Monday, June 02, 2008
The Effects of media consolidation on [put genre here] Radio
A recent article written for the Future of Music Coalition left me with mixed feelings.
The Effects of Media Consolidation on Urban Radio by Eric K Arnold analyzes how the Telecommunications Act of 1996 has impacted "Urban Radio". Don't worry, I didn't know what it was either. Here is the definition directly from Mr. Arnold's article.
"Generally speaking, urban radio is defined as programming whose primary demographic targets people of color living in urban areas."
Anyway, you could already guess the impact of governmental decisions on American business. Do you think it made things better or worse for big businesses? Do you think it made things better or worse for artists and small/indie businesses?
The effect is summed up in the first paragraph of the article:
"Let's cut to the chase: urban radio sucks. You know it, artists know it, and programmers know it too. It offers little room for creative programming, tends to favor established artists at the expense of new voices, and kills any halfway-decent song that does manage to land in rotation by playing it as much as three times an hour. Most of all, urban radio sucks because it rarely meets the needs of the local community from which its listeners are drawn. "
I agree wholeheartedly with all of this, *BUT* try this simple test: Reread the quote and replace the words "urban radio" with your own favorite genre of music. Country? Metal? Adult Urban Contemporary? It doesn't change the truth of the quote, does it? The bigger truth is that All Terrestrial Radio Sucks, for the exact same reasons. The problem isn't limited to Urban Radio at all.
So I have to take issue with Mr. Arnold's narrowing of the problem to how it only affects his chosen genre of music. Don't get me wrong, the article is truthful and accurate. But the conclusion we are left to draw is that the deregulation of terrestrial radio has ruined it for Black Urban America. It's not wrong, but it is being narrow minded at least.
So I'm all for whatever positive change can come from his article, and he mentions several things that YOU CAN DO to make things better, but I have a hard time endorsing discrimination, especially from a 'journalist' who should know better.
One thing Mr. Arnold does not mention regarding Things You Can Do to help is to grow some balls and not sell out if you are running a radio station. This is a part of the problem that cannot be overlooked. The stations that cared about the needs of the local community and used to play local music are gone because the owners sold off to the large corporates, or they tried to compete/cash in and started playing what everyone else was playing, to get a piece of the bigger pie. Either way, they had the option to continue playing independent music BUT THEY CHOSE NOT TO.
The Telecommunications Act of 1996 made it possible for large corporate radio stations to make buyout offers to the smaller independant stations, but did not force any of them to sell out. The owners and operators who sold out are more guilty than the government for what happened. You can look them up in the phone book and ask them why they didn't stand up for [fill in the genre] radio. Another thing you can do is open a radio station that plays local music. Then, when the big media moguls come around and offer you a fat wad of cash for your radio station, you can see what it's like to be in their shoes and see what kind of decision you would make.
Art Is Resistance
-Zero
0 Comments
Permalink
The Effects of Media Consolidation on Urban Radio by Eric K Arnold analyzes how the Telecommunications Act of 1996 has impacted "Urban Radio". Don't worry, I didn't know what it was either. Here is the definition directly from Mr. Arnold's article.
"Generally speaking, urban radio is defined as programming whose primary demographic targets people of color living in urban areas."
Anyway, you could already guess the impact of governmental decisions on American business. Do you think it made things better or worse for big businesses? Do you think it made things better or worse for artists and small/indie businesses?
The effect is summed up in the first paragraph of the article:
"Let's cut to the chase: urban radio sucks. You know it, artists know it, and programmers know it too. It offers little room for creative programming, tends to favor established artists at the expense of new voices, and kills any halfway-decent song that does manage to land in rotation by playing it as much as three times an hour. Most of all, urban radio sucks because it rarely meets the needs of the local community from which its listeners are drawn. "
I agree wholeheartedly with all of this, *BUT* try this simple test: Reread the quote and replace the words "urban radio" with your own favorite genre of music. Country? Metal? Adult Urban Contemporary? It doesn't change the truth of the quote, does it? The bigger truth is that All Terrestrial Radio Sucks, for the exact same reasons. The problem isn't limited to Urban Radio at all.
So I have to take issue with Mr. Arnold's narrowing of the problem to how it only affects his chosen genre of music. Don't get me wrong, the article is truthful and accurate. But the conclusion we are left to draw is that the deregulation of terrestrial radio has ruined it for Black Urban America. It's not wrong, but it is being narrow minded at least.
So I'm all for whatever positive change can come from his article, and he mentions several things that YOU CAN DO to make things better, but I have a hard time endorsing discrimination, especially from a 'journalist' who should know better.
One thing Mr. Arnold does not mention regarding Things You Can Do to help is to grow some balls and not sell out if you are running a radio station. This is a part of the problem that cannot be overlooked. The stations that cared about the needs of the local community and used to play local music are gone because the owners sold off to the large corporates, or they tried to compete/cash in and started playing what everyone else was playing, to get a piece of the bigger pie. Either way, they had the option to continue playing independent music BUT THEY CHOSE NOT TO.
The Telecommunications Act of 1996 made it possible for large corporate radio stations to make buyout offers to the smaller independant stations, but did not force any of them to sell out. The owners and operators who sold out are more guilty than the government for what happened. You can look them up in the phone book and ask them why they didn't stand up for [fill in the genre] radio. Another thing you can do is open a radio station that plays local music. Then, when the big media moguls come around and offer you a fat wad of cash for your radio station, you can see what it's like to be in their shoes and see what kind of decision you would make.
Art Is Resistance
-Zero
Labels: Business Phenomena, Music Industry, Open Letter
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Amazon Goes to the Dark Side...Kind of...
Getting your book printed is easy. I just did a blog post about Print On Demand technology, and you can read about that here.
Getting your book printed is easy. But getting it to the people, you are gonna need some help. For marketing and distribution of books today, Amazon.com is king - and according to Writers Weekly, the King just laid down the law:
Thou shalt have no other POD service providers before me.
Now if you want to release your POD book on Amazon, it must be printed on *their* POD service provider, called BookSurge. Of course, the whole POD industry is in an uproar because Amazon realized they could in-source the POD publishing themselves.
No.
Fucking.
Shit.
Sherlock.
Let's see, people step up and start offering POD, and a route to Amazon for independent authors. They start making a bazillion dollars, proving a huge ROI. Amazon says, "Thanks for verifying there's a market, now we'll do it ourselves. Blow us."
The only surprise here is that anyone is surprised.
You can listen to Amazon.com corporate execs blow smoke up your ass here. They claim it's all about making the process faster which is complete and utter bullshit. PODs can take the order from Amazon and ship direct to the customer, so 'making the process faster' is a flat-out lie. But there's no lie about how much $kaching$ Amazon is going to make.
Be careful, some people are mistakenly proclaiming that this means you have an "Exclusive" agreement with Amazon, (meaning you can't release your book through other POD publishers or other distribution methods) which is NOT true. Mark Jeffrey at the Huffington Post, for example, clearly DID NOT read the entire release from amazon which can be found here.
The agreement is Non-Exclusive, meaning you can still send your POD works through other POD presses, but if you want to sell those copies through Amazon, you will have to have a minimum quantity (as few as five copies) printed and sent to Amazon for stocking through Amazon's "Advantage Program". You can also release POD through Amazon/BookSurge, AND through as many other POD or traditional publishers as you like. You just can't tie Amazon orders to your POD publisher anymore. You wanna do POD on Amazon? You gotta use BookSurge, and you are going to pay whatever they want.
Sounds evil, but it's just a smart business move for Amazon to eliminate the middlemen. A clever businessperson would have seen this coming. Another clever businessperson would see this as the opportunity to step in and take the place of the 'Old' Amazon business model. Those people who were riding the POD gravytrain and are out of business because they put all their eggs in the Amazon basket can shut the fuck up and take this time of unemployment to take a class on simple business economics and examining market trends...
Art Is Resistance
-Zero
0 Comments
Permalink
Getting your book printed is easy. But getting it to the people, you are gonna need some help. For marketing and distribution of books today, Amazon.com is king - and according to Writers Weekly, the King just laid down the law:
Thou shalt have no other POD service providers before me.
Now if you want to release your POD book on Amazon, it must be printed on *their* POD service provider, called BookSurge. Of course, the whole POD industry is in an uproar because Amazon realized they could in-source the POD publishing themselves.
No.
Fucking.
Shit.
Sherlock.
Let's see, people step up and start offering POD, and a route to Amazon for independent authors. They start making a bazillion dollars, proving a huge ROI. Amazon says, "Thanks for verifying there's a market, now we'll do it ourselves. Blow us."
The only surprise here is that anyone is surprised.
You can listen to Amazon.com corporate execs blow smoke up your ass here. They claim it's all about making the process faster which is complete and utter bullshit. PODs can take the order from Amazon and ship direct to the customer, so 'making the process faster' is a flat-out lie. But there's no lie about how much $kaching$ Amazon is going to make.
Be careful, some people are mistakenly proclaiming that this means you have an "Exclusive" agreement with Amazon, (meaning you can't release your book through other POD publishers or other distribution methods) which is NOT true. Mark Jeffrey at the Huffington Post, for example, clearly DID NOT read the entire release from amazon which can be found here.
The agreement is Non-Exclusive, meaning you can still send your POD works through other POD presses, but if you want to sell those copies through Amazon, you will have to have a minimum quantity (as few as five copies) printed and sent to Amazon for stocking through Amazon's "Advantage Program". You can also release POD through Amazon/BookSurge, AND through as many other POD or traditional publishers as you like. You just can't tie Amazon orders to your POD publisher anymore. You wanna do POD on Amazon? You gotta use BookSurge, and you are going to pay whatever they want.
Sounds evil, but it's just a smart business move for Amazon to eliminate the middlemen. A clever businessperson would have seen this coming. Another clever businessperson would see this as the opportunity to step in and take the place of the 'Old' Amazon business model. Those people who were riding the POD gravytrain and are out of business because they put all their eggs in the Amazon basket can shut the fuck up and take this time of unemployment to take a class on simple business economics and examining market trends...
Art Is Resistance
-Zero
Labels: Authors, Business Phenomena
Tuesday, April 08, 2008
P.O.D. = P.O.S.?
Before you think I'm about to rail on the group POD (Short for Payable On Death) I'm not. They are P.O.S., but they aren't my subject here.
The POD I'm talking about is Print On Demand and sometimes incorrectly called "Publish On Demand", this is the replacement for what used to be called the "Vanity Press".
Back in the day, anyone with personal issues, a typewriter, and a couple grand to blow could become a 'published' author. Simply take your maysterpeasce to the printer, and pay them to make you a book. Easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy, right?
Right.
So, you ended up with a truckfull of books that sat in your garage. You gave one to your mom, sold a handful to any friends and family you could guilt into a purchase, gave away more copies as Christmas Presents, and a year or two later you had....
...a truckfull of books sitting in your garage.
Fast-Forward to 2008, and although we don't have any fucking flying cars yet, we have made some fabulous advances in print technology. Some printers decided to make short runs of books available, as little as ONE copy. Submit your book over the interwebs, and order as many as you need, as often as you like, when you need them. And thus, POD was born.
So now anyone with personal issues, a personal computer and a couple hundred to blow can become a 'published' author, and they still have room in the garage for their car.
Now, authors ('real' authors, mind you) who went through the traditional route of agent > publisher > editor > marketing... would argue the self-published author is as much an "Author" as someone who purchases a medical degree online is a "Doctor".
And publishers? Wow, don't even get them started.
I attended the Authors Book Fair at the Bloomington Art Center last weekend, and got to hear a panel of publishers rail on POD publishing. You can imagine what they had to say. They complained about the quality, and their mantra was, "You get what you pay for." They cried about how the POD business is cutting into the Publishers market.
But then they proceeded to tell us how our books weren't going to be published without some sort of track record, and a marketing plan, and some visionary (or what *they* thought was visionary) manuscript.
What I didn't hear was the side of the POD businesses, who likely weren't invited to attend the presentation.
So, let's add this up - Independent artists, working around the existing system, directly targeting their audience through the internet with crappy quality product, and undercutting an industry which makes money by selling someone else's work?
Whoa! I thought we were talking about books, but it seems we've ended up talking about the music industry...
So getting a book deal with a publisher is pretty much like getting a record deal with a major label. Even the contracts and advances are based on the same business model. Because they have the money and distribution connections, they make the rules, and they pick what they think will sell. The handful of successes cover the losses of the hundreds of other artists who "fail".
Meanwhile, the internet comes along, and turned the Major Publishers into a middleman. Indie Publishers might be a different story, the way there are still some Indie Record Labels that are worth their salt.
For a while there, I was torn about how to proceed with The Demonslayer's Handbook, I was waffling about getting an agent and all that, but making the mental connection between the publishers and the RIAA made this decision a little easier.
I still need more info, but I don't think I need an agent. My options now are a little clearer.
I can choose to Print On Demand. This would be like running my own business, something I continue to do, so invoicing, book keeping, and filling out a Schedule C don't frighten me. This is probably the best option for me at this time.
I can choose to approach smaller Independent Publishers on my own. I'm not likely to find one interested enough in my book, but it's worth getting a couple form rejection letters to put up.
Art Is Resistance
-Zero
0 Comments
Permalink
The POD I'm talking about is Print On Demand and sometimes incorrectly called "Publish On Demand", this is the replacement for what used to be called the "Vanity Press".
Back in the day, anyone with personal issues, a typewriter, and a couple grand to blow could become a 'published' author. Simply take your maysterpeasce to the printer, and pay them to make you a book. Easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy, right?
Right.
So, you ended up with a truckfull of books that sat in your garage. You gave one to your mom, sold a handful to any friends and family you could guilt into a purchase, gave away more copies as Christmas Presents, and a year or two later you had....
...a truckfull of books sitting in your garage.
Fast-Forward to 2008, and although we don't have any fucking flying cars yet, we have made some fabulous advances in print technology. Some printers decided to make short runs of books available, as little as ONE copy. Submit your book over the interwebs, and order as many as you need, as often as you like, when you need them. And thus, POD was born.
So now anyone with personal issues, a personal computer and a couple hundred to blow can become a 'published' author, and they still have room in the garage for their car.
Now, authors ('real' authors, mind you) who went through the traditional route of agent > publisher > editor > marketing... would argue the self-published author is as much an "Author" as someone who purchases a medical degree online is a "Doctor".
And publishers? Wow, don't even get them started.
I attended the Authors Book Fair at the Bloomington Art Center last weekend, and got to hear a panel of publishers rail on POD publishing. You can imagine what they had to say. They complained about the quality, and their mantra was, "You get what you pay for." They cried about how the POD business is cutting into the Publishers market.
But then they proceeded to tell us how our books weren't going to be published without some sort of track record, and a marketing plan, and some visionary (or what *they* thought was visionary) manuscript.
What I didn't hear was the side of the POD businesses, who likely weren't invited to attend the presentation.
So, let's add this up - Independent artists, working around the existing system, directly targeting their audience through the internet with crappy quality product, and undercutting an industry which makes money by selling someone else's work?
Whoa! I thought we were talking about books, but it seems we've ended up talking about the music industry...
So getting a book deal with a publisher is pretty much like getting a record deal with a major label. Even the contracts and advances are based on the same business model. Because they have the money and distribution connections, they make the rules, and they pick what they think will sell. The handful of successes cover the losses of the hundreds of other artists who "fail".
Meanwhile, the internet comes along, and turned the Major Publishers into a middleman. Indie Publishers might be a different story, the way there are still some Indie Record Labels that are worth their salt.
For a while there, I was torn about how to proceed with The Demonslayer's Handbook, I was waffling about getting an agent and all that, but making the mental connection between the publishers and the RIAA made this decision a little easier.
I still need more info, but I don't think I need an agent. My options now are a little clearer.
I can choose to Print On Demand. This would be like running my own business, something I continue to do, so invoicing, book keeping, and filling out a Schedule C don't frighten me. This is probably the best option for me at this time.
