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© jupiter-records.de
'It's a negative trend'
Ralph Siegel is against downloading music
Ralph Siegel owns Jupiter Records and has registered over 2,000 titles with Germany's music rights authority, GEMA. When asked what he thinks of the shift of music distribution from records to CDs and now to Internet downloads he says: "It's a huge catastrophe. It used to be when you wanted a CD you had to go out and buy it. Now you pay 99 cents that the artist has to share with the Internet site -- there's actually not much left. It's getting harder and harder to put new products on the market, because the marketing costs are crazily high. This download nonsense isn't enough, it's just drop in the bucket. When the normal means of distribution for a CD, which you can hold in your hands, is lost, the business -- sooner or later -- will be reduced to a couple of big acts or purely Internet-based platforms where some people put something on the Internet and then hope to make a couple of euros off it. That won't be enough to keep the music market above water."
He continues: "These days everyone can say, 'I composed a song and put it on the Internet' and then see what happens, turns a hobby into an occupation, and professionalism gets watered down. It's just like all the newspapers that open up and then close down. I think it's dangerous. There always has to be some professionalism in the world. By the time a little Internet site makes it worldwide -- that's going to take a long time and an Internet shop isn't going to be enough."
He also calls after the human touch in music making: "The biggest problem is that the Internet isn't alive. The exchanges you have in conversations and in cooperating with others, or in a lot of other private ways, are what keeps music alive and are what music needs. Creativity can't just be hunted down in the ether or created alone in a room. I know what I'm talking about, I've been in front of a computer many a time in the past 20 years and always look forward to when I can be with my artists in the studio or out on the road. The human touch is very important. I don't get that from the Internet."
Ralph Siegel (61) has won the Eurovision Song Contest once (1982 with Ein bisschen Frieden - Nicole), has been second three times (1980 with Theater – Katja Epstein, 1981 with Johnny Blue – Lena Valaitis, 1987 Laß' die Sonne in dein Herz - Wind) and third twice (1994 Wir geben ‘ne Party - MeKaDo, 1999 Reise nach Jerusalem - Sürpriz). All before mentioned for Germany. His first entry was in 1974 for Luxembourg (Bye bye I love you- Ireen Sheer, 4th) and the latest in 2006 for Switzerland (If we all give a little – Six4One, 17th).
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hıııııııııııı ok
why give 20 euros to buy a cd which will contain 10 songs from which 1-2 are good ,2 would be remixes and the rest crap!no dear, produce first better products , then reduce the price at 8 euros and then i ll stop downloading from the net . u know why?cause i ll feel that u respect me so i ll respect u too.stop this nonsense about music industry who is dying ,cause u have a huge profit from this , u just don't want to reduce your profit in favor of the customers.so until u get reasonable long live the net...
"Now you pay 99 cents that the artist has to share with the Internet site -- there's actually not much left." - As if the artists get so much from a sold CD, most goes to the record companies (=Siegel) and other leechers.
And the bits about internet not being alive is even more idiotic. He pictures the future as a place where some sad tossers record their tunes with their casios while in fact it's the best place for people to make themselves heard, as most record companies aren't interested in music if it's not a big money spinner.
To Siegel it's a market, where it should be an art.
does anyone download his music?
I hate him 
go away .... wrrrrr :[
I can both agree and disagree.
Internet is afantstic chance for unknwed and idependent artist to find there audience. Its also a fantastic chanse to get the old vinyl records in a digital format, songs that never will be rereleased on CD. And also to discover new music from artist that never find his or her audience outside there own countries.
But as long as people dont pay for the music its of course a problem that will grow. And to be frank, i really miss the feeling to walk around in a record or cd store and find that album ive looked for.
But i dont see the download from CD shops where you pay for the files as the problem, its the file sharing that dont work today.
And even there its both plus and minus. I share files when its music i know wont be released digital, but i rather buy if its possible.
If the is good, I buy it. But if there is 1 good song and the rest sucks what's wrong in downloading? In Itaky cd's are etremely expensive (20 euro or more), especially those from italian artists. Cd labels want to make easy money, and now the whole thing is turning against tem. if only they tried to procuce better music for a lower price...
