Introducing Younison
Younison is the first European Pressure Platform that gives Artists, DJ/producers, Managers and Organizers in the Music Industry a voice to speak up with and to actually change the way our business will be organised in the future.
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Democracy gone digital… here your vote counts!
We bring you revealing news…By voting on important matters you give us the ammunition, to change the future of the Music Industry and trigger The Digital Music Revolution!
Does the Internet help aspiring rock stars
Posted by Kelvin on Jan 25, 2010 at 12:08
There's an interesting spat going on between Tom Silverman, who founded hip-hop/dance label Tommy Boy Records and runs the New Music Seminar for new artists to learn about the music industry, and Jeff Price, the CEO of TuneCore, a service that helps musicians place their songs on iTunes and other digital-distribution outlets.
(Credit: TuneCore) In a three-part interview with Musician Coaching, Silverman dismissed the idea that the Internet is helping new musicians break. For purposes of this argument, his definition of "breaking" is selling more than 10,000 copies of an album in the year of its release, for the first time in an artist's career.
Citing Nielsen SoundScan statistics, he showed that only 225 albums released in 2009 met this criterion. Of those, only 12--a dozen--came from independent, unsigned artists. That's out of more than 100,000 albums released during the year--pretty bleak.
Price responded by pointing out that album sales aren't the only--or even best--measure of success. If you look at digital-single sales, several artists have sold more than 100,000 tracks apiece through TuneCore without being signed to any label. Those tracks may not have been counted by SoundScan because the corresponding albums have to be preregistered in SoundScan's database; many independent artists don't preregister their albums with SoundScan.
Both of them have a horse in the game: Silverman wants beginning artists to attend the seminar so they can learn the secrets to success, and Price wants them to believe that they can do it themselves, with TuneCore and other Internet tools.
There are elements of truth in both positions, and Silverman's points about radio (it doesn't help like it used to, but it's still important for mass sales) and music labels (they're taking fewer risks, and those risks are paying off less often) are absolutely correct. But as an approach for new bands, I tend to buy Price's do-it-yourself argument for one simple reason: Silverman basically admits that albums are dying. Digital single-song downloads are growing as album sales shrink. So why did he use album sales as his metric of success?
More generally, the argument illustrates how dramatically the definition of "success" has changed. Silverman remembers when new artists could become rock stars. It's always been a long shot, but if you had good material and the right promotional teams backing you, there was a legitimate chance at fame and fortune. Those huge sellers are disappearing.
But Internet tools have made it possible for artists who are completely outside of the traditional label system to make money from music. Fifteen years ago, if you didn't have a label and a management team, you were lucky to get a couple hundred bucks for a gig, where you could sell a few demo tapes or self-produced CDs (which cost hundreds or thousands of dollars to produce). Promotion involved stapling fliers to light poles and sending postcards through the mail--expensive, time-consuming, and not very effective.
Today, you can create, distribute, and promote your music to many more people for much less money--plus set up tours, sell merchandise, and find partners--all without leaving your computer. For somebody who started slogging around in bands in the 1990s, this is nothing short of amazing.
Of course, you still need to write good music and play a lot of shows--that never changes. But you can make a living playing music without playing the old radio label game or searching for the magic bullet that will make you into an overnight sensation. I think that there's never been a better time to be a musician--or a music fan, for that matter.
Does internet have a positive influence on new music projects
Younison approaches Senators with demands for change
Posted by Kelvin on Nov 27, 2009 at 15:13
Younison has actively been approaching several Belgian Senators with the proposal for three changes on the current law on the control of the Collecting societes.
The proposed changes to the law are:
1. The current law foresees a period of 24 months in which the collecting societies can pay back collected revenue . We urge that a difference is made between the distribution of digital income and other income concerning the time in which these moneys are redistributed to the artists, for digital revenue should be distributed much faster than other income.
2.There is an important need of direct information from the online sales towards the collecting societies that should be shared with the authors as a control mechanism towards the record companies.This is not included in the current law
3. All collected digital revenue should embrace the same transparency standards.With the current law, Auvibel and Reprobel, collecting in your name are not obliged to do so and will not .
