Friday Five #38
Who is your favorite singer/musician? Why?
I can’t say I have a particular favorite musician, either
artistically or personally. I enjoy a number of artists’ work from
a variety of genres, and there are several musicians whom I count as
interesting personalities, but I don’t feel the need to
obsessively order them in a particular ranking.
What one singer/musician can you not stand? Why? In contrast, Stevie Nicks really annoys me, both musically and personally, although I’m sure there are numerous others.
If your favorite singer wasn't in the music business, do you think you would still like him/her as a person? Do you mean “favorite” artistically or personally?
Have you been to any concerts? If yes, who put on the best show? Have I been to any concerts? Probably a thousand, many of them very memorable. Again, I can’t give you one best, but I’ll tell you who were most memorable. For local bands: Powerman 5000, the Bentmen, Upper Crust, Concussion Ensemble, Emergency Broadcast Network. For national acts: Dance Hall Crashers, Prince Buster, Moby, and Laibach. However, I think the gold medal goes to KMFDM, the Toasters, and (believe it or not) Gary Numan! Without question the worst national act I’ve seen was Yes.
What are your thoughts on downloading free music online vs. purchasing albums? Do you feel the RIAA is right in its pursuit to stop people from dowloading free music? The recording industry is wholly and perfectly within their rights and is morally and legally obligated to crush the illegal copying and distribution of copyrighted works. As someone who has purchased about fifty albums as a direct result of Audiogalaxy.com, I believe they’re also just as emphatically going about it in completely the wrong manner. By trying to use the legal system to pass and enforce laws which are in practice unenforceable, they have placed themselves in a directly antagonistic relationship with their customers: about the stupidest thing a business can do. Instead, they should have used a three-pronoged strategy: first, encourage music swapping; second, use the new technologies to enforce limits on the number or longevity of user-copied material; and finally, find ways to make people want to possess licensed copies of their works by increasing the value-add in the packaging, or giving additional benefits to customers who purchase electronic distributions. And shutting down Internet-based radio stations was one of the most shortsighted tactics I’ve ever seen from an industry known for its avarice.
What one singer/musician can you not stand? Why? In contrast, Stevie Nicks really annoys me, both musically and personally, although I’m sure there are numerous others.
If your favorite singer wasn't in the music business, do you think you would still like him/her as a person? Do you mean “favorite” artistically or personally?
Have you been to any concerts? If yes, who put on the best show? Have I been to any concerts? Probably a thousand, many of them very memorable. Again, I can’t give you one best, but I’ll tell you who were most memorable. For local bands: Powerman 5000, the Bentmen, Upper Crust, Concussion Ensemble, Emergency Broadcast Network. For national acts: Dance Hall Crashers, Prince Buster, Moby, and Laibach. However, I think the gold medal goes to KMFDM, the Toasters, and (believe it or not) Gary Numan! Without question the worst national act I’ve seen was Yes.
What are your thoughts on downloading free music online vs. purchasing albums? Do you feel the RIAA is right in its pursuit to stop people from dowloading free music? The recording industry is wholly and perfectly within their rights and is morally and legally obligated to crush the illegal copying and distribution of copyrighted works. As someone who has purchased about fifty albums as a direct result of Audiogalaxy.com, I believe they’re also just as emphatically going about it in completely the wrong manner. By trying to use the legal system to pass and enforce laws which are in practice unenforceable, they have placed themselves in a directly antagonistic relationship with their customers: about the stupidest thing a business can do. Instead, they should have used a three-pronoged strategy: first, encourage music swapping; second, use the new technologies to enforce limits on the number or longevity of user-copied material; and finally, find ways to make people want to possess licensed copies of their works by increasing the value-add in the packaging, or giving additional benefits to customers who purchase electronic distributions. And shutting down Internet-based radio stations was one of the most shortsighted tactics I’ve ever seen from an industry known for its avarice.