http://news.com.com/RIAAs+next+moves+in+Washington/2008-1027_3-6076669.html
So i read this today and it made me want to vomit. Further proof that the music industry is only interested in money and have become heartless gold digging little fuckers. They are actually pleased that they sued a little old grandma and a 12 year old girl...oh, and that rootkit on Sony cds was a great idea too, just too bad they got caught. I have contended for a very long time that the RIAA, and music labels in general have been destroying good music, especially in this country. They artificially inflate the price of music such that it is almost impossible for those without a high paying job to enjoy something that is part of a shared culture and belongs to all of mankind.
This is not to say that i do not think that the artists should get payed for their work because they should; they are trying to create a work of beauty for millions of people to enjoy. I think that the record labels hold far too much power over the artists that they sign, they hold creative control and the power to pay them more or less what they want: the power to make or break so to speak by withdrawing their support in advertising and marketing.
On to how labels are ruining music: they hold too much creative control over a band, forcing them to make their music in a manner that is 'hot', so as to make it more popular for the majority of people, killing a good deal of the beauty of the music in the process. Music without its soul is merely so many notes and words and those of us who actually appreciate good music can tell the difference. There are so many new bands here in the US and i have a very hard time telling them all apart, even in my chosen genre, metal. I purchase maybe one or two albums a year, and the only one in the last several that has been an American band was the recent Tool cd, which i was not at all impressed with.
There is a lot of good underground music in this country, music that does not get any of the recognition that it deserves because it cannot get a deal since it does not have mass appeal. It is hard to find, and most often i hear of it from friends who happen to be in the city where the band is from. Foreign music is as diverse and rich as American music is homogenized. Now, admittedly, i am a bit of a music snob in that i cannot stand almost any new music, especially country, rap, and pop. The old school version of this music were quite good, since it was relevant at the time, and oftentimes very political, especially when you are talking about rap. Today most country is right wing propaganda that always follows the same form, most pop is just homogenized crap, and more rap is just preaching hate and disrespect towards women. I can say the same about rock and metal that i say about pop as well.
I work in a truck all day so i have occasion to listen to the radio for extended periods of time and i find that i really hate most of the music that gets airtime, even the classic rock stations play some of the same new crap that our excuse for a metal station plays. Maybe its just that my tastes have matured or changed or maybe the quality of music is just getting abysmally low, either way, i rarely buy new cds, new as in new bands or new as in retail, it is almost always second hand if it is available, the idea of those filthy money grubbers getting even a penny of my money makes me want to vomit.
They have the balls to accuse music connoisseurs that are sick of paying 25 bucks a cd thieves when they pay their artists shit and keep the lions share of the profit for themselves while instead of contributing something to the music scene, in fact take very much away from it. Hypocrites!
I would gladly pay money for good music, at a fair price, ten bucks a cd is even a little steep when the most that a lot of bands can come up with is 45-50 minutes of music. I have believed for a long time that in this digital age, an artist could produce a cd, buy s high speed server, and offer a CD for download at a reasonable price and still make more money than they would get from a label since they can simply cut out that leech of a middleman. I am sure that it would not be hard for a confederation of music lovers and music makers to start up a website or even a company that would offer services to do just that, as a nonprofit organization, they would likely be able to enjoy tax breaks and everyone benefits, the artists make more, they retain creative control, more people would be able to hear their world, which should be the main goal of any true artist. Most of all, the consumer wins since it gets a great product at a reasonable price. I would gladly pay five bucks for a cd in digital format, i would be able to expand what i listen to since if i don't like it, i am only out 5 bucks, not 25 or more.
The underlying problem, as with everything, is greed: everyone is always out to fuck everyone else for a quick buck. I find that since i cannot afford to buy all the music that i want i download samples and singles from the band's site and evaluate just how much i feel the cd is worth.
/end pissed off rant.
So i read this today and it made me want to vomit. Further proof that the music industry is only interested in money and have become heartless gold digging little fuckers. They are actually pleased that they sued a little old grandma and a 12 year old girl...oh, and that rootkit on Sony cds was a great idea too, just too bad they got caught. I have contended for a very long time that the RIAA, and music labels in general have been destroying good music, especially in this country. They artificially inflate the price of music such that it is almost impossible for those without a high paying job to enjoy something that is part of a shared culture and belongs to all of mankind.
This is not to say that i do not think that the artists should get payed for their work because they should; they are trying to create a work of beauty for millions of people to enjoy. I think that the record labels hold far too much power over the artists that they sign, they hold creative control and the power to pay them more or less what they want: the power to make or break so to speak by withdrawing their support in advertising and marketing.
On to how labels are ruining music: they hold too much creative control over a band, forcing them to make their music in a manner that is 'hot', so as to make it more popular for the majority of people, killing a good deal of the beauty of the music in the process. Music without its soul is merely so many notes and words and those of us who actually appreciate good music can tell the difference. There are so many new bands here in the US and i have a very hard time telling them all apart, even in my chosen genre, metal. I purchase maybe one or two albums a year, and the only one in the last several that has been an American band was the recent Tool cd, which i was not at all impressed with.
There is a lot of good underground music in this country, music that does not get any of the recognition that it deserves because it cannot get a deal since it does not have mass appeal. It is hard to find, and most often i hear of it from friends who happen to be in the city where the band is from. Foreign music is as diverse and rich as American music is homogenized. Now, admittedly, i am a bit of a music snob in that i cannot stand almost any new music, especially country, rap, and pop. The old school version of this music were quite good, since it was relevant at the time, and oftentimes very political, especially when you are talking about rap. Today most country is right wing propaganda that always follows the same form, most pop is just homogenized crap, and more rap is just preaching hate and disrespect towards women. I can say the same about rock and metal that i say about pop as well.
I work in a truck all day so i have occasion to listen to the radio for extended periods of time and i find that i really hate most of the music that gets airtime, even the classic rock stations play some of the same new crap that our excuse for a metal station plays. Maybe its just that my tastes have matured or changed or maybe the quality of music is just getting abysmally low, either way, i rarely buy new cds, new as in new bands or new as in retail, it is almost always second hand if it is available, the idea of those filthy money grubbers getting even a penny of my money makes me want to vomit.
They have the balls to accuse music connoisseurs that are sick of paying 25 bucks a cd thieves when they pay their artists shit and keep the lions share of the profit for themselves while instead of contributing something to the music scene, in fact take very much away from it. Hypocrites!
I would gladly pay money for good music, at a fair price, ten bucks a cd is even a little steep when the most that a lot of bands can come up with is 45-50 minutes of music. I have believed for a long time that in this digital age, an artist could produce a cd, buy s high speed server, and offer a CD for download at a reasonable price and still make more money than they would get from a label since they can simply cut out that leech of a middleman. I am sure that it would not be hard for a confederation of music lovers and music makers to start up a website or even a company that would offer services to do just that, as a nonprofit organization, they would likely be able to enjoy tax breaks and everyone benefits, the artists make more, they retain creative control, more people would be able to hear their world, which should be the main goal of any true artist. Most of all, the consumer wins since it gets a great product at a reasonable price. I would gladly pay five bucks for a cd in digital format, i would be able to expand what i listen to since if i don't like it, i am only out 5 bucks, not 25 or more.
The underlying problem, as with everything, is greed: everyone is always out to fuck everyone else for a quick buck. I find that since i cannot afford to buy all the music that i want i download samples and singles from the band's site and evaluate just how much i feel the cd is worth.
/end pissed off rant.