Chrisgerding

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Proposed deletion of Virtual busking

A proposed deletion template has been added to the article Virtual busking, suggesting that it be deleted according to the proposed deletion process because of the following concern:

Non-notable neologism.

All contributions are appreciated, but this article may not satisfy Wikipedia's criteria for inclusion, and the deletion notice should explain why (see also "What Wikipedia is not" and Wikipedia's deletion policy). You may prevent the proposed deletion by removing the {{dated prod}} notice, but please explain why you disagree with the proposed deletion in your edit summary or on its talk page.

Please consider improving the article to address the issues raised because, even though removing the deletion notice will prevent deletion through the proposed deletion process, the article may still be deleted if it matches any of the speedy deletion criteria or it can be sent to Articles for Deletion, where it may be deleted if consensus to delete is reached. TNXMan 02:53, 18 March 2009 (UTC)

AfD nomination of Virtual busking

I have nominated Virtual busking, an article that you created, for deletion. I do not think that this article satisfies Wikipedia's criteria for inclusion, and have explained why at Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Virtual busking. Your opinions on the matter are welcome at that same discussion page; also, you are welcome to edit the article to address these concerns. Thank you for your time.

Please contact me if you're unsure why you received this message. TNXMan 18:52, 18 March 2009 (UTC)

Virtual Busking

Virtual Busking takes the concept of busking--to play music or perform entertainment in a public place, usually while soliciting money --to the online stage. In today's digital world, the image of a busking musician is not just one playing on a street corner for donations; now performers have taken advantage of the Internet as a free music distribution vehicle. While a wide-range of notable artists didn't have a choice but to begin their careers busking on the streets, such as Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, Jimmy Buffet, Kanye West, and even Benjamin Franklin, an even greater number of performers today, many already well-established musicians, seek to busk online by choice because of its anticipated benefits: the belief that not only can their music be distributed more easily to reach a larger virtual audience, but that they will also be praised more highly by their fans for their generous acts.

Advent of Online File Sharing

Age of Napster

With the onset of digital file sharing programs such as Napster, Kazaa, and BearShare, the Internet quickly became a vehicle for free music. Like it or not, many artists became victims of the illegal file sharing craze that began when Shawn Fanning founded Napster in 1999. Since then, there have been a number of court cases addressing the legality of such software. Just as one program is considered illegal and shutdown, however, a new program, similar in nature, is often created. What is debatable is the impact that file sharing has on record sales. While there are many ethical issues involved with illegal file sharing, many bands have found this criminal activity to in fact boost the sales of their records.

Perhaps the most well-known "success story" of illegal file sharing is that of Radiohead's Kid A album, which was leaked to Napster three months before the release of the CD. Millions of fans had the album downloaded for free by the time the album achieved the number one spot on the Billboard 200 sales chart.

Demise of the Record Label

Radiohead Makes Biggest Splash

Perhaps inspired by the leaking of and resulting success of Kid A, Radiohead shocked the music world on October 10, 2007, by releasing their seventh studio album, In Rainbows, online, asking only for donations from downloading fans. By breaking away from the traditional recording industry business model and offering practically free music, the English alternative rock band circumvented any Digital Rights Management (DRM) issues that most bands face with online content. The album entered the UK Album Chart and the U.S. Billboard 200 at number one, and went on to sell three million copies worldwide in both the digital and physical format. Although the band never released any sales numbers, Radiohead's manager later announced that they are unlikely to try a similar record promotion again.

While many praised the band's "groundbreaking" move, others--most notably the outspoken Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails-- were appalled by the amount of attention Radiohead received, claiming that other bands have done and continue to do much more for their fans. On March 2, 2008, not long after the release of In Rainbows, Nine Inch Nails began distributing a digital album, Ghosts I-IV, a 36-track instrumental, in a couple of ways. The first nine tracks were free for download, while all 36 tracks could be purchased for $5. Fans who preferred something tangible could get a $10 two-CD set, a $75 limited edition deluxe package, or a $300 ultra-deluxe limited edition package, which included vinyl albums and an autograph by Reznor. In a little over a week, Reznor told The Chicago Tribune that he generated 781,917 transactions and earned $1.6 million.

Where Virtual Busking has Gone

Many debate whether or not the record label industry will suffer from the potential "music revolution" that may result from bands using purely digital formats to sell music. While popular artists like Nine Inch Nails and Radiohead have both experimented with the free music phenomena, both have also reported that they will most likely conduct their online business in a different manner in the future (Reznor stated that 80% of those who downloaded his album were unwilling to pay ). While more and more artists of all types are discovering ways to tap into the online market, there is still uncertainty as to its effectiveness.

Today, websites like www.banstandbusking.com host bands through combined elements of traditional busking and the new online phenomena. Here, bands will first busk in London parks, then offer videos of the performances online to those across the world. Internet subscribers can copy the files to their iTunes, put the tracks on MySpace or Facebook, and e-mail them to a friend and share the music to name a few examples.

Notable Bands to Experiment

• Arcade Fire
• Arctic Monkeys
• Dave Matthews Band
• Gregg Michael Gillis (Girl Talk)
• Of Montreal
• Radiohead
• Nine Inch Nails
• Will.i.am (of the Black Eyed Peas)