And...on internet you can find music from all over the world without getting crazy trying to find the cd, you can discover new artits or indieoent one who might make good music but still haven't realesed a cd.
For instance on internet I found out that i like Katra and Johanna Kurkela and when I'll be in HKI in may, I'll buy their cd's.
If I buy a cd first I try to find on internet shops (such as HMV) if they have it for a good price I order it, it's more than 1 year that I don't buy a cd in a shop in Italy. They are cheaper abroad. Now it's the real market and not the seller that makes the price.
I agree with RALPH .... if you like it or not!
I really do not understand why people want to pay 099 c for 1 song (!!!) and for something that they don't really HAVE then. It's good of course to find songs from all over the world so easily. But then you have the songs for a while on your mp3 player and after a while it's gone, because the thing explodes and you cannot file songs endlessly.
While, on buying CD's, I have not only the whole thing FOREVER, quite cheaper, I also have a cover, lyrics, sometimes and more often even a DVD, etc. For me that is important. And that's have nothing to do with "old fashioned" or being back in an old (wrong) century ....
I do have favourite my songs also on a mp3 player, but I prefer to have ALL CD's I love to get "IN REAL"!!!!
I totaly dissagre with Ralph.Better and easyer to get on internet songs.Let's take example ESC songs for 2007,thay will get more popularity before May if people download them on internet,and less popularity when ESC finish in May if we buy CD in June,July,August...maybe someone don't get CD-s at all
So that's also one reason why is Internet NO.1
I know,Ralph is old and he still thinging that is 19,20 Century,when ppl was buying cd-s
Message for Ralph: Buy Computer,pot internet and you will see 
.
The day I have the money the artists have, I'll buy CD's.
His approach to music is dated, why wouldn't he make similar comments about unstoppable advances in technology, rather than look at ways to work with it. The genie is out of the bottle and trying to tilt against windmills is the path to folly.
Ralph if your music was good you wouldn't win 1 contest in 19 attemps!
So you are lucky that you're music is spread, even through the internet.
I absolutely agree with Mr.Eurovision and ...Potato Lion!!!
you would think that he stands behind a counter seeling them "the human touch" the only problem for him is that he will make less money by not being able to charge an extra amount for wrapping and plastic
Ralph should wake up to the 21st Century!!!
With all due respect to Mr. Siegel, the world is always changing and with new technology so does music. Illegal downloading is a problem for the average artist, but the internet is how many new artists get their music out there when the big record companies turn them down.
When things change, sometimes the effects are good and sometimes they're bad. The ability to adapt to the changes is what makes or breaks individuals or companies.
I agree with Ralph, suppose I am a bit of a Luddite, but I like to go and buy a CD, although I preferred vinyl. I like reading the lyrics and everything! Good luck Uncle Ralph, you tell it like it is. Sometimes old things are better than new, like it or not.
is this really a news story at all? wouldnt most songwriters/record comapny owners be against downloading? its prefecty natural for ralph segal to think like that. its his business and his livlehood, i think we d all be concerned if downloading affected our income. it s the future though, so a lot of songwriters will be facing difficult choices.
im sure most of us on here download from time to time, i cant see that ever changing now
I use downloads to 'suck it and see'. If I really like a single or album I will buy it cos I'm a capitalist bitch and I like to own things. I sort of see Uncle Ralph's point but you can't stop progress.....
If the human touch is his only problem.
I lost my job in a nationwide CD store (and almost 200 other people also) that went bankrupt because of increasing illegal downloading. If at least anyone would really pay for the downloaded stuff.
But that's the "new world": everyone wants to get everything but always for free. Almost noone see that they destroy a whole branch of industry with their behaviour.
If you say that Ralph, it's because it brings you less money than buying a CD! Money, money, money... 8-(
Thanks to the internet it is possible now for independent artists to sell their music to a market of millions of people. The big recordlabels are the only one who are complaining. The musiclover can now buy whatever he wants and is not dependant of what the recordshop has in store.
And this man shouldn't use the word "creativity".
Well, Ralph I got tired of buying CDs and liking only 1 or 2 songs. So suck it!
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