bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

moreOnThisArticles

urlAlias

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

sponsorType

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

additionalInfoBoxes

quizIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

SCMP Reporter

Denise Tam in her letter ('Make music more affordable', January 14) writes: 'Hong Kong is still a long way from being a city where music is no longer downloaded illegally.'
I am unsure what this means, but having recently left one of the so-called 'majors' [record labels], what first needs to be tackled before even getting into pricing is actually understanding this 'digital world' and finding ways to safeguard the rights of all the artists - especially new artists - who are making their work available to consumers online.
The likes of Madonna, U2, Coldplay and Kanye  can look after themselves and do what they want with their music.
Radiohead, for example, asked fans to pay whatever they felt the band's last album, In Rainbows, was worth.
Many paid nothing. They just ripped off the album.
Prince is making his new album available free online as he no doubt looks at this as a way to promote his concerts as this  is where he really makes his money.
But what about new artists who cannot find gigs, let alone tour and hold concerts?
Copyright issues, publishing and accounting  in this 'digital world' still remain a very grey area and no one has yet come up with one way which can finally benefit all artists.
There is so such thing as a free lunch and there should be no such thing as 'free' music.
In the mad rush to 'feed' consumers, the artists seem to have got lost in the shuffle, especially new artists who are not signed to music companies, and who cannot afford lawyers, accountants and giant hype machines, but who still need to make money from somewhere for the music they create and make available.
All this is not a 'Hong Kong problem'.
It is a worldwide mess that needs to be sorted out and where artists need to be supported and protected.
If not, music and artists will become yet another endangered species.
Hans Ebert, chairman and chief executive,  We-Enhance Inc



Protecting artists and their work is not just a Hong Kong issue