Send us your opinions and so we can incorporate them into our ongoing initiative to build a more transparent and rewarding musical landscape.
YouTube, Sabam and the new digital revenues...
Posted by younisons2 on Aug 17, 2009 at 12:56
The new balance of power in the arena of author rights is becoming clear watching the battle unfold between Sabam and Youtube .
Sabam had issues concerning the payment of the low quality stream for certain authors they represent, so Youtube took these streams down...
End of story?
Of course not.
Most if not all authors see YouTube as one of the most useful tools to propagate their music and and clips. The service is free and at low quality, so they embrace this new form of telly .
They dread the moment when they get banned by Youtube. YouTube knows this and plays hardball.
The fact that Sabam chooses to first fight YouTube is not a good thing for several reasons.
First it is perceived that as most artists will are not against this service, who is the author rights company fighting for then? It galvanises the negative image Sabam has as being fighting for it's money, not for the artists.
But even more so it could become a precedent for new forms of digital streams that could be turned into a partnership for future transparent income for artists.
It would be much better to negotiate with the likes of Spotify and Deezer, high quality streaming sites that offer the total iTunes catalogue for free if you take the adds along with it. These sites are immensely popular in the UK (with more than 6 million users in the last 8 Months).
It is apparent that new digital companies will not be paying for the authorrights if the companies that are collecting them do not quickly adopt a totaly transparent and digital retribution system.
We need to make clear that this is not only urgent, it is our lifeline as artists to see to it that we do not get outplayed of the new digital marketplace by the way the companies that are collecting our fees are misplacing their bets in our name.
do you think Youtube is a good service that should be able to keep on as it is without paying rights
Younison welcomes an open debate with new Sabam management
Posted by Kelvin on Jul 25, 2009 at 06:28
24 July 2009 – Brussels– The Belgian justice department has accused the collecting society SABAM of failing to properly distribute revenues collected on behalf of Belgian artists, launching criminal investigations against a number of ex-senior executives of the organisation.
Younison hopes that this case will pave the way for further transparency and accountability in the collection and distribution of digital music revenues to artists.
Younison would like to emphasize that the new management of SABAM - who is not affected by the ongoing investigation - has offered to meet with them in August to discuss ways to improve transparency and accountability of the current system. “This is a positive step forward in what we trust will be a constructive debate in the interest of authors and of the music industry”, said Kelvin Smits, director of Younison. “This development is an indication of the goodwill of SABAM’s new management and of the need to establish new and stringent transparency standards in the way collecting societies operate on behalf of their authors”.
Younison calls on Belgian policymakers to modify the proposed new Belgian law on the control of collecting societies to ensure that artists are fully protected for the monetisation of their digital rights. “We have been eagerly awaiting an improvement of the current outdated rules which has now been delayed for six years”, added Kelvin Smits.
While Younison welcomes the developments in Belgium, it also calls for pan-European harmonisation of the collection and distribution of digital music rights. “This is a cross border issue requiring a European wide solution”, said Kelvin Smits. “As digital content distribution knows no borders, this situation should be a call-to-action for European policymakers and politicians”. Accountability and transparency standards are needed across the EU to ensure all national collecting societies provide timely reports and payments for the digital exploitation of artists' work. European policymakers and legislators will need to take action in the interest of European artists. A modernisation of EU copyright rules to ensure transparency of the collecting societies’ activities is long overdue.
Sabam charged on all points Younison claim
Posted by Kelvin on Jul 22, 2009 at 11:16
Yesterday the Brussels justice department issued a statement declaring that the Belgian collecting society Sabam has been found to have deliberately diverted money from authors, giving money to the wrong authors by using an outdated and opaque redistribution system . Some of the former people in charge even face criminal prosecution on the basis of corruption.
The issues that Younison has been pushing for are even more valid now than ever:
- Transparency
- Accountability
- Monetizing new streams of income
We believe that the new people in charge of Sabam are willing to make the change necessary to get a new and transparent system rolling, but only if you speak up and demand it.
Younison is your way to make this demand clear as a group.
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Join up and spread the word
Together we can change things for the better.
TBC
Younison Event sparks off public discussion.
Posted by Kelvin on Jul 04, 2009 at 14:59
Our event on the 30th of June seems to have egnited some discussions that are very needed in this matter.
