Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[AugustWest]

RIP Ray Charles.

[Nabubrush]

What the fuck. I mean, what the fuck*ng fuck. My day just went from ok to worst.

[St_Zartan]

Some kid came into the library tonight, maybe three hours after the news broke, asking after a biography of Ray Charles. You could tell it meant a lot to him, to get his hands onto it and read it. The kid couldn't have been older than sixteen, tops.

I was genuinely touched, but I kept it to myself.

[Nabubrush]

Some kid came into the library tonight, maybe three hours after the news broke, asking after a biography of Ray Charles. You could tell it meant a lot to him, to get his hands onto it and read it. The kid couldn't have been older than sixteen, tops.

I was genuinely touched, but I kept it to myself.

You didn't give him the book? You dick!

[St_Zartan]

I was genuinely touched, but I kept it to myself.

You didn't give him the book? You dick!

Ha! I kept my feelings to myself, not the damn book. Dick.

[Nabubrush]

I just really enjoyed the image of this sniffling little kid (it would have been better if he were like, 11 years old) wandering back out of the library as you cackled.

[Carlos del Vaca]

Ray Charles is more deserving of a heartfelt outpouring of eulogies and memories, and lines of people waiting to see his body lying in state in the Capitol, than Ronald Reagan.  But that's just my opinion.

[andalucia]

Ray Charles is more deserving of a heartfelt outpouring of eulogies and memories, and lines of people waiting to see his body lying in state in the Capitol, than Ronald Reagan.  But that's just my opinion.

And that is a pretty valid opinion.  I don't know much about Ray Charles, but I imagine he caused far fewer deaths than Mr. Reagan
(In a moment of supreme irony, I was doing an international law project on American interventions in Nicaragua when I heard Reagan had died.)

[Nabubrush]

Isn't it funny - I probably would have felt the same way about Reagan, but Bush makes him look like a cute little bunny to me in comparison.

[side_show]

A cute snuggly bunny.  As I've always said: Fuck Regan - but with Regan, you got the sense that he was actually aware of what he was doing, where as with Junior, you get the sense that he's really just totally unaware, that he's got all sorts of people pulling his strings, which is so much more frightening.

As for Ray Charles passing, it got me to thinking about how bad the music industry has gotten.  I want to see more unpolished raw people with actual talent making it, rather than pretty boys and girls singing thru tone correcting machines.  Do you think Ray Charles or Elton John, or Bob Dylan would get any attention in today's climate?  There used to be a mass audience for actual talent.  What happened?  Why are so many people supporting such shit? Grr.

[CortJstr]

As for Ray Charles passing, it got me to thinking about how bad the music industry has gotten.  I want to see more unpolished raw people with actual talent making it, rather than pretty boys and girls singing thru tone correcting machines.  Do you think Ray Charles or Elton John, or Bob Dylan would get any attention in today's climate?  There used to be a mass audience for actual talent.  What happened?  Why are so many people supporting such shit? Grr.

Consolidation. There are now 5 music labels and 2 of those are currently petitioning the EU and FTC for permission to merge. Not only that but because of declining sales all 5 just slashed and burned any bands they feel haven't been bringing in enough money. I mean I know a band who was signed, released an album with no advertising, the label didn't even pay the local radio stations to play the single, then the band was dropped because of poor sales.

On the other hand today it's so much easier to find out about other bands that aren't being crammed down our throats. The problem is that as they gain in grass-roots support they get noticed and get signed by the big 5 and rammed down our throats, often with style changes to make them more Top 40-friendly. Look at Modest penis, The Used, The Ataris, OK Go (who were the next Soul Coughing), etc.

And if you're even putting any thought into a discussion like this that means you have a little Indie Rock Pete in you and will resent bands like that, even just a little, for joining the big 5.

[Choop]

the label didn't even pay the local radio stations to play the single

That's called "Payola" and I think it's now illegal.

Not that that excuses them from never marketing the band.

[CortJstr]

the label didn't even pay the local radio stations to play the single

That's called "Payola" and I think it's now illegal.

Not that that excuses them from never marketing the band.

Direct payola is illegal but indirect is tolerated and very common. The labels hire "indepentent promoters" called indies to "market" they're bands to radio stations/conglomerates like Clear Channel. The indies give the stations big checks as "gifts" and lists of songs they want played*. The indie will then bill the label per play of the songs. This means indie even gets payed if the stations plays the song on its own because of a rare legitimate request.**

This way the labels are insulated from the actual payola. Kind of like how Wal-Mart hires a cleaning company which then hires illegal immigrants. Because of the middle-man the big company is legally protected.

*They use specific songs instead of just bands because the labels want the newest CD pimped for good sales figures so the bands look hot and current. This is why you rarely hear The Lost Art of Keeping a Secret anymore.

**Listener request are often recorded and played back as needed. That way it doesn't look so bad that the station has played the same Linkin Park song 7 times by 5pm. They're also useful for creating the illusion that a DJ is present even if they only work 3 days a week.

Most of this came from Salon.