Steve Kane (president, Warner Music Canada) at Toronto Copyright Consultation

[66gva]

rare hiphop dot com artist stanley grimes stop by and check him out

[timhannigan]

He points out limited resources and laying off staff in tough times, but what business doesn't have to deal with that?

I was disappointed with his comments mostly for what wasn't said. Generic statements about being good tax-paying citizens keeping the economy going avoids the pertinent issues. Digital music has been demonstrated to be a different playing field. How can you work legitimate business models within this environment? How would Warner music see themselves succeeding in it?

[balleyne]

I've exchanged a few comments with Steve Kane before (can't post link on YouTube, but search the web for "blaise alleyne" and "steve kane")

I honestly believe he's trying to do what's right for his business. The tragic thing is that he's convinced it's a legal problem (copyright), rather than a business model problem. For most who've had success in the digital age, it's *despite* copyright, not because of it, yet Kane thinks a maximalist copyright law would magically change business prospects.

[grein545]

Great work!! I can't wait till you have compiled the entire list of speakers.

[sneakywan]

Those artists that you said left you, did so because they moved on to a better model of distribution and recording that doesn't suck 99% of their revenues from them and into Warner's bank accounts! Face it, the internet and recording software are what is destroying jobs in your industry and fueling new ones in other industries, and you know the sad fact is that these new jobs that are being created are created by artists in their own technological fields and you don't get to leech off them!

[stilty]

@sneakywan

Unfortunately, I've heard it right from Kane's mouth that he is pissed that he didn't get Billy Talent signed on a 360 deal so he could get their merch rights.