Ron Murphy R.I.P.

Mandatory listening if you've ever listened to a record from Detroit.

Lots of stuff in the catch-all

The only way i'm ever going to get to the bottom of this is with multiple posts per day.

Detroit, Michigan - 1967

The Catch All

so, in cleaning up my desktop and harddrive, which i like to do every couple of months, rather it needs it or not, i often just dump things into one folder called a "catch-all". I can't explain exactly what qualifies something for catch-all status, so instead, I will just post random items from the folder with whatever information i can retain as to why i have it, where it came from, etc. so here goes.

First is Ken "By Request Only" which my good friend Ken sent me, though I must say the hairstyle is far more him then me.

Pot Cop

Ummm... you just have to listen.

Click here.

Free Music

This was originally a post/rant on a mailing list I belong to about the record industry's failure to hear the music.

Now, before anyone jumps on my shit, and says, "music's not free it takes money for artists to make music and to support the infrastructure that allows artists to make and sell records". I understand that. I have spent the past twenty-five years in the music business working with artists as a manager, producer, record company and for the past 8 years as a consultant specializing in the web and multimedia. My issue is with the RIAA and major "record" companies who have spent the past ten years with their head in the sand (or up their ass) trying to preserve an antiquated business model, or create a digital equivalent of that model that will allow them to continue to reap enormous profits on the backs of artists and songwriters.



music is free. it is free to make, and free to listen to. about a hundred years ago, these guys came up with a way of installing themselves between the musician and audience and commoditizing it. they created an industry called the record industry and made records. they built a system that they controlled at every pass: retail, radio, tv, distribution, advertising, publishing, etc. in addition there were companies creating devices to deliver this entertainment to the consumer. they made record players, then radios, then tape players, then compact disc players and now digital media devices. every one of those devices has ultimately provided the "record industry" the opportunity to make more money from the exploitation of those records. Artists have never made a lot of money from selling records, they historically have just had to give up those rights to the record companies, in exchange for the chance to be heard and made available on a bigger scale, unless they proved themselves worth something, then it was subject to negotiation.

the major record companies ultimately thrived due to their ability to control the physical distribution of goods and access to their system, and the digitization of recorded material has changed faster than the industry has managed to adapt. the audience has moved on, and they donÕt 'buy records" anymore. so, sucks to own a bike shop when everyone drives a car. or does it? the perception of ownership has changed, and that is a generational thing, but, there are kids out there who have no idea what a "record" is, and they will grow up falling asleep with an ipod in their cradle, or maybe a Zune, if their parentÕs are clueless. ;-)

that said, moving to a digital business model, the costs of goods, transportation, distribution, etc. have all been either eliminated or reduced greatly. why hasnÕt Warners or Sony just created their own online store (and i don't mean Sony Connect) and embraced mp3 as the audience has shown this is what they want, and just take the full 99 cents or 79 points for themselves and split it with the artist. Suddenly 10,000 record sales would put $50k in the artists account rather than the $12k the artist makes on those same sales via iTunes; and mp3s play on iPods. Where would the user buy their music from if their choice is DRM protected content from iTMS or unprotected mp3s from Sony? Why isnÕt Columbia House or BMG Music Club the digital sales leader?

but, try as they may the labels have not been out to figure out an effective way to deliver their "records" to people who donÕt buy records, or even know what a record is. but, no one has taken the lead. not sony, not bmg, not emi, not warners theyÕve all failed, in one way or another, and multiple times, at their own various attempts to "own digital". so has IBM and Microsoft and AOL and Yahoo! And, the one company who has managed to Ōmake it workĶ as Tim Gunn would say, has been Apple, and with Jobs now as the single biggest shareholder in Disney, and about to land the Beatles rights, Apple is only going to shine brighter. Sorry.

I feel far more empathy for the record stores and distributors and indie labels that have been hurt, or virtually eliminated by all of this than I do for the major record companies. I take it for granted that I still have a Reckless Records down the block, but, what I even dig more is iTunes, eMusic, Other Music, Bleep.com, PostEverything.com, Forced Exposure, LastFM and all the other opportunities to hear music "for free" and buy music from small independent labels who I may have never heard of, had I not downloaded some of their music for FREE, god forbid.

If you love music it's hard to love the music "industry", and believe me, I have earned my living from this industry for the past 25 years, but, the record industry has been cutting itÕs own throat for over ten years at this point and failed to address the real issues, and while everyone else is bickering over formats and theft and digital rights management and copy protection and lawsuits, Apple is cleaning everyoneÕs clock. That is until Google drops the gPod.

glumbert.com | Couple roleplays the political way

This just made me laugh and laugh. May not be suitable for All Audiences (i.e. Bushies may hate).

glumbert.com | Couple roleplays the political way

tourfilter - free, simple concert notifications

tourfilter - free, simple concert notifications

pretty slick AJAX interface to track tourdates from your favorite band in your city.

Stephen Colbert Has America by the Ballots -- New York Magazine

Stephen Colbert Has America by the Ballots -- New York Magazine