Posts Tagged ‘Music Industry’

Gene Simmons: Can Someone Tell Him What Year It Is? (or) Gene Simmons: What’s His Age Again?

March 13, 2009

Gene Simmons has managed to annoy me again, and I don’t even pay attention to the guy. Bob Lefsetz wrote a great article about Simmons’ speech at CMW(Canadian Music Week). You can read that full article here.

Then Simmons proceeded to respond, and sounded like a 12 year old who comments on websites in all capitals and never make any point. Other than calling you lots of stupid names and insulting you because they aren’t smart enough to have a valid response. You can read Simmons’ full response here.

The way Simmons proceeded to respond was by quoting Bob and then writing his own response. Here are some excerpts. (And in case you can’t tell, Simmons is the one typing in all caps because I guess it makes him look really really loud…or something.)

“Gene showed a five minute promotional film that was such an assault, the guy in front of me put his hands over his ears.”

I THINK YOU MISUNDERSTOOD. THAT WAS YOUR GIRLFRIEND. AND YOU WERE TALKING TOO LOUD. SHE WANTED TO SEE AND HEAR GENE SIMMONS. NOT YOU.

He does comedy now.

Here’s another nugget of genius from this man:

“Although Gene paid lip service to the Internet, it was like he wanted to jet back to the seventies, when the label was king, when record companies were flush with cash that they’d blow on a bunch of new acts.”

THAT’S TRUE. I WANT RECORD COMPANIES TO BECOME POWERFUL AND FLUSH WITH MONEY AGAIN. I WANT BANDS TO REALIZE THAT ANY ENTITY THAT GIVES THEM MONEY (ADVANCES) AND NEVER FORCES THEM TO PAY THE RECORD COMPANY BACK, WHEN AND IF THEIR RECORD BOMBS (AND THEY ALMOST ALWAYS DO), IS THEIR BEST FRIEND. I KNOW OF NO OTHER BUSINESS THAT GIVES YOU MONEY AND NEVER ASKS FOR IT BACK. EVEN YOUR MOM WILL WANT YOU TO PAY BACK HER LOAN.

Now I don’t know any better. In fact I know much less than Simmons about this business, but I do have interest in making it in this business. What I won’t do is keep wishing for record companies to rip people off again so I can spend all their money and not give something in return, or at the very least pay it back. It doesn’t seem too…ethical.

“I only went because the last couple of times Gene’s spoken he has said some truly heinous things, blasting the audience, that he told us today to respect, for stealing his music. I figured he’d come out with a few clunkers that would crack you up.

But all I got was a damn advertisement.”

THAT’S CORRECT.
I AM ADVERTISING SIMMONS RECORDS. THAT’S WHY I’M UP HERE TALKING ABOUT IT. THIS GUY IS A GENIUS.
AND I STILL CONSIDER FREE DOWNLOADS AND FILE SHARING STEALING. AND I WANT YOU TO PAY FOR MUSIC…AND FOR ANYTHING. IF A BAND WANTS TO GIVE AWAY THEIR STUFF FOR FREE…I HAVE NO PROBLEM. MY ONLY QUESTION IS, HOW DOES THE RECORD COMPANY, WHICH PAID GOOD MONEY UP FRONT, GET ITS MONEY BACK, IF THE MUSIC IS FREE”?

Fuck the Record Company? If they were smart, then they wouldn’t be hiring people they think are the “new Britney” or “new Jonas Brothers”. If they were smart, then they wouldn’t throw truckloads of cash into a bunch of nobodies, and say “Well boys, we’ve got ourselves the next hit sensation.” They would hire a band which has proven themselves to a point where they have a steady fan base and can hold their own. Then, the label throws in some money, the band throws in some money, and they both have equal investments in the new album.

There’s nobody at the record company saying “Well SHEEE-IT, we fucked that one up right? Well let’s get Hannah Montana back in here to pump out another record so we can recover. Oh how’s that proposal for the music industry bail-out coming?”

Instead you have the label and the band working together. Both will fail, or succeed, together.