I can choose to approach smaller Independent Publishers on my own. I'm not likely to find one interested enough in my book, but it's worth getting a couple form rejection letters to put up.
Art Is Resistance
-Zero
Labels: Authors, Business Phenomena
Saturday, March 01, 2008
Downsizing the Music Industry
In case you missed it, a few years ago the recording industry (known as the RIAA, and more specifically comprised of Warner, EMI and Universal) sued the shit out of file-sharing companies like Napster, Kazaa, etc. Last year, they settled for Hundreds of Millions of dollars of royalties they swore up and down were owed to their artists.
But the artists are still wondering where their money is.
Of course, the RIAA swears they are 'working on it' and that much of the money was used up in legal fees.
So, when the landlord asks for the rent, artists can simply say they're 'working on it'?
It's the hypocritical system I've made fun of for years. Anyone who has half a brain can follow this anti-logic:
-Fans (via retailers, natch) pay money to the Recording Industry
-The Recording Industry keeps the money
-Artists get squat, with the few exceptions of those who are uber-famous, or smart enough to hire their own attorney.
So tell me again how the music industry is faltering, and then cry me a fucking river. They are a parasite that people had to tolerate before, but we don't need them anymore. If I want the new Jagged Spiral album, I'll buy it from them directly, and the money goes to the artist where it belongs.
In the American Music Business, those who make the product (artists) need to recognize the RIAA for what they are: the middleman, someone who gets inbetween the artist and the consumer, takes all the profit, and provides little by way of value.
Time to downsize, and let them go. Make sure to sue them first.
Once those corporate execs at the RIAA are penniless and living under a bridge, and they come up to you asking for change, just tell them you're 'working on it'...
The moral of the story is that the only winners in this system are the lawyers.
Art Is Resistance
-Zero
0 Comments
Permalink
But the artists are still wondering where their money is.
Of course, the RIAA swears they are 'working on it' and that much of the money was used up in legal fees.
So, when the landlord asks for the rent, artists can simply say they're 'working on it'?
It's the hypocritical system I've made fun of for years. Anyone who has half a brain can follow this anti-logic:
-Fans (via retailers, natch) pay money to the Recording Industry
-The Recording Industry keeps the money
-Artists get squat, with the few exceptions of those who are uber-famous, or smart enough to hire their own attorney.
So tell me again how the music industry is faltering, and then cry me a fucking river. They are a parasite that people had to tolerate before, but we don't need them anymore. If I want the new Jagged Spiral album, I'll buy it from them directly, and the money goes to the artist where it belongs.
In the American Music Business, those who make the product (artists) need to recognize the RIAA for what they are: the middleman, someone who gets inbetween the artist and the consumer, takes all the profit, and provides little by way of value.
Time to downsize, and let them go. Make sure to sue them first.
Once those corporate execs at the RIAA are penniless and living under a bridge, and they come up to you asking for change, just tell them you're 'working on it'...
The moral of the story is that the only winners in this system are the lawyers.
Art Is Resistance
-Zero
Labels: Business Phenomena, Music Industry
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Save the Internet from the Thought Police
It's sad when we have to create laws simply to keep people and businesses from doing things that are intuitively evil and wrong.
Props to savetheinternet.com. They are trying to push a bill called the Internet Freedom Preservation Act, which would stop Big Businesses from twisting the existing system of internet to their own design, and screw over independent artists and labels.
Data service providers are pressuring Congress to allow them to create different levels of internet access speed; not to the music and media consumers, but to the providers. Media providers willing to pay more money would have their content moved through the internet at a preferred/faster rate. We can also look at this from another point of view: those who cannot or will not pay extra get their data traffic slopped into the slow lane.
So it won't matter if you have a full-blown 25GBPS connection, if you aren't accessing sites that can afford "Premier Platinum Top-Shelf Delivery" you're going to be remembering what it was like when you had a 28.8 dial-up modem. OK, maybe that's a bit harsh, but not impossible. But the problem is worse than simply an issue of speed, and it goes deeper than just music.
The phone companies should not be allowed to monitor your voice communication and edit out swear words, or political phrases they don't agree with, right?
Internet Service Providers should not be allowed to block blog posts that are anti-Republican, or Anti-Anything, right?
But we've already seen AT&T censor political statements during their web broadcasts. If the Republican Party can afford to pay AT&T more money, their messages get premium (read: unfiltered) service. If the Green Party can't.... well, without some intervention this is where the system is headed.
Comparing this to the way the cable company works is not an accurate analogy. The cable company decides their own content, and they can make you pay more for better content. This makes sense; you pay for content. Data service providers have NOTHING to do with the content coming through them. They are a service, and they have no right to tamper with the data going through their pipes, unless they would like to be held responsible. Do you think AT&T could be held responsible for providing data service to terrorists? Could your internet service provider be held responsible for allowing you access to illegal pornography, or allowing someone to send e-mails about how to construct an atomic bomb?
This is the very reason the FCC exists, to stop nonsense like this from happening. Otherwise, the services might just as well be deregulated, shut down the FCC and save the taxpayers a few billion.
Thank goodness a more reasonable solution was devised, a bill called The Internet Freedom Preservation Act or HR5353, which basically tells data service providers to leave the system the way it is, and let the data flow "...without unreasonable interference or discrimination..."
What you can to do help is make your representative aware of this bill, savetheinternet.com provides a simple way for you to get in contact with your rep and a prepared text to make him/her aware of the situation, and hopefully get the bill passed into law.
Props (as always) the Future of Music Coalition for the linkage and their ongoing efforts to maintain Net Neutrality.
Art Is Resistance
-Zero
0 Comments
Permalink
Props to savetheinternet.com. They are trying to push a bill called the Internet Freedom Preservation Act, which would stop Big Businesses from twisting the existing system of internet to their own design, and screw over independent artists and labels.
Data service providers are pressuring Congress to allow them to create different levels of internet access speed; not to the music and media consumers, but to the providers. Media providers willing to pay more money would have their content moved through the internet at a preferred/faster rate. We can also look at this from another point of view: those who cannot or will not pay extra get their data traffic slopped into the slow lane.
So it won't matter if you have a full-blown 25GBPS connection, if you aren't accessing sites that can afford "Premier Platinum Top-Shelf Delivery" you're going to be remembering what it was like when you had a 28.8 dial-up modem. OK, maybe that's a bit harsh, but not impossible. But the problem is worse than simply an issue of speed, and it goes deeper than just music.
The phone companies should not be allowed to monitor your voice communication and edit out swear words, or political phrases they don't agree with, right?
Internet Service Providers should not be allowed to block blog posts that are anti-Republican, or Anti-Anything, right?
But we've already seen AT&T censor political statements during their web broadcasts. If the Republican Party can afford to pay AT&T more money, their messages get premium (read: unfiltered) service. If the Green Party can't.... well, without some intervention this is where the system is headed.
Comparing this to the way the cable company works is not an accurate analogy. The cable company decides their own content, and they can make you pay more for better content. This makes sense; you pay for content. Data service providers have NOTHING to do with the content coming through them. They are a service, and they have no right to tamper with the data going through their pipes, unless they would like to be held responsible. Do you think AT&T could be held responsible for providing data service to terrorists? Could your internet service provider be held responsible for allowing you access to illegal pornography, or allowing someone to send e-mails about how to construct an atomic bomb?
This is the very reason the FCC exists, to stop nonsense like this from happening. Otherwise, the services might just as well be deregulated, shut down the FCC and save the taxpayers a few billion.
Thank goodness a more reasonable solution was devised, a bill called The Internet Freedom Preservation Act or HR5353, which basically tells data service providers to leave the system the way it is, and let the data flow "...without unreasonable interference or discrimination..."
What you can to do help is make your representative aware of this bill, savetheinternet.com provides a simple way for you to get in contact with your rep and a prepared text to make him/her aware of the situation, and hopefully get the bill passed into law.
Props (as always) the Future of Music Coalition for the linkage and their ongoing efforts to maintain Net Neutrality.
Art Is Resistance
-Zero
Labels: Business Phenomena, Call To Action, Cool Website, Good Cause, political
Sunday, November 25, 2007
A New System for Soft Products
The Current System does not work.
If you want to purchase the new Nine Inch Nails CD: "Y34RZ3R0R3M1X3D" online, you have two choices: Piracy or DRM-infected files. I do not advocate Piracy. It is not OK to steal the work of others. But, I also do not advocate DRM. But this is the Current System: we have the IPOD for music and video, and we have Kindle for books. We have subscriptions for online newspapers, and paid access to the content of certain websites (you know what I'm talking about...).
But the system is not working: people are still pirating soft products like graphics, music, video, books and software, and the creators of that content are not getting paid for their work.
Why is the Current System not working? I suggest three reasons. Not surprisingly, they are the same three reasons consumers need to purchase a product of any kind - Want, Cost and Convenience.
I suggest a New System be devised, which takes these things into account, in order to reduce piracy, and increase the potential for artists to be fairly compensated for their soft products.
1) Want - The consumer must want or need the product.
Why would consumers want DRM-infected files? Why should they pay for files that come with a list of restrictions on how they are used? Would you buy a car that came with rules for when and where and under what conditions it can be driven? Or a shirt that came with rules for what days of the week it can be worn, and what accessories need to be worn with it? Of course not.
People use DRM-infected content from I-tunes because they don't know any better, or don't care. People who do know and care pass on the DRM-infected files and opt for the non-DRM ones available through piracy. Neither of these solutions is acceptable.
Also, why should consumers tolerate products like Kindle that will only work with one supplier? I wouldn't buy a CD player that only played CDs from a particular Record Label, but that's exactly how the new Kindle from Amazon works. This is not an acceptable solution either.
The New System will have to let consumers use soft products the same way they can use the hard products: WITHOUT RESTRICTIONS.
2) Cost - Consumers must believe the product is worth the price.
There is an underlying rule which never changes: PRODUCTS ARE WORTH WHAT PEOPLE ARE WILLING TO PAY FOR THEM. Get your mind around that. Accept it. It is an infallible truth: it doesn't really matter how much it cost to make the product; it never did. The consumer ultimately sets the price. You can set your price point anywhere along the bell curve, but the consumers ARE the bell curve.
Hard goods aren't a problem. People are willing to pay $30 for a Jagged Spiral hoodie. They know $30 is 'less expensive' than the effort and materials it would take them to make it themselves. But for soft products like music and books, the internet has created a system where the product is an endlessly renewable and instantly duplicatable resource, available anywhere, at any time. Remember the laws of Supply and Demand? Worldwide, instant availability with negligible distribution cost has created a significant shift in what people are willing to pay. It truly has devalued soft products, and the existing system has not taken this into account.
For example, you can draw a picture of your stupid kid with his tongue stuck to a flagpole in a Minnesota Deep Freeze, and hang it on the wall of the local coffee shop with a $200 price tag. But scan and post that same picture on the internet. How much is that worth?
What is the cost of your picture done in Charcoal on Canvas, versus the cost of your JPG? I already told you: They are worth whatever people are willing to pay for them. The questions you *meant* to ask are: What are people willing to pay for Charcoal on Canvas, and what are people willing to pay for digital bits on the internet? OK, how much would it cost them to exactly duplicate your Charcoal on Canvas? Let's see...Art Supplies, Art Lessons, then the time required to duplicate your every stroke, or possibly contract an artist willing to duplicate your work for a lesser price... OK, now how much would it cost them to exactly duplicate your jpg?
And song downloads from I-Tunes are a dollar each? So a 12-song CD that used to cost $12 is still...$12???? Why should people pay the same price for downloaded, mp3-compressed, DRM-infected files that they pay for the higher quality and unlimited use of the physical CD? Wrong, wrong, wrong. Some people buy the DRM-infected files because they want the song badly enough, but they shouldn't have to. The cost is too high.
The New System will have to take this into account. The more the prices line up with what the consumer is willing to pay, the less attractive the piracy options becomes. That is why bands like Radiohead are jumping onto the model that Jagged Spiral devised: post the media online for free, and let the customer pay what they want. This might be the New System. It might not. But it holds to the rule that the product is worth what the customer is willing to pay. I'm well aware that it could turn out that artists are not able to make a living on this system.
3) Convenience - The customer can't get the product more conveniently anywhere else.
Which do you think is easier; downloading/installing BitTorrent and downloading an album, or opening an account on Amazon with a unique username and memorable but secure password, entering your personal info and shipping address, agreeing to the No-Privacy Statement (without reading it, natch), entering your credit card info, verifying your e-mail address, going through the checkout line with your purchase...
Admittedly, the online purchasing experience has gotten better. It would be better still if someone could devise a system where the consumer's online 'wallet' was usable at all online locations. Consumers should not have to provide any personal information for a downloadable soft product purchase, and they certainly should NOT have to provide their personal info for each-and-every-website they do business at. You don't have to go through all that bullshit when you go to a Burger King you've never been to before! You shouldn't need a username and password to make a purchase at amazon.com, or any website! ID and Credit Card, that's all!
Google, PayPal and Microsoft are working on this, but it just isn't there yet. This is a major holdup to a New System that would reduce piracy, and there is no reason for it, other than businesses that are not willing to cooperate. They want that user info, they want those e-mail addresses. They want it to be difficult for you to purchase from somewhere else.
The New System should let you make your purchase quickly, securely, and conveniently, without setting up an account on the seller's website.
Conclusion
When we look at the Current System from the perspectives of Want, Cost and Convenience, Piracy makes more sense; it offers better product for less, and it's easier to access. I'm not advocating piracy, I'm saying the existing system is fucked up, and here is why, so let's get it fixed so I can buy music online at a fair price and without DRM restrictions.
No System is going to eliminate piracy, there are people who will pirate works simply for the fun of it. But a New System that takes Want, Cost and Convenience into account could significantly reduce piracy by filling consumers needs, and help artists make a living selling their works online.
Art Is Resistance
-Zero
0 Comments
Permalink
If you want to purchase the new Nine Inch Nails CD: "Y34RZ3R0R3M1X3D" online, you have two choices: Piracy or DRM-infected files. I do not advocate Piracy. It is not OK to steal the work of others. But, I also do not advocate DRM. But this is the Current System: we have the IPOD for music and video, and we have Kindle for books. We have subscriptions for online newspapers, and paid access to the content of certain websites (you know what I'm talking about...).
But the system is not working: people are still pirating soft products like graphics, music, video, books and software, and the creators of that content are not getting paid for their work.
Why is the Current System not working? I suggest three reasons. Not surprisingly, they are the same three reasons consumers need to purchase a product of any kind - Want, Cost and Convenience.
I suggest a New System be devised, which takes these things into account, in order to reduce piracy, and increase the potential for artists to be fairly compensated for their soft products.
1) Want - The consumer must want or need the product.
Why would consumers want DRM-infected files? Why should they pay for files that come with a list of restrictions on how they are used? Would you buy a car that came with rules for when and where and under what conditions it can be driven? Or a shirt that came with rules for what days of the week it can be worn, and what accessories need to be worn with it? Of course not.
People use DRM-infected content from I-tunes because they don't know any better, or don't care. People who do know and care pass on the DRM-infected files and opt for the non-DRM ones available through piracy. Neither of these solutions is acceptable.
Also, why should consumers tolerate products like Kindle that will only work with one supplier? I wouldn't buy a CD player that only played CDs from a particular Record Label, but that's exactly how the new Kindle from Amazon works. This is not an acceptable solution either.
The New System will have to let consumers use soft products the same way they can use the hard products: WITHOUT RESTRICTIONS.
2) Cost - Consumers must believe the product is worth the price.
There is an underlying rule which never changes: PRODUCTS ARE WORTH WHAT PEOPLE ARE WILLING TO PAY FOR THEM. Get your mind around that. Accept it. It is an infallible truth: it doesn't really matter how much it cost to make the product; it never did. The consumer ultimately sets the price. You can set your price point anywhere along the bell curve, but the consumers ARE the bell curve.
