My $0.02- Thomas-Rasset's RIAA Troubles

The whole music piracy debate is as old as the year 2000, but this new case with Jammie Thomas-Rasset is perhaps the meanest the RIAA has been in a good long while.

A mother of four, Thomas-Rasset has been found guilty of violating copy right laws on 24 songs she allegedly shared on the Kazaa file sharing network. The recording companies are asking for $1.92 million and really being vicious about it, espeically considering they can't prove Thomas-Rasset herself shared the files, only that someone using her computer did.

Whatever your specific stance on piracy is, this case should be unsettling for a few reasons. For one, shouldn't the punishment fit the crime? Even if Thomas-Rasset is responsible for sharing these files (Not even downloading the material in question, just seeding it), I doubt she caused $1.92 million worth of damages to these labels and these artists. Perhaps this is my naive 21 year old self, but there is a huge incongruity between the level of harm the crime has done and the severity of its punishment.

This might be an issue more closely aligned with our justice system, but it still boils down to the basic question: How does a big company suing a Minnesota mom for millions really stop anyone from pirating copyright protected material?

The short answer is that it doesn't. Internet users have shown that frivolous lawsuits such as this one push music pirates to find other ways to circumvent the law. Whether it's torrents, music forums, or abusing Mega Upload it's clear that hammering the consumer (The people that you want to buy the darn CDs in the first place) isn't going to help end music piracy.

I wrote a paper last year for my ethics class and I ended it by basically saying the RIAA is going about this the wrong way. Piracy is a symptom of the problem, not the problem itself. An album should not cost $20, and the fact that the price is so inflated is the big reason why people a pirating in the first place. There needs to be compromise on the part of the record label as well as the consumer to find a happy medium for affordable music and fair profit, rather than companies lashing out at the people that end up supporting them.

Ultimately, it comes down to common sense: Lawsuits over music aren't going make consumers want to buy it.

Oh, and using Kazaa is clearly a bad idea. Duh.

Nine Inch Nails- Ghosts I-IV (*****)

The music industry is dying.

Climbing CD prices coupled with digital sales from iTunes and Amazon that don’t quite cover the loss, make for a business that’s in need of serious restructuring. Yet despite this, record labels resist change and pass off the costs to the consumer. Normally, businesses would change their practices to better fit the needs of the market to turn profit, but here we see the business strangling what little life is left from those that still pay for music.

This is where Trent Reznor has decided to plunge a giant, nine inch nail, into the coffin of the music industry.

And rather than use 2008 as a time to rest on his laurels after the smash Year Zero and Y34RZ3R0R3M1X3D, the mastermind behind Nine Inch Nails (NIN) has decided to take his new found freedom from Interscope Records to make a huge statement.

In the waning hours of Mar. 2, www.nin.com was completely reconfigured to allow for the distribution of Nine Inch Nail’s newest album, Ghosts I-IV. There was no official statement, no press releases, just a cryptic blog entry two weeks prior in which Reznor simply stated, “2 weeks.”

While Nine Inch Nail’s management team has been responsible for running the website and maintaining the servers, there is no distribution or marketing being done from any sort of record label. In fact, the only thing Reznor has stated about the project, besides names of various producers and NIN personnel, is that it’s licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Share Alike Act.

Being protected under this act allows Reznor to not only maintain full control of his work, but it forces those to attribute him if they use the material from his work for remixes. It also allows people to freely share the material found on Ghosts I-IV without the threat of legal action, so long as they don’t use it for commercial gain.

In other words, file sharers can freely download without the fear of a lawsuit.

But the testament to the release is how Reznor has really provided a full experience for the consumer and really makes it special by purchasing through his website. He’s provided fans with a variety of choices, ranging from a free 9 song sample, a $5 digital version of the album, and a $10 double disc release that comes with a 16 page photo booklet.

Just when you think he’s finished, he’s included two options for collectors and high spenders. Reznor has created a $75 dollar bundle that contains all of the above plus a data CD full of the master tracks for audio editing and mixing as well as a Blu-Ray DVD containing a slideshow of more accompanying artwork.

Finally, there is a $300 package that is a limited release, containing all that’s listed as well as Ghosts I-IV on 4 vinyl LPs that are signed by Reznor himself.

It’s a risky move to take, but by offering such complete packages Reznor doesn’t punish file sharers. Instead he entices people by providing exclusive items that are unique, that downloading the album won’t yield. And of course, the whole scenario effectively cuts out the use of a record label, so those just interested in a CD copy aren’t left paying an arm and a leg to get one.

And for all the commotion about the release, Ghosts I-IV is equally as engaging as a body of songs, as well as the method with which it was released.