“It’s like going to a training session for Kirby vacuum salesmen. It’s always interesting to hear how another person made it, but if you want to be successful in the future, you’re better off ignoring everything Gene Simmons has to say.”

THIS STATEMENT MADE BY A GUY WHO’S STILL LIVING IN HIS MOTHER’S BASEMENT.

“Unless, of course, you love money more than music.”

ACTUALLY, I LOVE BOTH MONEY AND MUSIC.

“But since you’re reading this, I doubt that…”

GOOD LUCK TO THIS GUY.
WE LOVE HEARING THE GOOD AND THE BAD.

AND WE HOPE YOU GET OUT OF MOM’S BASEMENT SOON.

Well I guess it was getting really late for Gene, seems he couldn’t quite think of anything else to say.

Quite frankly, I don’t have anything else to say.

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Posted in Music | 3 Comments »

The Sweetness

November 26, 2008

For a 20 year old kid like me, it seems the world is spinning right down the fucking toilet. That is what everyone wants me to think and that is what a lot of people believe. They have given up on humanity and are saying fuck it all. They now just watch and point and criticize the world around them as if they have actually tried to fix their own lives.

I am as thrilled as I ever could be. I am glad every time I hear someone my age tell me about how we are all fucked. I love seeing people walk down the street and look at the world around them in disgust. Then they lock themselves up in their house and waste away on countless reality TV shows. Then those same fuckers will talk about how stupid all these people on reality shows are, and then that same night they will submit their ratings by watching. I am glad because for every person that has given up and thinks they are too good to do anything, that is one more person out of my way.

For me, it is mostly the music industry. I will do my best not to preach, as I have not found a solid band yet. But there are so many people throwing in the towel and saying the industry is fucked, and nothing is the same. They are absolutely right: the music industry run by greed and fake pop sensations is completely fucked. What they don’t see is that we, as the new music industry pioneers, are in complete control to do whatever the fuck we want. The old ways don’t work anymore, and we get to re-write the rules. It’s rather simple, whatever any band has done in the last 15 years or so to try to get famous, DON’T do that.

Now to expand beyond the music industry. I think the same goes for a lot of things. The rules are all changing. Forget anything your parents told you about how things work in the world. They might tell you money is the most important, but it’s not. As we can tell by our government rewarding the greedy pigs who fucked up, and by doing that they are punishing the smaller honest corporations. A big house isn’t important. All your shit is not important, forget about owning all you can. It’s about time we all give back to the collective mind of this world. Question everything you are told, think outside of the facts that are presented to you by the people who manipulated them in the first place. Figure things out for yourself and stop taking everything that is being forced into your mind.

The more we all think about what is good for all of us as a whole, the better the world around us will get. It’s safe to say that many have given up already, and all they care about is themselves, and pointing fingers at everyone else for their own problems. I see way too often people just talking and talking about the most insignificant of problems, just constant bitching. It probably makes them feel like they are doing something. All I can say is shut the fuck up and do something relevant. If you are going to talk, it better be a good cause, and it better be followed by some action.

FUCK I have to get sugar at the grocery store for Thanksgiving dinner!!!! This is such BULLSHIT! What is the world coming to!?

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Posted in Life | Leave a Comment »

The Pink Spiders

August 1, 2008

I was doing my daily reading at the Lefsetz Letter and he DEMANDED that I read this article:
Oh What A Mangled Web We Leave

So I did, and I got way more than what I thought it might be.

Before you read what I’m about to write I would suggest you read the article. Be aware that it is a sort of long article and I know how resistant kids are to read a little these days. But come on, step out of that box a little bit, for the future of music’s sake.

It’s an article about the start of The Pink Spiders, and their dealings with the major label world. Never heard of them? Not sure many outside of Nashville have. And not sure that the people in Nashville even like them. One of the first things said in the article is that The Pink Spiders wanted to establish a cool look. That’s where they went wrong, right from the start. Fuck the look, make some good music.

