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[TNT]

Stray,

I think the McCartney/Jackson thing maybe true because Jackson owned the rights to a large share of the Beatles tunes.

As far as the record companies getting paid for amateurs playing their songs, e.g., clubs, gigs, etc. . ., that is true. Club owners do pay a sum for this rip-off, although not sure how much it is, or how it is enforced.

Here, they can come into my bedroom, and I'll show them a tune or two, then we'll see how much I'll pay them!!

I'm surprised they don't hang out in Guitar Center and issue citations to all the customers trying out guitars. GET A LIFE!!

 

[straycat113]

TNT talk about an act of desperation I have to find that desperate and laughable. I think most of us grew up with school dances, block parties as well as the local gig in the bar, so I figure these are the last acts of a dying industry. I am all for artist getting paid for their recorded work, but even the tightest assed artist I believe would be ashamed to say they back this move.

 

[metalmarty]

In the Netherlands companies get bills from copyright-organisations for:
A. every radio they have on the grounds. People MIGHT listen to songs on it.
B. those organisations claim that the company has to pay for employees using mp3-players/iPods etc. So the employer must pay for the employee listening to songs he might have already paid for!
C. We have something called watch-and-listen-taxes. Everybody has to pay for public broadcasting through taxes, wich is fine be me because public broadcasting has it uses. BUT: nursing homes get massive random bills from those copyright-organisations because the elderly citizens living there sometimes watch or listen to a shared TV or radio. They already paid their taxes, and now the nursing homes have to pay that as well, the costs of which they charge back to the residents. It's just sick!
D. Taxes on blank CD-R's/DVD's/harddisks because you MIGHT put illegal copies on them.

Those organisations work with pure intimidation and terrorism. The lobby is HUGE, and it will become even worse when the worldwide ACTA-legislation comes through. Taxes on internet-use is coming up because you MIGHT download something. The ACTA will even legislate searching your laptops and ipods when you take an international flight. They will not only check your suitcase for drugs but your electronics also for possible copyright-issues. It's completely nauseating.

 

[koogie2k]

Well...ASCAP has been the cause of some local clubs having to shut down due to being fined. I am all about an artist getting paid for their work. I don't know how ASCAP helps in that by their tactics. My understanding is, if a cover band plays someone else's music for profit, ASCAP is there to collect. Most clubs pay a yearly "dues" to cover that, but, some don't. Touchy subject.

This is going off topic a bit, but, kinda relates as far as being a "rock star" with the mansions, cars, dreams, etc. Pops...to add...what is your insight on ASCAP and do they really help the artist or just the industry?

 

[DrKev]

My understanding is, if a cover band plays someone else's music for profit, ASCAP is there to collect.

My understanding is that it's the end user that pays. If a band is hired by a club, it's the club that pays, it's part of their yearly license.

As a musician, I'm all in favour of fees for copyright. If somebody is making money from your work, you should get a little piece of the pie too. Venues pay once a year and they're covered for all the music played there, radio, TV, CD, live, whatever. And yes, some venues have been shut down because they did not pay for many years and the bills added up. Too bad. It's part of their cost of doing busioness, like utilities or electricity.

 

[TNT]

They already get paid when cover bands play their tunes - it's called FREE ADVERTISEMENT!!!!

How greedy can you possibly get??? Why don't they bill "guitar" manufacturers, since they know in advance that their songs will be played on those guitars??!!

Let's all get together and BAN music - how would they like that?

 

[Big Poppa]

Lets all calm down thanks

 

[straycat113]

See what you started BP lol.

We live in a sue happy world with backroom lawyers thinking of what they can sue for next. Just watch a few hours of daytime TV and the commercials start rolling about - Have you or someone you know been injured, then they roll off 20 different ways of getting hurt and say call Jabibsky and Meyers, or whomever.lol Then during late night TV you get-Have you or a loved one taken the drug----, and roll off 20 side effects. I am waiting for when we get taxed for the air we breath.

 

[Big Poppa]

OK but really lets keep this friendly

How about in the name of convenience and delivery the world has accepted a product with inferior sonic qualities?

 

[Jimmyb]

OK but really lets keep this friendly

How about in the name of convenience and delivery the world has accepted a product with inferior sonic qualities?

Absolutely true.

Mind you, a lot of people have their Ipods set so loud, that they get rid of the ability to hear above 14kHz anyway. In a way the high frequency shelving of MP3's becomes self-fulfilling; what's the point of having the frequency there, if a great many of the people using it have lost the ability to hear it?

 

[Kristopher]

Listen to the Kinks, the Rolling Stones, the White Stripes, people dig tones that are distorted and raw. One person's "inferior sonic quality" is another person's "sound's great to me!".

I'd be curious if some of the parents on this forum would ask their kids what they thought of mp3 sound quality.

 

[PeteDuBaldo]

I can't stand the way mp3 files sound on dinky headphones/earbuds, so the only time I listen to my ipod is if I have to learn some songs and either don't have it on CD or I need to use my hour commute to listen. I do buy CDs and shirts to support the artist whenever possible, but the tangible album is going the way of the dodo bird.

 

[Jimmyb]

Yeah, but it's not about distortion, it's the removing of frequencies and the compression of the original file that degrades the sound quality.

You could ask the kids to compare the quality of the uncompressed source to the compressed version. Hopefully they should be able to notice the difference, although after a lab test I was in today, it wouldn't surprised me if they couldn't. Depressingly, at 36 I had a better frequency response than the majority of the students, who were 19.

 

[Big Poppa]

thank you jimmy....you understand the difference....

 

[tommydude]

BP - Good Blog ! I deal with this question a lot with guitar students.

As for cd VS. mp3..........I still buy the cd. Being able to read the liner notes within the booklet is still interesting to me. That topic was brought up on, "That Metal Show" by Eddie Trunk....I guess at 41, I am part of a dying breed (?!!?!?!?)

 

[fbecir]

Some young people still have good ears.
My nephew asked a vinyl player for his 18th birthday. Of course, now he wants to steal all my old vinyls !

 

[NorM]

I just read the Rolling stone best xxxxxxx xxxxxxx of all time list.
(Don't go there. Leave the list alone. Yes, It is wrong.)

Afterwards I remembered some advice that I heard.
Never read beauty magazines. It will only depress you.
(your beauty may vary)

I did find myself at a phone store trying to explain the concept of stereo to the 12 year old that worked there once.

I find it's easier to turn a blind eye to the media then to get upset about it.
As a rule I don't watch the news. It's always bad news and I just don't need it. I like the happy things here

 

[GoKart_MoZart]

How about in the name of convenience and delivery the world has accepted a product with inferior sonic qualities?

I grew up listening to AM on a small transistor radio in the bedroom, or later in my teens on the car radio. Sometimes the music was "mono-reprocessed-for-stereo", only to be listened to in mono again.

Talk about inferior sonic qualities!!

But it was all about the music, the songs.

 

[metalmarty]

Some young people still have good ears.
My nephew asked a vinyl player for his 18th birthday. Of course, now he wants to steal all my old vinyls !

Funny thing is that vinyl actually has quite a bit of compression. That's why rock sounds so good on vinyl and why you want classical music on CD. When I buy albums I usually buy the vinyl for quality home-listening (and the larger-then-life artwork )and download a copy of the album for on the move.

I absolutely loved the Super Audio CD concept, I heared albums that blew me away with the range. Then again, most people are clearly satisfied nowadays with MP3. Sad thing, really. And strange considering people demand full HD video now but accept inferior audio :S

 

[cosmic]

BP, great read, great blog. Thanks!