I think in some respects Napster and Mp3s could be greatest things that ever
happened to the world of music. I'm sure with the new pay-for-play system
major labels will have a much stronger presence, but essentially ANYONE can
be on there and have their music heard by people outside their everyday
lives. Where is the problem? Music is not just for the privliged and if a
person is upset because someone deemed "not cool" is listening to "cool"
music, then I think its this person's thinking that needs changing and not
the system . I'm very sorry, but you'll have to share; this world would be
infinitely easier to survive in if people didn't make such arbitrary
distinctions and did a little more sharing instead. As for artists not
recieving monetary compensation for their efforts, when in the hell was this
guaranteed to begin with? I've played in bands since high school, everyone
of which made a self-released album and not one of which recieved a damn
cent. Its a fringe benefit of being in a band, not a guarantee or a birth
right. As several people have pointed out, ask most artists and they'll tell
you that reaching new people is far more rewarding than worrying about how
their album is selling. The fact of the matter is that albums are selling at
a record pace and people are hearing about bands they never would have been
exposed to otherwise, yet somehow people are still decrying the whole program
in the name of "fairness."
In a message dated 1/30/01 9:44:27 AM Eastern Standard Time,
IsabelLark at aol.com writes:
<< where i come from we have to trek twenty-one miles into
town...sometimes in the rain and mud...get to the record store...buy
something...we don't get to hear it first. and there are no refunds...we
trek
it back twenty-one miles (again, in the rain and mud) and run straight to
the
cd player while mom yells about tracking mud...put a cd in and dance like
mad. or curse with tourettes...whichever the case may be. >>
While this ritual may be forced upon you, let's not spoil it for those of us
who can avoid being shafted to the tune of $15. This is sounding oddly like
my ancient grandfather, always lambasting the latest things to make us kids
"soft." Its getting rid of the voodoo of the marketplace. I've known
countless people who have bought a CD by a totally obscure band because of
tracks they heard on the internet. If no one could hear a record before they
bought it, they would most likely be buying based on image rather than actual
quality, would they not? That doesn't sound like a very "indie-friendly"
concept to me. How this is supposed to be more advantageous to anyone is
beyond comprehension. It sounds more like a case of "I did it the hard way
and so should everyone of you." Thanks, but no thanks...
The Ravens won the Super Bowl on Sunday...believe it or not, I'm still
glowing.
Steve C.
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