The fact that we made the issue of the collective rightsmanagement something to talk about beween artists is encouraging and needs to be the prelude to a much broader debate with all keyplayers in the field.
However , the way we are being portrayed by Galm, in this matter is disturbing to say the least.
We have been attacked by people that are not well informed about our mission,or that are out to discredit us.
Is this reaction fuelled by frustration? It is certainly not contributing to an open and constructive atmosphere.
Rather than picking a fight with these people, we want to move on and look to the future.
Everyone that has signed our charter should know that we are not trying to abolish anything. One of our main missions is to make sure that the money collected in your name finds its way to your account. To do so we think it is necessary to rethink the way collective management of rights is organized, and we encourage the use of technology to do so.
The fact that private copy levies are collected is not the issue here.
We encourage the fact that money is collected in the name of the author, the more money collected for artists, should be all the better for the artists.
That this is not always the case was displayed at the event
Key issues for us are:
Transparency of data involved with collection
Accountability of all moneystreams
New digital streams of income need to be collected and taken in account
We desperately want to ensure that the future of copyright is built on solid legitimate basis, but if the money is redistributed wrongly in more than 50% of the cases, and if the new forms of digital income are not admitted to the equasion to make the redistribution as transparent and fair as possible, we dread that there will be a day when the lack of legitimacy of collective rights management will topple the balans and we might end up loosing much more than we care for.
A similar thing happened to the record industry 10 years ago, when the big record companies dismissed the idea of technology and called the internet downloads “a passing fad for tech freaks”
We all know how that turned out...
Thanks for support
Posted by Kelvin on Jul 02, 2009 at 13:06
We are currently working on the blog with pictures, film and comments.
Uploaded later today
We'll keep you posted.
Thanks
Younison Event - Artists Stand Up For Your Rights
Posted by Mac-Cain13 on Jun 11, 2009 at 16:41
30 June, Theater BAFF in the De Vrièrestraat 36, Antwerp 2018
The days when people would solely go into a record store to buy their music seem long gone. New innovative delivery models from subscription services to pay-per downloads have changed the way the industry does business. Whereas the digital age has opened a world of opportunity for us, Younison advocates to ensure that music creators receive a fair return of the digital revenue their work generates.
In an effort to inform artists and managers of how to best control their work within the digital environment, Younison is organising an event on the 30th of June in Antwerp.
All artists are invited to join the cause and sign the Charter to urge for transparency and accountability in the collection and distribution of digital revenues.
Programme:
19.00 Welcome drinks
19.30 Introductory speech, Tom Barman, dEUS
19.40 Presentation of Younison action plan, Kelvin Smits, author and founder of Younison
20.00 Presentation of legal proceedings, Attorney Van Melkebeke
20.15 Sign up to legal proceedings
20.30 Networking cocktail at theatercafe “The Living”
If you want to join the event, sign up over here!
Internet Piracy- The Way forward
Posted by PhilipE on Jan 26, 2009 at 16:58
Internet Piracy and illegal downloads has been endlessly discussed and argued yet the industry remains in permanent state of perpetual indecision. Granted, there have been numerous initiatives and new ideas, but there has been a distinct lack of consequence and willingness to follow them through. On the one hand, the music industry has called this mess upon themselves in that it was far too slow to react and adapt to the digital world. New business models and accessibility to legal downloads still remains wanting and it took a technology company, whose core business was not music, to break the of legarthic state of the recording industry. Yet Illegal download sites have learnt how to cater for the digital consumer far better than the music industry. The industry initially countered the problem by prosecuting offenders and locking legitimate music into DRMS- making illegal downloads, that can be played every where even more appealing. However we now seem to be having a turning point. Scanning the news over the last few weeks has shown some astonishing developments; The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) decided to drop their strategy of bringing offenders to court, and the days of DRMs seem to be coming to an end with Apple’s announcement that it will be dropping DRMS on millions of songs on iTunes. Also, the UK government announced that it has no plans to introduce regulation that would force ISPs to terminate the service of internet pirates.