Hard goods aren't a problem. People are willing to pay $30 for a Jagged Spiral hoodie. They know $30 is 'less expensive' than the effort and materials it would take them to make it themselves. But for soft products like music and books, the internet has created a system where the product is an endlessly renewable and instantly duplicatable resource, available anywhere, at any time. Remember the laws of Supply and Demand? Worldwide, instant availability with negligible distribution cost has created a significant shift in what people are willing to pay. It truly has devalued soft products, and the existing system has not taken this into account.
For example, you can draw a picture of your stupid kid with his tongue stuck to a flagpole in a Minnesota Deep Freeze, and hang it on the wall of the local coffee shop with a $200 price tag. But scan and post that same picture on the internet. How much is that worth?
What is the cost of your picture done in Charcoal on Canvas, versus the cost of your JPG? I already told you: They are worth whatever people are willing to pay for them. The questions you *meant* to ask are: What are people willing to pay for Charcoal on Canvas, and what are people willing to pay for digital bits on the internet? OK, how much would it cost them to exactly duplicate your Charcoal on Canvas? Let's see...Art Supplies, Art Lessons, then the time required to duplicate your every stroke, or possibly contract an artist willing to duplicate your work for a lesser price... OK, now how much would it cost them to exactly duplicate your jpg?
And song downloads from I-Tunes are a dollar each? So a 12-song CD that used to cost $12 is still...$12???? Why should people pay the same price for downloaded, mp3-compressed, DRM-infected files that they pay for the higher quality and unlimited use of the physical CD? Wrong, wrong, wrong. Some people buy the DRM-infected files because they want the song badly enough, but they shouldn't have to. The cost is too high.
The New System will have to take this into account. The more the prices line up with what the consumer is willing to pay, the less attractive the piracy options becomes. That is why bands like Radiohead are jumping onto the model that Jagged Spiral devised: post the media online for free, and let the customer pay what they want. This might be the New System. It might not. But it holds to the rule that the product is worth what the customer is willing to pay. I'm well aware that it could turn out that artists are not able to make a living on this system.
3) Convenience - The customer can't get the product more conveniently anywhere else.
Which do you think is easier; downloading/installing BitTorrent and downloading an album, or opening an account on Amazon with a unique username and memorable but secure password, entering your personal info and shipping address, agreeing to the No-Privacy Statement (without reading it, natch), entering your credit card info, verifying your e-mail address, going through the checkout line with your purchase...
Admittedly, the online purchasing experience has gotten better. It would be better still if someone could devise a system where the consumer's online 'wallet' was usable at all online locations. Consumers should not have to provide any personal information for a downloadable soft product purchase, and they certainly should NOT have to provide their personal info for each-and-every-website they do business at. You don't have to go through all that bullshit when you go to a Burger King you've never been to before! You shouldn't need a username and password to make a purchase at amazon.com, or any website! ID and Credit Card, that's all!
Google, PayPal and Microsoft are working on this, but it just isn't there yet. This is a major holdup to a New System that would reduce piracy, and there is no reason for it, other than businesses that are not willing to cooperate. They want that user info, they want those e-mail addresses. They want it to be difficult for you to purchase from somewhere else.
The New System should let you make your purchase quickly, securely, and conveniently, without setting up an account on the seller's website.
Conclusion
When we look at the Current System from the perspectives of Want, Cost and Convenience, Piracy makes more sense; it offers better product for less, and it's easier to access. I'm not advocating piracy, I'm saying the existing system is fucked up, and here is why, so let's get it fixed so I can buy music online at a fair price and without DRM restrictions.
No System is going to eliminate piracy, there are people who will pirate works simply for the fun of it. But a New System that takes Want, Cost and Convenience into account could significantly reduce piracy by filling consumers needs, and help artists make a living selling their works online.
Art Is Resistance
-Zero
Labels: Business Phenomena, consumerism, DRM Sucks, Music Industry
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Open Letter to Gene Simmons - RIAA Spokesperson and Douchebag
Unfortunately, the full article on billboard.biz requires subscription, but you can read enough excerpts from the Motley Crue fan club site to get the point:
Gene Simmons is an Idiot with a Capitalist I.
He really thinks that all of this "Free Music" nonsense could have been prevented if the Recording Industry had taken action from the beginning. Quote:
The record industry doesn't have a f*cking clue how to make money. It's only their fault for letting foxes get into the henhouse and then wondering why there's no eggs or chickens. Every little college kid, every freshly-scrubbed little kid's face should have been sued off the face of the earth. They should have taken their houses and cars and nipped it right there in the beginning. Those kids are putting 100,000 to a million people out of work. How can you pick on them? They've got freckles. That's a crook. He may as well be wearing a bandit's mask.
Gene Simmons must be the RIAA's wet dream, so entrenched in "the way we've always done it" that it is simply outside of his understanding that the rules have changed.
Sorry Gene, that the internet has made things complicated for you. Here is something for you to think about (when you can break away from the book you are writing about all the prostitutes you've slept with): I can go online and view the Mona Lisa any time I want. For Free. I can also go to the Louvre and pay to see it for a short time. For slightly more money I can own a print copy. For an ungodly amount of money I could own the real thing.
Now, why on God's Green Earth would people pay to see the Mona Lisa, or pay for a copy of the Mona Lisa, or pay to own the Mona Lisa, when they can see it online for Free? OH MY FUCKING GOD! HOW CAN THE ARTIST MAKE ANY MONEY WHEN YOU CAN ACCESS THE ART ONLINE FOR FREEEEEEeeee..... [insert sound of Gene Simmons screaming as he falls into the abyss of his own stupidity here]
Gene, here is another thing for you to think about when you aren't reducing KISS to a laughable product (because we all need an electric toothbrush that plays "Rock & Roll All Night"): As a musician, I would rather give my music away for free (as a matter of fact, I do give it away for free) than to see a DIME go into the pockets of the Recording Industry. They are irrelevant. They are the middlemen who have leeched the money from the pockets of talented people for DECADES. THEY are the real thieves, and the internet has eliminated their usefulness. You think they still have some value because they helped make you rich? You are a fool. I bet you still listen to terrestrial radio.
It gets better:
Billboard: But some artist like RADIOHEAD and Trent Reznor are trying to find a new business model.
Simmons: That doesn't count. You can't pick on one person as an exception. And that's not a business model that works. I open a store and say "Come on in and pay whatever you want." Are you on f*cking crack? Do you really believe that's a business model that works?
Someone points the way out of Gene Simmons stupidity, and he asks them if they are on drugs. This is where it becomes clear why he is so upset; it isn't about the music with him, its about the *Business* of music. Music is just a vehicle to MAKE MONEY. No wonder he is upset.
You know Gene, as a matter of fact, opening a store with almost negligible overhead, upkeep and distribution costs, with GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION and open 24x7x365 then asking for donations is a fucking phenomenal business model. How do you think wikipedia.org is still in business? How do you think the projects on sourceforge are funded? Are you aware that Radiohead are actually making an average of $6 per download by Giving Away their art and letting people donate what they want? And not a penny goes to the RIAA middleman. $6 average per customer, Gene. Do YOU make that much?
This is all overlooking the fact that the music is more important than the money, but this is also outside Gene Simmon's frame of reference:
Billboard: So what if music just becomes free and artists make their living off of touring and merchandise?
Simmons: Well, therein lies the most stupid mistake anybody can make. The most important part is the music. Without that, why would you care? Even the idea that you're considering giving the music away for free makes it easier to give it away for free. The only reason why gold is expensive is because we all agree that it is. There's no real use for it, except we all agree and abide by the idea that gold costs a certain amount per ounce. As soon as you give people the choice to deviate from it, you have chaos and anarchy. And that's what going on.
Gene, you almost figured this out. Things have Always been worth what people are willing to pay for them. Now, change "CD"s into "Digital Bits on the internet", and stir... Calling this change "chaos and anarchy" is incorrect. It is Change; change from one system to another system, one that you don't like, because you can't see how it will make you money.
Gene, as a young boy, I looked up to you as a Hero, and now you tell the world there is no real use for music unless you sell it to make money.
Blow me, Gene Simmons, you're a fucking idiot.
You worked hard, and made some good music and you made some good money using the system you had available at the time, and it worked out well for you. You got yours. Hooray for you. But the system has changed, and it's time for you to shut the fuck up and let people work with the system they have.
Art Is Resistance
-Zero
3 Comments
Permalink
Gene Simmons is an Idiot with a Capitalist I.
He really thinks that all of this "Free Music" nonsense could have been prevented if the Recording Industry had taken action from the beginning. Quote:
The record industry doesn't have a f*cking clue how to make money. It's only their fault for letting foxes get into the henhouse and then wondering why there's no eggs or chickens. Every little college kid, every freshly-scrubbed little kid's face should have been sued off the face of the earth. They should have taken their houses and cars and nipped it right there in the beginning. Those kids are putting 100,000 to a million people out of work. How can you pick on them? They've got freckles. That's a crook. He may as well be wearing a bandit's mask.
Gene Simmons must be the RIAA's wet dream, so entrenched in "the way we've always done it" that it is simply outside of his understanding that the rules have changed.
Sorry Gene, that the internet has made things complicated for you. Here is something for you to think about (when you can break away from the book you are writing about all the prostitutes you've slept with): I can go online and view the Mona Lisa any time I want. For Free. I can also go to the Louvre and pay to see it for a short time. For slightly more money I can own a print copy. For an ungodly amount of money I could own the real thing.
Now, why on God's Green Earth would people pay to see the Mona Lisa, or pay for a copy of the Mona Lisa, or pay to own the Mona Lisa, when they can see it online for Free? OH MY FUCKING GOD! HOW CAN THE ARTIST MAKE ANY MONEY WHEN YOU CAN ACCESS THE ART ONLINE FOR FREEEEEEeeee..... [insert sound of Gene Simmons screaming as he falls into the abyss of his own stupidity here]
Gene, here is another thing for you to think about when you aren't reducing KISS to a laughable product (because we all need an electric toothbrush that plays "Rock & Roll All Night"): As a musician, I would rather give my music away for free (as a matter of fact, I do give it away for free) than to see a DIME go into the pockets of the Recording Industry. They are irrelevant. They are the middlemen who have leeched the money from the pockets of talented people for DECADES. THEY are the real thieves, and the internet has eliminated their usefulness. You think they still have some value because they helped make you rich? You are a fool. I bet you still listen to terrestrial radio.
It gets better:
Billboard: But some artist like RADIOHEAD and Trent Reznor are trying to find a new business model.
Simmons: That doesn't count. You can't pick on one person as an exception. And that's not a business model that works. I open a store and say "Come on in and pay whatever you want." Are you on f*cking crack? Do you really believe that's a business model that works?
Someone points the way out of Gene Simmons stupidity, and he asks them if they are on drugs. This is where it becomes clear why he is so upset; it isn't about the music with him, its about the *Business* of music. Music is just a vehicle to MAKE MONEY. No wonder he is upset.
You know Gene, as a matter of fact, opening a store with almost negligible overhead, upkeep and distribution costs, with GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION and open 24x7x365 then asking for donations is a fucking phenomenal business model. How do you think wikipedia.org is still in business? How do you think the projects on sourceforge are funded? Are you aware that Radiohead are actually making an average of $6 per download by Giving Away their art and letting people donate what they want? And not a penny goes to the RIAA middleman. $6 average per customer, Gene. Do YOU make that much?
This is all overlooking the fact that the music is more important than the money, but this is also outside Gene Simmon's frame of reference:
Billboard: So what if music just becomes free and artists make their living off of touring and merchandise?
Simmons: Well, therein lies the most stupid mistake anybody can make. The most important part is the music. Without that, why would you care? Even the idea that you're considering giving the music away for free makes it easier to give it away for free. The only reason why gold is expensive is because we all agree that it is. There's no real use for it, except we all agree and abide by the idea that gold costs a certain amount per ounce. As soon as you give people the choice to deviate from it, you have chaos and anarchy. And that's what going on.
Gene, you almost figured this out. Things have Always been worth what people are willing to pay for them. Now, change "CD"s into "Digital Bits on the internet", and stir... Calling this change "chaos and anarchy" is incorrect. It is Change; change from one system to another system, one that you don't like, because you can't see how it will make you money.
Gene, as a young boy, I looked up to you as a Hero, and now you tell the world there is no real use for music unless you sell it to make money.
Blow me, Gene Simmons, you're a fucking idiot.
You worked hard, and made some good music and you made some good money using the system you had available at the time, and it worked out well for you. You got yours. Hooray for you. But the system has changed, and it's time for you to shut the fuck up and let people work with the system they have.
Art Is Resistance
-Zero
Labels: Business Phenomena, consumerism, idiots, Music Industry, Open Letter
Thursday, November 01, 2007
Best Buy to open Musical Instrument Store
Page 51 of this week's City Pages has an ad for the opening of a new Musical Instrument Store at the Richfield Best Buy. The grand opening party on Sat, Nov 10 will feature in-store performances by Shannon Curfman and local staple GB Leighton.
I am not surprised. Check out the latest Best Buy advertisement; the FIRST FOUR PAGES are Guitar Hero gear ONLY. I've said it before, the recent surge of popularity in shows like American Idol, Rock Star, and the smashing success of the Guitar Hero video game are jacking the interest in releasing your inner musician and goosing musical instrument sales. Guitar Center added on a Third store here in the Minneapolis metro area, which seems to be doing well, and now Best Buy is poised to dip a toe in the water.
Best Buy has always dabbled in music gear, carrying the Donkey Konga Bongos and maybe a Casio keyboard or two, and a smattering of Yamaha gear on their website. But it seems they have slipped into bed with a couple major distributors, Gibson, M-Audio, Suzuki, and Fender (although I've never heard of a Fender STARcaster before. Sounds kind of sketchy...)
Anyway, I read about a Best Buy in California which did the same thing. According to that blog post, it sounds like they really are giving it more than simply lip service, and even added on an isolated acoustic room in the store. Guitar Center certainly has to be nervous, because the distribution power of Best Buy far surpasses that of Guitar Center, both in Brick and Mortar stores and websites.
My suspicion is that if Best Buy's Musical Instrument Flagship takes off, they will add it as a feature to their larger stores in the same way they added the Magnolia Home Theatre section to certain stores.
I don't think Guitar Center needs to worry unless Best Buy spins off their musical instrument sales into separate stores and starts carrying real gear. Real musicians won't be fooled by the name 'Starcaster' and they will go to a real music store for their gear. And Guitar Center employees know music (for the most part) and while this might be a passing fad for Best Buy, making music is Guitar Center's lifeblood.
The worst thing that could happen is that a bunch of talentless and spoiled brats who look up to Nickelback and Bruce Springsteen get their hands on a Starcaster and post a bunch of shit-rock to their myspace page. But the internet has plenty of room for more music, and I'd rather see kids writing bad Emo music than selling Crack, and even playing a Starcaster poorly is better than playing Guitar Hero well.
Art Is Resistance
-Zero
0 Comments
Permalink
I am not surprised. Check out the latest Best Buy advertisement; the FIRST FOUR PAGES are Guitar Hero gear ONLY. I've said it before, the recent surge of popularity in shows like American Idol, Rock Star, and the smashing success of the Guitar Hero video game are jacking the interest in releasing your inner musician and goosing musical instrument sales. Guitar Center added on a Third store here in the Minneapolis metro area, which seems to be doing well, and now Best Buy is poised to dip a toe in the water.
Best Buy has always dabbled in music gear, carrying the Donkey Konga Bongos and maybe a Casio keyboard or two, and a smattering of Yamaha gear on their website. But it seems they have slipped into bed with a couple major distributors, Gibson, M-Audio, Suzuki, and Fender (although I've never heard of a Fender STARcaster before. Sounds kind of sketchy...)
