I think the record companies have become as corrupt as the oil companies. The biggies are no longer in it to produce music that they feel people should hear. They are in it for pure profit. They corner the market on their products by selling them through specific retailers and they control what gets on the radio by co-owning the big communications companies that own 90% of the radio stations in the US. It’s pathetic.

I rarely hear new music on the radio, with the exception of WBRU, Providence, which is still an independent radio station. They are Alt-Rock, I wouldn’t call them progressive (there is a real progressive station in Long Island, and I can get them on trips to or through CT.)

I usually hear of new stuff I want through other people, whether it’s people I know, blogs I read or stuff recommended to me.

Anyway, I think the days of the big record companies are fading. I am not sure what will take their place. Maybe new, smaller, artist-run companies to help new artists produce their albums. One can only hope.

PERIOD!

END OF STORY!

I would hope the Mustang Club told Ford to go pound sand.

Yes, downloading music/movies is illegal. I suggest that the recording and movie industries work to make it easier to do, however, as it seems to work well for content owners who do so and many people want to pay for the option to download unrestricted IP but can’t do so.

I’ve bought hundreds of albums and ripped most of it to my iPod. Most of it I’ve found through “alternative sources” like pandora.com or NPR and bought much of it via ebay since I rarely find the new stuff I look for in any store or even on Amazon.com (although its gotten much better lately).

And I have a network of people who have similar tastes that I share music with. And like me, they go buy the stuff they like.

And I haven’t asked the RIAA for a nickle for all the marketing I’ve done for them.

And I recommend mediamonkey as an alternative to the ipod software (which SUCKS and crashes often). Mediamonkey allows me to rip, get the art, level volume, organize, rename, and tranfer songs quite easily. Well worth the money. (No, I get nothing from the recommendation).

The RIAA is simply trying to control the channels and content for thier own profits, but artists are beginning to find ways (CDBABY, MP3.COM, etc) around the barriers they’ve erected. And people like me are starting to connect to artists we wouldn’t have found 10 years ago. As long as the RIAA can legislate barriers and intimidate customers and artists, they create an artifical and anticompetative cost structure.

Oh, and they should burn in hell. Sooner if possible.

This may be wrong. Anyone know the details?

That being said, I’ve *not* bought a lot of CDs because either someone gave me a pirated copy of it or because I found it somewhere else myself.

I am an iTunes user, but I am usually unable to find the music that I listen to.

I was under the impression that music companies didn’t make as much from CDs as they did from concerts and merchandising. Is this incorrect?

Also, with the more prevalent use of personal media players including cars that store your music too–in my opinion–proves the fact that people don’t want the radio stations (in turn, major labels) dictating to them what to listen to.

Another good example would be your last post on the Giant’s win (Boo by the way). I hope you got the “express written consent” from the NFL before you posted that stuff…as they say:

This telecast is copyrighted by the NFL for the private use of our audience. Any other use of this telecast or of any pictures, descriptions, or accounts of the game without the NFL’s consent, is prohibited.

Video of the copyright statement

A little overboard?