So what next? Fact is that the industry needs to find a way to secure an income. I.e. using online advertising as a source of income as My Music decided to do. But there are also other ambitious and bold projects, the Isle of Man for example, a lonely rainy outpost somewhere in the Irish sea, has come up with a solution, in which it wants to introduce a type of “pirate tax” (officially called a fee) to all broadband subscribers- in return its 80.000 population would be able to download unlimited amounts of music. This is certainly a radical approach but not necessarily a new idea. However is this a model that can be copied in 80 million Germany? Unlikely, as it would only be a matter of time before consumer rights organisations begin to question why everyone needs to pay for those downloading illegally. There are however less controversial initiatives, such as the Warner/Chappell Music’s Pan European Digital Licensing Initiative (PEDL). The PEDL is an important first step in the right direction in that it acknowledges the digital world as a significant distributor of music, it forces a increased transparent way of managing these digital rights and leads up to de facto pan-European, one stop shop, licence and will therefore facilitate new innovative legitimate business models and ensure enumeration for artists and labels.
Europe plans to extend protection for performers and session
Posted by PhilipE on Dec 19, 2008 at 10:52
The European Commission has put forward a proposal to extend the term of protection for performers and sound recordings to 95 years. The aim of the proposal is to bring performers' protection more in line with that already given to authors - 70 years after their death. The European Commission published its proposal back in February 2008; however the European Parliament has yet to give its opinion.
On first sight, Europe’s proposal seems fair, as it will allow performers to earn money for a longer period of time and in any event throughout their lifetime. The European music industry is at a distinct disadvantage as Europe has one of the shortest copyright terms in the world. Fact is that European artists enjoy a higher degree of protection abroad than at home. Europe needs to be more competitive and therefore its copyright laws need to be equivalent with international standards. In the United States granted their extension over ten years ago. Also, new technologies have given old music/artist new life and therefore record labels and artist, should be able enjoy the new sources of revenue provided by these new technologies.
However there are always two sides to a medal, as a recent European Parliament hearing on the extension showed. The first question which needs to be asked, is who will benefit the most of the this extension, most academics have argued that only those who already hold rights and are already receiving significant income, i.e. record companies, collecting societies and the big performers, will receive the lions share of the increased revenue. In a nutshell the extension will benefit incumbent holders of major back-catalogues, be they record companies or ageing rock stars. To many the extension as such does not address the actual problem faced by today’s artists, namely that the money generated from music is not distributed fairly among all artists. The music industries problem is a not question of the extension, but the contractual terms as the how the rights are managed. The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) have calculated that for the majority of performers the projected extra sales income resulting from the term extension will be from as little as 50¢ each year in the first ten years, to as "much" as €26.79 each year.
The idea behind the extension is not without merit, however if we really want to help musicians, then we need to "follow the money"
Do you think the extension is a good idea and will benefit the artists?
The Future of Collective Rights Managment
Posted by PhilipE on Dec 08, 2008 at 22:29
As part of our commitment to promote fair remuneration and distribution of copyright proceeds to Artist, Younison attended a conference, organized by the World Intellectual Property Conference (WIPO), to discuss the future of collective management of copyright and related rights. The conference, which hosted all the major players including almost all of Europe’s collecting societies, Industry, academics and numerous organizations, took place in Brussels on the 24 and 25 of November. The debate ranged from the Copyright law in the digital age to the role of collecting societies in managing the rights in an increasingly difficult to control cyber age, to the justification and legitimacy of levies.
Piracy remains the knowledge economy’s primary problem. Especially since the widespread introduction of broadband, the ability to download illegally has become easier and faster. The fundamental principle of copyright remains untouched (right of property). However the piracy problem, especially in the new technologies, has caused a face off between, privacy and right to protection of property. We have seen decision makers grapple with this dilemma for ages, sometimes very clumsily and other times with very good ideas. We now seem to be at a cross road, with two very different paths. The first path is the delicate “control road”, which effectively means filtering, prosecuting and cutting internet connections to those caught with their hands in the illegal download “cookie jar”. This is the road that France has decided to take in their new proposed law, and has been debated in numerous other states across Europe. The other road is a proactive one, which means imbedding a moral compass on internet users and making people aware the costs of illegal downloads. To compliment this approach, many argue that the access to legal downloads need to be made easier and simpler- this however would require a reform of the current licensing system.
