you. So come up with some ideas of inexpensive things you would enjoy having. Mass-market paperback books are great for this: $5-8 for something that will bring several hours of enjoyment. Movies can be pretty good too, if it's a slightly older release.

-Curious Physics Minor

ADear Older,

You sound like my mother. She, too, rarely has any specific requests for gifts. Every Christmas, Mother's Day, or birthday, we end up simply giving her things that she needs or will be needing soon. If you really feel guilty about accepting unnecessary gifts, you could always try requesting things that you really need, such as socks, combs, shirts, or ties. Even if you don't think you need them now, having some extra on hand is always a good idea, as you can save them for when you do need them, or use them to slow the wear and tear on your current stuff. This allows your loved ones the opportunity to select a gift for you and will help you save money.

~Hermia

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QDear 100 Hour Board,

The wednesday of the second week of Fall classes at BYU (September 9), I was laying outside of the JKB when I heard something going on in Brigham Square. I'm not exactly sure what it was, but I heard this amazing song played. The only lyrics I remember are "I'm in love and it feels alright," but the reason I'm most interested in it is that it had an amazing piano part. I tried googling the lyrics, but nothing turned up . . . it almost makes me believe that it was an original by a student . . .

I was just wondering if anyone would be able to find out the name of the song and who wrote and/or performed it. (As far as I remember, it was the first song played that day.) Thanks!

- Starry Eyed

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ADear Starry Eyed,

If it was "I'm in love and it feels so right," it may be The Backstreet Boys' "Every Time I Close My Eyes."

Really hoping that's not your amazing song,
Waldorf and Sauron

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ADear Pillows,

I'd imagine that lotion would be special to a guy with soft hands.

Now to let my head find my pillow...

⋯Anomalous

ADear Pillows,

Lotion gloves are special to guys with soft hands. Rugged lumber-jack work, however, is specially troublesome to guys with soft hands.

-Mico

ADear Pillows~

Don't listen to these writers. Nothing is sacred to those freaks of nature.

~Hobbes

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ADear dazed,

Into what? Not asking a question?

- Furious George

ADear Confused,

I just want to tell you that every thought I had in relation to your "question" had a higher intonation at the end. It was weird.

I just watched a fantastic football game?

⋯Anomalous

ADear dazed,

Hey, if you have to ask, they probably did a pretty good job, so take pride in the fact that at least you weren't had by a mediocre manipulator.

-Sardonic.

ADear dazed~

Seven trees. Alpine! Alpine!

Possum apple discussion.

~oHbebs

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QDear 100 Hour Board,

I really only understand the fundamentals of America Football and what not. I notice the BYU Cougars seem to always have a packed house at there home games, as they also seem to have a pretty big fan base. Is this normal for every College/University team (Probably not), and if so/not, why are the BYU Cougars so popular?

-LDS Camera Guy

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ADear LDS Camera Guy,

If you want an idea of how many people attend college football games each year, check this site. You are right though, it is not normal for every single college and university team to have large game attendance. One reason BYU specifically has such a big fan base is because the team is actually pretty good. I have been in airports before wearing my BYU sweatshirt or pants, and college students from other states ask about the team. These days, BYU is equally known for the LDS population and the football.

Now this next idea is my own speculation, but I suspect football is more popular at BYU because it gets the single people together. I only attended a couple games last fall, but the only thing more obvious than the game was the excessive flirting. There are few things more flirtatious than a young man explaining to a "clueless" girl the workings of football. It is hilarious to see girls who are football fans at home ask questions just so the male has to lean in close to answer.

Football at BYU is popular to watch also because the majority of the BYU population are people from the midwest and western U.S. For example, 31% of the students are from Utah, 13% California, and 5% Texas, just to name the most populous. These states are full of football fans, and so when students move to BYU, they bring their football fanatics with them.

-Mico, who only went to games for Cosmo's crazy antics.

ADear Mico,

It also helps that BYU is quite a large school. In fact, it is the second largest private university in the nation.

Love,
Waldorf and Sauron

ADear LDS

The real key here is that BYU football has been experiencing a very successful run of late. I know from personal experience that the stadium was not nearly this full during the Crowton years when BYU had a losing record. Success equals more interest which equals a packed stadium.

-Humble Master