The
argument discussed in this essay has to do with faults on two sides of an
issue. The issue stated is that Guitar Hero,
along with other musical gaming systems, has cut into the profits of the music
industry. The Game-makers are said to be taking advantage of artists by not
paying them enough for the use of their music, while the musician’s album sales
have dropped 19 percent (268). On the other hand, the music businesses are not
taking advantage of the potential profit that would result if they and the
game-makers worked together. They are “whining,” as how puts it, “over
licensing fees (268).” This word “whining,” gives us some insight to how
immature Howe thinks this issue is.
Howe believes they
should both focus on a way of working together, which he puts as, “creative
participation (268).” He proves how well this could work by using the band Aerosmith as an example of its potential. They recorded
earning more money for their Guitar Hero: Aerosmith game than any of their single albums (268). This
being proven should be enough to convince the whole music industry to jump in
and get in on the profits. Aerosmith’s earnings were not a result of desputing, but a result of “creative
participation.” Howe urges the music industry to update itself to a new way of
selling its music. He believes the way of albums, like tapes and other older
forms of music, will eventually fade away.
What I get from
this is that there is a musical industrial revolution happening. It is changing
the same way our country changed from an agricultural way of providing to a
factory way of providing. I agree with Howe’s solution to this argument and
believe if the music industry embraces this new way of selling music, it will
benefit greatly in the long run. He brings straight facts that prove his point,
and make it very simple.
Raymond, I like how you were able to incorporate your own ideas into your analysis. Great work with the image, too!
ReplyDelete