Views from Passalong Networks’ Summit: Terry McBride Predicts “DRM Will Go This Year”

Authored by Ned Sherman on February 7, 2007 - 5:04am.

Park City, Utah – I had the honor of being among an eclectic mix of 60 or so artists, technologists and music industry representatives who gathered at the annual Passalong Networks Summit in Park City this week to network, enjoy good music, discuss issues from the future of music to the connected consumer and, of course, hit the slopes. The event, which brought together digital executives, indie label reps, a professional skier and a group of Nashville singer songwriters, was a rare opportunity to get away from it all for a few days and focus on issues and relationships dear to our hearts.The discussions ranged from how digital media can be used to empower the artist to what it will take for the majors to fully embrace digital technologies, and there was no shortage of opinions and predictions as to the future of the industry. One of the highlights of the event was a fireside chat featuring Nettwerk Music CEO Terry McBride, who was interviewed by Passalong CEO Dave Jaworski. Here are some of the views and predictions expressed by McBride:

On DRM:
1) DRM will go this year.
2) If the majors get rid of DRM, online sales will likely double within the first few months.

On pricing of online music:
1) We need a price war for online music to evaporate the free market.
2) The tipping point is somewhere between 49 cents and 25 cents.

On the RIAA’s litigation strategy:
The RIAA’s litigation is based on the tool of fear and control. This is counterproductive and against everything I don’t want to see in the industry.

Advice for artists in the digital age:
1) The key is to own your own IP – publishing rights, masters and likeness.
2) Careers are brands.
3) View new digital opportunities as platforms, not IP, that can be used to enhance your brand.

The profile of a successful Nettwerk artist:
1) We look for two things: talented musicians and good people.
2) Musicians have a unique ability to affect people in immense ways. We believe that their public lives should be used to make the world a better place.

Other highlights from the event included a singer songwriters showcase featuring four award-winning songwriters from Nashville: Greg Barnhill (Grammy nominated songwriter, A-list vocalist and producer), Leigh Nash (As former member of Sixpence None the Richer, Nash enjoyed major success with “Kiss Me” and “There She Goes”), David Pack (As co-founder, guitarist and main vocalist for Ambrosia, Pack wrote and performed such hits as “Biggest Part of Me”, “You’re the Only Women”, and “How Much I Feel”), and Dennis Matkosky (Grammy-winning songwriter and producer with production and songwriter credits in more than 50 million records sold). Bringing a Nashville tradition to the Summit, the group shared the stage together (in the spirit of "Songwriters-in-the-Round"), chatted about the ups and downs of songwriting, took questions from Summit participants, and performed an incredible selection of top hits written by them over the years. The event was a rare opportunity for those of us on the digital side to hear from some of Nashville’s top songwriters.

Kudos to Dave Jaworski, Skip Franklin and the Passalong team for a well-done event.

That’s all for now. Gotta hit the slopes!

Poll

Will 2007 be the Last Year that DRM is used for Selling Digital Music?

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