Reported by Carolina Galli

Armin van Buuren’s label has informed the DJs they are no longer allowed to use Armada tracks on their podcasts. They will even have to remove old podcasts that include tracks from the label. Now, any track signed to the label is forbidden to be played any further than 2 min. Let’s all keep in mind that there are tracks with intros longer than that. Beyond the new 2-min restriction, they will now have to be taken offline after 30 days.

Here’s what Menno de Jong posted on his website:

“Due to a rather unfortunate situation with Armada Music / Cloud 9 the Intuition Podcast is currently not available through iTunes. Recently Armada / Cloud 9 has expressed that they do not want their releases to be featured in the Intuition Podcast. Despite efforts on my behalf trying to secure that the legally required royalty payments are made to them (by submitting playlists to the Dutch copyright authorities Buma/Stemra and Sena) their opinion has not changed. This has several direct effects:

• iTunes has (hopefully temporarily) removed the Intuition Podcast from iTunes due to a complaint from Armada Music / Cloud 9.
• I have had to delete all Podcasts containing Armada / Cloud 9 releases from my website.
• I have salvaged Intuition Podcast 016 by cutting out their releases mistakenly put in there (the artist did not mention the fact that the release was signed to Armada / Cloud 9 when they sent me the promo, hence I accidentally put it in).

You can currently still download Intuition Podcast 015 and 016 by clicking on the RSS logo on the right of my website (this file can be viewed in iTunes like the regular podcast). Hopefully it will be business as usual very soon so that iTunes will continue to deliver the podcast to you. Once we are back up I will immediately put in the video report of ‘Menno Solo’ which took place last year so you have something to look forward to.

Keep on enjoying the music. I’d like to stress once again that by purchasing music through the links provided in the enhanced podcast you are securing the future of podcasting, and helping artists, labels and podcasters around the world!”

The artists can’t even play their own tracks on their own podcasts. “I’m pretty bummed I can’t play my own tune on my own podcast… I’ve had a bunch of emails from ‘names’ in the same boat. Shocking development…Where will it all end?”, questions Steve Helstrip aka The Thrillseekers via twitter.

Solaris International also got the notification from the label to take off their old podcasts that contain Armada songs. ”We’re currently working on it, they have all been temporarily taken down from iTunes until we find the time to edit the Armada tracks out and then reupload to our podcast archive. Future podcast versions of the show will not contain any Armada material – we will continue to use Armada material on the show itself, but these tracks will be edited out of the 128kbps podcast version.”

Weird strategy, Armada. Podcasts are another good way for promotion. Millions of people try to stay up-to-date listening to the latest tracks selected by their favorite DJs, but they are trying to make a point with this decision. The problem they see it’s the podcasts being available for free download.

According to Promotion/Liscensing Manager for Armada Ruben de Ronde, the label will release a statement soon. “They are implemented because the amount of podcasts using the Armada masters, in full length and without jingles, speaks etc. is getting out of control. Why would you run a business in music when people can download all those podcasts with the masters in it? It is def in the best interest of the artists. If they read the guidelines before they facepalm, they’d understand.”

It will be interesting to see whether this helps Armada in the long run or not. They are making a good point in trying to keep free music on radio and in the clubs, where people discover new tunes. People tend to download those free podcasts and don’t feel the need to buy the tracks later.

Mike Foyle makes a few good points on Steve Helstrip’s Facebook profile:

“This is making me sad! I think Armada are trying to protect their artists and themselves. Whether this is the right way of approaching a much larger problem, I’m not too sure.

Thing is, if people insist on not paying for music, things like this are consequential of that. I’m a strong believer that illegal downloading does as much good as it does bad, but seeing as there is no hard medium to buy the less mainstream music on these days, the whole scene is showing signs of collapsing because the money that used to keep it afloat is not circulating as freely as it once was. It should be easy to preview, enjoy and discover new music for free. The problem is the lack of incentive when it comes to purchasing music. In the past, you could pop into your record store and buy a product. A vinyl was a piece of artwork on the cover, a piece of music on the record and a physical, limited edition product. There is incentive there. Where is the incentive when you are buying a replica of something which can be effortlessly reproduced an infinite number of times?

I don’t blame people for illegally downloading music, because the alternative is to get exactly the same thing for free.

We’re now facing a big dilemma. What can we do? Nothing at all as far as I can tell, at least not until a new, physical medium is introduced which is cost effective to mass produce but also desirable as a “product”. A lot of labels don’t even bother with artwork anymore, because they don’t have anything to print it on to. It’s like the entire dance music scene is at war with itself, rationing out the minuscule amount of money left circulating within it. Desperately releasing as much music as possible regardless of it’s musical integrity or quality in a struggle to scrape some extra pennies in.

It’s a bad time unfortunately, and it’s not really anyone’s fault. No one can blame the labels, or the artists or consumers. We just have to hope that the evolution of digital media mends itself over time.

I have a lot of respect for Armada and I also have to say I don’t blame them for making an effort where no one else seems to be. HOWEVER… I don’t believe that this is the right way of addressing the problem and I hope they realise this sooner rather than later.

Still, just remember that unlike everyone else they are simply trying to address a problem. For that effort alone I think fair play to them. But this is unfortunately going to do more damage than it does good in my opinion.

Life goes on. They are a great bunch of guys at Armada, and they’re working very hard trying to make things better for everyone I believe.”

There’s my 2 cents…

Mike

Posted in: Featured, News | Posted on April 1, 2010 by Beatsmedia