NAPSTER IS THE FUTURE
RIAA wants to take music back from the artists and the people: Don't let them do it.
Write, call, email & fax your government to make sure that new artists get their share of the availability and older artists don't get lost.
I'm the kind of person who won't let someone with a CD burner borrow a CD, because I believe in the artist. But the Recording Industry of America has consistantly neglected the artists it claims to take care of. The same suits that refused to argue during the Bush/Reagan era (leaving Frank Zappa and John Denver, both now dead) against censorship are now fighting for their cash.
Bands like Metallica, who sold out on their reputations, are now fighting their fans for every penny. The Grateful Dead lived for years on just their tours, which were made legendary by bootleg tapes, but Metallica knows it cannot keep pace with society so they choose to kiss the ass of the RIAA instead of their fans.
So what do you do? Do you buy an album from an artist you like or do you download it for free? Easy answer: Buy it. If it sucks, then before you plunk down $20 on their next 10 new songs, you check it out on places like Napster. Major labels stopped producing a song you want to hear? Check out Napster (try to find Sly Fox's mid-80's hit "Let's Go All the Way" anywhere else).
What makes me so glib about people not wanting to take advantage of copying from places like Napster? In the past two days, I replaced my 4 year old computer. It was unable to cope with Napster. Using my brand new Compaq, I have successfully downloaded 24 songs. Most of these songs are out of print. Some are songs I want to hear before I buy something potentially crappy. Again, for emphasis:
Napster saves!
Every time you spend $13 on a new CD, the artist gets well under $1, the place selling you that (on sale) CD gets about $1 and about $1 goes to the actual materials. The other $10? It goes to fatcats and the lawyers they hire to protect their profits from you "illegally" listening to music. Give Metallica, Dr. Dre and the music industry the same attitude that they have for their fans: View their music for crass commercial bullshit it has become.
Let the People have their say!
The choice is yours: Do you want to listen to what you want, share what you like and pay money to see what the artists you enjoy? That's the only way you really support 90% of the musicians out there. The other choice is the fm radio, MTV/VH1 BS that provides for the highest common listening/watching numbers, and therefore: CD buying public. It's your choice: Hear what you want, or what they want to make money off of.
Oh yeah, and Howard Jones is still god.
If you leave the established to fight the establishment, don't expect a change. Go back to Grand Mental Station and see the rest of my rants.