Sunday Morning Coming Down 09.05.10
Posted by Michael Melchor on 09.05.2010
The last word on Guns N’ Roses at Reading, the last word on the file-sharing debate, and the last word from me. Period.
The views and opinions expressed herein are those solely of the author and may not necessarily reflect those of the rest of the human race.
You claimed all this time that you would die for me; why, then, are you so surprised when you hear your own eulogy? Hey there, hi there, ho there and thanks for coming back. That particular quote...yeah, it means exactly what You Might Think.
After having, admittedly, one hell of a week I've had quite a bit of thinking to do. After seven years (!) of doing this gig here, which I've loved every minute of, I had a couple offers placed on the table I couldn't pass up. The goal, for me, has always been to parlay this sort of thing in to an actual career...and it's looking like it's actually going to happen. In order to achieve that goal, I had to come to a decision.
Translation: I had to pull a Tyler Black. Granted, I'm not holding a title or anything, but you get that it basically means you're reading the final Sunday Morning Coming Down for 411 Music.
Being a wrestling fan, I fully believe in the concept of "doing business on my way out". So, after this, I have a couple other contractual obligations to fulfill here (don't worry - "phoning it in" isn't in my vocabulary) and a guest spot to make in Cook's Corner...and then I'm out.
I'm not going to spend a gob of space on "Thank Yous" and all that - mainly because most of the people I had to thank, I've already done so personally. However, I do owe a short-but-heartfelt public thank you to Ashish Parabi, Larry, Csonka, Mitch Michaels, Ben Czajkowski, Chris Lansdell, Jeff Modzelewski, Steve Cook, Ari Berenstein, and Adam Hill for making this last run so much damn fun. There are so many others I could name throughout my entire seven-year tenure who have made this possible. I'm too terrified, though, of leaving someone off the list who shouldn't be left off. In one way or another, they've all made what has happened possible. I couldn't possibly go any further - much less do this last column - without recognizing that.
Okay, This Is Boring – What Else Is There To Read?
Since I won't be around to do it next week, I want to thank Steve Cook for being a great kid, a fun read, and for letting me have a little space in next week's Cook's Corner to discuss an Amazon.
Also, special thanks to fellow Weekend Warrior J-Mod not only for the consistent goodness of Jam Central Station (and a wealth of knowledge on Spearhead), but for the awesome send-off. I'mma miss working with him, as well as many others.
As far as the "many others", do yourself a favor and go read them when you're done here. 411 has been around almost 15 (~!) years for a reason: quality.
Hook up with us on Facebook! You can even find me there if you feel so inclined...
This is the part where I was going to talk about the Guns N' Roses vs. Reading Festival debacle, but I kindaalready did. Feel free to check the appropriate link(s) for details (one of 'em's one of my new gigs!). One thing I didn't mention yet, though...
Mind you, I still haven't seen any videos of what happened. That having been said, based on what I've read, Axl Rose's claim that the band was sabotaged because the promoter had some sort of grudge...might not be that far out of the ballpark. Taking out of the equation that several bands bagged on GN'R the whole day (You mean that many bands hate GN'R? Really? Or, were they asked to do that? Who knows?), let's focus on the encore situation...
At a festival that size, you mean to tell me that no one involved with sound, lighting, organization, what-have-you could take their heads out of their asses long enough to bring up the stage lights when the left the first time? Or play some other music over the PA to let the crowd (and the BAND) know they were done? This is common practice at every single concert no matter what setting it's in. Reportedly, there were sound problems throughout the day. That just smacks of unprofessionalism all the way around. Either that kind of idiocy carried over to GN'R's set - inexcuseable for a festival that size when the organizers have been doing this for several years now - or it was simply deliberate.
Either way, Axl has reason to be upset, I think. As for the fans, they didn't seem to take to the idea from jump. And don't even bother with the "they went on an hour late!" excuse, because this is Guns N' Roses we're talking about. According to their contract rider, they were probably early!
This next bit, I can't really cite a source because it came to me in the form of an e-mail press release. However, what was in it was too good not to share.
Now, we have to backtrack a bit first. U2's manager, Paul McGuinness, recently wrote a piece for GQ about "How To Save The Music Industry". Care to take any guesses at what his answer was?
If that guess was, "free file-sharing is the devil and there should be a law on the books allowing ISPs to punish those that freely share and make them pay more money for the RIAA--I mean, the 'artists' blah-blah-blah," then you got the correct answer for 100 points. Give yourself an extra 25 if you even got the "blah-blah-blah" part.
McGuinness (and this is where the e-mail press release came in) was answered by Gama Bomb frontman--
Wait, who? No, it's cool - I asked the same thing. I thought a Gamma Bomb was what created The Incrfedible Hulk until I went to Wikipedia. There I found out that, "Gama Bomb are an Irish thrash metal band mainly based in Ireland, the UK and Europe." Okay, fair enough. Moving on, then...