From The Pink Spiders Wikipedia page:

The Pink Spiders are an American Pop Rock band from Nashville, Tennessee, that formed in 2003. The band initially consisted of Matt Friction (guitar and vocals), Jon Decious (bass), and Bob Ferrari (drums).

A while back I saw their music video when I was at a friend’s house, who had MTV on for some background noise. I happened to glance and see this flashy music video called “Little Razorblade” with chicks skating in circles around this boyish looking band called “The Pink Spiders”. I thought the song and video was pretty catchy and appealing for the 12 year old depressed little girl in me.

After some good time playing in shitty basements and in the surrounding Nashville area, they scored a gig that was a private Major-Label-Showcase. This is an excerpt about that gig:

“We played…to a room full of suits who were madly texting on their BlackBerrys the entire time,” says Friction. “After the set, the curtains closed and Jordan Schur [then president of Geffen Records] ran onstage. He was immediately stopped by security but just barreled through them.”

“He was like, ‘I gotta have this band!!!’ with his arms wide open and all that,” says Ferrari, “and we were like, ‘That guy’s cool!’ “

After they finished their set, they moved through the crowd, shaking hands and fielding offers. In a matter of weeks, they had 11 major-label offers on the table. Paulson was in awe—his old friends appeared poised to take over the world.

Here’s an excerpt talking about recording their first record signed with Geffen Records:

They made themselves comfortable quickly in Los Angeles, but they were soon yanked from one coast to the other when the label chose former Cars frontman Ric Ocasek to produce their debut in New York at Electric Lady…But the recording process was stressful—Ocasek would not tolerate drinking in the studio—and the band didn’t take well to New York.

And for the first time, the Spiders found themselves without the production control they had grown accustomed to. When Friction stepped in to try to mix the album, their high-profile mixer, Tom Lord-Alge, wouldn’t let him. “Every time [Matt] had a suggestion, [Lord-Alge] would just point at the wall of platinum and gold records. He wouldn’t even talk,” says Ferrari.

“In hindsight, [Ocasek's mix] may have been better, but it wasn’t really thick or big, which was what the label wanted,” Decious says. “They were like, ‘It has to sound like a Blink-182 record.’ “

Okay, let’s pretend for a minute that these guys actually had a shot at “making it”. Basically, they fucked up from that very first show for all the “men in suits” as they called them. Why were they playing for men in suits? Those aren’t the people, those aren’t the fans, they are simply “men in suits” hoping to cash in.

Next mistake, they probably didn’t read the record contracts very thoroughly, bands get complete creative control all the time, and that includes mixing and producing. That’s their own fault for getting some asshole producer and asshole mixer and having no control. If you have the biggest of labels interested in you, but not one of them wants to give you complete creative control, then you need to say “fuck them we will stick to basements and what WE want to do for OUR fans”. Being a Blink-182 fan I loved the reference, of COURSE they want your records to sound awesome like a Blink record. But do you know WHY the Blink record sounds so damn good? Because they didn’t let the label tell them what to do, they had control of all their own shit.

The article talks about how the band wanted a different song for their first single, but the label insisted on Little Razorblade, a song that the band didn’t seem to like in the first place. The band also had a huge problem with the release date of their album. Decious dishes:

“We were on TRL in April[2006], and the fuckin’ record comes out in August[2006], so this song’s being played on the radio like a motherfucker,” says Decious, “and there was no product. You couldn’t go anywhere and get it…. We did the whole fucking Warped Tour with a single and no product…. We’d sell some copies of Hot Pink, but we kept thinking we were gonna have Teenage Graffiti, but…do you sell this album with all these [original recordings of the] songs on it? It’s gonna confuse people.”

That was 2006, two years ago. Had this band never heard of the internet? This is one of millions of reasons to not rely on a major label. This band had the album finished and recorded but had to, scratch that, CHOSE TO wait 4 months for a piece of plastic to get shelved. Here’s a new plan for a new millenium: FINISH THE ALBUM AND THEN THROW IT ON YOUR WEBSITE THE NEXT DAY. If the kids want the piece of plastic that spins and they want the pretty booklet then they can wait 4 months for that. But give them the music immediately. Yes, for free. Because if you haven’t heard already, the shows, t-shirts, etc. are the product and the music is the promotion. The music is ONE HELL OF A promotion, because it’s more than that and it deserves a better name, duh…MUSIC.

