最近，思哲同時試用了兩個本地互聯網音樂服務，原來在美國，這些包月無限聽歌的計劃，還是個富爭議性的革命。
上個月，受聘於Warner Music的資深音樂人Jim Griffin宣佈，他們正考慮推動透過ISP向用戶每月收取5美元，讓消費者能夠無限制地聽歌。Griffin表示，這項計劃能讓Warner及其他唱片商，在非法下載的現狀底下，得回部分的補償。Griffin預計，新模式每年可以製造200億美元收入。
Griffin透露，多年來他一直要求唱片業正視消費者行為的轉變，他甚至告訴唱片商，浪費金錢去監察和起訴下載音樂的大學生，非但不可能壓止非法下載，最終亦徒勞無功。反之，伙拍ISP推出合法下載服務，才是改善產品和服務的積極做法。再說，互聯網音樂的收入，相信依然會落回音樂人和版權持有人手裡。
其實唱片商口中的非法下載，不過是消費者欠缺正規和合法數碼產品選擇而衍生的現象。與其說非法下載影響了音樂人收入，倒不如說唱片商沒有好好地從消費者身上收集意見，了解其需要，從而改善和革新音樂產品。
只不過，Techcrunch的Michael Arrington卻非常反感：「Warner計劃的最終結果乃全美國徵收音樂稅，對音樂創新來說，這簡直是災難！」或許Arrington擔心有朝一日，唱片業得到政府支持以致立法，將互聯網音樂變成強迫性音樂稅。
思哲倒覺得暫時問題不大，若相信互聯網本身的流通性，反正有YouTube，不怕可惡的ISP搞什麼內容審查。只要消費者還有選擇的自由，也就沒有稅不稅的問題。再說，那些不想付錢的人，大可以看廣告代替付費。
說到尾，歌手最值錢的地方，肯定不是歌曲而是即場演繹，思哲看不到音樂人反對的理由，倒是未知唱片商和ISP是否真的一如承諾全面開放資料庫呢？
《2008年4月16日刊於蘋果日報》
[youtube=http://youtube.com/watch?v=L-4LJr2U7r4]
[youtube=http://youtube.com/watch?v=bOMNt2SipvM]
April 16, 2008 at 10:10 am
咁真係睇下係自願性定強制性勒，如果係用者自付，咁我諗問題都唔係大，但係如果係迫住要俾，就真係變左音樂稅，就唔太樂觀，抽得音樂稅，遲 d 又可以抽電影稅，咁攪法，我睇唔睇都要俾，又係咪咁公平。
其實我最關心既，反而係香港幾時有 iTune Store , 如果到六月都未有 iTune Store ，咁到時 iPhone 出左 2.0 正式版可以買 Program 時，香港人就真係得個睇字
The iPhone App Store – http://tinyurl.com/5t3v2q
April 16, 2008 at 2:24 pm
思哲上左琴晚果集 money cafe ? 見佢講話寫左幾篇文激 d programmer , 應該係你勒吧？
programmer 住屯門都要半年先探一次 ？我 partner 每四五個月都會澳洲飛黎香港見下我，傾下 project 喎，其實頭半集重點係請人難的話，命題一開始就錯左了，香港無人 or 搵唔到，咪去其他地方搵人，正如後半話全球化無地區限制，其實請人都係一樣，係網上面見到邊個出名既 developer 係合眼緣，咪直接 send 個 email 俾佢，用合約既形式去請，至少好過 train d 大學生，training 得黎都蚊訓
後面講 Startup 唔應該只 target 香港，我就好認同，尤其唔應該以拎政府 funding 為目標，見過有人準備幾個月就為左拎政府 funding ，本身己經本末倒置左，做 startup 應該係做 d 有用既野，唔係為左討好批 funding 既人。相反，如果你做左有用既野出黎，即使唔會直接賺錢，好似 youtube 咁都無錢賺，但係有人用的話，VC 就會搵返你轉頭，無必要浪費時間自己去搵人
April 16, 2008 at 2:44 pm
The guy who appear last night on money cafe was 1/4 of 尹思哲 – or should I say his alter-ego is 1/4 of 尹思哲’s.
His real ego is 利世民.
Of course we understand that we can go global in hiring – but there is something cultural in our product and the innovation would work better if the creator himself lives in the environment.
About ten years ago, amongst the management academia, there was a discussion on what could be outsourced (i.e. outsourced to India / or other technologically competent developing clusters) and what should be stay with yoke – history proven that innovation, which is often a culturally dependent process, is better be conducted in a hyper connected setting.