Gama Bomb frontman Philly Byrne responded to McGuinness with the following (excerpts):
To his credit Mr McGuinness is here wading into an argument that, as he notes, often involves untold abuse for those willing to stick their oar in. Furthermore, it's one that doesn't affect his untouchably profitable bread-and-butter, U2.
So who am I to gainsay him?
Last year my band Gama Bomb released their third album free of cost as a download with the permission of our record company, Earache Records. This, to my knowledge, makes us the first signed band ever to do so.
We took this step because we personally consume music in this way and were aware our previous albums were largely being consumed as shared files. To release another CD in the traditional way seemed futile.
Also, as a band playing a niche form of music on a small budget, we were aware of the potential PR power of such a move. The label agreed, we did it, and that's why I feel qualified to dust off my soap box on this one.
To keep this sweet, Mr McGuinness' argument can be summarised in five points:
1. The ‘problem' of ‘free' content is the biggest issue facing the music industry
2. ISPs are profiting from widening bandwidth associated with filesharing
3. this has caused the music industry's profit shrink, therefore
4. tackling the ISPs is the key to saving the music industry
5. To this end, governments should legislate to make ISPs punish consumers who infringe copyright, encouraging them to use legal, paid, approved means of consuming music.
Two things stunned me as I read the article. First was Paul's own emphasis on the negative nature of prosecuting consumers for file sharing, though the ‘graduated response' or ‘three strikes' legislation he champions offers no less a persecution to the very people artists rely on.
Second was this quotation.
"In recent years the music business has tried to "fight free with free," seeking revenues from advertising, merchandising, sponsorship...these efforts have achieved little success."
This is rather brash given that 360 degree contracts (where labels share in merch, licensing, royalties and live performance fees) have been common currency in the industry for more than 10 years, with all the majors buying over merchandise production companies in order to best profit from their bands' deals. It seems his own industry are quite keen on it.
It's also startling because U2 signed a 12-year deal with Live Nation in 2008, giving control of the band's merchandise and web presence to the concert promoter in sure recognition of those being vital cogs in the machine. And as for the rest? The band famously synergised corporate sponsorship and high-end merchandising in the form of the U2 iPod in 2004. Textbook new-industry pathfinding.
But Paul skips over these new revenue streams like they're a footnote, when they are in fact the lifelines of the music industry right now.
His band signing to a concert promoter and Lady Gaga hawking Wonder Bread in her videos is a sure indication of their worth.
Mr McGuinness sees the new anti-file sharing legislation as ensuring the future of the music industry, though he admits the labels will have to adapt to the new digital age yet.
I think he's dreaming. I think he'll be looking to a new, final hope in six months time, and another six months after that.
...If Paul's argument has five points, maybe it'd be neat for me to present five of my own in counter.
1. It is impossible to police the internet effectively.
2. Technology savvy evaders of new legislation will simplify technology to allow access to those below them. This is a constant stream. File sharing can't be stopped.
3. The old model of record labels being the only career-former for bands is obsolete. Brian Message's proposed Polyphonic label is a good example of alternatives.
4. Endorsing the idea of free content is the route to profit, creating a ‘goodwill' industry.
5. Usenet groups currently charge users around £18 per month to download unlimited material. This is the best model for the future, with corporate tie-ins and advertising monetizing the interactive space in which people will swap material.
I'm not here to call Paul McGuinness a hypocrite or an old-guard bulldog or anything of the sort. On the contrary, I want to praise his passion for rock music and ask him to get on side with championing free content and encouraging the music industry to re-tool to take advantage of it. That's a big leap, and may feel like an irrational one since that way lies the death of all that built the towers of the rock and roll biz in the past – but it has to be done.
The coming war between the labels and the ISPs is where this new approach will be forged, though I believe punishing the consumer for being ahead of the curve is simply wrong.
As Mr McGuinness suggests, the great minds behind Facebook, Google and Apple - and yes, behind the rock colossus that is U2 - will need to cooperate to establish the future of the music industry. But that future will not lie in restricting content, throttling bandwidth, or playing an exhausting eternal game whack-a-mole with non-conforming websites.
By the way, when my band released their third album for free last year, we managed to sell an equal number of physical CDs as we did the prior album when it finally hit shelves. Not a spectacular result, but an interesting one.
I could have posted the whole Blog from Byrne. Then again, I didn't even have to post this much. One sentence in the entire stands out as irrefutable fact:
The old model of record labels being the only career-former for bands is obsolete.
This is painfully evident if you take a look anywhere online. Hell, that was theentirepointbehind"Remixing The Industry" - that the old model of business is becoming extinct and that the idea of the internet being the future of the music business is already here. I know of many acts (some personally, like Marc with a C) that have followed that path, and just about all of them, while nowhere near the level of a U2, are making tidy sums and comfortable livings releasing their music any way they see fit - yes, even free - without having to go through a controlling, corporate record label to do it.