As expected, the conference did not come to any results; different countries are going to choose different routes, based on their own traditions and beliefs. However no matter what route they choose, one will not come around the fact the Copyright law as such will need to adapt to meet the challenges and realities of an industry that will become increasing dependent and focused in the digital world. New business models, i.e. Mymusic or the new music services offered by Nokia, are questioning traditional concepts of managing rights and organizing fair remuneration. Collecting Societies will have no choice but to adapt if they are to play a role in this new age. Also, the digital age should increase the pressure on them to become more efficient and transparent in their work.
The debate will continue, and we are going to continue to see new ideas, new ways battle with traditional beliefs in the management and enforcement of copyright.
Given the choice, what road will prove more effective in combating piracy and ensuring that artist profit in the new Cyber Age?
Radiohead, Kate Nash and others to join Artists' Coalition
Posted by Kelvin on Oct 10, 2008 at 12:40
Some of Britain's biggest music stars announced Saturday they are banding together to demand greater control over their music in the digital age.
Radiohead, Robbie Williams and Kaiser Chiefs are among more than 60 founding members of the Featured Artists' Coalition. The group says it wants musicians rather than record labels to retain control over the rights to their music. It says new technology is rapidly changing the music industry, and artists are often left out when their songs are distributed over the Internet or mobile phone networks. "It is time for artists to have a strong collective voice to stand up for their interests," said Brian Message, co-manager of Radiohead and the singer Kate Nash.
"The digital landscape is changing fast and new deals are being struck all the time, but all too often without reference to the people who actually make the music." Musicians are increasingly turning to the Internet — and sometimes bypassing traditional record labels — to distribute their music.
Radiohead released the "In Rainbows" album through the band's Web site, and Oasis is offering its new album, "Dig Out Your Soul," on social networking site MySpace before its official release. Jazz Summers, manager of The Verve, said the coalition would "seek to improve the treatment of artists within the business and campaign to update laws and practices that better reflect the new music landscape." "Digital technology gives artists the opportunity to control their future — this is the time to seize that opportunity," he said.
Billy Bragg, Iron Maiden and Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour are among signatories to the coalition's founding charter. The group plans an official launch Sunday at the In the City music event in Manchester.
To put it this way...
Posted by Kelvin on Sep 13, 2008 at 15:39
In these times of digital growth, music is a very tangible and sexy commodity, as a result lots of money changes hands every day... The problem is that more and more of this money isn't retraceable to the artists by lack of good governing or policy management and so the artist don't see the benifits of their work.
Lots of voices are currently pushing for a sort of secondary stream of compensation payments to remunerate the loss..
It is the belief of Younison that this will cut off the natural market value , and will eventually end up with people paying indirectly for the use of music, that will be collected by huge and powerful societies, who have no way in knowing who to retribute and thus will be free to do as they wish.
This will leave the fresh and young artists without a penny and will cut off the oxygen needed for cultural diversity .
In these digital times we cannot foster the illusion that was put into practise about a century ago , believing that by eliminating the market , and relying on general collection and blind retribution everyone would prosper and there would be a paradise for all - commonly referred to as the communist ideal.
There is a way to organise this new world, but we need to want it and we need to unite and tell everyone we want it...
We all know how the previous collective experiment ended?
Younison shocks the European commission with bare facts
Posted by Kelvin on Jun 06, 2008 at 14:20
Last week, the European Commission gathered in Brussels concerning the Levies on Private copies, the money payed for loss of sales by new technological devices.
Younison was invited as one of the 5 speakers to adress the 500 representatives of the European Countries as well as people from collecting societies and all involved in the subject.
We took this opportunity to present a small inquiry that we made the preceding weeks on the amount of money that artists get from their collecting societies concerning this levy tax, and the percentage that this made up for in the total income of the artists (check out the matrix in the download section here)...
As the figures sank in (less than 0,75% of the total income of the artists in the inquiry is attributable to the levies collected in our names ), it was apparent that this was not the outcome anyone had expected. Certainly not after the amounts that were circulating that are transferred to the collecting societies (the Levies amount to about 15-30% of the total income for the collecting societies, wich ranges in the billions of Euros).
