I was gonna discuss this a while back when Peter Meddlesome suddenly took an interest in illegal downloads, (makes a change from immigrants) after a meeting with music biz supremo David Geffen, who’s not happy as he feels he’s losing out on more cash from his film and record companies. Greedy bastard! Seeing as ‘the issue’ has appeared again with Lily Allen claiming illegal downloads are killing the music industry, I thought I might share a few thoughts of mine with you.
It’s about the 3 M’s Music, Message and Money, no make that 4, and Motivation. Why do people make music? Is it to get a message across, cos they like making music, or because they want to make money? It’s got to be for at least one of those reasons. The only artists illegal downloads effects are those were the only notes that count are the ones that come in wads, and the record companies, well they can fuck off cos they’re the ones responsible with their overpriced products. Yes prices are dropping but that’s only cos people aint been buying, just shows the mark up and the money they must have made off people before the digital age. Perhapes it’s pay back time for some of us. Anyway, the majority off stuff I have illegally downloaded I have bought at a latter date. If I haven’t then there’s a reason and that’s because it’s been shit! So perhaps the only people killing off the music industry are the artists themselves by releasing crap records/CD’s/Downloads or whatever it is the makes the pounds and dollars dance.
As for stuff I post on this blog, I don’t post anything that is newly released or readily available to buy, there’s been a few I’ve bought digitally that I’ve shared rather than let you suffer the scratches and crackles of my original vinyl and there’s a couple were I’ve felt that it’s important for people to hear the message and hoped the artists in question haven’t minded. The rest of the shit is old live tapes and stuff not available digitally that nobody would have got the chance to hear if I’d just left them in the box in my loft. Now some blogs, well….they are well and truly killing the music biz off, which ever since the Britpop and New Labour No10 Love-In of 1997 music has been seen as some sort of career choice, with band after band jumping on any band wagon that’s passing the studio/rehearsal room. It’s all fashion and no passion. Well to these ears and eyes the majority of it is. I’m not saying that artists shouldn’t get paid for what they are doing, that’s if they’re doing a good job, but It isn’t just about record sales, it’s about merchandise and touring. Then there’s the message.
Say that a few years back I had played in a band called The Drug Prowling Wolves and 20,000 people downloaded our album (Not that we ever made one) for free and only 5,000 paid for it, that’s 25,000 people listening to the music and the message, if those 20,000 people didn’t download it for free that’s a lot of people not hearing the music and the message, alright so the bands not making any money, but hey is that what it’s all about? The more people that hear the music by whatever means, means the larger the audience maybe at gigs etc. That’s if year any good. We were shit! But that was the whole point! It’s all about hard work, and Lily Allen is a product of the digital instant age were she became a hit immediately with out having to play small gigs in small clubs before she achieved her success, now she’s worried that her future riches may be stolen from her at the click of a mouse. Peter Mandelson, well we all know what his interest in it all is; he‘s there to try and secure the industry and his future. Music and Governments don’t mix. Anyway Lily Allen and Peter Mandelson can mass debate as much as they like but Pop has finally eaten itself! The music industry and people like David Geffen have become fat and bloated on their own success, so Click! Click! Lets carry on with the killing!
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