Here’s my favorite part of the article that shows just how smart these guys are:

“It was funny, ’cause [the Motorola reps] were like, ‘We can’t get any bands to hold the gear.’ And we were like, ‘Well, fuck, we’ll do it. We don’t care,’ ” says Ferrari. “We wanted to be nothing like any other band. Every other band is like, ‘We’re not gonna hold the phone,’ and we were like, ‘Fuck it. I’ll drink Coke. I like Pepsi better, but I’ll say I like Coke better if they’re gonna give me a check.’ Why not? [The production company people] were like, ‘Well, you’re not gonna be one of those bands that just, like, wants their integrity, and all this bullshit’…. And we were like, ‘No, no, no, no, no!’ “

Here’s a tip: YES, YOU WANT TO BE A BAND THAT WANTS THEIR INTEGRITY. First, saying you’ll hold the Motorola or drink the Coke is NOT different. Bands do it all the time and most of the time those bands suck. Second, what differentiates you from the other bands should be the music and NOT what you do or what you say or what you look like.

For whatever the reasons may be two of the Pink Spiders members, Jon Decious and Bob Ferrari, quit the band in June 2008. They joined a band called Dixie Whiskey. I hope the best for them because hopefully the realized the insanity of all the shit that happened with their previous band.

The Pink Spiders still exist under the lead singer and guitarist, Matt Friction. They have a new lineup that isn’t worth taking up more space to type.

The moral of the story is do NOT do what these guys did. It’s that plain and simple. Start a band. Make good music. Get fans of your music. Play for them. Respect them. Understand them. The “men in suits” are not your fans. The press are not your fans.

Now that I’ve talked all this shit, it’s time to get my shit off the ground already.

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Posted in Music | 7 Comments »

Where Do We Go From Here?

July 20, 2008

The record labels are dead. We know this and we have known this for quite a few years now. And if you don’t know this then I am telling you…The record labels are dead. Radiohead have ditched them, Trent Reznor and NIN have ditched them, and many artists are skipping them entirely, like this guy Joe Purdy. Ever since I started reading blogs such as Lefsetz Letter and Antiquiet along with countless other writers that I can’t even remember, I have moved more and more into the future of the music world.

I look at myself, and how I function as a fan of music. As a fan I ditched the labels a long time ago and just didn’t know it. I used to save up money so I could buy a CD that I could hardly afford, but I quit that a long time ago. I used to listen to the radio and watch MTV to see who was new and who I should listen to, but I quit that a long time ago. Before I knew it I was becoming the model modern true music fan. I began to use the internet to find tons and tons of music and expand my library from my roots of constantly listening to Blink-182 for six years. It was a change for the better and it was all because the fans of music helped each other out and continue to do so.

Long story short, labels started suing their customers and scared me away for a bit. Then a year ago I came back to the game to see what was up. I learned that the labels rip off the customers AND the artists. And me being a young new artist and a fan, I felt the hit twice as hard when I discovered the information. Like finding out your parents aren’t really your parents. The label hit hard with pussy shots like suing your mother or your dead grandma. They shut down one of the best music trading websites ever and labeled it as a fucking crime syndicate.

Rob at Demonbaby.com wrote a fantastic article, “When Pigs Fly: The Death of Oink, The Birth of Dissent, and A Brief History of Record Industry Suicide”, in October of 2007 that was inspired by the record industry’s latest move to shut down the trading site known as “Oink”. The article spread around the web like herpes on your mom (don’t ask):

If the industry tried to have some kind of compassion – if they said, “we understand that these are just music fans trying to listen to as much music as they can, but we have to protect our assets, and we’re working on an industry-wide solution to accommodate the changing needs of music fans”… Well, it’s too late for that, but it would be encouraging. Instead, they make it sound like they busted a Columbian drug cartel or something. They describe it as a highly-organized piracy ring. Like Oink users were distributing kiddie porn or some shit. The press release says: “This was not a case of friends sharing music for pleasure.” Wh – what?? That’s EXACTLY what it was!

