Many people believe that downloading free music is stealing money from record companies and artists, but it may be putting some more money into the pockets of the artists than people think. There also seems to be some confusion as to what is actually illegal and what is not illegal. Sources like Napster are in fact legal. Because the original file was purchased and somebody uploaded it, these services are protected under law. These web sites are known as file sharing sources or peer to peer sharing programs, web sites. What you may not know is that, for every song you download from a peer to peer sharing source such as Torrentscan.com, you can actually upload a certain amount of the song after you have downloaded the song. This is refereed to as seeding. The truth is that seeding, is not actually illegal, as long as you are not making any money by selling the mp3 file. Napster's attorneys say that finding and downloading copyrighted songs for free is protected by law, as long as Napster members are not making any money themselves.
Free music downloading can serve as a great promotional tool for any musical group. Artists may be actually making more money if people are downloading their musi. If someone is downloading an artists music they would be more likely to tell their friends and go to concerts. People are able to sample music easily and then will go out and purchase the CD because they like what they hear. This is much easier than going to a store and listening to a sample of the band's music. People are getting exposed to new music much faster which means artists and record companies will be making more money. This is an excellent source of exposure for the lesser known or underground bands or musicians. It is really tough for unknown artists to break in to the big record companies. According to a survey done by a professor at Wharton School of Business, seventy percent of Napster members polled, reported to have used the service to sample music before going out and buying it. A study was done by Harvard students that showed that free music downloading had no direct impact on music record sales or profit of record companies. In the past year the amount of downloads continued to increase but so did record sales.
Most people that are downloading music from the web today would not actually go out and buy the song. So record companies cannot claim it as lost money. The amount of money that the artist receives from a bought song is only a fraction of a cent. The most amount of money that an artist receives is from concerts and merchandise sales, and ticket sales and merchandise sales are more likely to go up with more people downloading music.
Many bands such as Wilco even encourage the free downloading of their music. Wilco's front man Jeff Tweety said "We don't care download it, share it, just don't sell it".
507 Words
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Monday, May 25, 2009
Flight of The Conchords
Flight of The Conchords are one of my favorite bands that I have heard. They are best known for their show on HBO that has released two great seasons. The show is how I first heard of "Flight of The Conchords". The band is so great because they can make any type of song funny. The two members, Bret McKanzie and Jemaine Clement, both play folk guitars, sing, and play other instruments like synthesisers great together. Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie are a great duo to listen to both musically and comedy wise. In 2005 they were named Best Alternative Comedy Act. Their best song in my oppinion is called "The Most Beautiful Girl in The Room". Take a look at a section of lyrics that I took from the song.
Looking at the room, I can tell that you
Are the most beautiful girl in the...room.
In the whole wide room.
And when you're on the street, depending on the street.
I bet you are definitely in the top three
Good lookin' girls on the street.
Depending on the street.
A funny and somewhat true quote that Flight of The Conchords said is "We used to be "New Zealand's 4th most popular guitar-based,digi-bongo,acapella-rap-funk-comedy folk duo". But now they are much more popular and get a lot more attention from viewers, fans, and the media. This categorization is actually stunningly accurate. I could not stick Flight of The Conchords with a more fitting genre if I tried.
The first season of the show was hilarious and filled with subtle humor and witty comments about city life and Australians. The most recent season of the show has become very Americanized and lacked the witty hummer that the first season had. The quality of the music in the show however was still just as good as the first season of the show. Every episode of the show features at least two or three songs, that are featured on their CD's and live performances.
Another great song from this Flight of The Conchords is called "Business Time", which is great song about what sex is like after a long period of time in a long term relationship. These are some of the lyrics from the song
It`s business time.
Next thing you know we`re in the bathroom brushing our teeth.
That`s all part of it, that`s foreplay.
Then you go sort out the recycling.
That`s not part of it but it`s still very important. Then we`re in the bedroom.
You`re wearing that ugly old baggy t-shirt from that team building exercise you did for your old work.
Flight of The Conchords is one of my favorite musical performers, because their hilarious songs and TV show are able to make fun of any type of song or event. Their show is also one of my favorites out there. I love the way that Flight of The Conchords in their songs make fun of everyday life.
501 words
Looking at the room, I can tell that you
Are the most beautiful girl in the...room.
In the whole wide room.
And when you're on the street, depending on the street.
I bet you are definitely in the top three
Good lookin' girls on the street.
Depending on the street.
A funny and somewhat true quote that Flight of The Conchords said is "We used to be "New Zealand's 4th most popular guitar-based,digi-bongo,acapella-rap-funk-comedy folk duo". But now they are much more popular and get a lot more attention from viewers, fans, and the media. This categorization is actually stunningly accurate. I could not stick Flight of The Conchords with a more fitting genre if I tried.
The first season of the show was hilarious and filled with subtle humor and witty comments about city life and Australians. The most recent season of the show has become very Americanized and lacked the witty hummer that the first season had. The quality of the music in the show however was still just as good as the first season of the show. Every episode of the show features at least two or three songs, that are featured on their CD's and live performances.