Anyway, I read about a Best Buy in California which did the same thing. According to that blog post, it sounds like they really are giving it more than simply lip service, and even added on an isolated acoustic room in the store. Guitar Center certainly has to be nervous, because the distribution power of Best Buy far surpasses that of Guitar Center, both in Brick and Mortar stores and websites.
My suspicion is that if Best Buy's Musical Instrument Flagship takes off, they will add it as a feature to their larger stores in the same way they added the Magnolia Home Theatre section to certain stores.
I don't think Guitar Center needs to worry unless Best Buy spins off their musical instrument sales into separate stores and starts carrying real gear. Real musicians won't be fooled by the name 'Starcaster' and they will go to a real music store for their gear. And Guitar Center employees know music (for the most part) and while this might be a passing fad for Best Buy, making music is Guitar Center's lifeblood.
The worst thing that could happen is that a bunch of talentless and spoiled brats who look up to Nickelback and Bruce Springsteen get their hands on a Starcaster and post a bunch of shit-rock to their myspace page. But the internet has plenty of room for more music, and I'd rather see kids writing bad Emo music than selling Crack, and even playing a Starcaster poorly is better than playing Guitar Hero well.
Art Is Resistance
-Zero
Labels: Business Phenomena, Minneapolis Event, Music Industry
Friday, September 28, 2007
Death of AnywhereCD.com
Looks like CD's really are dead. At the very least, AnywhereCD.com is dead, or will be in a couple days. I've never heard of AnywhereCD until this post from the Michael Robertson (former CEO of mp3.com before it was sold off to AOL, and current owner of mp3tunes.com)
The idea behind AnywhereCD was a good one, some people want the CD, but they also want the music RIGHT NOW. On AnywhereCD, when you buy the CD you also gain instant access to the high-quality mp3 download. Sounds silly at first, because people can always rip the CD to mp3 themselves, but the idea is that people who want the CD online also don't want to wait for it to come in the mail. They want the instant gratification of listening to it as soon as they push the [Pay Now!] button, and Michael Robertson figured this out.
Unfortunately, I think he figured it out too late. The release of AnywhereCD was lost beneath the media blitz surrounding I-Tunes posturing at selling Non-DRM music files. (Not actually *Doing* it mind you, just the mere mention of it). Michael lists other factors which undoubtedly contributed to the companies demise, including the fact that the CDs on AnywhereCD.com were listed at prices above what the American consumer believes fair (Strangely, he knew this but did not change his pricing.). Also, he was only able to pick up One of the major labels. Only Warner was willing to distribute through AnywhereCD. You should read how the rest of the major labels reacted to Michael's business model, it's pretty funny.
Oddly I've never heard of AnywhereCD before now, and if they missed me, it's because they simply weren't trying At All. I have read Michael Robertson's blog from time to time. I have an account on mp3tunes.com. I'm on the mp3tunes.com mailing list. Extremely strange that I haven't heard of them.
Not that it would have helped. Even if I had heard of AnywhereCD I wouldn't have touched it. I heard ages ago that Amazon was working on selling DRM-Free mp3's and you can already check out the beta site here. Walmart is offering Non-DRM mp3s *AND* they are undercutting the prices of I-Tunes. (Not that I would buy from WalMart either...) It won't be long before real brick-and-mortar CD stores like Best Buy, Down In The Valley and others jump in on the mp3 action. I'd be much more likely to buy a CD from an online store that has a location I can return or exchange problem merchandise, than some company with no phone number located in India.
I think Michael was simply trying to build up AnywhereCD.com just to sell it off, just like he did with mp3.com, only this time he was too late. If AnywhereCD had started up five years ago, had DRM-Free tracks, and ALL the major labels, it would have been the current I-Tunes, and Michael could have retired several times over. Instead, we get Apple running the show, and making it look like buying their DRM-Infected files is K-E-W-L. Hopefully, not for too much longer. I think that by Christmastime Amazon and Walmart will shove a sleighbell up I-Tunes chimney, if you know what I mean.
Meanwhile, take advantage of Michael Robertson and buy up his surplus of CDs at $7 each before AnywhereCD shuts down...
Art Is Resistance
-Zero
0 Comments
Permalink
The idea behind AnywhereCD was a good one, some people want the CD, but they also want the music RIGHT NOW. On AnywhereCD, when you buy the CD you also gain instant access to the high-quality mp3 download. Sounds silly at first, because people can always rip the CD to mp3 themselves, but the idea is that people who want the CD online also don't want to wait for it to come in the mail. They want the instant gratification of listening to it as soon as they push the [Pay Now!] button, and Michael Robertson figured this out.
Unfortunately, I think he figured it out too late. The release of AnywhereCD was lost beneath the media blitz surrounding I-Tunes posturing at selling Non-DRM music files. (Not actually *Doing* it mind you, just the mere mention of it). Michael lists other factors which undoubtedly contributed to the companies demise, including the fact that the CDs on AnywhereCD.com were listed at prices above what the American consumer believes fair (Strangely, he knew this but did not change his pricing.). Also, he was only able to pick up One of the major labels. Only Warner was willing to distribute through AnywhereCD. You should read how the rest of the major labels reacted to Michael's business model, it's pretty funny.
Oddly I've never heard of AnywhereCD before now, and if they missed me, it's because they simply weren't trying At All. I have read Michael Robertson's blog from time to time. I have an account on mp3tunes.com. I'm on the mp3tunes.com mailing list. Extremely strange that I haven't heard of them.
Not that it would have helped. Even if I had heard of AnywhereCD I wouldn't have touched it. I heard ages ago that Amazon was working on selling DRM-Free mp3's and you can already check out the beta site here. Walmart is offering Non-DRM mp3s *AND* they are undercutting the prices of I-Tunes. (Not that I would buy from WalMart either...) It won't be long before real brick-and-mortar CD stores like Best Buy, Down In The Valley and others jump in on the mp3 action. I'd be much more likely to buy a CD from an online store that has a location I can return or exchange problem merchandise, than some company with no phone number located in India.
I think Michael was simply trying to build up AnywhereCD.com just to sell it off, just like he did with mp3.com, only this time he was too late. If AnywhereCD had started up five years ago, had DRM-Free tracks, and ALL the major labels, it would have been the current I-Tunes, and Michael could have retired several times over. Instead, we get Apple running the show, and making it look like buying their DRM-Infected files is K-E-W-L. Hopefully, not for too much longer. I think that by Christmastime Amazon and Walmart will shove a sleighbell up I-Tunes chimney, if you know what I mean.
Meanwhile, take advantage of Michael Robertson and buy up his surplus of CDs at $7 each before AnywhereCD shuts down...
Art Is Resistance
-Zero
Labels: Business Phenomena, music, Music Industry
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
How I learned to learned to stop worrying and love the (non-DRM infected) mp3
Some old, fat, white industry exec must have realized that mp3s aren't really a fad after all, and it might be a good idea to shift marketing over to the New format. So the floodgates are open, and businesses are clamoring over themselves to get mp3s into your ears, and some $$ out of your account.
The revelation came too late for Sony, though. According to the latest garageband.com newsletter, Sony Connect has folded, and good riddance. Sony can take their proprietary-my-way-or-the-highway crap and, well, hit the highway with it. Take your fucking 'memory stick' technology with you.
MTV's Urge service is merging with Real Networks Rhapsody. While I wish they would both die a quick death with Sony's Connect, it turns out they are working on a merger with Verizon Wireless, which sounds like a really great way to fuck up my phone service. "Can you hear me now?" No. I can't fucking hear you now, because all the satellite bandwidth is used up by people downloading the latest Jagged Spiral release.
I'd like to this was all my fault for posting things like this, but industry execs don't read my blog. That probably also explains why I haven't been offered a job by them (or been assassinated by their smokin' hot female ninja hit squad).
But the best news hit me from the most unlikely of allies. Wal Mart's online store is offering non-DRM infected mp3s, and undercutting the prices on itunes...
...you read that right. Wal Mart, (whom I've been less than kind to in the past) turns it's Consumerism-Tractor-Beam-Of-DOOM on the customers of I Tunes.
HA! It's like watching two people I hate get into a fist fight. Either way, I win!
Even better news (I know, it's hard to believe it could get better) is that Amazon.com has been threatening to get in on the non-DRM frenzy since Feb 2007, but the rumor is that they may start having non-DRM mp3s available online as soon as mid September, probably in an attempt to
(Um, hello Amazon? Mid-September would be Right Now, Ahem.)
HEY I-TUNES! I DOUBLE-DOG-DARE YOU TO CONTINUE RELEASING YOUR MUSIC WITH DRM! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAaaaaa.....
Art Is Resistance
-Zero
0 Comments
Permalink
The revelation came too late for Sony, though. According to the latest garageband.com newsletter, Sony Connect has folded, and good riddance. Sony can take their proprietary-my-way-or-the-highway crap and, well, hit the highway with it. Take your fucking 'memory stick' technology with you.
MTV's Urge service is merging with Real Networks Rhapsody. While I wish they would both die a quick death with Sony's Connect, it turns out they are working on a merger with Verizon Wireless, which sounds like a really great way to fuck up my phone service. "Can you hear me now?" No. I can't fucking hear you now, because all the satellite bandwidth is used up by people downloading the latest Jagged Spiral release.
I'd like to this was all my fault for posting things like this, but industry execs don't read my blog. That probably also explains why I haven't been offered a job by them (or been assassinated by their smokin' hot female ninja hit squad).
But the best news hit me from the most unlikely of allies. Wal Mart's online store is offering non-DRM infected mp3s, and undercutting the prices on itunes...
...you read that right. Wal Mart, (whom I've been less than kind to in the past) turns it's Consumerism-Tractor-Beam-Of-DOOM on the customers of I Tunes.
HA! It's like watching two people I hate get into a fist fight. Either way, I win!
Even better news (I know, it's hard to believe it could get better) is that Amazon.com has been threatening to get in on the non-DRM frenzy since Feb 2007, but the rumor is that they may start having non-DRM mp3s available online as soon as mid September, probably in an attempt to
(Um, hello Amazon? Mid-September would be Right Now, Ahem.)
HEY I-TUNES! I DOUBLE-DOG-DARE YOU TO CONTINUE RELEASING YOUR MUSIC WITH DRM! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAaaaaa.....
Art Is Resistance
-Zero
Labels: Business Phenomena, DRM Sucks, Music Industry
Friday, August 24, 2007
The Loudness War, Continued
Yet another article about the loudness war.
http://spectrum.ieee.org/aug07/5429
For those who don't know, the Loudness War is the music industry's attempt to make their recordings louder than everyone else's, because research has shown that louder songs get noticed more.
No shit. Sadly the research told them nothing about the quality of the recordings.
There is a hint in the article that current overcompressed music fatigues listeners, and that it might account for the decrease in music sales, but of course there is no proof of this.
The article also talks about future technologies like “Replay Gain” which try to nullify the Loudness War by playing back all songs at the same relative volume.
I agree with Bob Katz, recordings that are overcompressed and radio stations like 93X that blatantly abuse volume compression, forsaking all else for loudness are ruining music, and make it tiring to listen to. Hey, compress the shit out of MP3s because they’re meant to be listened to on laptop speakers and I-pod earbuds. But CDs should take advantage of their dynamic range and richness of sound. Let the consumers wreck the music if they want, but if I'm buying the CD, I can turn the volume knob up myself. I'd much rather have a rich recording that breathes.
I MEAN, WHY DON'T WE JUST TYPE ALL OUR BLOG POSTS LIKE THIS? IT MUST BE BETTER BECAUSE IT GOT YOUR ATTENTION, RIGHT?
KTHXBYE,
-CZ
0 Comments
Permalink
http://spectrum.ieee.org/aug07/5429
For those who don't know, the Loudness War is the music industry's attempt to make their recordings louder than everyone else's, because research has shown that louder songs get noticed more.
No shit. Sadly the research told them nothing about the quality of the recordings.
There is a hint in the article that current overcompressed music fatigues listeners, and that it might account for the decrease in music sales, but of course there is no proof of this.
The article also talks about future technologies like “Replay Gain” which try to nullify the Loudness War by playing back all songs at the same relative volume.
I agree with Bob Katz, recordings that are overcompressed and radio stations like 93X that blatantly abuse volume compression, forsaking all else for loudness are ruining music, and make it tiring to listen to. Hey, compress the shit out of MP3s because they’re meant to be listened to on laptop speakers and I-pod earbuds. But CDs should take advantage of their dynamic range and richness of sound. Let the consumers wreck the music if they want, but if I'm buying the CD, I can turn the volume knob up myself. I'd much rather have a rich recording that breathes.
I MEAN, WHY DON'T WE JUST TYPE ALL OUR BLOG POSTS LIKE THIS? IT MUST BE BETTER BECAUSE IT GOT YOUR ATTENTION, RIGHT?
KTHXBYE,
-CZ
Labels: Business Phenomena, consumerism, Cultural Observation, music, Music Industry, Technology
Saturday, July 21, 2007
The New SPAM
Of all the places to run across a cool book like "Music Legends - A Rewind on the Local Minnesota Music Scene By Martin Keller" I found it at...SuperAmerica. That's right. The Gas Station.
I wasn't looking for a book on Minnesota Music History...well, actually I was, but not at that particular moment in time. It was a bona fide impulse buy. If there was a XXX video there starring Salma Hayek, Aishwarya Rai, and Halle Berry, I would have bought that too, but I certainly wasn't expecting to purchase books or movies at a gas station checkout.
But marketing people [Author's Note: Don't even get me started on Marketing People...wait a minute, I've already started.] have always believed that if you could just get your product in front of every man, woman and child in the Multiverse, that $$$ is sure to follow. They don't really care what the product is, just get it in front of the people. This is the entire philosophy behind television and radio advertisements, roadside billboards (curse them and the soulless bastard who thought them up), advertisements in bathroom stalls, and e-mail SPAM.
Had I been driving 35W North to Tobie's in Hinkley and actually read each and every billboard on the way (A nearly impossible task, since no human being can read that much) and seen an advertisement for a book on Local Minnesota Music History, I would have done that thing people do; pursed my lips and nodded my head slightly, thinking to myself, "Kewl, I'll have to pick that up if I see it." But that's the problem; the majority of advertising requires the potential customer to actively Go Someplace Else to buy the product being advertised. The advertisement plants the "impulse buy" seed in the subconscious, and marketing people hope that the seed takes root and grows into the action of purchase.
But now they have figured out a better way. They realized that the tiny area of real estate near the cash register sees MANY MANY MANY people a day. MANY. But it gets better, because those people are already in a store! They are already in "gathering" mode! There is already a cashier in place to make the transaction, and all the necessary equipment. The customer already has their method of payment out, and is going to MAKE A PURCHASE! Every obstacle between the customer purchasing the product is cut down to the impulse. The customer only needs to reach over, pick up the product, and toss it in the cart with their existing purchase! [Editor's Note: Insert sound effect of entire excited marketing department wetting themselves here.]
Now remember, marketing people don't really care what the product is, just get it in front of the people, right? They don't really care if they are trying to sell a water pump for a 1996 Saturn, if they could just get their product to sit at the counter of Starbucks, IT WOULD SELL. Every single cash register in the world has now become a convenience store. Every website checkout is a potential selling ground for someone to ask, "Do you want fries with that?" or "Since you are buying a book on Equestrian Philosophy, you probably also want a Horse Calendar and a copy of 'The Horse Whisperer' at a reduced rate!!!" Caribou Coffee sells greeting cards. Starbucks sells CDs. McDonalds has the Redbox DVD rental, and SuperAmerica is selling books on Minnesota Music History.