I encourage that you read the entire article HERE.

Over the past year I have been reading and reading and reading the minds of people commentating about the record industry and all their ideas and philosophies. I have soaked up this information and I plan to use it, and soon. The internet is the new music tool, it’s the only one that is still in the fan’s control and let’s hope it stays that way.

I am starting at a new school tomorrow, New England Tech. If I get to meet some guy who is super computer savvy and can make websites with ease and has FUN doing it, and is also a HUGE fan of music, then it’s a dream come true. Because with that kid’s brain and my brain, it’s time to be one of the pioneers of the new music industry. I’m sure there are countless others out there already well on their way, but the more the better.

Where do we go from here?

As fans, keep using the internet to discover and download your favorite music and, more importantly, NEW music. Don’t waste your time listening to the radio or MTV. They don’t let you have the control. In fact, they like to think they are in control of you.

As artists, use the internet to get your music out there. There is no better tool. Free distribution, free marketing, and instant gratification to your fan base(when/if you get one). Don’t waste your time trying to get on the radio or trying to get signed to a label. These 360 Deals are pieces of shit. Use your time to create GOOD music and then INSTANTLY put it up on your website for everyone to take and listen to. Take your time, the money to eat more than once a day will come.

Where do we go from here? I’ll show you.

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Posted in Music | 2 Comments »

Hugely Successful Band + Huge Concerts = Tiny People on Stage

June 24, 2008

For a huge lover of music, I have not been to many concerts. I either get to busy or they are just too far away. But recently I have been trying to change that. I went to see the Raconteurs in Boston recently and that was an amazing show. The venue was even better. We had seats that were pretty much close to the back, but it wasn’t really THAT far away. The venue was a perfect size. That got me thinking about all the times I’ve tried to get tickets to see the Foo Fighters and I have gotten stuck with tickets that are in high heaven. I never ended up buying those tickets because I’d be better off watching the live DVD at home. Only about a third of the people who go to arena shows get good seats or the floor.

Being a musician I hope to go on tour one day. Now I know I won’t have to worry about arena shows for quite a while, and quite possibly I may never make it to that level of fame to where I can sell out to an arena. But if I was to put myself in the shoes of some of my favorite, more mainstream, bands like the Foo Fighters or Green Day, I would do things differently. This is mostly just an idea, I know nothing about touring and how venues work but I don’t think this is completely out of the question.

Here’s the situation: I am in a band that has just hit the big time after years of hard work and touring and album promotion (self-promotion of course). And now my band has the fanbase to fill up an arena. Since I have been touring for many years, with little breaks in between, why stop? I know there are a good share of bands and musicians out there that are hardcore year round touring bands (Dave Matthews is the only one I can think of for now), but there are also a fair share who tour for 6 months to a year and then call it quits for a while.

The Boston Pavilion that I went to see The Raconteurs at held 5,000 seats. The average arena holds probably anywhere from 15,000 to 30,000. I’ll guess that 5,000 of those seats and the floor area go from amazing to pretty decent in what kind of show you see. The rest of those people get to watch the screens and just listen, or squint to see the tiny people on stage. I’d say watching a live DVD with tons of camera angles and a great sound system is better then those far away seats. You essentially get the same live sound, better view of the band, and no obnoxious people sitting with you. If you are in one of those good to amazing 5,000 seats than you are getting the full concert experience of smelly loud kids and pot smoking teenagers and music blasting out your ears and you get to SEE the band. I think anything else just sucks.

Here’s the solution: My band, with a huge fanbase that could sell out arenas, would not play arenas. I would find venues with a seating capacity of around 5,000. Using the Pavilion as a reference again, they have a decent schedule of performers lined up. But there are gaps that go anywhere from 1 day to a full week without any performances. I would play that venue for 3 nights in a row, give 15,000 a great show, rather than 5,000 a great show and the rest an alright listening experience. Now I know that I know nothing about the touring business, but I do know that those smaller venues wouldn’t mind filling up those gaps in their week with a band guaranteed to bring in a sold out crowd for 3 nights in a row.