Another great song from this Flight of The Conchords is called "Business Time", which is great song about what sex is like after a long period of time in a long term relationship. These are some of the lyrics from the song
It`s business time.
Next thing you know we`re in the bathroom brushing our teeth.
That`s all part of it, that`s foreplay.
Then you go sort out the recycling.
That`s not part of it but it`s still very important. Then we`re in the bedroom.
You`re wearing that ugly old baggy t-shirt from that team building exercise you did for your old work.
Flight of The Conchords is one of my favorite musical performers, because their hilarious songs and TV show are able to make fun of any type of song or event. Their show is also one of my favorites out there. I love the way that Flight of The Conchords in their songs make fun of everyday life.
501 words
Friday, May 8, 2009
Tool
Tool is one of my favorite rock bands out there. The band includes Maynard Keenan, Adam Jones, Justin Chancellor, and Danny Carey. Tool was one of the fist bands that I had heard that made me want to get into playing music. When I listened to Tool's first album Undertow and then their latest album 10,000 Days I was amazed at how different they sounded. Undertow’s songs were all thrash metal or rock, but on 10,000 Days the songs were more alternative and a lot less harsh. Out of the four albums, my favorite is Lateralus. The reason Lateralus is my favorite album is because it blends their early sound of thrash metal and their latest style of alternative rock.
Danny Carey, who is the drummer for Tool, is known for being an incredible drummer and artist. I think that out of all the members of Tool, Danny Carey is the most talented of the musicians in the band. Danny Carey often incorporates difficult and fancy foot work with his double bass pedal into his playing. Whenever I drum I try to use that same style of playing. My favorite demonstration of Danny Carey’s drumming is from the song “Ticks and Leaches”. The drumming in the entire blew me away.
Maynard Keenan is the singer for Tool and also an actor. Something I thought was ironic was when I found out he had joined the army in order to pay for the art school he went to. Maynard Keenan is also the singer for the band A Perfect Circle. A Perfect Circle is also an alternative rock band that consists of Maynard Keenan, the guitarist from The Smashing Pumpkins, James Iha, Bassist Marilyn Manson, and guitarist Billy Howerdel.
Tool’s concerts are known for being a great artistic and musical experience. The album 10,000 Days contains a set of slightly magnified glasses that when you look at the album artwork becomes three dimensional. One of my favorite songs by Tool from the latest album 10,000 is called “Vicarious”. The way I interpret this song is that people are so desensitized to violence and corruption that we need it to be interested. Take a look at some of these lyrics from the song.
Eye on the TV
'cause tragedy thrills me
whatever flavor it happens to be
Cause I need to watch things die from a distance
Vicariously, I live while the whole world dies
You all need it too - don't lie.
Tool’s lyrics all contain a little personal message or statement about society. The song Jimmy is about Maynard Keenan’s childhood. The song “Ticks and Leaches” is about record companies and how they drain a band of musical expression and ask too much. At the end of the song he says “I hope you choke” which is a way of saying that he knows he gave the music industry what they wanted but is not happy about it. The song The Grudge is about how people hold on to grudges just to make themselves feel important or worth something.
510 words
Danny Carey, who is the drummer for Tool, is known for being an incredible drummer and artist. I think that out of all the members of Tool, Danny Carey is the most talented of the musicians in the band. Danny Carey often incorporates difficult and fancy foot work with his double bass pedal into his playing. Whenever I drum I try to use that same style of playing. My favorite demonstration of Danny Carey’s drumming is from the song “Ticks and Leaches”. The drumming in the entire blew me away.
Maynard Keenan is the singer for Tool and also an actor. Something I thought was ironic was when I found out he had joined the army in order to pay for the art school he went to. Maynard Keenan is also the singer for the band A Perfect Circle. A Perfect Circle is also an alternative rock band that consists of Maynard Keenan, the guitarist from The Smashing Pumpkins, James Iha, Bassist Marilyn Manson, and guitarist Billy Howerdel.
Tool’s concerts are known for being a great artistic and musical experience. The album 10,000 Days contains a set of slightly magnified glasses that when you look at the album artwork becomes three dimensional. One of my favorite songs by Tool from the latest album 10,000 is called “Vicarious”. The way I interpret this song is that people are so desensitized to violence and corruption that we need it to be interested. Take a look at some of these lyrics from the song.
Eye on the TV
'cause tragedy thrills me
whatever flavor it happens to be
Cause I need to watch things die from a distance
Vicariously, I live while the whole world dies
You all need it too - don't lie.
Tool’s lyrics all contain a little personal message or statement about society. The song Jimmy is about Maynard Keenan’s childhood. The song “Ticks and Leaches” is about record companies and how they drain a band of musical expression and ask too much. At the end of the song he says “I hope you choke” which is a way of saying that he knows he gave the music industry what they wanted but is not happy about it. The song The Grudge is about how people hold on to grudges just to make themselves feel important or worth something.
