JLo and Other Trivialities

"The record industry discovered some time ago that there aren't that many people who actually like music. For a lot of people, music's annoying, or at the very least, they don't need it. They discovered if they could sell music to a lot of those people, they could sell a lot more records." - T-Bone Burnett

I am not in a mood to talk about politics. I will instead dwell on something that is less meaningful but hopefully more interesting, if only for the change of pace it brings. The story involves Sony music and their attempt to tell all of us--the silly uneducated masses I suppose--who to listen to.

"Please be advised that in this week's Jennifer Lopez Top 40 Spin Increase of 236 we bought 63 spins at a cost of $3,600."

"Please be advised that in this week's Good Charlotte Top 40 Spin Increase of 61 we bought approximately 250 spins at a cost of $17K …"

Ironically, it didn't help, as the memo notes that the company actually lost spins — or plays of the record — even though they laid out money for them.

Man I dislike Good Charlotte. I'm just glad they're losing money on this venture. Not very Christian of me to hope that they fail I know. Still, if they would play something good, maybe people would listen.

More memos. This one from Feb. 13, 2004: "Gave a jessica trip to wkse to secure Jessica spins and switchfoot." That would be Jessica Simpson, for whom Sony laid on big bucks in the last couple of years to turn her into something she's clearly not: a star.

What? You mean... that would make her... a pawn of the media conglomerates? I don't believe it. She clearly has talent. It's obviously genetic as evidenced by her younger sister who is just as talented. Well, almost. Ashlee doesn't have the illustrious acting career yet. Yep, looks like Jessica Simpson can play a ditzy blond. I hear there's a shortage in fluff in Hollywood these days. It's not as if I have a clue; I generally prefer substance.

Franz Ferdinand, Jessica Simpson, J-Lo, Good Charlotte, etc. Not exactly The Who, Carly Simon, Aretha Franklin or The Kinks. The "classic" is certainly gone from rock.

So it would seem. There is still good music out there, somewhere, if one is willing to look hard enough for it. This is usually the place where I plug college radio, but I'll not engage in shameless self-promotion. That would clearly be beneath me.

I loathe marketing. To me, the mind-nummingly practical modern man, a product should be practical above all else, if not entirely. Good products should sell of their own volition. Running the KIA ads doesn't increase the value of a KIA any more than playing Franz makes his music good. Good music finds away to do as well as it needs to.

Perhaps I am again showing blind faith in the market. Equally possible is the fact that I am glad to have a share in a small victory over "the man" behind the music industry. I've never been all that worried about media takeovers. If the product is a good one, more people should have access to it. If the product is JLo-esqu, it should fail miserably no matter how hard "the man" tries to prop it up.

This is about as close as I'm going to get to quote a punk rocker in one of my posts so here goes. "I don't listen to the radio, 'cause I got taste," as One Man Army would say.

Except for college radio. Where else can you hope to hear the Dead Kennedys? Sony sure isn't propping them up. Kind of makes one wonder if there isn't some kind of dreadful conspiracy afoot.

I can almost here it now.

"We just heard those rebels from Good Charlotte and next is the Dead Kennedys with 'Kill the Poor' here on your Clear Channel affiliate."