Now the question is: how long do I tour? Well let’s say, for averages sake, that I’m a fucking superstar and will play each venue for 3 nights in a row. Then leave 2 days in between each venue for touring and break, in one year of straight touring I can hit 73 venues. That sounds like a good amount of places to me, and not only that, but everyone got a fantastic show. And not only that, the touring company gets to set up one day and then rest for two days before taking it down. And not only that, the band get the chance to walk check out the town or even set up a meet and greet in each place without a time crunch.

It is quite possible there are already bands practicing this schedule of touring, but apparently none of the bigger bands I like are doing it. Now I just have to remember to look over this 10 years down the road, and see if I am in that position and put this plan into action.

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Posted in Music | 1 Comment »

Duffy

May 18, 2008

I first heard of Duffy from the Lefsetz Letter but never actually checked her out. The very first thing I heard about her was that she was like Amy Winehouse, but better. I am not a fan of Amy Winehouse’s soul music so I did not rush to find out more about Duffy.

I just caught a performance of Duffy on Conan O’Brien and my first impressions are that I am impressed, and surprised that I liked it. For one, I think Amy Winehouse is hideous and I don’t like her singing. Also, I do not believe anything that the press and tabloids have to say about any stars, but there is no getting around the fact that Winehouse is a drug addicted toothless weirdo. When I watched Duffy on Conan I heard her single and saw her for the first time. She is way hotter than Winehouse and she sounds a lot better too.

Talking with my good friend, he told me about how he was annoyed that Duffy is being marketed as the new Winehouse. I told him that’s just the major label marketing style: in this instance trying to sell one product, Duffy, as better by comparing it with another once hit product, Winehouse. The comparison isn’t necessarily wrong, but it just puts a taint on the performer by turning away potential listeners like my friend. It also delayed my interest in finding her until I had accidentally seen her on TV.

I’m going to grab Duffy’s music and check it out. I am mostly stubborn when it comes to trying new forms of music, but as of the recent year I’ve opened up a whole lot and this is a new way to go.

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Speed Racer: The Message

May 12, 2008

The Wachowski brothers’ first venture since the Matrix Trilogy captures the heart of the all-against-one theme, and adds amazing environments, intense racing, and a fantastic story. The races, the cars, and the colorful characters and environments give a great feel to the whole experience. However, it is clear to most people and critics that the dialogue was not even close to the strong point of the film.

For me, sunk deep in the adrenaline rushes and the cheesy dialogue, was a great resonating story. The character called Royalton is the main enemy in the film. He owns a huge corporation, Royalton Industries, and tries to get Speed and Racer Inc. to join with him and be sponsored. Racer Inc., led by Pops Racer, is an independent company and prides itself in that tradition. The superb driving skills of Rex Racer, and then Speed Racer, is what has kept them in the runnings with corporate sponsored drivers. When Speed rejects Royalton’s offer, Royalton becomes infuriated and promises Speed that he will never cross the finish line again. He also tells Speed of a long tradition of corporate corruption in the biggest race of the year, The Grand Prix.

The character of Royalton almost seems like a very cartoonish version of today’s corporate leaders, but then you realize it is not such a far fetched portrayal. Royalton talked about special deals that were being made to fix races so that certain corporations could raise their stocks, in the end only concerned about themselves and more money. A practice that does nothing but taint the great sport of racing. Speed represents the one who just loves to race, and is all that is good in the sport. He joins Racer X in the fight to keep all that is sacred in the sport alive and out of greedy hands.