Of course, these are retail chain franchises, so the store managers probably don't have much say in the matter themselves, and probably aren't getting much of the profit, since that is all being done at the corporate level. But for independent business owners, this could be a new form of revenue. A restaurant that carries band merch? That could happen. Hell's Kitchen already carries their own line of clothing. It isn't a stretch to think that they might move some stuff around to make room for some Jagged Spiral hoodies. An Indian restaurant selling lawn care chemicals? Maybe not.
The Million Dollar Idea is for a company to take over the middleman job of selling that space, just the way Clear Channel (Hiss!) sells advertising space on billboards and radio. If a company came along that walked into Magers and Quinn Bookstore and said, "Hey, let me have a one-square meter of space here near the checkout, and I'll find people to lease it for a monthly fee, you just sit back, and I'll send you a check every month..." Well, seems to me there is a business opportunity there for someone more industrious than myself.
Sadly, what this will lead to are checkout counters that look like 35W north, or your inbox, crammed with a bunch of shit you don't want or need, and have nothing to do with the store you are at. During your next visit to the dentist, when you have to stand on tiptoe to see the receptionist over the ostrich waxers, keyboard warmers, and the new Jagged Spiral incense line...well, maybe then you will learn to dislike marketing people as much as I do.
KTHXBYE,
-CZ
0 Comments
Permalink
I wasn't looking for a book on Minnesota Music History...well, actually I was, but not at that particular moment in time. It was a bona fide impulse buy. If there was a XXX video there starring Salma Hayek, Aishwarya Rai, and Halle Berry, I would have bought that too, but I certainly wasn't expecting to purchase books or movies at a gas station checkout.
But marketing people [Author's Note: Don't even get me started on Marketing People...wait a minute, I've already started.] have always believed that if you could just get your product in front of every man, woman and child in the Multiverse, that $$$ is sure to follow. They don't really care what the product is, just get it in front of the people. This is the entire philosophy behind television and radio advertisements, roadside billboards (curse them and the soulless bastard who thought them up), advertisements in bathroom stalls, and e-mail SPAM.
Had I been driving 35W North to Tobie's in Hinkley and actually read each and every billboard on the way (A nearly impossible task, since no human being can read that much) and seen an advertisement for a book on Local Minnesota Music History, I would have done that thing people do; pursed my lips and nodded my head slightly, thinking to myself, "Kewl, I'll have to pick that up if I see it." But that's the problem; the majority of advertising requires the potential customer to actively Go Someplace Else to buy the product being advertised. The advertisement plants the "impulse buy" seed in the subconscious, and marketing people hope that the seed takes root and grows into the action of purchase.
But now they have figured out a better way. They realized that the tiny area of real estate near the cash register sees MANY MANY MANY people a day. MANY. But it gets better, because those people are already in a store! They are already in "gathering" mode! There is already a cashier in place to make the transaction, and all the necessary equipment. The customer already has their method of payment out, and is going to MAKE A PURCHASE! Every obstacle between the customer purchasing the product is cut down to the impulse. The customer only needs to reach over, pick up the product, and toss it in the cart with their existing purchase! [Editor's Note: Insert sound effect of entire excited marketing department wetting themselves here.]
Now remember, marketing people don't really care what the product is, just get it in front of the people, right? They don't really care if they are trying to sell a water pump for a 1996 Saturn, if they could just get their product to sit at the counter of Starbucks, IT WOULD SELL. Every single cash register in the world has now become a convenience store. Every website checkout is a potential selling ground for someone to ask, "Do you want fries with that?" or "Since you are buying a book on Equestrian Philosophy, you probably also want a Horse Calendar and a copy of 'The Horse Whisperer' at a reduced rate!!!" Caribou Coffee sells greeting cards. Starbucks sells CDs. McDonalds has the Redbox DVD rental, and SuperAmerica is selling books on Minnesota Music History.
Of course, these are retail chain franchises, so the store managers probably don't have much say in the matter themselves, and probably aren't getting much of the profit, since that is all being done at the corporate level. But for independent business owners, this could be a new form of revenue. A restaurant that carries band merch? That could happen. Hell's Kitchen already carries their own line of clothing. It isn't a stretch to think that they might move some stuff around to make room for some Jagged Spiral hoodies. An Indian restaurant selling lawn care chemicals? Maybe not.
The Million Dollar Idea is for a company to take over the middleman job of selling that space, just the way Clear Channel (Hiss!) sells advertising space on billboards and radio. If a company came along that walked into Magers and Quinn Bookstore and said, "Hey, let me have a one-square meter of space here near the checkout, and I'll find people to lease it for a monthly fee, you just sit back, and I'll send you a check every month..." Well, seems to me there is a business opportunity there for someone more industrious than myself.
Sadly, what this will lead to are checkout counters that look like 35W north, or your inbox, crammed with a bunch of shit you don't want or need, and have nothing to do with the store you are at. During your next visit to the dentist, when you have to stand on tiptoe to see the receptionist over the ostrich waxers, keyboard warmers, and the new Jagged Spiral incense line...well, maybe then you will learn to dislike marketing people as much as I do.
KTHXBYE,
-CZ
Labels: Business Phenomena, consumerism, Million Dollar Idea
Sunday, July 08, 2007
Will Clear Channel Ever Learn?
It's amazing that Clear Channel doesn't choke to death on its own stupidity.
Take this report for example. It tells all about Clear Channels latest attempts to fuck indie artists out of their royalties.
I'm sorry, but when the FCC busts you for payola, and says that as punishment you have to pony up some airtime for indie artists, (an overly reasonable and unpainful punishment, if you ask me) then you don't turn around, and force indie artists to sign away their rights to royalties before playing them!
No. Clear Channel, you don't get to put stipulations, addendums, conditions or riders on punishments imposed by the FCC. That would be like showing up for Community Service drunk, or paying for a speeding ticket with merchandise of "equivalent value".
No! Bad Clear Channel! Bad!
Anyway, I hear the FMC has some plans to make your stupidity famous. I can't wait to see what they have in store for you...
KTHXBYE,
-CZ
0 Comments
Permalink
Take this report for example. It tells all about Clear Channels latest attempts to fuck indie artists out of their royalties.
I'm sorry, but when the FCC busts you for payola, and says that as punishment you have to pony up some airtime for indie artists, (an overly reasonable and unpainful punishment, if you ask me) then you don't turn around, and force indie artists to sign away their rights to royalties before playing them!
No. Clear Channel, you don't get to put stipulations, addendums, conditions or riders on punishments imposed by the FCC. That would be like showing up for Community Service drunk, or paying for a speeding ticket with merchandise of "equivalent value".
No! Bad Clear Channel! Bad!
Anyway, I hear the FMC has some plans to make your stupidity famous. I can't wait to see what they have in store for you...
KTHXBYE,
-CZ
Labels: Business Phenomena, Music Industry
Friday, June 08, 2007
Qwest: "Are You In?"
Qwest has a new slogan:
"Are you in?"
I'm not kidding. Guess they gave up on "Ride the Light" after they realized cellular phone connections involved large stretches on NON-FIBER-OPTIC COMMUNICATION.
As a replacement, they chose "Spirit of Service", but while on Nearly-Eternal-Hold with Qwest Customer Service, I heard the tag, "Are You In?". I asked the nice operator who eventually woke me up to verify that "Are You In?" is their new slogan.
"One of them," she admitted nervously, "Um, can I help you?"
I suggested that "Are You In?" could be one of several in a series of witty marketing slogans, and the next one can be, "Are you done?" and then "Are you sure?" or "Was it good for you?"
She didn't think it was that funny.
KTHXBYE,
-CZ
0 Comments
Permalink
"Are you in?"
I'm not kidding. Guess they gave up on "Ride the Light" after they realized cellular phone connections involved large stretches on NON-FIBER-OPTIC COMMUNICATION.
As a replacement, they chose "Spirit of Service", but while on Nearly-Eternal-Hold with Qwest Customer Service, I heard the tag, "Are You In?". I asked the nice operator who eventually woke me up to verify that "Are You In?" is their new slogan.
"One of them," she admitted nervously, "Um, can I help you?"
I suggested that "Are You In?" could be one of several in a series of witty marketing slogans, and the next one can be, "Are you done?" and then "Are you sure?" or "Was it good for you?"
She didn't think it was that funny.
KTHXBYE,
-CZ
Labels: Business Phenomena
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
FCC Recognizes Payola Scandal - Almost Punishes Recording Industry!
The FMC (Future of Music Coalition) has been working for over seven years to try and stop the recording industry from providing 'perks' to the radio stations in exchange for airplay, a practice so well-known, that it garnered a nickname: Payola.
Payola is unfair to small labels and independent artists, who simply don't have the resources to compete against the deep pockets of the recording industry.
It's sad to see the recording industry go on a smear campaign of their own customers and harp endlessly about how "Filesharing Is A Crime" but then blatantly engage in the equally illegal practice of greasing the palms of the Radio Station Program Directors for airtime.
But it looks like we are one step closer to the end of Payola.
The Twelve Million dollars the industry bigwigs had to cough up is like about Twelve Dollars to you and me, hell the FCC probably spent more than that on their investigation. All the nonsense about "Maintaining Compliance" through data collection and yearly training is bullshit. This stuff was all 'off the books' before, do you think they are going to start writing down shit like:
-Dec 01: Received Front-Row Tix for NIN concert in exchange for playing Dougherty's latest crap.
-Dec 02: Received Limo Rental for one day, dinner at Jax, a hummer, and a strawberry fruit smoothie in exchange for playing Dashboard Confessional's latest crap. (Also threw in a 12-pack or Pabst Blue Ribbon for the DJ if he would say that he personally loved the band.)
Not.
The cool thing about the FCC's decision is that they are requiring Radio Stations to provide more than 4000 hours of airtime to local and independent artists. It should make for some more diverse programming on terrestrial radio, something I NEVER thought would come to pass.
I might actually listen in to my local radio stations again.
Blog on,
-CZ
0 Comments
Permalink
Payola is unfair to small labels and independent artists, who simply don't have the resources to compete against the deep pockets of the recording industry.
It's sad to see the recording industry go on a smear campaign of their own customers and harp endlessly about how "Filesharing Is A Crime" but then blatantly engage in the equally illegal practice of greasing the palms of the Radio Station Program Directors for airtime.
But it looks like we are one step closer to the end of Payola.
The Twelve Million dollars the industry bigwigs had to cough up is like about Twelve Dollars to you and me, hell the FCC probably spent more than that on their investigation. All the nonsense about "Maintaining Compliance" through data collection and yearly training is bullshit. This stuff was all 'off the books' before, do you think they are going to start writing down shit like:
-Dec 01: Received Front-Row Tix for NIN concert in exchange for playing Dougherty's latest crap.
-Dec 02: Received Limo Rental for one day, dinner at Jax, a hummer, and a strawberry fruit smoothie in exchange for playing Dashboard Confessional's latest crap. (Also threw in a 12-pack or Pabst Blue Ribbon for the DJ if he would say that he personally loved the band.)
Not.
The cool thing about the FCC's decision is that they are requiring Radio Stations to provide more than 4000 hours of airtime to local and independent artists. It should make for some more diverse programming on terrestrial radio, something I NEVER thought would come to pass.
I might actually listen in to my local radio stations again.
Blog on,
-CZ
Labels: Business Phenomena, Dashboard Confessional Sucks, Music Industry
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
The Album Is Dead! (Part Two)
Hey, the Recording Industry reads my blog!
Check out this story in the NY Times by Jeff Leeds, about a group just signed by a record label..
...to do Two songs. TWO. Thas'all.
Sound Familiar?
The album distribution model was perfect for hard-copy records, tapes and CDs. So you really liked "Pour Some Sugar On Me" because you heard it on the radio. You ran down to Musicland on 3 August in 1987 and bought Hysteria the day it came out. You paid $11.99
Why did you pay that much for one song? You didn't. You only wanted the 'hit', and you might have actually paid twelve bucks for it, but that truly would be a rip-off, since the single (in cassette tape format, natch) was available for $3.99. That makes 12 songs for twelve bucks sound like a hell of a deal. Those were your options, and they sucked.
But not anymore. On the interweb, you preview each song before you buy it, and you pick and choose the songs you want. Who the hell wants to buy the entire album of Wang Chung's "Points on the Curve"?
You only want this song, and this one. Maybe this one, if you're a true fan.
But this? It's crap. If it was a piece of furniture in your house, you would pay to have it hauled away; you certainly wouldn't want to be caught Dead with it taking up space in your I-Dope Shuffle. The song was tossed into the album so the price could be set higher, a technique called "Value Added", a concept thought up by a marketing person who should have been disemboweled for coming up with the idea.
Yes, the time is up for the album. It's just as well, since few bands use albums to their full potential anyway. The article mentions Tool and Radiohead, but has anyone heard of Jethro Tull's "Thick as a Brick"? The CD has one track on it, about 45 min long. Its not even a concept album. It's a 45 min SONG.
Concept albums? Nobody does that anymore. You'd have to be drunk or stupid to even try that shit nowadays.
But the real proof that the record companies read my blog? I quote:
Another solution being debated in the industry would transform record labels into de facto fan clubs. Companies including the Warner Music Group and the EMI Group have been considering a system in which fans would pay a fee, perhaps monthly, to “subscribe” to their favorite artists and receive a series of recordings, videos and other products spaced over time.
From: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/26/business/media/26music.html?ex=1332561600&en=7a34accc8988c811&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
I wonder if I will get any credit for coming up with the idea first.
Blog on,
-CZ
0 Comments
Permalink
Check out this story in the NY Times by Jeff Leeds, about a group just signed by a record label..
...to do Two songs. TWO. Thas'all.
Sound Familiar?
The album distribution model was perfect for hard-copy records, tapes and CDs. So you really liked "Pour Some Sugar On Me" because you heard it on the radio. You ran down to Musicland on 3 August in 1987 and bought Hysteria the day it came out. You paid $11.99
Why did you pay that much for one song? You didn't. You only wanted the 'hit', and you might have actually paid twelve bucks for it, but that truly would be a rip-off, since the single (in cassette tape format, natch) was available for $3.99. That makes 12 songs for twelve bucks sound like a hell of a deal. Those were your options, and they sucked.
But not anymore. On the interweb, you preview each song before you buy it, and you pick and choose the songs you want. Who the hell wants to buy the entire album of Wang Chung's "Points on the Curve"?
You only want this song, and this one. Maybe this one, if you're a true fan.
But this? It's crap. If it was a piece of furniture in your house, you would pay to have it hauled away; you certainly wouldn't want to be caught Dead with it taking up space in your I-Dope Shuffle. The song was tossed into the album so the price could be set higher, a technique called "Value Added", a concept thought up by a marketing person who should have been disemboweled for coming up with the idea.
Yes, the time is up for the album. It's just as well, since few bands use albums to their full potential anyway. The article mentions Tool and Radiohead, but has anyone heard of Jethro Tull's "Thick as a Brick"? The CD has one track on it, about 45 min long. Its not even a concept album. It's a 45 min SONG.
Concept albums? Nobody does that anymore. You'd have to be drunk or stupid to even try that shit nowadays.
But the real proof that the record companies read my blog? I quote:
Another solution being debated in the industry would transform record labels into de facto fan clubs. Companies including the Warner Music Group and the EMI Group have been considering a system in which fans would pay a fee, perhaps monthly, to “subscribe” to their favorite artists and receive a series of recordings, videos and other products spaced over time.
From: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/26/business/media/26music.html?ex=1332561600&en=7a34accc8988c811&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
I wonder if I will get any credit for coming up with the idea first.
Blog on,
-CZ
Labels: Business Phenomena, consumerism, Cultural Observation, Million Dollar Idea, music, Music Industry
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
The fate of indie music as we know it
A Smashing (albeit lengthy) article on Salon.com about the 20 Mar 2007 rulings by the FCC and Copyright Royalty Board, which put the screws to internet radio services by retroactively charging them increased royalties for internet radio services.
