caffeineboy's Xanga

Since when is the AP Entertainment Wire a Collection of Teenagers' Blogs?

Wed, 12 Sep 2007 04:31:12 GMT

I was flipping through my school's newspaper. It's supposed to be better than most and apparently it has won some awards in the region. However, I just wonder sometimes what is considered news-worthy.

The best way to compare the layout of the paper is that of the Chicago Sun-Times. No pull-out sections, just one paper with local stuff in the front, sports in the back, and somewhere in the middle are stories compiled from the AP wires.

I get to the AP wire portion and see an "entertainment piece" about Britney Spears' performance at Sunday's Video Music Awards. Personally, I think that the VMA's are nothing but a joke considering that MTV rarely, if ever, plays videos. It's just another lame excuse for celebrities to parade around like they actually mean something.

I saw the clip of it later that night, and it was an absolute trainwreck. She forgot half her dance moves (and words to the song) and just wandered around the stage like she was seriously lost. The pathetic piece of journalism in question does nothing but round up what some of the entertainment blogs' best one-liners could throw at her, mainly about her body. I'm sorry, but how she looks is the least of her worries after that performance. It's that simple.

As If I Thought I Had Enough Reasons to Hate the RIAA, I Get Another One

Tue, 08 May 2007 03:10:29 GMT

I am sure that everyone reading this has either sold a CD/record/tape to a record store or purchased a used CD /record/tape from a record store. It's an easy and economical way to discover new music while still paying for the music. According to this article, there are states that are starting to treat used record shops like they're pawn shops.
The reason cited for the law is to curb the sale of stolen and counterfeit merchandise.

Personally, I think it's a load of shit. It's been a known fact that the RIAA (which has been ranked as the worst employer in the United States) has been against the buying and selling of used CDs because it hurts the sale of new CDs. The record companies are hurting in new CD sales and want to point the finger on any single thing that they want to that they claim hurts their sales. Piracy? Used CD sales? How about the fact that there hasn't been an act in the past ten years that has had any sort of staying power come to fruition. The shelf life of a band or artist has significantly dropped, and people are wise to it. The reason for this is that the bar is set too high for the artist in the first place. There have been bands with a lot of talent and a lot of potential, but because they didn't go multi-platinum on their debut CD means they're a failure and get dropped.

The number of places to buy CDs is also shrinking. Independent record shops are dropping like flies because they can't compete with the big boxes in prices or marketability while having far superior selections. Even the big boxes are shrinking their inventories and selection to make way for higher margin items. Even the chain record stores are shrinking in size.

These are two big problems in a supply chain that in any other business would be addressed in an instant. You don't see car companies pulling for used car dealers to be treated like pawn shops. How about any other industry when they have a slacking supply because of low quality? They do something about it and improve the product. Fingers are pointed within the organization and not towards the consumer.

Today, there is a lot of uproar about the lack of corporate responsibility in a variety of things, with the latest being the relationship between upper management of companies and the boards of directors that are supposed to look over the company for the value and wealth of shareholders. Boards are getting too friendly with management, and poor management is driving many companies into the ground. The big media companies have really dropped the ball and are incredibly behind in the technological field and it is because they refused to initially embrace it. Instead of trying to act like the big bully on the block, why not embrace it and find a way to work with companies and make this work. It only hurts not only the companies, the stockholders' wealth, and ultimately the consumer.

The Future of Musical Journalism?

Tue, 27 Mar 2007 07:25:56 GMT

This is a response to a column in today's Northern Star, written by Keith Cameron, about the lack of support for lesser-known acts. I think it's pretty safe to say that he just doesn't get it.

I respect his support for independent music and everything it stands for, but there comes a time to say “enough is enough” and demand a higher quality of music.

It's safe to say that in a lot of cases, a high amount of musicianship is there in coffee houses and smoky bars in college towns. Some popular acts started out playing coffee houses smoky bars in college towns. Inspector Owl celebrated their roots this past weekend with their record release show at The house, and Dave Matthews Band has paid homage to their original stomping grounds and fans in the Charlottesville, VA reigon numerous times.

Where a lot of bands fall short (and commit a personal musical sin) is in the song-writing. There is an immense lack of imagination and creativity in a lot of song-writing, and while there are a lot of bands that quickly make it to the big time and quickly fall (Third Eye Blind, Fastball, and Sugar Ray all come to mind). In Mr. Cameron's article, he cites that The Arrivals “wanted to write like the Buzzcocks, The Misfits, and be as cool as The Nation of Ulysses”, and this is where the problem is: too many bands want to flaunt their “influences” as token of superiority. This is a sin because not only can they not live up to the influences they claim to cite, but they also dilute the influencing bands' quality of music and their contribution to music today.

While I buy into the idea of a lack of innovation in today's popular music, I truly believe that the lack of innovation in independent music in trying to copy and mash-up the past is killing the future. I think it's time for Mr. Cameron to wake up and realize that his anti-establishment attitude when it comes to music is causing him to miss out on some amazing music. Had he actually been inside the Convocation Center for the John Mayer show in late February, he would've seen a musician that deserves where he is by balancing his homage to his influences and creating something new and inspiring. It's a shame that he missed out.

When Will 1st Amendment Rights Be Fully Acknowledged?

Fri, 09 Mar 2007 09:58:08 GMT

When Will the State of Illinois learn a damn thing?