Prince, is that really you??

From: Kurt Iveson (kiveson@coombs.anu.edu.au)
Date: Tue Apr 18 2000 - 03:26:01 MET DST

  • Next message: Mark Turner: ""Jazzadelica" Playlist for 4/16/00"

    Hi everyone...

    ... well, I knew this list was good, and that some famous people
    occassionally pop in, but I had no idea that we had *Prince* as a
    subscriber, masquerading as "Steve Catanzaro"!!! At first I wasn't sure,
    maybe "Steve" was just thinking similar things to P about the state of the
    music business. But when he gave props to Chuck D (who appears on his
    latest LP), and then said that thing about artists being "SLAVES", I knew
    it had to be the man himself. Cool.... :-)

    .kboi out.

    np: tribes of da underground v5. some nice stuff on here, as others have
    mentioned. what's the story with amalgamation of soundz? that's a lovely
    track....

    "Steve" wrote:

    >****RANT WARNING*******RANT WARNING*****RANT WARNING***
    >
    >
    >Well, with respect to all fellow musicians out there, I don't think the
    >problem is with Napster / MP3 type technology.
    >
    >The problem is with the original thieves of the music business... the record
    >companies. Let's take the Backstreet Boys as an example. Do you think that
    >10 years from now, they're going to feel they were ripped off by the record
    >company? Of course. Everyone does.
    >
    >1. Record companies steal half of an artist's broadcast royalties in
    >"publishing," an anachronistic term since they only "publish" the music of
    >people they have under recording contracts, and then, only in recorded form.
    >(They farm out the odd piece of sheet music to subpublishers, which costs
    >the artists even more money.) This practice should be CRIMINALIZED!
    >
    >2. Record companies don't even make records anymore, but they still take 10%
    >right off the top in gross units sold to cover "breakeages." Well, CD's
    >break a lot less than LP's, right? At least, that's what the record
    >companies told us when they wanted us to replace our LP's with CD's (perfect
    >sound forever.)
    >
    >3. Even the TOP recording artists, the GENIUS level worldwide treasures of
    >art and culture, feel happy with a return of 15 cents on the dollar for
    >THEIR work. And, all these young musicians are trying so hard to get a
    >recording contract so they can GIVE the record company 92 cents on every
    >dollar. Why? Because without paying 92% of their money to the record
    >company, the record companies will not relinquish their ILLEGAL hold on
    >radio stations, to say nothing of MTV, VH1, etc...
    >
    >Many radio stations will not play records unless they are bribed by record
    >companies. Some companies were CONVICTED of payola by the Feds under Rico
    >statutes (invented for mobsters), but does payola still exist? What do you
    >think? Heard any big stations loosening up their playlists lately? And what
    >is radio, anyway, but free advertising for the record companies? (Gotta love
    >net radio y'all, Mark Turner, Gilles P., rock on!)
    >
    >4. Sure, the government went after Microsoft. But look at the dwindling
    >number of record companies. Capitalism may be cool but it's turned out to be
    >a giant game of Monopoly, and the great majority of us are a few dice rolls
    >away from total (economic) annihilation. (Thank God for the Net... a get out
    >of jail free card!)
    >
    >So, I'm sure Metallica and others like them get upset by watching money
    >leaking out under the door, but they should really be throwing their mighty
    >muscle at the RECORD COMPANIES....
    >
    >Now that the net is here, we need some defectors from the record
    >companies... Chuck D. is so hip to this all, but we need MORE. We need
    >Metallica to do NET ONLY releases. We need gigantic acts like Santana and
    >N'Sync to forego record companies altogether.
    >
    >Musicians, you are SLAVES to the record company. Let the world Napster
    >away... record companies are already superfluous, and they're about 5 years
    >from extinction.
    >
    >I for one will not miss them, and I will always LOVE to pay good artists for
    >their music, direct from their own SITES!!!
    >
    >-"All musicians, remember, we all work for tips."
    > ---- Duke Ellington
    >



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