510 words
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Punk
When people think of punk-rock today, bands like Blink 182 and Green Day usually come to mind. When I think of punk music I think of bands like The Ramones, the Sex Pistols, and The Misfits. I do not consider myself an anarchist, a punk, or have extreme hatred toward the establishment, but I enjoy listening to punk music.
The Ramones are probably my favorite punk band, and were one of the biggest influences in punk music. The Ramones are not together today and most of them are dead, but there are hundreds of cover bands to preserve their legacy. The Ramones play the standard short, loud, and simple punk songs. Something I have noticed about the Ramones is that it seems like they never changed their clothes. I saw the DVD “It’s Alive” which is just a compilation of about twenty shows. In every show they are wearing leather jackets and ripped jeans.
The Sex Pistols I can best describe as being the English version of the Ramones. The Sex Pistols are composed of John Lydon whose stage name is Johnny Rotten, Steve Johns, Paul Cook and Glen Matlock. I first heard of The Sex Pistols when I heard the song “God Save the Queen” in my dad’s car about four years ago. I have been listening to them ever since. The Sex Pistols’ music is full of raw hatred toward establishments and Corporate America and is the pure definition of punk music.
The Misfits are a more recent band than the Ramones or the Sex pistols but are every bit as good. The first time that I heard the Misfits was when I watched a terrible horror movie called Bruiser and the Misfits music was featured in it. The movie was horrible but The Misfits music was perfect for the film. The Band created a new genre of punk music called horror punk. In a lot of the Misfits’ songs the lyrics describe horror films or strange horror themes, for example the song Astro Zombies or Night of the Living Dead.
Black Flag also created another sort of sub genre. Rather than being just punk music, Black Flag has more of a hardcore punk style. The first time I heard them was about one year ago and I thought that they sounded like the Sex Pistols, just louder and a lot more aggressive.I think the guitarist of Black Flag is more talented than other punk band guitarists. In his solos he has a sort of jazzy-hardcore style that I can only describe as just random not playing.
Punk Bands today just don’t cut it for me. Green Day and Blink 182 don’t have the same raw damaged sound that the original punk bands did. Let us take a look two samples of lyrics, one from Blink 182 and the other from Black Flag
She bought the perfect little house
And the lawn's well manicured
And she'd never missed a day of work
jealous cowards try to control.
rise above. we're gonna rise above.
they distort what we say. rise above.
we're gonna rise above.try and stop what we do.
rise above, when they can't do it themselves.
we are tired of your abuse.
try to stop us, it's no use.
This is just an example of the many differences in punk music and what is considered punk music. I just don’t see how someone would prefer Green Day over The Ramones.
508 Words
The Ramones are probably my favorite punk band, and were one of the biggest influences in punk music. The Ramones are not together today and most of them are dead, but there are hundreds of cover bands to preserve their legacy. The Ramones play the standard short, loud, and simple punk songs. Something I have noticed about the Ramones is that it seems like they never changed their clothes. I saw the DVD “It’s Alive” which is just a compilation of about twenty shows. In every show they are wearing leather jackets and ripped jeans.
The Sex Pistols I can best describe as being the English version of the Ramones. The Sex Pistols are composed of John Lydon whose stage name is Johnny Rotten, Steve Johns, Paul Cook and Glen Matlock. I first heard of The Sex Pistols when I heard the song “God Save the Queen” in my dad’s car about four years ago. I have been listening to them ever since. The Sex Pistols’ music is full of raw hatred toward establishments and Corporate America and is the pure definition of punk music.
The Misfits are a more recent band than the Ramones or the Sex pistols but are every bit as good. The first time that I heard the Misfits was when I watched a terrible horror movie called Bruiser and the Misfits music was featured in it. The movie was horrible but The Misfits music was perfect for the film. The Band created a new genre of punk music called horror punk. In a lot of the Misfits’ songs the lyrics describe horror films or strange horror themes, for example the song Astro Zombies or Night of the Living Dead.
Black Flag also created another sort of sub genre. Rather than being just punk music, Black Flag has more of a hardcore punk style. The first time I heard them was about one year ago and I thought that they sounded like the Sex Pistols, just louder and a lot more aggressive.I think the guitarist of Black Flag is more talented than other punk band guitarists. In his solos he has a sort of jazzy-hardcore style that I can only describe as just random not playing.
Punk Bands today just don’t cut it for me. Green Day and Blink 182 don’t have the same raw damaged sound that the original punk bands did. Let us take a look two samples of lyrics, one from Blink 182 and the other from Black Flag
She bought the perfect little house
And the lawn's well manicured
And she'd never missed a day of work
jealous cowards try to control.
rise above. we're gonna rise above.
they distort what we say. rise above.
we're gonna rise above.try and stop what we do.
rise above, when they can't do it themselves.
we are tired of your abuse.
try to stop us, it's no use.
This is just an example of the many differences in punk music and what is considered punk music. I just don’t see how someone would prefer Green Day over The Ramones.
508 Words
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