The collection of 36 songs are all instrumental pieces, split up into 4 E.P.s and only differentiated by their place in the track listing rather than actual titles. And unlike the tight construction of most NIN releases, Ghosts I-IV finds Reznor focusing with mood and atmosphere. This isn’t to say that the tracks meander and drift, but that they have a much more fluid and expansive quality rather than the meticulous clusters of noise found on most NIN albums.

Here, Reznor toys with somber piano balladry and eerie strings to provide the tension that NIN is known for. The tones all over the album are warm yet ethereal, from the pulsing bass to the brightness of the electronic flourishes spackled through out the collection. And when Reznor really lets loose on his electric guitar, the result is a cross between melodic fuzz and lumbering white noise.

The distortion is thick as it ebbs and flows through the songs. Much like a My Bloody Valentine record, it carries over a certain beauty and density rather than the bludgeoning force NIN is known for. Nothing on the release is overtly glitchy or break beat oriented, but this is far from NIN stripped down. The drums are still powerful and rich, but the tracks don’t feel processed and overindulgent like most instrumental collections do.

Instead, these songs represent a happy medium between sprawling experimentation and tense claustrophobia. And with Reznor stating that fans can expect further installments of Ghosts in the future, this not only means they’re in for more well assembled music, but that the record labels needs to wake up.

If more artists follow along in Reznor’s steps, the music industry might become ghosts themselves.

Sounds Like: Loveless (My Bloody Valentine), The Fragile (Nine Inch Nails), Kid A (Radiohead)

Key Cuts: 4 Ghosts I, 10 Ghosts II, 31 Ghosts IV

Author's Note: This review appears in a recent issue of the Sonoma State Star. As this is the author's own writing and this is his own blog, in addition to holding the position of A&E Co-Editor for the Sonoma State Star, he posts it here with express consent of himself. Duh.

Great Avenues For Audio-Information

Often, I’m approached by people asking “M!ke, how do you find out about new artists and stay up to date about new music coming out?”

Or better yet, “How do you know so MUCH about music?

I’m not the end-all-be-all authority when it comes to music by any means. Hell, I can’t even keep up with this blog as often as I’d like so I’m a bit taken back when regard me as this enlightened intellectual. For one, I see myself as a sort of sponge that gets lucky in what he soaks up. However, most of the information I do get about music is by directly talking to people. You’d be surprised what can be gleaned in the lost art of conversation. I remember once picking my friend’s brain about the new 1997 album A Better View Of The Rising Moon and having the discussion turn into a dialogue about the so-called “alternative movement” in the 90s. For about 2 hours, we reasoned out what bands like Weezer and The Smashing Pumpkins meant for the music culture.

Get people talking, and you’ll be amazed at the nuggets you’ll walk away with.

Conversation aside, there are some concrete places that I go for daily music news and places I feel will provoke your own thoughts about music. Here are some great places that I feel are worth beginning at as stepping stones.

AbsolutePunk.net

Whether or not you dig Jason Tate as a webmaster, you have to admire how up to date his website is. And unlike the name implies, the music discussed draws from a wide variety. Their album reviews are decent as they tend to give in-depth track by track dissections. While those who participate in their message boards tend to be a bit juvenile at times, it’s a good place for someone to keep up to date with studio releases from respected artists.

AllMusic.com

This is as close to a musical encyclopedia as you can get. Type in your favorite artist and get treated to a bio page with links to album reviews, descriptions of their sound, similar artists, etc. I cannot tell you how many bands have made their way into my music library through this website. While you might not always agree with their reviews, they actually examine the music from a craft standpoint rather than a trends standpoint. It’s a great alternative to mainstream music publications and elitist indie zines.

Did It Leak?

The issue of piracy, downloading, and purchasing music is always a sticky subject. Personally, I think it’s the craft of music that matters more than the corporate pigs and when you take into account what record labels charge for CDs nowadays, it’s disgusting. For those that are like me and keep up with album leaks, Did It Leak? is the perfect place for you. It gives daily information about new albums that have hit the p2p networks. Whether or not you download music, it’s good to know what’s out there. And maybe, have a small morsel before release day comes.

I Guess I’m Floating

Of the more well-respected music blogs, this has got to be a top choice for me. Unlike tons of blogs that won’t touch it if it’s not super-scene or indie, I Guess I’m Floating does a good job of balancing both worlds. They have a great feature called “Thursdays With Covers” in which they’ll post about three obscure covers by great artists such as of Montreal or Regina Spektor. Their live concert reviews are concise and fair, without playing favorites. I Guess I’m Floating is a well-rounded and informative blog.

Ixnay & Alli’s Complete AFI Series

This is one of the first music forums I ever joined and I feel it’s one of the best out there. While it is a fan site dedicated to AFI, I find myself visiting the general music section in the message board to see what people are listening to. Any forum has a music section (And this helps spur conversation kids!) but of all the forums I’m a part of, it’s the people that make AFI Series so interesting. The posters here aren’t going to take things at face value; they will analyze it and pick it apart. The flood of different opinions makes this forum a rich source of information.

