DudeAsInCool

There is no greater enemy of the music business than the music industry itself. Never before in the history of mass entertainment have we witnessed an industry who worked harder to destroy itself. Maybe once upon a time, music companies tried to expand their business and reach wider audiences, but those days ended long ago…and if the RIAA has its way, they’ll be gone for good. Let us count some the major mistakes the industry has made in our lifetimes: cheering on ownership consolidation that squeezes out diversity on local radio; standing on the sidelines while the Internet revolutionized the way listeners access music…and then trying to close the barn door after the horse had galloped to the next continent; applauding the Copyright Royalty Board’s decision to raise royalty rates on Internet Radio. In the past several weeks, we’ve seen the recording industry agree to pay penance for engaging in the age-old practice of payola. You know, where the companies pay to have their music played on the radio. Because, you know, radio is the greatest possible promotional device known to the industry. It leads to sales of music (unless you count those pesky souls who tape record songs off the radio). Of course, these same executives who authorize illegal payments are starting to realize a sad truth about radio: the music companies don’t really make money off the radio. “But wait!” they say, sitting in their executive suites. “We have new technology. We can turn this to our advantage.” It’s quite simple, you see. Radio stations have traditionally paid royalties on the music they play; now, with this new ruling, traditional radio will continue to operate as it always has, but rate for Internet radio will increase substantially. And that increase will be retroactive. Ostensibly, this increase is designed to compensate the performers. In reality, a huge chunk o’change will be going to copyright owners. Often, the copyright owner is none other than the music label. Can you see the happy dancing in the halls of the music industry? Read More They've let out a few other major mistakes. Taking down Napster instead of adopting it. Overpriced records. DRM. Failure to adopt new technologies and platforms. Inability to create new business model. The people who run the RIAA are losers who don't deserve to call themselves businessmen.

ClearChannel joins NPR against rate hike fee - this is the first action by Clear Channel that I have agreed with in a long time - maybe there's hope for them with their new group of owners. Broadcasters Challenge Streaming Rules NEW YORK (AP) -- A wide array of broadcasters and online companies on Monday challenged a ruling from a panel of copyright judges that they say could cripple the emerging business of offering music broadcasts over the Internet. Clear Channel Communications Inc., National Public Radio, and groups representing both large and small companies providing music broadcasts online were among those asking the Copyright Royalty Board to reconsider key parts of its March 2 ruling. That ruling, the challenging parties say, would greatly increase the amount of royalties that online music broadcasters would have to pay to record labels and performers as well as put unreasonable demands on them to track how many songs were listened to by exactly how many individuals online. Read More at Yahoo

It's more an inside industry thing--musicians and others look up to him for his artistic innovations

The original video pretty much made the genre an art form...but unfortunately, most of the videos that followed never lived up to the promise Watch it HERE

Guitar HeroNoid

Nice write-up, catchy song and good graphics, too. But Prince looks kinda scary when he starts to get out of that bathtub

Variety takes a look a the 21st annual SXSW, and sends out praises to the UK's Amy Whitehouse and the Good, the Bad and the Queen, and The Alarm Clocks (a garage band out of Cleveland), Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, Sub Pop act Maps & Atlases and Austin's Brothers and Sisters. Asleep at the Wheel leader Ray Benson took the top Music Award. Pete Townshend acted as the keynote speaker. Photo: Jason Ibell of the Drive By Truckers & Booker T. Read More

The NYTimes puts SXSW in perspective: "There were also hundreds of bands that had scraped together gas money, packed up vans and driven hundreds of miles to play for 40 minutes to clubs half full of people already considering the next set. And there was music for virtually every taste: doomy heavy metal (Zoroaster, Boris), supple Brazilian pop (Tita Lima), brutally innovative electronica (Amon Tobin) or charmingly nerdy indie-rock (Menomena). While many of the bands were new — or relatively new, with a handful of albums on small labels — much of the music deliberately looked back. The Black Angels, from Austin, revived not only a Velvet Underground song title (“The Black Angel’s Death Song”) but also the measured pace, ritualistic intensity and seething guitar of the Velvet Underground’s drones, coupled with ominous incantations with echoes of Jim Morrison. The Besnard Lakes, from Montreal, drew on a more benevolent 1960s sound: the expansive, almost orchestral buildups of Brian Wilson and the Beatles’ “Hey Jude,” so that songs with titles like “Devastation” and “Disaster” swelled into reassuring anthems. Tokyo Police Club, a Canadian band whose oldest member is 21, reached back to the terse, kinetic structures of post-punk bands from the late 1970s like Wire and the Cure, while the Wombats, from Liverpool, merged punk-speed, guitar-charged pop, usually about love gone awry, with the oohs and ahs of Beach Boys harmony." Read More

