Im cancelling my subscription to Rolling Stone.....

http://www.rollingstone.com/home/default.asp

At least in their online "Battle of the Bands" contest, The Beatles have 78% of the vote over "the sink"

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"For there is nothing either good or bad, thinking makes it so."
- William Shakespeare (1564-1616), Hamlet

 

In the past 6 months, I've become quite intrigued with music -- more so than ever before. I don't know why, but I've been spending an awful lot of time learning about artists, etc., and I was thinking today about something that touches this exactly.

In the music industry (as far as I can see), among many artists, there is an anti-corporation slant. And I really see why now -- artists who make great music do not necessarily get the attention they deserve -- instead, the RIAA and the big record companies create the winners and losers -- they determine what gets played and what doesn't. They pressure artists to make music that plays well on the radio, and sells well in the stores.

FWIW, N'Sync is among the biggest groups in the world, but to call them a band is ludicrous -- they are nothing but puppets (just like the music video ironically) who lipsync to their music, and have no actual musical talent whatsoever -- they can sing (kindof), but couldn't play an instrument to save their lives. And they get all kinds of pub, and are loved the world 'round, while great musicians are overlooked because it "doesn't sell".

As a Davehead, I am very aware of a specific example of the greed recently from BMG's interation with the band. During November, I think, of last year, a record exec. was listening to the album the band was creating (now known as "The Lillywhite Sessions", but then called "The Summer So Far") and said he didn't "feel it as a fan". A more transparent statement could not exist. He didn't "feel it as a fan" because it had no good radio songs. It wasn't 12 tracks of "Crash". Instead, it was the best album the band has created. And that's not just my opinion -- it's the opinion of MANY, MANY fans -- especially when compared to what was released. So they scrapped that, created the radio-friendly, pop-inspired "Everyday" and it went multi-platinum in like a week. It wasn't about the music, what was really good or bad, it was about what could sell the most records and make BMG the most money.

I know Jeff will have better commentary on this than I will, and I don't really want to get into a big discussion about this (or about good music vs. bad music either). It's just been my observation over the past few months, and I've been very intrigued by the whole thing. Part of it is probably just a bit of irritation that the music I enjoy isn't necessarily the stuff that gets promoted. Most people wouldn't know who Victor Wooten or Ben Harper are (although Ben has a HUGE international following), but they have heard "Bootylicious" about 500 times and can name all the members of "Eden's Crush".

And I'm not anti-business or anything, I just find this very irritating.

Anyhow, thanks for listening to another one of my rants. It's been a bad week, and this is the second big rant in 24 hours. I need a job . . .

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I'm looking for a job, so hire me


"And I just have to smile and say 'well, I hope so' while I'm really thinking inside how I'd like to just strangle them and take their job."

 

Heh heh. I cancelled my Rolling Stone subscription 8 years ago. They lost their credibility a loooong time ago, IMHO. I wouldn't even line a birdcage with that rag!

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"Blues is a Healer"
--John Lee Hooker

 

And we all know who we have to thank for that don't we?

Mr. David John Matthews

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http://www.swirve.com ... more fun than a barrel full of monkeys and midgets.

 

And, that's what you get when other people post from your computer.

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When you make an assumption, you make an ass out of Uma Thurman.

 

<a href="http://www.atorecords.com">ATO Records</a>

According To Our Records (ATO Records) is a record label committed to artists and building their careers. Founded by Dave Matthews, manager Coran Capshaw, and two associates - Michael McDonald and Chris Tetzeli - ATO seeks out talented songwriters, musicians and performers for whom there is genuine passion and belief. ATO strives to build career artists. As a truly independent label ATO is steadfast in our commitment to maintaining that focus. ATO is based in New York and distributes its records through BMG. ATO looks for the label to evolve naturally on an artist-by-artist basis. The priority for the label is that there be sufficient time and attention to develop each artist and each release. There is no timeline, but there is a plan to build the label on the quality of the musicians we work with.

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I'm looking for a job, so hire me


"And I just have to smile and say 'well, I hope so' while I'm really thinking inside how I'd like to just strangle them and take their job."

 

I like the Rolling Stones with Britney Spears on the cover and as the feature. Never got around to reading it though.

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The thing is, it's even easier today to discover real music. The internet offers so many ways to find out about and listen to great artists that it's almost overwhelming. If you want to hear real music, you just have to take the time to find it.

But on the flip side, more and more independent radio stations (like Pacifica) and college radio stations are being told to play more mainstream music (or in college radio's case, to preempt their music with college sports).

Furthermore, nobody goes to listen to unknown bands anymore. Part of the reason is that most small live venues have crappy sound (too muddy, too loud, the problems are endless) but also people are too used to being spoonfed their entertainment. Furthermore, the great bands of the past used to actually play music for a living before getting their record deals. But because nobody is interested in seeing an unknown band, musicians can't afford to play alot of shows (in most cases, they can't even get alot of shows - the number of places they can play has really dried up). Now bands form, rehearse and release a demo tape in 6 months or less, with maybe one or two gigs thrown in. As a result, bands just don't sound as together and their material is rarely "road-tested." Consequently, their growth as musicians and artists is severely stunted.