LastFM

This little dandy first attracted me due to the fact that its network syncs up to your media player and records your listening habits. It’s has very specific breakdowns of what songs you play and also provides online radio stations based on those habits. Much like any forum you can think of, this is also a social networking website that will allow you to compare music tastes from people all over the globe. And like AllMusic.com, there are in-depth bio pages and similar artist lists to help you delve into new music you might not have heard about.

Licorice Pizza

Aikin, the mastermind behind this blog, actually gave me the idea for this posting when he sited my own blog in his “Blogroll.” I actually stumbled across Licorice Pizza by accident but frequent it because of the interesting content. Aikin has a keen sense for discussing what makes good hard rock music, while implementing a great balance of mainstream and underground bands. His writing style is informative and clear for any person no matter what musical background they’re from.

The Music Slut

While a bit more concentrated specific artists than I usually like, The Music Slut is a fun and informative website for current music news. While they have their favorites (Morrissey, Amy Winehouse, Radiohead, etc.) the site does a great job with having continuous updates throughout the day. Chances are if you check this blog in the morning, they’ll have added some stories by the time you check it after work. They also have a great feature called “The World Of B-Sides & Rarities” where they’ll post obscured b-sides for blog visitors. I’ve discovered 3 Radiohead songs on this site that I never knew existed. Definitely worth your time.

Pandora

Lastly, this is a fun website that will broaden your horizons and your tastes. It’s an interactive (And free!) internet radio that allows you to sculpt and customize radio stations to your personal tastes. They will then play random tracks based on the artists you’ve specified in your stations. The neat thing is that if gives you the musical similarities between the artists and why they are similar. A lot of it is music jargon that might be slightly over the head of people that aren’t music savvy but it’s a good place to start without going crazy over theory. The other downside is that copyright laws limit some of the music that is available on Pandora. Aside from that, however, it’s a great legal way to explore new music.

So there you have it, the places I go to be informed and up to the minute. I hope they’re as helpful for you as they are for me.

My $0.02: Radiohead's "In Rainbows"

"The panic, the vomit. The panic, the vomit..."

It seems that Radiohead have effectively turned the world on it's head in the past couple days. Within hours of their announcement about their next major studio album, the blogs were ablaze and every media outlet was suddenly gripped with Radiohead fever. Even major sites like NME.com went into text book cases of hero worship and how the Oxford-five piece would save music.

Well, hero worship when it comes to Radiohead is understandable.

And true to their brilliance on digital audio, Radiohead's unique marketing strategy has interesting implications. They've allowed pre-orders through their website for a digital download of the album as well as a Discbox that contains the album on CD, a bonus CD with b-sides from the In Rainbows sessions, as well as a double vinyl of the album itself. The band has also planned for a traditional CD release in 2008 for those that wish to purchase the album that way. However, the panic and frenzy has been caused with the fact that the digital download of In Rainbows will be available Oct. 10th (In a mere 8 days friends!) as well as mp3s that are free from copyright protection. As if that wasn't enough, Radiohead have allowed fans to pay ANY AMOUNT THEY FEEL LIKE for the digital download.

I told you, hero worship is understandable.

Forget for a second that this has been one of the most anticipated albums since 2005, the fact that Radiohead puts so much decision making in the hands of their fan base is a testament to how they view their music. While they labor tirelessly over their albums, the band regards their final creation as the property of their fans. By effectively doing away with those nagging copyright protections as well as cutting out a label the band has made the art, not the commodity, the focus of the masses. Sure, one can fork over $80 for the Discbox set and many fans and collectors will, but the band has allowed for an alternative way to distribute their art form that is not as strictly tethered to the means of production/profit.

The big question is what this means for the music industry. Many major media outlets feel that a tremendously large name like Radiohead will spawn a musical revolution and bring the industry of their funk by inspiring other big acts. Well, I'm not so sure the issue is so cut and dry. I think there will always be people in the music industry motivated by the pounds and the pence that aren't interested about fans, but target demographics. I think the biggest thing Radiohead has illustrated with this move is that they've demystified the idea of the "record label" as this necessary means for distribution. It's not going to save music, but its another view through the proverbial looking glass.

It's not so much that they support piracy or downloading but they certainly put forth a different perception of what an album can mean. While I doubt it will come across as this giant call to arms, it makes one wonder how bands will deal with this idea of a record label and even their own music.

Oh, and it's a new Radiohead album. That's cause enough for celebration.


Thanks to: Any of the listed music blogs to the left, Absolutepunk.net, NME.com