Looks like a pretty solid track record to me... From Wikipedia: "Coming to prominence in the early 1960s, Spector became one of the most distinctive producers in the history of popular music. He was hailed in his heyday as "the Tycoon of Teen." The originator of the famous "Wall of Sound" production technique, Spector was a pioneer of the 1960s girl group sound. Later he worked with various artists, including Tina Turner, The Beatles and the Ramones." 1958—Present Associated Acts The Teddy Bears The Crystals Darlene Love Bob B. Soxx & the Blue Jeans The Ronettes The Wrecking Crew John Lennon George Harrison The Ramones Read more at Wikipedia

They weren't during my time either...then again, that didn't stop us from pioneering events such as LSD day (just kidding ??)

Agreed. But since his middle stanza does, it would make more sense if they did from a creative writing pov

You may have a point if the banner was supposed to represent the school. But shouldn't schools be encouraging students to free speech, even if they don't necessarily agree with it?

Not bad. The first 4 lines need to rhyme better though, but don't let this criticism deter you. Keep goin'

I had the Simple Minds live double cd - pretty good stuff at the time...

Things are heating up in Washington over Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, role of the Justice Department and the White House in the firing of 7 Democratic prosecutors - could spell double trouble for the White House, since Gonzales is rumored to be on the way out, and Rove is being pushed to testify in Congress :) Democrats want to know who hatched the plan to remove the prosecutors, and why. They suspect that the prosecutors were removed for either pursuing or failing to pursue politically charged cases, including ethics scandals and voter fraud investigations. One of the seven prosecutors, David C. Iglesias of New Mexico, said on “Fox News Sunday” that he considered his dismissal “a political hit.” Mr. Iglesias was removed after Senator Pete V. Domenici, Republican of New Mexico, complained to Mr. Bush about what he viewed as lax prosecution of voter fraud cases in his home state. Mr. Bush has said he passed on the complaint, in general terms and without mentioning any prosecutors’ names, to Mr. Gonzales. Another of the fired prosecutors is Carol C. Lam, whose work as the United States attorney in San Diego resulted in the conviction of Randy Cunningham, a former Republican congressman now serving eight years in prison. On Sunday, Senator Dianne Feinstein, Democrat of California and a member of the Judiciary Committee, cited Ms. Lam’s dismissal in echoing Mr. Leahy’s demand for public testimony from Mr. Rove. Read More NY Times From Crooks & Liars: "On Face the Nation yesterday, Senator Feinstein told Bob Scheiffer she has evidence that U.S. attorney Carol Lam was pinpointed for firing after she notified the Justice Department she was issuing search warrants for a Republican corruption case. According to Feinstein, an email was sent from the DoJ to the White House shortly after this notification saying that there was a "real problem we have right now with Carol Lam." This is why the White House and Alberto Gonzales are in hot water. The evidence is becoming clearer by the day that these attorneys were cherry-picked for replacement because they wouldn't politicize their positions and sacrifice their independence; not because of the supposed "performance-related" issues. It's important to connect the dots here and say that Lam (who prosecuted Duke Cunningham) was issuing these search warrants for Brent Wilkes and "Dusty" Foggo — the two men who were implicated in the all but forgotten Hookergate scandal that emerged from the Cunningham probe. Lam was also investigating Rep. Jerry Lewis — then the chairman of the powerful House Appropriations Committee. Did the White House try to eliminate her so that these potentially embarrassing revelations never saw the light of day? And will Lam's replacement still pursue these cases?" See the Video at Crooks & Liars The LA Times Diggs Deeper: Democrats turn up heat on firing of U.S. attorney They allege Carol Lam was ousted in San Diego because she was investigating Republican politicians in Southern California. WASHINGTON — Senate Democrats signaled Sunday that of the eight federal prosecutors abruptly ousted by the Bush administration, the case in San Diego is emerging as the most troubling because of new allegations that U.S. Atty. Carol C. Lam was fired in an attempt to shut down investigations into Republican politicians in Southern California. Read More

