The comment/rant below is in RESPONSE to a previous article music industry still singing the blues

AUTHOR of the rant = captdunsel

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I'm having some real problems with this article. There is so much wrong here that in order for me to explain it I'll have to write my own article. So be it.

Let's start with the title. The music industry is not singing the blues. the blues have substance. Feeling. Purpose. The music industry has 50 cent. Ashley Simpson. Greastest hits albums from people who have released one cd. In other words, none of those things that appeal to people on anything more than a superficial level. All these years later I can listen to John Lee Hooker and relate to his music even though I never heard any of his work until I was close to 30 years old. How many people will listen to ashley simpson in 20 years?

strike one.

I watched the movie Josie and the Pussycats here a few months ago. (Yeah it's old and yeah I saw it when it came out with my daughter.) I watched it again with fresh eyes. A real riaa propaganda fest. They had it all. A struggling group working hard and trying harder to catch a break in an industry dominated by appearance, image and overhyped glitz. Evil record company executives, heroes, villains, thinly veiled sex, money and music. Had you cheering for the good guys and laughing at the bad guys and the industry. Can they be that shallow? Is it really like this? Are they serious with this statement? Of course they are. It's all true and to prove it they were willing to present themselves openly as what they really are. At the end we are told to ignore the hype. If you don't like it, that's ok if you do just enjoy the music. Then the young lady lip synchs to the big finale. Again, no substance. Did the riaa not hear they message they were preaching to us?

strike two.

"This year's top-selling album, 50 Cent's The Massacre, has sold 4.7 million copies to date and now is No. 44."

What exactly does this statement mean? Are they complaining because the album sold 4.7 million copies or because the other 26 albums from various other clones didn't sell 4.7 million copies?

I can pick out several of my favorite albums from over the years. I could find any number of examples of my personal preferences to cite but the point is that they are all unique in some manner. The was only one "The Wall" (Pink Floyd), only one "Tres Hombres" (ZZ Top) and only one "Jagged Little Pill" (Alanis Morrisette). Now originality is not required because it's ok to cover anything you want. Metallica sure as hell didn't feel any compunction about covering Bob Seger's work. (Hey Lars, remember saying "Dude, you ripped me off.") Alanis Morrisete has resorted to prostituting her own work and I just about can't tell the difference between Supertramp's version of "Give A Little Bit" and the version from the last band to cover it. In fact the only commercial music I've heard in the last 5 years that had ANY originality about it was just that, a commercial. Burger King had an ad campaign that involved a bunch of guys dressed up in chicken outfits posing as a heavy metal band (No I'm not forgetting the fact that Little Feat did this some years ago) This was a rare stroke in the business today and of course nobody got it. Too bad. I guess it required thinking for a moment. Instant gratification is a powerful thing. If the joke doesn't get told at least once a week we forget it.

strike three.

Sales are down they tell us. Internet piracy is rampant. Kids are stealing their product and have to be sued. They have to have DRM to stay in business. They're just not making enough money to promote new bands.

I used to have a pair of jeans that my mom gave me when my brother outgrew them. He got them from my oldest brother when he outgrew them. When they no longer fit me, we donated them to a church to give to the needy. Now I know why Levi Strauss went out of business. I wonder if tht's going to happen to the record labels as well?