While I'm sorry for internet radio services like Pandora and AccuRadio who now owes Millions more than they ever made with their services, I know this is the kind of thing that happens when a multibillion dollar industry has their claws around the testes of the government. You don't tug on Superman's Cape, you don't spit into the wind, you don't pull the mask off the Lone Ranger, you don't visit Crystal, MN without packing some heat, and you don't set up shop against the record industry without some serious lawyers, insurance, and compromising pix of high-ranking officials.
The recording industry is laughing now, but it sounds to me like they just pulled the trigger before they looked to see which way the gun was pointing. While this ruling might kill internet radio, and toss the Recording Industry enough cash to sue some more innocent fans, it will also dissuade new artists AWAY from the old royalty paradigm, and onto things like creative commons licensing, and services like magnatune.
Blog on,
-CZ
0 Comments
Permalink
While I'm sorry for internet radio services like Pandora and AccuRadio who now owes Millions more than they ever made with their services, I know this is the kind of thing that happens when a multibillion dollar industry has their claws around the testes of the government. You don't tug on Superman's Cape, you don't spit into the wind, you don't pull the mask off the Lone Ranger, you don't visit Crystal, MN without packing some heat, and you don't set up shop against the record industry without some serious lawyers, insurance, and compromising pix of high-ranking officials.
The recording industry is laughing now, but it sounds to me like they just pulled the trigger before they looked to see which way the gun was pointing. While this ruling might kill internet radio, and toss the Recording Industry enough cash to sue some more innocent fans, it will also dissuade new artists AWAY from the old royalty paradigm, and onto things like creative commons licensing, and services like magnatune.
Blog on,
-CZ
Labels: Business Phenomena, Music Industry
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
The 2007 'Worst Company in America' Award
Conratulations to the RIAA on their overwhelming landslide victory in the 'Worst Company in America' Award" for 2007!
Don't forget, this month is Boycott the RIAA month! Help get the word out that DRM infection and lawsuits against innocent people are not acceptable. Tell the Recording Industry to read Lefsetz if they want to know why their CD sales are in the shitter.
Tell them a quality band or two might be in their own best interest. Arcade Fire is a good start. Hinder (Rhymes with 'bee-hind-er') is Not. Tell them Divas are DONE, and they should trade in one Gwen Steffani for a dozen talented bands. Tell them to shoot their marketing departments and put Lefsetz or myself in charge, (maybe both), and we could turn that dying dog around. Maybe.
Or perhaps, tell them to stop living in the past, join us in the present, and listen to reason, instead of Keeping Their Heads Buried In Their Lower Intestines.
For gods sake, someone tell them that MTV is dead, and we need a necromancer to bring it back!
Blog on,
-CZ
0 Comments
Permalink
Don't forget, this month is Boycott the RIAA month! Help get the word out that DRM infection and lawsuits against innocent people are not acceptable. Tell the Recording Industry to read Lefsetz if they want to know why their CD sales are in the shitter.
Tell them a quality band or two might be in their own best interest. Arcade Fire is a good start. Hinder (Rhymes with 'bee-hind-er') is Not. Tell them Divas are DONE, and they should trade in one Gwen Steffani for a dozen talented bands. Tell them to shoot their marketing departments and put Lefsetz or myself in charge, (maybe both), and we could turn that dying dog around. Maybe.
Or perhaps, tell them to stop living in the past, join us in the present, and listen to reason, instead of Keeping Their Heads Buried In Their Lower Intestines.
For gods sake, someone tell them that MTV is dead, and we need a necromancer to bring it back!
Blog on,
-CZ
Labels: Business Phenomena, DRM Sucks, Music Industry
Friday, March 09, 2007
Burnlounge
Burnlounge is a classic Multi-Level Marketing site that gives YOU the OPPORTUNITY to make money selling music! Open and Manage your own virtual music store! Your very own Sam Goody (or Musicland, for those who remember such things). Make your OWN website, PROMOTE it YOURSELF, then sit back and RAKE IN THE CASH!
Of course, we know this is bullshit. What this really is, is a chance for you to try to make other people money.
Care to know who your comptetition is? I-Tunes. Napster. Rhapsody. You might have heard of them. I hope you have some $$$$ because it's going to take some serious marketing to compete with them. Somehow, burnlounge believes that you are so foolish, and that the power of Multi-Level Marketing will somehow make them a competitor.
Talk about despiration.
Now, they might have had a ghost of a chance except for three things.
1) D
2) R
3) M
The fact that burnlounge has partnered up with Warner, Universal, EMI, and Sony should tell you all you need to know. Never mind that they try to play both sides by including IODA and CD Baby, it did not take long reading through the Terms of Use to find this:
Conditions to Sublicensing of Digital Downloads to You. Digital Rights Management ("DRM") software will be downloaded onto your Approved Electronic Devices along with your Digital Download music files, and will limit your uses as specified in the Usage Rules.
A lot of the online reviews of Burnlounge talk about whether the business model of MLM can succeed or not. It can't, but that misses the point:
DRM IS EVIL!
Don't support burnlounge. Support DRM-Free sites like
emusic
mp3tunes
Audio Lunchbox
Hype Machine
Garage Band
Amazon.com
mp3 Fiesta
etc...
Blog on,
-CZ
0 Comments
Permalink
Of course, we know this is bullshit. What this really is, is a chance for you to try to make other people money.
Care to know who your comptetition is? I-Tunes. Napster. Rhapsody. You might have heard of them. I hope you have some $$$$ because it's going to take some serious marketing to compete with them. Somehow, burnlounge believes that you are so foolish, and that the power of Multi-Level Marketing will somehow make them a competitor.
Talk about despiration.
Now, they might have had a ghost of a chance except for three things.
1) D
2) R
3) M
The fact that burnlounge has partnered up with Warner, Universal, EMI, and Sony should tell you all you need to know. Never mind that they try to play both sides by including IODA and CD Baby, it did not take long reading through the Terms of Use to find this:
Conditions to Sublicensing of Digital Downloads to You. Digital Rights Management ("DRM") software will be downloaded onto your Approved Electronic Devices along with your Digital Download music files, and will limit your uses as specified in the Usage Rules.
A lot of the online reviews of Burnlounge talk about whether the business model of MLM can succeed or not. It can't, but that misses the point:
DRM IS EVIL!
Don't support burnlounge. Support DRM-Free sites like
emusic
mp3tunes
Audio Lunchbox
Hype Machine
Garage Band
Amazon.com
mp3 Fiesta
etc...
Blog on,
-CZ
Labels: Business Phenomena, DRM Sucks, Music Industry
Monday, February 26, 2007
The Album Is Dead!
Albums are dead.
I love it when Lefsetz is right, and he's always right. Now he's saying that 'the album is dead' and long live the single. People can not only buy the singles they want, but they can also mix their own playlists. They play the SONGS they want, not generally the ALBUMS. In many cases, there is only one song on the album that is any good. Commercial Radio stations (remember them?) only play the singles anyway.
This is not news to anyone. I've thought this ever since first hearing the term 'One-Hit Wonder'.
So why bother writing an album? Why not just write a hit?
Of course, it does not work that-a-way. I can tell you firsthand that when a group gets together and writes songs, they don't know which one is going to be The One (if any at all). If it were that easy, the entire album would be filled with hits! Oh, the band has their favorites, and their not-as-favorites, they might even have some 'throwaway' or 'filler' songs that don't SUCK per se, but they aren't single-worthy. But part of any hit is hook, and part is luck.
Lefsetz is right that the record companies would be nothing but wise to change from the Album paradigm to the Single paradigm. The majority of the consumers already have. Perhaps releasing songs one track at a time is a better distribution method? Doesn't it suck to wait YEARS for your favorites band's next release? Wouldn't it be cool if your favorite band released a new single EVERY MONTH instead? Wouldn't it keep your interest in a band longer? Hell, by the time Tapes-N-Tapes release another stiff, you won't remember that you even bought their old one!
Wouldn't it be cool if a band promoted their upcoming album by releasing it a track at a time on the internet FOR FREE?
Blog on,
-CZ
2 Comments
Permalink
I love it when Lefsetz is right, and he's always right. Now he's saying that 'the album is dead' and long live the single. People can not only buy the singles they want, but they can also mix their own playlists. They play the SONGS they want, not generally the ALBUMS. In many cases, there is only one song on the album that is any good. Commercial Radio stations (remember them?) only play the singles anyway.
This is not news to anyone. I've thought this ever since first hearing the term 'One-Hit Wonder'.
So why bother writing an album? Why not just write a hit?
Of course, it does not work that-a-way. I can tell you firsthand that when a group gets together and writes songs, they don't know which one is going to be The One (if any at all). If it were that easy, the entire album would be filled with hits! Oh, the band has their favorites, and their not-as-favorites, they might even have some 'throwaway' or 'filler' songs that don't SUCK per se, but they aren't single-worthy. But part of any hit is hook, and part is luck.
Lefsetz is right that the record companies would be nothing but wise to change from the Album paradigm to the Single paradigm. The majority of the consumers already have. Perhaps releasing songs one track at a time is a better distribution method? Doesn't it suck to wait YEARS for your favorites band's next release? Wouldn't it be cool if your favorite band released a new single EVERY MONTH instead? Wouldn't it keep your interest in a band longer? Hell, by the time Tapes-N-Tapes release another stiff, you won't remember that you even bought their old one!
Wouldn't it be cool if a band promoted their upcoming album by releasing it a track at a time on the internet FOR FREE?
Blog on,
-CZ
Labels: Business Phenomena, Million Dollar Idea, Music Industry
Monday, February 12, 2007
Value Subtracted - Version Release Syndrome
We are way beyond the magical year 2000 now. Turns out Nostradamus didn't know shit. The world did not end (unfortunately) and I'm still paying for the end-of-the-world party I had in 1999. (still slightly hungover too...)
So here we are in 2007, and there are 3 things that Should Be, but Are Not.
1) Flying Cars - Where the hell are they already?
2) VR - We been looking forward to Virtual Reality ever since the fucking Holodeck, and the closest we ever got was this crap. Sure the holodeck in Star Trek ended up malfunctioning over half the time, killing hundreds of people, but that's what they make release forms and waivers for, right?
3) Software as a Service, not a Product - Alright, so we ain't been waiting on this one for near as long, but I loaded up the new Adobe Reader 8 and I'm wondering how is this different from version 7? Version 6? Version 3?
What Adobe Reader changed from previous versions is to hide all the buttons people used to use (Like 'Save A Copy'? Yeah, glad you got rid of *that* useless button)and replace them with buttons that should be labeled 'Give Adobe Money For Added Useless Functions!'
For instance - BEYOND Adobe Reader? What the fuck is Beyond Adobe Reader? ***BEYOND*** Adobe Reader? And a meeting button? In Adobe Reader? WTF?
The casual user doesn't use any of those 'Value Subtracted' features, they use it to view PDF files. Let me rephrase that in a parable for Adobe:
[Setting: The Pearly Gates]
God - "Alright mortal, before you can enter Heaven, you must answer this question, and answer it honest and truthfully, or shalt thou forever burn in a fiery pit of, um... of Fire!"
Adobe Reader User (terrified) - "Yes Lord."
God - "Now, What is your favorite color?"
Adobe Reader User (confused) -"???"
God - "Ha! Sorry, just fuckin with you there..."
Adobe Reader User (relieved) - "Whew!"
God - "Right. What is the purpose for Adobe Acrobat Reader?"
Adobe Reader User (sweating) - "Um, to read PDF files?"
God - "Correct!"
No dig against Adobe. Microsoft Money and Intuit's Quicken programs haven't changed functionality in Years and Years, but they have continued to release new versions every year. And Windows? Exactly what I am talking about. Microsoft should hand me a couple million just for making this observation to them.
They have bought into the paradigm that a Software Product is a living, breathing entity, which ebbs and flows like the tide, continually morphing into new and exciting user experiences under the guidance and direction of our marketing department...
...but they are wrong. Sorry, into the fiery pit of Fire with you. Thanks for playing, we have some lovely parting gifts for you.
If you can't write a piece of software and call it done then you don't have a Product. You have a Service. If customers buy your software off the shelf, install it on their computers and never look back, then you have a product. But what we have instead is what I call Version Release Syndrome.
It isn't hard to understand why. You have hundreds of people working on the project. For months. Years. You fine tune, and you beta test, and you work work work. Suddenly, the shareholders scream in unison. The press has been notified, the preorder checks have already been spent, and the market is buckling under the stress of waiting. The drop dead date is etched in bits on the internet. There is no more time, and not enough caffeine in the world.
Somewhere a file is transferred to the duplicator. You just went gold.
After the programmers come out of their comas, then comes all the frustration of shoulda/woulda/coulda. Shoulda added this feature. Woulda got more user feedback. Coulda done more testing. If we only had more time. Here we got this big money-making-machine, and it's a shame to shut it all down now, I mean, what are all these talented people going to *DO* now? The juggernaut has only paused for a breath, and it would be SO DIFFICULT to shut it down, and SO EASY to...
Keep going.
The beauty of the interweb has only enabled this attitude. Software companies can ship unfinished and untested 'product' and provide patches later. Just slip in a clause into the EULA, and bam! You can make money today on software that isn't even finished! Game companies are the most notorious for this, but at least They draw the line on their releases at some point, so they truly are a Product. Imagine if music or movies did this! (although with DVD re-releases and CD remasters this can be done to some extent)
Like Stick says, "This is Not the way."
No. What companies will eventually realize is that software in all its forms, movies, music, e-books, webpages, RSS News Feeds, blogs, and even operating systems should be distributed as services, not products. Charge a subscription for them. In case you didn't know it, you already are, but it's just about the clumsiest system I can imagine.
Instead of trying to trick your customers into upgrading to the new version, get them to sign on as subscribing customers. Which way do you think will make more money? (And DO NOT USE THE WORDS 'LONG TAIL' OR I WILL KICK YOUR ASS!)
AOL understands this. Give the software away. Free. Charge a subscription for the service, like a utility.
This IS the way.
Blog on,
-CZ
1 Comments
Permalink
So here we are in 2007, and there are 3 things that Should Be, but Are Not.
1) Flying Cars - Where the hell are they already?
2) VR - We been looking forward to Virtual Reality ever since the fucking Holodeck, and the closest we ever got was this crap. Sure the holodeck in Star Trek ended up malfunctioning over half the time, killing hundreds of people, but that's what they make release forms and waivers for, right?
3) Software as a Service, not a Product - Alright, so we ain't been waiting on this one for near as long, but I loaded up the new Adobe Reader 8 and I'm wondering how is this different from version 7? Version 6? Version 3?
What Adobe Reader changed from previous versions is to hide all the buttons people used to use (Like 'Save A Copy'? Yeah, glad you got rid of *that* useless button)and replace them with buttons that should be labeled 'Give Adobe Money For Added Useless Functions!'
For instance - BEYOND Adobe Reader? What the fuck is Beyond Adobe Reader? ***BEYOND*** Adobe Reader? And a meeting button? In Adobe Reader? WTF?
The casual user doesn't use any of those 'Value Subtracted' features, they use it to view PDF files. Let me rephrase that in a parable for Adobe:
[Setting: The Pearly Gates]
God - "Alright mortal, before you can enter Heaven, you must answer this question, and answer it honest and truthfully, or shalt thou forever burn in a fiery pit of, um... of Fire!"
Adobe Reader User (terrified) - "Yes Lord."
God - "Now, What is your favorite color?"
Adobe Reader User (confused) -"???"
God - "Ha! Sorry, just fuckin with you there..."
Adobe Reader User (relieved) - "Whew!"
God - "Right. What is the purpose for Adobe Acrobat Reader?"
Adobe Reader User (sweating) - "Um, to read PDF files?"
God - "Correct!"
No dig against Adobe. Microsoft Money and Intuit's Quicken programs haven't changed functionality in Years and Years, but they have continued to release new versions every year. And Windows? Exactly what I am talking about. Microsoft should hand me a couple million just for making this observation to them.
