The following is just a few thoughts and a story that I've been following for a while.
My opinion:
It seems to me that independent music is going to go the way of the 8 Track cassette.
Why you ask? Because most of you really don't know how to support independent music. Most of you have CD burners and I bet are proud of yourself after you've ripped your favorite tracks from whatever site you find your music. Rap is no longer the catalyst to change and and self reflection. I remember when you could throw in some west coast or bay area material and hear the messages. You could relate to what these cats were talking about. I CAN'T ANYMORE. I don't know a damn thing about a ROLEX. I don't know a damn thing about CRYSTAL (most likely misspelled). I don't know a damn thing about PLATINUM (maybe some white gold here and there).
Rap music as we knew it is dying. I can hear her wimpering a slow death. She doesn't know why we've lost the soul of hip hop. The 808's in our music has been sacrificed for pop shit.
Murder Inc is being investigated for the murder of Jam Master Jay! What kind of shit is that?!
Russell Simmons is being questioned for his knowledge of numerous murders! I looked up to this cat!
Master P has some public relation problems, but he still had the balls to see what a white kid can do and signed him. I thought that was cool. But, the masses couldn't deal with a white dude coming up before them.
I SMELL HATE AND RACISM.
HATE
RACISM
CD BURNERS
LACK OF PROMOTION
LACK OF MARKETING
TOO EASY ACCESS TO STUDIOS FOR THE COMMON CAT
OVERKILL ON THE FEATURES
LACK OF QUALITY
TOO MANY RAPPERS
NOT ENOUGH GOOD RAPPERS
These are just a few of the ingredients to the destruction of independent music.
I sometimes come across a post where someone says that they just went out and bought such and such's cd and that's tight.
We need more cats BUYING CD'S.
I know I don't need to come to a GREAT SITE like this one to read where someone is taking a pole as to how many wipes does it take for them to clean their ass.
This is one of the finest sites I've come across and I feel that with sites like this we can inform the average consumer and educate small labels as what to do and what not to do.
PLEASE GO BUY A CD. BUY ONE ON GP!
Buy 1 cd a month. That's all I ask. You have the power to help save an industry.
There will be over 300 major retail stores closing over the next 2 months and with many more to follow in the next year.
IF YOU HAVE ANY ?'S YOU CAN ALWAYS REACHY OUT TO ME. I just want to see hip hop heal and SURVIVE.
FYI (This article was copied and pasted from The Arizona Republic)
Verizon Must Reveal Internet Song Swapper
Andy Sullivan
Jan. 21, 2003 19:40 EDT
WASHINGTON - Recording companies won a victory in their fight against online piracy on Tuesday when a U.S. court ordered Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) to turn over the name of a customer suspected of downloading more than 600 songs in one day over the Internet.
U.S. District Judge John Bates said Verizon must cooperate with recording industry efforts to track down online song swappers, rejecting the telecommunications giant's assertion that such a move would violate customer privacy and turn it into an online copyright cop.
Verizon said it would appeal the decision.
The case could set an important precedent as the recording industry asks schools, businesses and Internet providers to help them track down individuals who they believe are cutting into CD sales by trading digital songs through ``peer to peer'' services like Kazaa.
While the industry managed to shut down pioneer service Napster two years ago, others have sprung up in its place and have attracted millions of users.
Under the 1998 Digital Millennium Copyright Act, Internet providers have voluntarily shut down Web sites that contain infringing material, but they have balked at requests to disconnect users who trade songs with each other directly over peer-to-peer networks.
Recording-industry investigators, using automated software, have been able to track down the numerical Internet addresses of file traders, but have not been able to match those addresses with individual names.
Investigators asked Verizon last summer for the name of one customer believed to have downloaded more than 600 songs in one day, but Verizon said they would have to jump through a few more legal hoops because the alleged infringer did not store the songs on Verizon servers but only used its wires to transfer the material.
Bates rejected Verizon's argument, saying that ``Verizon has provided no sound reason why Congress would enable a copyright owner to obtain identifying information from a service provider storing the infringing material on its system, but would not enable a copyright owner to obtain identifying information from a service provider transmitting the material over its system.''
JUDGE DOESN'T BUY IT
``It is unlikely, the Court concludes, that Congress would seek to protect copyright owners in only some of the settings addressed in the DMCA, but not others,'' Bates wrote.
Verizon Associate General Counsel Sarah Deutsch said the decision could allow any copyright holder, not just major recording companies, to pry into private communications if they believe their copyrights are being infringed.
``We're obviously disappointed in the decision, and we believe that this has very troubling ramifications for consumers,'' Deutsch said.
A recording industry spokesman said the decision validated its efforts to contact copyright pirates directly.
``Now that the court has ordered Verizon to live up to its obligation under the law, we look forward to contacting the account holder whose identity we were seeking so we can let them know that what they are doing is illegal,'' said Cary Sherman, president of the Recording Industry Association of America.
Over the past several months the RIAA has sent out thousands of letters to schools and businesses asking them to monitor their networks for peer-to-peer use and implying that they could be held liable for infringing activity.
The U.S. Naval Academy seized the computers of 100 students in November and is investigating them for possible court martial after it determined they downloaded copyrighted material.
The industry has also accused Internet providers of profiting from illegal downloading. On Saturday, RIAA CEO Hilary Rosen suggested that Internet providers should pay a fee to offset losses from file trading.
The RIAA represents the five largest recording companies: AOL Time Warner (NYSE:AOL)'s Warner Music; Sony Corp.(6758.T)'s Sony Music; Bertelsmann AG (BERT.UL)'s BMG; Vivendi Universal (NYSE:V)'s Universal Music Group; and EMI Group Plc (EMI.L).
