The point is…… that Ashes From Within suck!

That being said, it seems to me that, if we are talking about record companies either making their music available via CD only, or only selling entire albums, I hope the lesson learned is not to gouge the public. One of the main reasons why iTunes is so successful is no only because of the singles, but because of the lower prices for entire albums.

I also agree with not having to buy an entire album for only a few good tracks.

Also on the Itues Debate, The industry is trying to make you think that without Itunes things will be ok, the only reason they are on their last breath of air is because of Itunes, and consumers will buy albums if they are good, so advice to the industry learn how to put out good music again and just maybe people will buy, its a pretty simple thought process.

If you’re going to plug your own band – at least be honest about who you sound like.

Also – that was horrible!

http://www.youtube.com/AshesFromWithin

The fact of the matter is that our country is not built on moral obligation, but on the words of lawmakers and judges. And we ALL know the labels have been living by the phrase “It’s only a foul if the ref sees it” for years & years & years. We didn’t need Elliot Spitzer to tell us. And where corporations have the power to lobby for rules to be written in their favor, consumers have the power to band together & violate the laws anonymously. It’s two sides of the same coin… everyone, essentially, wants to “get theirs.” Me & my complicit community are, in practical terms, the consumers’ response to the practices & the very existence of the RIAA. It’s the twenty first century equivalent of throwing crates of tea into the Boston Harbor, only far more passive.

If the labels want to survive this situation, they aren’t going to get ANYWHERE crying foul. We’re 8 years into this & it’s very clear. The self-righteous rhetoric only justifies the mentality of the mob (let he who is without sin cast the first stone, right?) & the media coverage only grows the mob. Each scare tactic makes everyone take the industry less seriously & each website that gets taken down is replaced by at least two bigger and better websites. Online stores closing & consumers losing access to all of the copy protected WMA files they bought at full CD price doesn’t help, either.

What it comes down to is that consumer behavior has changed, largely as an effect of the labels own choices to focus on singles, neglect or downright offend the consumer (rootkit debacle, Y! Music disaster, etc), shun technology, etc. If the labels want to survive, they’re going to have to DROP THE BULLSHIT SELF-RIGHTEOUS CRYBABY ACT and bend the the consumer. And that means slashing the price of music to the point that it reflects the amount of music and the manner by which people have become used to consuming music (the price of filling a 160 gig iPod @ $.99 is about $30k… think about what people listen to music on & then consider whether that is reasonable or not). This is in the sub $.25/song range, probably closer to half that. And it also means adapting to this new volume-dependent system by dropping the focus on Christina, Mariah, & Justin, & focusing on making more better music that doesn’t necessarily appeal to the lowest common denominator. It means more Jackson Brownes & less Timbalands. Supposing there are no Jackson Brownes out there, this means developing them. (oh fuck! did he say developing an artist??)

It’s a new world & what’s “fair” doesn’t really play into it because the money is in someone’s pocket & they’ve gotta want to give it to you. The money is still there, the interest is still there, but every passing second that the labels refuse PROACTIVITY & every new method they use to alienate consumers makes it more & more of an uphill battle.

And for the record, in addition to the music that I may or may not download, I spend hundreds of dollars per month on cds, dvds, & vinyl (both new & used). I also have had a Rhapsody subscription for years now. And I go to several shows weekly, whether it’s dropping $100+ to see Jackson Browne @ the Tabernacle or $10 to see Right Away, Great Captain. I even voluntarily pay to see my best friends’ shows (for example Right Away, Great Captain). So my comments aren’t coming out of selfish gain, but out of just having my goddamn eyes open for the last decade while others have seemingly sewn theirs shut.

It’s near impossible to tell why a record does or doesn’t sell thanks to illegal downloaders like Jon and his complicit community.

The answer to “bloated singles” is don’t buy it not go steal it.

The only reason that “go steal it” is an answer is because the mob is so big that it’s unlikely that any single mobster is likely to get caught.

I’m sure that lots of people don’t like high priced gasoline, either, and they think that the oil companies are giving consumers the middle finger. But they don’t steal gasoline because they have a very good chance of getting arrested if they do.

This is called a “market” and markets work on rules, the most basic foundation of which is enforceable private property rights. If there are no private property rights, there can be no legal market, so there can be no “market failure” that we hear about so much from the profesoriate. What is usually characterized as a “market failure” is actually a successful and illicit black market. Not the same thing.

Artists should clearly have the right to distribute their work in whatever format they want, for sale, free, whatever. If they want to take the king’s shilling, become walking billboards for some product and be dependent on advertising and corporate largesse, then that’s their choice, too.

If the “consumer” that the hoards of self-appointed consumer protection folk are so concerned about doesn’t like the offering, they can decline to buy not decide to steal.

Next we’ll see Public Knowledge lobbying for laws that force artists to sell the way Public Knowledge thinks they should.

Who gave those GN’R songs to that guy?