This debate, much as McGuinness would like it to, has nothing to do with piracy. Piracy is its own debate, but McGuinness and others of his ilk (mainly high-level execs and mega-star artists who have made their millions using the old system...heretofore known as the Old Guard) are looking to throw the baby out with the bathwater. The newer wave of artists plying their trade in a digital terrain almost seem like a threat to the established stars of yesteryear who don't want to let go of their spot. The problem is, consumers have spoken - and they seem to prefer the new model.
Look at how successful iTunes has been. Radiohead made waves - and plenty of money - with the "pay what you want" model - so much so that many others, including Del Tha Funkee Homosapien (go listen to the Gorillaz' "Clint Eastwood" before you ask, "Who?"), have followed suit. Even Napster - the idea every single record label ejected because they couldn't grasp that it would ever work and blew up (in their faces) when it took off - is now a legitimate distribution. It seem the Old Guard are desperate to shut down any idea that's too new for them to understand how to use properly - and that mindset is now causing a much bigger problem.
Between trying to get legislation passed that will make ISPs punish their own customers - which is what McGuinness is pushing for (is U2 behind that idea as well? - and legislation that has already passed like what has already happened in the UK, it almost seems like avenues of creativity and exposure for new artists are being redacted, if not outright banned. Whether it's a deliberate effort by the Old Guard or not is immaterial; what's resulted now is class warfare within the music industry.
The rich (Old Guard) are doing all they can to keep their riches, even if it means shutting the poor (in this case, the New Blood of artists using the internet to its fullest) out of the game entirely. Slowly but surely, many ways and means of digital distribution and new methods of creation that newer artists can use to make their own career (without even threatening the stature of the Old Guard) are being legally blocked. It's to the point now where the rights of artists are being stripped from them in favor of the Old Guard keeping their money and feeling safe when they go to sleep at night that their way is the best way.
The problem is, it isn't. iTunes, Amazon's mp3 service, RealMedia's Rhapsody, and Napster...not to mention hundreds of artists now using their own websites or services like BandCamp to distribute (and keep the rights to) their music...all of those have become successful. Whether or not the Old Guard wants to admit it or not, their way is dying a slow death. The best way to ensure it happens is to keep turning away from CDs, saying "no" to outrageous ticket prices, and supporting the independent artists by buying their music and showing the Old Guard that we're willing to pay for quality wherever it may come from. The consumers, in the end, should the ones who win while the New Blood of artists thrive and are able to release their music as they see fit to an appreciative audience.
I Like It, I Love It
Just to give the finger to the Old Guard clowns like Paul McGuinness, U2, and Irving Azoff (never did get a direct answer, by the way...what was that about "journalists not having the last word", lunkhead?), let's recommend some Mash-Ups!
A word about them in general: love ‘em to death. (Anyone who's followed me for a while should know this already.) It's take more creativity than one would expect to blend two different songs together and make it sound so fresh and fun. Bonus points to those DJs that can do it with two (or more) songs I can't stand - and it happens more often than you might think.
For example:
DJ Schmolli - "Rude Boy Resort" (Rhianna vs. Papa Roach)
Not real big on Papa Roach, although this is one of the few songs from them that doesn't make me automatically turn the dial. Rihanna...yeah, her album was at least earnest, if not decently so, but this one didn't float my boat. Put ‘em together and it works so damn well despite the fact that it really shouldn't.
Party Ben - "Single Ladies (In Mayberry)" (Beyonce vs. the Andy Griffith Theme)
Go ahead. Try to watch it without smiling. I'll double that dare from about :54 to 1:01.
MadMixMustang - "Fat Bottomed Girls Come Together" (Queen vs. The Beatles)
This is, first of all, the most technically perfect Mash-Up I've ever heard. If I didn't know these were two different songs (and what mook doesn't know that by now?), I might be convinced that this is one song by one band. Very impressive - and infectious to hear John Lennon singing over one of Brian May's most pounding riffs.
Oh, and the only reason I didn't bring up Dan Mei's "The Final Countdown Circus" (Britney Spears vs. Europe) before now was because I can't find a video to save my life. You thought Rihanna & Papa Roach shouldn't go together but did? This blows it out of the water. Both versions. Another great one I couldn't find a video for is Party Ben's "Callin' On Sunday" (Lyrics Born vs. U2) (Take THAT, McGuinness!). Consider them my parting gift to you.
Happy Trails
Yeah...this is the part where I thank you for reading and implore you to be back in seven. Mind, you, you're welcome to be back here in a week. But I won't. Don't let that stop you, though. Feel free to read around and enjoy what you see here. It's why I stayed on here for seven years.
The former part, however...I do want to thank you for hanging with me during my last ride here. It's been a blast and don't think I don't appreciate it. I will see you on a Sunday again. Probably a lot sooner than you might think. In the meantime, take care, have fun, and I'll see you down the road.
L8. Thanks again for reading.
For more interesting reading, click here. And/or here, for that matter.
I could not POSSIBLY think of a better way to go out than this...