Certainly, some of the problem solving could leveraged the relatively low cost labor elsewhere. In fact, we have outsourced a critical but labor intensive task to another country.
Moming, please do have no hard feeling, but it seems you might have assumed too much on how we are setting up, didn’t you?
April 16, 2008 at 3:17 pm
i think the HK situation is very different as the music has been suffering for over 10 years (probably since 1997) because of all the pirated CDs.
so the producers really have very little to lose, whether they open their music library to public or not (this is not the case with US). and the business model now is for artists to earn $$ from advertisement and concerts, albums are part of promotion cost, so increasing singers’ exposure is most important (i.e. easy access of music to everyone).
April 16, 2008 at 3:18 pm
i meant the music industry which is suffering.
April 16, 2008 at 3:20 pm
no offense meant but i really look forward to you having something revolutionary coming up in the future, since you talk about revolution so much these days. you know ‘talk the talk, walk the walk!’.
April 16, 2008 at 4:48 pm
abaci,
Currently we are in engineering stage which we are always trying to perfect a prototype of a revolutionary product.
But in the real world, many problems are impossible to identify beforehand. So if you feel crappy when you get it. Promise to feedback & let us modify! We promise to improve it accordingly… better & better be coming!
btw, please understand column-writing is indeed a pure talk-talk product ;>
April 17, 2008 at 2:26 am
其實係見到咁強調講 anobii 要十八個月請一個 developer 返黎，再講香港好難搵到有 heart 既人去幫手做 startup, 唔知會唔會當左長時間去搵 developer 係一個常態，因為放眼依家既外國 startup ，基本上得同唔得，可能只係半年既事，好似講 youtube 咁，十八個月可能己經時間長到係俾人收購埋，而唔係空等一個岩既 developer 幫手。
至於 close connection , 可能係 pre – internet 以前係好重要，果時唔 work ，係因為好難有好既工具去互相溝通，所以迫住要請一個本地人返黎，但係依家好似 37Signal 咁既公司，core developer 都分散各地，好似 money cafe 咁講，有料既人住係屯門，如果要出中環返工，佢就死都唔會做，咁你要一個普通會係中環返工，但係無料既人，定係屯門住既深山高人？如果住屯門既可以經 internet 同電話溝通到都可以成事，咁就算地點唔係屯門，而係中國or 外國，其實模式都一樣。
其實如果答到呢個問題，亦都變相解釋左係咪一定要請香港人先得了。
“low cost labor “
唔，其實己經唔係果回事了，係大陸 or 外國請既，你要預比係香港請貴一倍至幾倍，但係要搵 up to standard 既 developer 係香港唔多，與其係咁等，不如搵一個己經 prove 係有料既人黎做仲實事求事。同埋請個好似白紙咁既 developer 返黎，乜都要由頭 train , training 既心血都唔會細，教識左都唔保證會 stay 得耐，始終好似你咁講，人才有價有市，自然大把人爭
再講 anobii , 如果真係早早唔好浪費果十八個月，可能己經唔係同一回事，API 可能己經寫好，推介系統可以更加強化，可以有好似豆瓣咁既社群功能，甚至係做出一個 platform 出黎，好似 facebook 咁俾人係上面 build app 亦未必無可能，依家除左話可惜，無乜野可以講
April 17, 2008 at 3:27 pm
“音樂稅”…. 香港其實一直都有, IFPI 以家已經收緊, 大家成日去既商場餐廳等都係 IFPI 收 “音樂稅” 既對象, 睇黎 IFPI 睇完你篇文應該知點做.
講請人難, 我都親身經歷緊, Interview 過很多人, 高手唔係冇, 不過就係嫌公司細, 再唔係公司冇錢出唔起天價 fresh grad 人工. (不得不承認小弟老闆唔肯出多少少又的確係問題)
雖然我唔敢話自己係乜野高手, 不過從求職者心態去揀, 其實都會想好好了解間公司做乜, 高手往往對技術及開發有一定既要求同偏好, 如果請左個頂心杉返黎就唔係幾好. 好技術同好開發 practices 係兩回事. 要個 ‘高手’ 搞乜野 CMMI d documentation 差唔多即係叫佢快 d 走 (當然我唔係話 CMMI 就係 good practices… 特別係 Level 4 以上..).
我公司最後決定請個一般既 fresh grad 返黎, 我就慢慢由 how to write a good program 和 how to read a program 開始
至於 global development team, 其實有得揀依然都係 colocalised team 好 d 架. Face-to-face communication 幾時都係最有效~