They have bought into the paradigm that a Software Product is a living, breathing entity, which ebbs and flows like the tide, continually morphing into new and exciting user experiences under the guidance and direction of our marketing department...
...but they are wrong. Sorry, into the fiery pit of Fire with you. Thanks for playing, we have some lovely parting gifts for you.
If you can't write a piece of software and call it done then you don't have a Product. You have a Service. If customers buy your software off the shelf, install it on their computers and never look back, then you have a product. But what we have instead is what I call Version Release Syndrome.
It isn't hard to understand why. You have hundreds of people working on the project. For months. Years. You fine tune, and you beta test, and you work work work. Suddenly, the shareholders scream in unison. The press has been notified, the preorder checks have already been spent, and the market is buckling under the stress of waiting. The drop dead date is etched in bits on the internet. There is no more time, and not enough caffeine in the world.
Somewhere a file is transferred to the duplicator. You just went gold.
After the programmers come out of their comas, then comes all the frustration of shoulda/woulda/coulda. Shoulda added this feature. Woulda got more user feedback. Coulda done more testing. If we only had more time. Here we got this big money-making-machine, and it's a shame to shut it all down now, I mean, what are all these talented people going to *DO* now? The juggernaut has only paused for a breath, and it would be SO DIFFICULT to shut it down, and SO EASY to...
Keep going.
The beauty of the interweb has only enabled this attitude. Software companies can ship unfinished and untested 'product' and provide patches later. Just slip in a clause into the EULA, and bam! You can make money today on software that isn't even finished! Game companies are the most notorious for this, but at least They draw the line on their releases at some point, so they truly are a Product. Imagine if music or movies did this! (although with DVD re-releases and CD remasters this can be done to some extent)
Like Stick says, "This is Not the way."
No. What companies will eventually realize is that software in all its forms, movies, music, e-books, webpages, RSS News Feeds, blogs, and even operating systems should be distributed as services, not products. Charge a subscription for them. In case you didn't know it, you already are, but it's just about the clumsiest system I can imagine.
Instead of trying to trick your customers into upgrading to the new version, get them to sign on as subscribing customers. Which way do you think will make more money? (And DO NOT USE THE WORDS 'LONG TAIL' OR I WILL KICK YOUR ASS!)
AOL understands this. Give the software away. Free. Charge a subscription for the service, like a utility.
This IS the way.
Blog on,
-CZ
Labels: Business Phenomena, Inner Philosopher, Million Dollar Idea, Technology
Monday, August 28, 2006
Self Checkout Evaluation Form
Another fine experience with the self-checkout, this time at Home Depot, where they fired all the checkout people and tried to replace them with a finicky machine, and tried to get consumers to interface with the fucking thing.
Seems to me that they could take that person who greets you at the door with applications for Home Depot Credit Cards and move him over to the checkout lanes, but I guess they would rather pay him to stand and look sad if you don't take one. (Actually had one of them tell me he had a quota of those things to give away... Man, is that ever low.)
It surprises me that they don't have vendors selling snacks in the checkout lines, I mean, people get hungry/thirsty after a while, but I guess they do have candy bars and pop near the checkout. Is it OK to open a diet coke and drink it before you have paid for it? What if I ate a couple bananas and kept the peels for the self checkout? Would that be OK?
Anyways, I thought it would be fun to stand at the Exit of businesses using self-checkout, and hand out questionaires to gather consumer opinions. Since I would more likely be shot than applauded for such actions, (by surly customers who just survived the Hell Of Self Checkout) I figured it was safer (and easier, let's be honest) to release the survey form on the interweb, and you can print them out on a day where you aren't quite as crabby as I am, and fill them out in all honesty, and drop them off at the shops that think it is OK to cut back on staff and have you do all the work.
Download and print out this handy form:
Self Checkout Eval Form.pdf
Thanks much to WalMart (and those who shop there) for reducing the cost of goods to the point where businesses have to cut back employees and have the customers fill in for them.
Blog on,
-CZ
2 Comments
Permalink
Seems to me that they could take that person who greets you at the door with applications for Home Depot Credit Cards and move him over to the checkout lanes, but I guess they would rather pay him to stand and look sad if you don't take one. (Actually had one of them tell me he had a quota of those things to give away... Man, is that ever low.)
It surprises me that they don't have vendors selling snacks in the checkout lines, I mean, people get hungry/thirsty after a while, but I guess they do have candy bars and pop near the checkout. Is it OK to open a diet coke and drink it before you have paid for it? What if I ate a couple bananas and kept the peels for the self checkout? Would that be OK?
Anyways, I thought it would be fun to stand at the Exit of businesses using self-checkout, and hand out questionaires to gather consumer opinions. Since I would more likely be shot than applauded for such actions, (by surly customers who just survived the Hell Of Self Checkout) I figured it was safer (and easier, let's be honest) to release the survey form on the interweb, and you can print them out on a day where you aren't quite as crabby as I am, and fill them out in all honesty, and drop them off at the shops that think it is OK to cut back on staff and have you do all the work.
Download and print out this handy form:
Self Checkout Eval Form.pdf
Thanks much to WalMart (and those who shop there) for reducing the cost of goods to the point where businesses have to cut back employees and have the customers fill in for them.
Blog on,
-CZ
Labels: anti, Business Phenomena, consumerism
Thursday, August 24, 2006
Personal Experience: Belkin Tech Support
11:05 - Called Belkin tech support. After navigating the phone push-button menu hell which was designed for those not paid by the hour, I was placed into the waiting que. The great thing about being on hold with Tech Support is that I can do almost anything and it still counts as work (to me, anyways). That includes internet research...
11:47 - The words "Your call is important to us" have burned into my brain along with the smooth jazz music to create a kind of annoying emo song that I am certain I could sell to Dashboard Confessional, I'm sure they would play it exactly the way it sounds in my head, and I'm sure I would hate it royally.
12:09 - Much to my surprise, someone answers the phone.
Belkin Tech Support Dude 1: "So what is the problem?"
Me: "The new, Belkin Gigabit Ethernet card model F5D5005 wont connect to the network switch at one Gig speed."
Tech1: "A gig?"
Me: "Yeah, one thousand Meg. It will only connect at 100 Meg. I've downloaded the latest drivers..."
Tech1: "Um, what internet service provider do you have?"
Me: "This has nothing to do with my internet service provider, I can't connect to the network switch at one gig speed."
Tech1: "Network?"
Me: "Yes, this is a business, we have a network, and the card will only connect to the switch at 100 meg. Not at one Gig, like it's supposed to."
Tech1: "Hmm. Well, if you could tell me your internet service provider..."
Me: "This problem is not related to the internet, it's the configuration of the card or the driver software. Our internet service provider can't help you."
Tech1: "I'm sorry, I can't process a ticket without knowing your internet service provider."
Me: "Sure. Fine. My internet service provider is a company called 'N Slash A'. That's 'N' as in Nancy..."
Tech1: "Could you hold please?"
12:09 - Put back on hold.
12:11 - New support person Tech2. Redescribed problem. He asked what OS I was running.
12:13 - Put back on hold.
12:15 - New tech support person.
Tech3: "Are you sure the hub you are trying to connect to is a gigabit hub?"
Me: "Yes, it's a Belkin Gigabit 8-port switch, model F5D5141-8. I have five other people connected to it at one Gig, so I know it works."
Tech3: "Hold on."
12:16 - back on hold. I'm wondering at this point if they realize that I'm enjoying the quiet time they are giving me. At least three people poked their head in and the speakerphone pumping out smooth jazz and assurances of how bloody important my call is keep them all at bay. Good thing I called so early in the day. I've completely caught up on all my e-mail, news, and blogs at this point. Even sent an e-mail request to Belkin's online tech support to see if the e-mail support might be faster, which would be kind of funny.
12:20 - Just about to try validating playing sugarcrash at work when an voice rudely interrupts my websurfing.
Tech4: "What I want you to do is to uninstall and reinstall the card please."
Me: "I already did that."
Tech4: "I know, but sometimes these things just get screwed up, and uninstalling then reinstalling fixes the problem."
Me: (internally - 'Um, that's why I already tried it...') "Sure. Fine. I need to go get a screwdriver, can you hold on?"
Tech4: "Yes."
12:24 - Tech4 is on hold as I look for a screwdriver. I couldn't find one in the bathroom, (although I did take the opportunity to use the facilities and wash my hands. Twice.) Also could not find a screwdriver in the breakroom, although someone had left some orange juice in the fridge, so that was pretty close. I settled for a Diet Coke.
12:28 - Finally found a screwdriver in my office, and returned to the computer and (surprisingly) tech4, still on hold.
Me: "Are you still there?"
Tech4: "Mmm Hmm."
12:30 - I proceed to remove the card, restart the computer, remove and reload the drivers. Shutdown, insert the card, restart the computer. The problem is still there.
12:45 - back on hold
12:48 - Another tech (not tech4 or tech1, but possibly tech2) tells me the card is bad, and they are sending another one. I can't wait, because the problem is not with the card, and I could use another hour of relaxing 'tech support time'...
Blog on,
-CZ
4 Comments
Permalink
11:47 - The words "Your call is important to us" have burned into my brain along with the smooth jazz music to create a kind of annoying emo song that I am certain I could sell to Dashboard Confessional, I'm sure they would play it exactly the way it sounds in my head, and I'm sure I would hate it royally.
12:09 - Much to my surprise, someone answers the phone.
Belkin Tech Support Dude 1: "So what is the problem?"
Me: "The new, Belkin Gigabit Ethernet card model F5D5005 wont connect to the network switch at one Gig speed."
Tech1: "A gig?"
Me: "Yeah, one thousand Meg. It will only connect at 100 Meg. I've downloaded the latest drivers..."
Tech1: "Um, what internet service provider do you have?"
Me: "This has nothing to do with my internet service provider, I can't connect to the network switch at one gig speed."
Tech1: "Network?"
Me: "Yes, this is a business, we have a network, and the card will only connect to the switch at 100 meg. Not at one Gig, like it's supposed to."
Tech1: "Hmm. Well, if you could tell me your internet service provider..."
Me: "This problem is not related to the internet, it's the configuration of the card or the driver software. Our internet service provider can't help you."
Tech1: "I'm sorry, I can't process a ticket without knowing your internet service provider."
Me: "Sure. Fine. My internet service provider is a company called 'N Slash A'. That's 'N' as in Nancy..."
Tech1: "Could you hold please?"
12:09 - Put back on hold.
12:11 - New support person Tech2. Redescribed problem. He asked what OS I was running.
12:13 - Put back on hold.
12:15 - New tech support person.
Tech3: "Are you sure the hub you are trying to connect to is a gigabit hub?"
Me: "Yes, it's a Belkin Gigabit 8-port switch, model F5D5141-8. I have five other people connected to it at one Gig, so I know it works."
Tech3: "Hold on."
12:16 - back on hold. I'm wondering at this point if they realize that I'm enjoying the quiet time they are giving me. At least three people poked their head in and the speakerphone pumping out smooth jazz and assurances of how bloody important my call is keep them all at bay. Good thing I called so early in the day. I've completely caught up on all my e-mail, news, and blogs at this point. Even sent an e-mail request to Belkin's online tech support to see if the e-mail support might be faster, which would be kind of funny.
12:20 - Just about to try validating playing sugarcrash at work when an voice rudely interrupts my websurfing.
Tech4: "What I want you to do is to uninstall and reinstall the card please."
Me: "I already did that."
Tech4: "I know, but sometimes these things just get screwed up, and uninstalling then reinstalling fixes the problem."
Me: (internally - 'Um, that's why I already tried it...') "Sure. Fine. I need to go get a screwdriver, can you hold on?"
Tech4: "Yes."
12:24 - Tech4 is on hold as I look for a screwdriver. I couldn't find one in the bathroom, (although I did take the opportunity to use the facilities and wash my hands. Twice.) Also could not find a screwdriver in the breakroom, although someone had left some orange juice in the fridge, so that was pretty close. I settled for a Diet Coke.
12:28 - Finally found a screwdriver in my office, and returned to the computer and (surprisingly) tech4, still on hold.
Me: "Are you still there?"
Tech4: "Mmm Hmm."
12:30 - I proceed to remove the card, restart the computer, remove and reload the drivers. Shutdown, insert the card, restart the computer. The problem is still there.
12:45 - back on hold
12:48 - Another tech (not tech4 or tech1, but possibly tech2) tells me the card is bad, and they are sending another one. I can't wait, because the problem is not with the card, and I could use another hour of relaxing 'tech support time'...
Blog on,
-CZ
Labels: A Day In The Life, Business Phenomena
Friday, July 07, 2006
The $10,000 miracle (maybe)
So my step-grandmother is not doing so well. Cancer, among other things, as if Cancer by itself weren't bad enough. Couple years ago, she moved to New Mexico, where the dry air is better for her aching joints, and I hear the meds are cheaper there. Unfortunately, she lives 80 miles from the nearest hospital. Not sure why.
She is on Medicare, (no health insurance) Her copay is $980 which seems a bit high, compared to my $20, especially since she doesn't have that kind of money. She's been to the hospital four times this year, and now has pretty much given up on things like walking around or even standing. The current guess is that she has about a month left or so...
[Editors Note: I know what you are thinking, "Where is the rant? Where does Conrad HIT THE CEILING AND START TYPING IN ALL CAPS? Be patient, it's coming...]
...she is on a test drug which costs $10,000 per month, but 'may' cure her, or at least, delay the inevitable. Since I am not in that situation, I can't make that decision for her, as to whether $10,000 is worth a shot at a cure.
But, $10,000 would buy one hell of a party.
I could fly to Amsterdam and sit backstage at a Rush concert.
I could fly to L.A. and pretend I was important like everyone else there.
I could meet Chris Carrabba and tell him how much I hate his fucking music.
I could meet Adam Sandler and kick him in the balls for making the same stupid movie over and over.
I could buy 10,000 lottery tickets, 7751 bottles of Diet Coke, over 600 bottles of Captain Morgan Rum, or enough Pop Rocks to fill up a swimming pool.
I could buy every season of Benny Hill on DVD, and rent a dozen female bodyguards to protect me while I watched them in the middle of the Women's Expo Convention.
Ten grand might buy enough explosive to drop on the San Andreas Fault line and sink California into the ocean, and have enough left over to party on the Arizona Coastline.
Yessirree, ten large would definitely get me on the Evening News before I kicked the bucket.
...but that isn't the rant. It's here:
WHY THE FUCK IS THE PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANY CHARGING TERMINALLY ILL PEOPLE FOR TEST DRUGS? [Editors Note: I warned you.]
Why are the test drugs not free? Once the fucking thing works, you can charge ten grand for it, and I would line up like everyone else to get it. Ten grand for something that even works 80 percent of the time, or extends your life for a year is worth it (maybe) but to take advantage of people who are so near to death that they will desperately jump at any chance for a little more time, or a miracle cure?
That is downright evil, even to me, and I'm an authority.
Give the damn drugs away for cryin' out loud! These people are HELPING YOU OUT by being your beta testers, and YOU ARE CHARGING THEM MONEY! It boggles my mind.
And anyone who tells me that 'the engineering and equipment to make those drugs is expensive' will be thrashed so badly, they will be taking those test drugs themselves. You want to work on a cure for cancer? Go right ahead, but charging people on their deathbeds to do your research for you is really, really low.
Blog on,
-CZ
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She is on Medicare, (no health insurance) Her copay is $980 which seems a bit high, compared to my $20, especially since she doesn't have that kind of money. She's been to the hospital four times this year, and now has pretty much given up on things like walking around or even standing. The current guess is that she has about a month left or so...
[Editors Note: I know what you are thinking, "Where is the rant? Where does Conrad HIT THE CEILING AND START TYPING IN ALL CAPS? Be patient, it's coming...]