Soon afterwards representatives of the collecting societies questioned the figures and tried to discredit the Younison initiative.
Never before have policy makers been presented to the fact that, although money gets collected, it might not be going in the right direction.
Collecting societies are the spokesperson as well as the collectors for the artists, and thus are biassed.
It is here that we from Younison try and push the envelope to demand transparency and a technological system so we can monitor and track our sales and our income.
It is therefor of utmost importance that we spread our action radius, and ask you the artist, to join in our inquiry, and - confidentially of course- share with us your earnings from collecting societies.
Only that way we can prove that there is a flaw in the system ,and that it needs to be adressed preferably to sooner than later...
I hope you will find the time and the trust to participate in this european survey, and help change the future for all !
Thanks
The Multi Billion Euro Hoax: Meet the Levy Tax
Posted by Younisons on Apr 17, 2008 at 15:32
Have you ever heard of a Levy tax on private copying?
Chances are that you’ve never heard of this special tax first implemented on all digital hardware (Mobile phones, MP3 players, harddisks, copiers...) as well as blank CD copies as from 2001.
The idea of this tax seems quite simple and noble being that with every (legal) copy made of a musical track, the artist loses income and so he/she should be compensated for that loss.
The directive issued at the time by the European Commission was that untill a more precise way of compensation was available, the collecting societies would be able to collect this tax and redistribute it fairly between their members, the artists.
Recent research by the commission revealed that in the years 2001-2006, European collecting societies have collected a staggering 4 billion Euro, growing rapidly every year as more and more people have these machines (estimates show revenue to have risen to 9 billion Euro!!! by now ).
However, most of this money has never been redistributed and there is no intention to do so, for no such system has been developed .
Younison wishes to form a broad coalition of keyplayers in the industry to stand up and demand that this money will be redistributed fairly and that a new and transparent technological system is constructed to avoid general collection and make all moneyflows personalised.
For this we ask you to fill in this new poll (2 minutes) so we can push forth the new directive in the European Commission, and secure a future where the creative work gets fairly compensated !
Thanks and spread the word,
Together we will be heard!
Had you heard of the levy tax on private copies ?
Have you ever received any official statement from your collecting society as a result of the Levy tax collection
Do you feel you are fairly compensated in regards to the knowledge that collecting societies are collecting this tax in your name?
If you think you have been payed for levy tax collection, what was the percentage of statement in the total amount of your statement?
How large was your annual levy tax payment
Do you feel that, on the whole, your collecting society is a transparent and modern organisation that fits your needs as an artist in these changing times?
Do you think a personalized, technological system of remuneration is preferable to the current generic collection?
Who will safeguard our business in these shifting times
Posted by Younisons on Apr 17, 2008 at 15:32
The music industry is in full transition.
Everyday new business models are shooting up, but where is this leading us, and what do you think we should focus on to secure that our industry will grow through this transition better and stronger than before.
Who or what will drive the transition to succes
We need a transparent system of collection
Posted by Kelvin on Apr 17, 2008 at 15:32
For more than 60 years, the rights of authors - being direct or indirect ( mechanicals, airplay, neighboring rights...) - have been collected by private organisations with a state protected monopoly. (Sacem, Sagem, Sabam, Biem Stemra...)
For years this has resulted in a widespread collection and redistribution of rights, be it fair or not, it's not our main focuspoint at the moment...
What is however, is that with the collection of the money, the collecting societies also profiled themselves as the protector of the rights of the artist, a bit like a Union does for workers.
This is an unprecedented manifestation of power never seen in an industry before. The people protecting your rights are also the ones paying your money....they are biassed....
Unless totally transparent, no worker would believe their honesty and neither should you as an artist or an organiser.
Do you agree on the issue of the text above?
Welcome!
Posted by Younisons on Apr 06, 2008 at 18:11
Hi,
Welcome to the polling section!
Here we will be asking you, the professional in the Music Industry, to regularly take part in a pan European survey so the European policy makers can actually base their policies on real grassroot judgement.
Stay informed : drop the URL in your mail browser, and we will keep you posted on all new polls via RSS feed