Former EMI Executive: 'Music 1.0 is Dead'

A former EMI executive says the old ways delivering music are gone and the industry is waking up and trying out new methods to deliver content in an effort to remain a profitable industry.

According to Ted Cohen, a former EMI executive, “Music 1.0 is dead." He made the statement in New York at the Digital Music Forum where he asked the industry to continue trying new methods of music delivery because old methods are no longer as affective. Digital Rights Management (DRM) regulations was another topic at the forum with the wide majority agreeing the technology is poorly designed and is slowing down the sales of digital music rather than aiding the industry in reducing piracy. This reflects on the success of Amazon.com, with their launch of DRM-free downloads from a catalogue of major record labels Another fact revealed was that Indie music is continuing to grow and accounts for up to 30 per cent of music sales. The information further backs the argument DRM has burdened major record labels for far too long, thus leading to increased sales in the indie scene. The former EMI executive's overall message was for the industry to continue being experimental with different methods of delivering music.