Supreme Court hears arguments in free speech case WASHINGTON -- High school students may have a right to free speech, but it does not go so far as to include the freedom to unfurl a banner promoting "bong hits" at a school event, former U.S. Solicitor General Kenneth Starr told the Supreme Court today. "This is disruptive of the educational mission and inconsistent with the school's message" against using drugs, Starr said. Starr, now dean of the Pepperdine Law School, represents a school principal from Juneau, Alaska, who was sued for ripping down the banner and suspending the student who unfurled it. Read more LA Times FYI, the banner leashing was not on school property. And if anyone needs an education about free speech and legislating morality, it's Kenneth Starr.

From what I've read, the LA Times seem to have the best writeup on the fest - check out the full article and see their slide show. South by Southwest: to reach the listener Distinctive music is heard at this year's festival, although the sponsors of many stages had other products to push. Austin, Texas -- YOU couldn't turn your head during last week's South by Southwest Music Conference without seeing the logo of some company trying to cash in on the event's hip cachet. Tellingly, though, very few of the sponsors had anything to do with making or selling albums. "Rome is burning," the Who's Pete Townshend declared in his keynote speech kicking off SXSW. Of the record companies that used to drive SXSW, he added, "If you're a new band, don't even [mess] with them." Read more at the LA Times

The murder trial of rock legend Phil Spector began today with jury selection, an arduous process that is expected to last weeks. Spector, a record producer who reached the height of his fame almost two generations ago, is accused of killing Lana Clarkson, an actress and nightclub hostess, who was found shot to death in his Alhambra mansion on Feb. 3, 2003. Read more at the LA Times

Former White House official defends editing of climate papers WASHINGTON — A former White House official accused of improperly editing reports on global warming defended his editorial changes Monday as reflecting views expressed in a 2001 report by the National Academy of Sciences. House Democrats said the 181 changes made in three climate reports reflected a consistent attempt to emphasize uncertainties surrounding the science of climate change and undercut the broad conclusions that manmade emissions are warming the earth. Philip Cooney, former chief of staff at the White House Council on Environmental Quality, acknowledged at a House hearing that some of the changes he made were "to align these communications with the administration's stated policy" on climate change. Read More Pathetic. They care more about their own political views then the truth

Stereogum has a nice pictorial from the festival and gives the following wrap-up write-up: "...we've talked up a couple of our picks already (Meat Puppets, New Violators, Lo-Fi-FNK, The Besnard Lakes, Deerhunter, and Menomena come to mind), but top honors go to Saturday's Drag City treat of Bill Callahan at Central Presbyterian Church (with very special guest Joanna Newsom on piano) Read More HERE

Love to hear how the show was - hope it was successful and beyond...

I liked her better in her early days - she worked with some pretty hot DJs at that time.

Lifehacker review and recommends two nice apps today to jazz up your browser: "GizmoCall lets you make free voice-over-IP calls from your PC using nothing more than your browser" (Internet Explorer or Firefox work). GizmoCall requires only a small flash plug-in to your browser - type in a phone number and connect. The first five minutes are free, 10 minutes if you register. After that, you can purchase minutes in blocks, which are sold in $10 blocks." Eyejot allows you to send videos from your browser. All you need to do is download Eyejot to your Windows, Linux and or Safari browser and you are good to go. And you can also get an Eyejot widget which you can embed in your blog so anyone can leave you a video message. You can learn more about GizmoCall at Lifehacker or at the GizmoProject. To learn about Eyejot, visit Lifehacker or the Eyejot website. And after you do, hit me up :)

I didn't watch, but... Women can always take the bull by the horns

Now we really wanna know