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