...she is on a test drug which costs $10,000 per month, but 'may' cure her, or at least, delay the inevitable. Since I am not in that situation, I can't make that decision for her, as to whether $10,000 is worth a shot at a cure.
But, $10,000 would buy one hell of a party.
I could fly to Amsterdam and sit backstage at a Rush concert.
I could fly to L.A. and pretend I was important like everyone else there.
I could meet Chris Carrabba and tell him how much I hate his fucking music.
I could meet Adam Sandler and kick him in the balls for making the same stupid movie over and over.
I could buy 10,000 lottery tickets, 7751 bottles of Diet Coke, over 600 bottles of Captain Morgan Rum, or enough Pop Rocks to fill up a swimming pool.
I could buy every season of Benny Hill on DVD, and rent a dozen female bodyguards to protect me while I watched them in the middle of the Women's Expo Convention.
Ten grand might buy enough explosive to drop on the San Andreas Fault line and sink California into the ocean, and have enough left over to party on the Arizona Coastline.
Yessirree, ten large would definitely get me on the Evening News before I kicked the bucket.
...but that isn't the rant. It's here:
WHY THE FUCK IS THE PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANY CHARGING TERMINALLY ILL PEOPLE FOR TEST DRUGS? [Editors Note: I warned you.]
Why are the test drugs not free? Once the fucking thing works, you can charge ten grand for it, and I would line up like everyone else to get it. Ten grand for something that even works 80 percent of the time, or extends your life for a year is worth it (maybe) but to take advantage of people who are so near to death that they will desperately jump at any chance for a little more time, or a miracle cure?
That is downright evil, even to me, and I'm an authority.
Give the damn drugs away for cryin' out loud! These people are HELPING YOU OUT by being your beta testers, and YOU ARE CHARGING THEM MONEY! It boggles my mind.
And anyone who tells me that 'the engineering and equipment to make those drugs is expensive' will be thrashed so badly, they will be taking those test drugs themselves. You want to work on a cure for cancer? Go right ahead, but charging people on their deathbeds to do your research for you is really, really low.
Blog on,
-CZ
Labels: Business Phenomena, consumerism, rant
Wednesday, June 28, 2006
MN - Land of 10,000 Dickheads?
I stopped in at the drugstore (S.A.) in order to score (purchase) some non-prescription uppers (Jolt Cherry Bomb Cola) and in the middle of negotiations (while standing in line at the checkout) some strange cat (dude) bursts in the door, and in a casually-cruel tone directed at the two ladies behind the counter says, "Your fucking gas pumps don't work for shit, so I'm taking my business someplace else."
His attitude was so leisurely about the whole thing, and the women's reaction to it was so mild, I thought they must know him from somewhere. I laughed, and so did both ladies behind the counter and the two other people in line. Then the guy turned and stormed out. I turned to the person behind the counter and she just shook her head. I still couldn't tell exactly what had just happened. Maybe he was a mentally disturbed person making his daily circuit? Perhaps it was a coworker, trying to be funny? An out-of-work Improv actor who, at any moment, would come bursting back in with another strange persona?
"Was that guy serious?" I asked, still smiling.
"Afraid so," was the reply.
My smile faded. Strange how she wasn't surprised at all. "How, um, how often does *that* happen?"
"Every day."
"Yeah," the other lady chimed in, "at *least* once a day."
I suddenly felt the way I imagine Neo felt swallowing the red pill and having the veil of falseness ripped out from between himself and the rest of the world. Except maybe divide that by a couple million, but still... At least once per day, some dickhead takes out their aggression on the people behind the counter? AT LEAST ONCE PER DAY? Wow. This is what I'm talking about when I use the term Americans as a derogatory adjective.
If you have bad service, or receive bad product, or have a bad experience at a business, here are some things you can do that Don't entail wrecking the day of someone right out of High School who works for minimum wage and has to deal with dickheads like You all day...
1- Write a letter. Leave a letter for the manager, and let them know what a bad experience you had. This assumes you know how to write, you dickhead.
2- Send an e-mail. This assumes you have access to a computer, or at least a friend who has access to a computer. If you weren't such a dickhead, you might actually have some friends who would help you with this.
3- Ask to see the manager, and ask him/her what he/she is going to do about this problem. This is a huge pain in the ass, I know. But, the manager is the only one who gets paid to give a crap about making complaining dickheads like you happy. The manager is also the only one who might give a crap and do something about your complaint. Otherwise you are wasting your breath. The people behind the counter just laugh at you. The ones who aren't dickheads themselves will wait until after you are gone to laugh at you.
4- Don't Patronize That Place of Business. This one is the easiest, and even a dickhead like you should be able to pull this one off.
5- Don't Patronize That Place of Business and Tell Everyone You Know Not To Patronize It Either. I was recently at the CC Club and watched some positively Horrendous service in action from two separate bartenders. I know of some people (non-dickheads, in case you were wondering) who are going to #5 that place big time.
6 - Realize That There Are Other Dickheads In The World Besides Yourself, And Some Of Them Work In The Customer Service Industry. And you might just hold back judgement of an entire business based on your experience with one person. Just like everyone else should hold back judgement of your family based on their experience with a dickhead like you.
Every fucking day. Wow.
Blog on,
-CZ
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Permalink
His attitude was so leisurely about the whole thing, and the women's reaction to it was so mild, I thought they must know him from somewhere. I laughed, and so did both ladies behind the counter and the two other people in line. Then the guy turned and stormed out. I turned to the person behind the counter and she just shook her head. I still couldn't tell exactly what had just happened. Maybe he was a mentally disturbed person making his daily circuit? Perhaps it was a coworker, trying to be funny? An out-of-work Improv actor who, at any moment, would come bursting back in with another strange persona?
"Was that guy serious?" I asked, still smiling.
"Afraid so," was the reply.
My smile faded. Strange how she wasn't surprised at all. "How, um, how often does *that* happen?"
"Every day."
"Yeah," the other lady chimed in, "at *least* once a day."
I suddenly felt the way I imagine Neo felt swallowing the red pill and having the veil of falseness ripped out from between himself and the rest of the world. Except maybe divide that by a couple million, but still... At least once per day, some dickhead takes out their aggression on the people behind the counter? AT LEAST ONCE PER DAY? Wow. This is what I'm talking about when I use the term Americans as a derogatory adjective.
If you have bad service, or receive bad product, or have a bad experience at a business, here are some things you can do that Don't entail wrecking the day of someone right out of High School who works for minimum wage and has to deal with dickheads like You all day...
1- Write a letter. Leave a letter for the manager, and let them know what a bad experience you had. This assumes you know how to write, you dickhead.
2- Send an e-mail. This assumes you have access to a computer, or at least a friend who has access to a computer. If you weren't such a dickhead, you might actually have some friends who would help you with this.
3- Ask to see the manager, and ask him/her what he/she is going to do about this problem. This is a huge pain in the ass, I know. But, the manager is the only one who gets paid to give a crap about making complaining dickheads like you happy. The manager is also the only one who might give a crap and do something about your complaint. Otherwise you are wasting your breath. The people behind the counter just laugh at you. The ones who aren't dickheads themselves will wait until after you are gone to laugh at you.
4- Don't Patronize That Place of Business. This one is the easiest, and even a dickhead like you should be able to pull this one off.
5- Don't Patronize That Place of Business and Tell Everyone You Know Not To Patronize It Either. I was recently at the CC Club and watched some positively Horrendous service in action from two separate bartenders. I know of some people (non-dickheads, in case you were wondering) who are going to #5 that place big time.
6 - Realize That There Are Other Dickheads In The World Besides Yourself, And Some Of Them Work In The Customer Service Industry. And you might just hold back judgement of an entire business based on your experience with one person. Just like everyone else should hold back judgement of your family based on their experience with a dickhead like you.
Every fucking day. Wow.
Blog on,
-CZ
Labels: americans, anti, Business Phenomena, Etiquette
Monday, June 19, 2006
The "New Man"
I've been working on a theory about the direction the music/recording industry would take, based on its present predicament.
In the past, the industry would simply wait for talented folks to come to their door in Los Angeles. This made sense, because this is what you did when you thought you might have some talent. You sold everything, moved to L.A., blew a record exec, and maybe you got a contract.
One night, after mixing LSD, Red Bull, and Whiskas Cat Treats, an executive had the radical idea that there might be talent Outside of L.A., Hell, possibly even Outside of CALIFORNIA ITSELF in one of those other states people in California sometimes hear about.
Thus was born the Talent Scout, whose job was to sift the talent from the masses, for mass consumption. And life was good. Middle-aged, balding, overweight, uneducated, Recording Industry executives could still get laid. Talented, moralless, illiterate people could still get a record deal (Without moving to California). Consumers could believe that what poured from their speakers was nothing but the Golden Manna of songcraft, filtered from the musical heavens by people who were true authorities on what 'good music' really was all about.
Until The God-Damned-Interweb came along, and fucked up the works.
Now, any fool with an Internet connection and a soundcard can hack and wail into their computer and post it to their myspace page. (Ex: www.myspace.com/jaggedspiral ) People across the globe can find, sample, download and Paypal all the music in the world, right from their bedroom, without even getting dressed.
For a moment, the Recording Industry was able to hold off the tide, by doing things that your average home recording enthusiast couldn't dream of: No, not Use Talented Musicians, you silly! I mean: Slick Production. Bob Rock! Brittney Spears! Production so slick it ran through your ears like Castor Oil.
But the tide could not be held back. In fact, the discriminating public, realizing that they had been listening only to bands who would sleep with Middle-aged, balding, overweight, uneducated, Recording Industry executives, began to turn a blind ear to the overproduced fluff coming from the Record Industry, and the Independent (Also known as "Indie", or "Nothing-To-Do-With-The-Recording-Industry") Genre was born.
You are here. Enjoy your stay.
But you can't. Because you KNOW what is good. Really, truly objectively good. You liked Nirvana WAY before anyone else. You liked Cake, and Crystal Method, and Coheed and Cambria...and let's not even mention that you knew that Tapes 'n Tapes were good BEFORE YOU YOURSELF EVEN HEARD THEM! HA!! SO THERE!!
But you find yourself drowning in a barrage of independent music from every direction. Radio stations abound, whose program directors feed every scrap of audio into their playlist and hit "Random". You can't stand in a group of more than four people at the bus stop, for fear that a fucking Music Fest will break out. You are drowning in a sea of, well, everyfuckingbody throwing their demo recordings into the caucophony web of the AudioNet, and everyotherfuckingbody tossing out their blog-review of what is like, the best band in 4EvR!!!
So where is here? You are stuck between two hells. On the one hand, you are not going to fall for what "The Man" tells you is good, and on the other hand, it is impossible to navigate the quagmire of "This is the New Good Music"-dom that floods every conceivable media outlet. Even if you could, there simply isnt enough time in the average human life expectancy to sift through it all. So what is left to do?
I will offer you two solutions, but you won't like either of them.
One option is to re-invent "the man". Yes, you must find yourself a resource that you trust to make judgement calls about what is good music. Even if you don't agree with them 100%, you sill must find some source of filtered music. For instance, www.vita.mn , www.pitchforkmedia.com or the inevitable www.myspace.com
The other option is to embrace the Buddhist approach of letting go of desire. You must let go of the lazy, American desire to have someone, anyone hand you "good" music that you will like, because this is impossible, and only causes suffering. There are two things you have in common with every other person on the planet. You won't agree on pizza toppings, and you won't agree what music to listen to while eating said pizza.
I told you that you wouldn't like either option.
Clearly, Americans are all about the cheap way out. They want someone to tell them what is good, because they can't be bothered to pay attention themselves. They are not fans of music, they just want to hear music they believe is good.
They have chosen poorly. In the meantime, sites such as www.pitchforkmedia.com will proliferate and spread until they start charging admission, or advertising, or sexual favors to get your band a favorable listing.
And the New "Man" is born, build by your own hands to keep you down...
Blog on,
-CZ
0 Comments
Permalink
In the past, the industry would simply wait for talented folks to come to their door in Los Angeles. This made sense, because this is what you did when you thought you might have some talent. You sold everything, moved to L.A., blew a record exec, and maybe you got a contract.
One night, after mixing LSD, Red Bull, and Whiskas Cat Treats, an executive had the radical idea that there might be talent Outside of L.A., Hell, possibly even Outside of CALIFORNIA ITSELF in one of those other states people in California sometimes hear about.
Thus was born the Talent Scout, whose job was to sift the talent from the masses, for mass consumption. And life was good. Middle-aged, balding, overweight, uneducated, Recording Industry executives could still get laid. Talented, moralless, illiterate people could still get a record deal (Without moving to California). Consumers could believe that what poured from their speakers was nothing but the Golden Manna of songcraft, filtered from the musical heavens by people who were true authorities on what 'good music' really was all about.
Until The God-Damned-Interweb came along, and fucked up the works.
Now, any fool with an Internet connection and a soundcard can hack and wail into their computer and post it to their myspace page. (Ex: www.myspace.com/jaggedspiral ) People across the globe can find, sample, download and Paypal all the music in the world, right from their bedroom, without even getting dressed.
For a moment, the Recording Industry was able to hold off the tide, by doing things that your average home recording enthusiast couldn't dream of: No, not Use Talented Musicians, you silly! I mean: Slick Production. Bob Rock! Brittney Spears! Production so slick it ran through your ears like Castor Oil.
But the tide could not be held back. In fact, the discriminating public, realizing that they had been listening only to bands who would sleep with Middle-aged, balding, overweight, uneducated, Recording Industry executives, began to turn a blind ear to the overproduced fluff coming from the Record Industry, and the Independent (Also known as "Indie", or "Nothing-To-Do-With-The-Recording-Industry") Genre was born.
You are here. Enjoy your stay.
But you can't. Because you KNOW what is good. Really, truly objectively good. You liked Nirvana WAY before anyone else. You liked Cake, and Crystal Method, and Coheed and Cambria...and let's not even mention that you knew that Tapes 'n Tapes were good BEFORE YOU YOURSELF EVEN HEARD THEM! HA!! SO THERE!!
But you find yourself drowning in a barrage of independent music from every direction. Radio stations abound, whose program directors feed every scrap of audio into their playlist and hit "Random". You can't stand in a group of more than four people at the bus stop, for fear that a fucking Music Fest will break out. You are drowning in a sea of, well, everyfuckingbody throwing their demo recordings into the caucophony web of the AudioNet, and everyotherfuckingbody tossing out their blog-review of what is like, the best band in 4EvR!!!
So where is here? You are stuck between two hells. On the one hand, you are not going to fall for what "The Man" tells you is good, and on the other hand, it is impossible to navigate the quagmire of "This is the New Good Music"-dom that floods every conceivable media outlet. Even if you could, there simply isnt enough time in the average human life expectancy to sift through it all. So what is left to do?
I will offer you two solutions, but you won't like either of them.
One option is to re-invent "the man". Yes, you must find yourself a resource that you trust to make judgement calls about what is good music. Even if you don't agree with them 100%, you sill must find some source of filtered music. For instance, www.vita.mn , www.pitchforkmedia.com or the inevitable www.myspace.com
The other option is to embrace the Buddhist approach of letting go of desire. You must let go of the lazy, American desire to have someone, anyone hand you "good" music that you will like, because this is impossible, and only causes suffering. There are two things you have in common with every other person on the planet. You won't agree on pizza toppings, and you won't agree what music to listen to while eating said pizza.
I told you that you wouldn't like either option.
Clearly, Americans are all about the cheap way out. They want someone to tell them what is good, because they can't be bothered to pay attention themselves. They are not fans of music, they just want to hear music they believe is good.
They have chosen poorly. In the meantime, sites such as www.pitchforkmedia.com will proliferate and spread until they start charging admission, or advertising, or sexual favors to get your band a favorable listing.
And the New "Man" is born, build by your own hands to keep you down...
Blog on,
-CZ
Labels: Business Phenomena, Music Industry
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