There is a scene in the movie where Royalton fraudulently accuses Racer Inc of cheating, making Racer Inc. lose credibility to the public’s eye. The media then writes in papers about “Racer Inc., a family of cheaters”. Speed points to the article and says, “There has got to be something we can do about this.” Pops replies, “We can’t, corporations control the media.” HOW fucking true is that statement? Very in today’s world. The people are controlled by what the media tells them, and the corporations control what the media tells the people. In 2004, 5 corporations controlled the media which doesn’t leave many points of view<http://www.corporations.org/media/>. FAIR(Fairness and Accuracy In Reporting) is a great group that monitors the media and the many biases.

From the FAIR website:

Independent, aggressive and critical media are essential to an informed democracy. But mainstream media are increasingly cozy with the economic and political powers they should be watchdogging. Mergers in the news industry have accelerated, further limiting the spectrum of viewpoints that have access to mass media. With U.S. media outlets overwhelmingly owned by for-profit conglomerates and supported by corporate advertisers, independent journalism is compromised.

Ultimately, FAIR believes that structural reform is needed to break up the dominant media conglomerates, establish independent public broadcasting, and promote strong, non-profit alternative sources of information.

Also check out this page which explains what is wrong with the media.

The character of Speed Racer represents FAIR and anyone else fighting against these types of control over things they love.

I can also put the situation of the characters, Royalton and Speed, in comparison with the Music Industry. Royalton being one of the Big Four and Speed Racer being a talented aspiring artist. The big labels want only what is marketable, what sells, but what they still don’t get is that what sells is what’s real. Most of the stuff played on MTV and the radio is highly influenced by the majors to a point that it is just a product, nothing more.

Speed Racer represents the way that things should be. Giant companies shouldn’t control things like the media in such a way that there are only a few points of view for people to have daily access to. Speed represents the future of everything to come. All it takes is the strong love of something, enough love, to change things for the better. There is way to much control in the world given to too few people.

Watching Speed Racer was a great reminder to me of these truths about our world, and I hope that everyone gets reminded of these things through other facets of creation and art. Not everyone liked Speed Racer, but that does not mean it’s message is not for everyone. Look deeper into your art and find these meanings, they are more common than you may think.

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Pennywise and MySpace: No Reason To Believe

April 3, 2008

If you haven’t heard, Pennywise released their album on MySpace for free download. I never listened to Pennywise before, but I am aware that they are from way back in the heyday of 90’s punk rock. I am also aware that they have been not so popular since then. Now they are trying to get with the times by offering their album free, following in the Radiohead/Trent Reznor footprints.

I decided I’d give them a shot, since there was a reported 400,000 people getting the album. Not even free can save this album. I am not familiar with a lot of their older work but I’m sure it was good for what it was. This album just sucks. I have no idea what they were trying to go for; I don’t even think they were trying.

MySpace is in the shitter anyway. I think it hit its peak a while ago. It’s full of a crazy array of stupid ads(my favorite being the ones where the girl is “live” on her webcam waiting for you to reply….what ad agency thought that would trick anyone longer than a day?). I don’t know if there was a point when Facebook was crappier than MySpace, but Facebook has far surpassed MySpace on every level. I find it to be a lot more fun and easy to use. It seems a lot smarter than MySpace too. I give MySpace two years, after that you’ll start hearing people say, “Is MySpace still around?”.

MySpace Music

They made deals with three of the big four: Universal, Sony BMG, and Warner Music. I suppose that’s good? Those labels are going down, but I suppose they will be stuck around for long enough that MySpace can benefit from it. It’s another attempt for the labels to dip their greedy hands into the internet pool that they so recently rejected.

The new MySpace Music Portal includes ad-supported streaming. Really? I’m pretty confident that everyone is way past ad-supported streaming; and also streaming music period. I do use Pandora once in a while when I’m not at home since my iTunes library is in my external.

I have been on the edge of deleting my MySpace account for a little while now. The fact is there are still a lot of people using it, I can still reach people that way so I will continue to do so. Like I said, its a fad and a passing one at this point. MySpace Music will not help the industry any more than the 360 deals.

360 deal: That’s a whole other topic to be discussed.

-Ryan

p.s. This is probably my first shot at writing about current happenings in music and the industry. That’s what I planned on doing when I started this site. I should get on this a little more.

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