Rolling Stone is nothing but a mega-corporation now. They may have been cool 25 years ago but now they're old, tired, and clueless about the good they could be doing for today's sorry music scene. If they donated at least 1/10 of their magazine to new and unheralded music, they would help things immensely.

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This just may be the beginning of a beautiful relationship.

Anybody interested in satellite radio?

over 100 stations, no commercials, only the music you want to hear.

Its coming...

http://www.xmradio.com/home.html

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I figure the odds be 50/50,
I just might have something to say.

 

Oh, and about Rolling Stone.

Like any other has-been great, they stopped being relevant when they stopped doing drugs.

or when they fired Hunter Thompson

take your pick


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I figure the odds be 50/50,
I just might have something to say.

 

You know, I hate to stick up for N Sync here...but they wrote quite a few of the songs off their new CD, including the lead single....



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Who's ya daddy?

 

yeah but that lead single sucks.
the lyrics are just so damn arrogant and self absorbed.

 

I agree 100% That's how I've really learned about the artists I've become so interested in lately: Ben Harper, Bela Fleck and Flectones, Agents of Good Roots, Guster, Devon, etc. -- All through the internet. It makes finding artists you're interested in so much easier. And even some of the bands on MP3.com -- they've got some really solid stuff too (Dawson Cowals is one of my mp3.com faves).

I'd also say that services like the Napsters and Gnutellas can help in this. I've heard about an artist, downloaded some songs on gnutella, then eventually purchased the CD. I know not all people do that, but with the smaller artists, I am much more compelled to purchase their music.

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I'm looking for a job, so hire me


"And I just have to smile and say 'well, I hope so' while I'm really thinking inside how I'd like to just strangle them and take their job."

 

The pop music industry has always been this way. It is the nature of "business." Whether it was payola in the 50's (apparently, the hip hop industry is doing it today according to a recent story in the New York Times), manufactured pop stars in the 60's (Fabian and Frankie Avalon come to mind), 70's arena rock, 80's MTV changing music from an audio to a visual medium, the 90's alternative revolution that turned "underground" music into pop music or the most recent proliferation of boy bands and diva grrrls, the business never changes.

Part of the more recent ugliness has come as the result of the music industry suffering from the same short attention span as most of the rest of the western world. In the 70's and even into the 80's, the record industry had a tendency to allow artists to develop over a few records. Today, it is sink or swim NOW, not later.

Also, the business is getting younger and younger. I wonder what's next - babies singing? The wonderful, now defunct magazine Musician, did a story a few years ago called, "Does Anyone Over 30 Get Signed Anymore?" In it, a former high up A&R person (artist and repitoire - the people who sign artists to deals) said that Monday meetings were not dominated by people discussing great music, but the "look" and "image" of the person or band in question.

He said that he would routinely come in on Monday after seeing a great band and the only questions from his co-workers were, "What does the lead singer look like?" and "How old are they?"

Of course, the record industry is also suffering from too-big-itis. There are, essentially, only 5 record labels that also own the majority of the TV and radio stations. Can you say, "conflict of interest?" The result is less patience and staggering money losses. Out of 12 signed acts, 10 lose money, 1 breaks even and the other pays for the other 11 in profits. That's pretty ugly no matter what business you are in.

The good thing is that the internet and the incredible expansion of digital recording technology has opened the door for millions of musicians, songwriters and bands to make money without the input of the major labels. If you want to be a rock star, you still need to go the traditional route, but if you want to make great music, you go the route of jazz music - play a lot and make good records that are distributed independently.

I encourage everyone to go to places like IUMA.com, MP3.com and other places to look for great unsigned artists. You'd be surprised at how much good music is out there. But, you'll also realize that the music world is loaded with a lot of CRAP too. The record labels and radio don't hold the monopoly on bad music.

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Who's your buddy? Who's your pal? I am, aren't I?

 

Jeff, In case you didn't hear, Gerard's band Pull, found a producer and are going into the studio to begin recording. They hope to have an Album (CD) out by January or February. Needless to say, he is pumped

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"For there is nothing either good or bad, thinking makes it so."
- William Shakespeare (1564-1616), Hamlet

 

I love music but have never read any of these rags. It is all odd to me.

But RocketMan Tex, that made me laugh.

 

Did they get who they wanted?

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Who's your buddy? Who's your pal? I am, aren't I?

 

Totally agree. I never liked Rolling Stone because they encourage their writers to become part of the story. I just find that annoying. I don't want to read about how difficult it was for you to get a cab on the ride over the artist's hotel room!

I do read the industry rags - Musician (when it was out), Guitar, Guitar Player, Bass Player, Electronic Musician, Home Recording, Recording, EQ, et al. Most of those are for reviews of products or stories about individual players, producers, etc.

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Who's your buddy? Who's your pal? I am, aren't I?