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Is it a planet or a pla-not?

Hi - I just want to drop my 2 cents about this. Artists are making MUCH more out money out of their shows than from the income their albums provide. Per CD, an artist (a famous one) receives between 1 and 2$ per copy MAXIMUM. However, they receive a lot more for the shows they do and that people STILL GO even if they didn't pay for the song. Of course, I'm talking about popular artists (e.g. RIAA backed artists)... it may be different for local artists, punk bands and others non-commercial artists.

Just searched for this topic on goggle, I've found this link where an artist talks about this precise view of the subject. Interesting.

First off, thanks to you and to Christine Lavin for eloquently voicing the artist and consumer side of this issue and puncturing the facade presented by the RIAA.

In the 1940's the musicians' union shut down the record industry for 2 years. In today's market, that would be next to impossible. Artists like you, Christine Lavin, and Ani DiFranco have proven that it's possible to survive and prosper away from the major labels. What do you envision as a fair balance between artist, label, radio, and consumer, especially for artists outside the mainstream? How can we as fans and consumers be effective in pushing the mass media towards that balance? Would it make sense for independent artists and smaller labels to form their own coalition, say as BMI was formed as an answer to ASCAP?

Christine Lavin had a great article on the cost, and why it was worthwhile in Billboard. She has a copy of the article here at her website

Christine Lavin had a great article on the cost, and why it was worthwhile in Billboard. She has a copy of the article here at her website

Christine Lavin wrote the definitive song on the subject. Whenever I hear about the possibility of exploration to Pluto, I hear Christine singing its praises, and intoning the URL "http colon slash slash dosxx dot colorado dot edu slash plutohome dot html".

Christine Lavin wrote the definitive song on the subject. Whenever I hear about the possibility of exploration to Pluto, I hear Christine singing its praises, and intoning the URL "http colon slash slash dosxx dot colorado dot edu slash plutohome dot html".

Indiana Jones and Avacado Women in the Jungle of Death

"Piranha Women of the Avocado Jungle of Death" is apparently a real movie, parodied in a song by singer-songwriter Christine Lavin, whose aunt was (again, apparently) in the film. Christine Lavin is hilarious.

Search for the Missing Socks

As it turns out, I know where socks go. According to a friend whose ex-husband used to repair washing machines, there is usually a gap between the basin and the top of the machine. Socks (and other light items) are occasionally sloshed over the top and into the internals of the washing machine.

I know someone who has also written a song about this. He would not claim to be as funny as Christine Lavin.

(Anyone wanna score this "-1, Frivolous" ?)

>Not to mention the fact that one side of the
>moon faces the sun at all times! Any solar
>collectors on Earth are subject to day/night
>cycles. The moon would rarely be impacted, when
>the lunar eclipses happen.

Doh! One side of the moon always faces the EARTH! (synchronous rotation). We had never seen the far side of the moon until we sent something "back there" to take pictures.

So: that being the case, is it really possible that one side of the moon is always bathed in the light of the sun? If so, then how did we ever get visible pictures of the OTHER SIDE of the moon? Did we use a gigantic flashbulb, or something? ;)

Map of the entire surface including the far side

The Far Side of the Moon Consider how this picture would look if it had been taken during a "full moon:" since during a full moon the entire side of the moon that is facing the Earth is lit up, only the portion of the moon in this photograph that is said to be visible from Earth (see the pic's caption) would have any sunlight on it.

Far Side of the Moon, with animation showing the same side of the moon always toward the Earth. This doesn't show where the sun is in relation to the animation; but figure that the sun is way off the screen from the animation...the darkened part of the moon in the animation is representing the side of the moon we never see from Earth, NOT how the light hits the moon (the Earth does not illuminate the moon, although it does sometimes reflect a little of the sun's light onto the dark portion of the quarter moon...)

So, taking this into account, will it be useful to build these lasers on the moon, especially the power plant?

Apollo 11 Laser Ranging Retroreflector Experiment. "Laser beams are used because they remain tightly focused for large distances. Nevertheless, there is enough dispersion of the beam that it is about 7 kilometers in diameter when it reaches the Moon and 20 kilometers in diameter when it returns to Earth. Because of this very weak signal, observations are made for several hours at a time. By averaging the signal for this period, the distance to the Moon can be measured to an accuracy of about 3 centimeters (the average distance from the Earth to the Moon is about 385,000 kilometers)."

Add to this, the fact that the moon wobbles...

Ah yes, here's a thought... ;)

"And in the year 2003 you're going to see the NASA Pluto Express fly by and take pictures of your way cool surface to send to this web page address: h t t p colon slash slash d o s x x dot colorado dot edu slash plutohome dot h t m l You've got your own web page! For a little guy, you've made quite a splash!"

The NASA scientists I was working for at the time, explained to me that the real issue in planetary status was not size or location, but how and when Pluto was formed. Which was why they were very excited about the Pluto/Kuiper Express mission, which has now been put on hold.

Dave

Now that we've established that, take a look at the history of copyright and authors vs publishers at: http://dvd.picketwyre.com/~hthor eau/css.html#history. Copyright was first established as a right of publishers over the authors and public. It didn't work. Copyright was established in the US to be a bargain between author and public, not between publisher and public.

Online distribution of music will completely homogenize music...

Like having 4 record companies and 5 radio station chains hasn't?

because it is so expensive to deliver music...

The typical "big label deal" costs about 250k-1m to produce. 19 times out of 20 the deal ends up with the artist in debt to the label - the album must sell more the 2m copies! Basically musicians are forced into indentured servitude for two or more albums more by the legalize in their contracts at that point. Ever wonder why the 2nd album sucks? It's because the artist is broke and still has to fill his contract.

The odds of success and profits are much better at the indies. An album might cost 50k to produce, and is manufactured in small quantities. A working musician like Christine Lavin can tour, fill small halls, sell a few dozen CDs a day, and make an honest living. With the decline in price of a good home studio (you can build a good 24 track home studio for less than 10k these days), it is perfectly feasible to self produce your own albums. MP3 cuts the labels and distributors and radio stations out of the distribution problem entirely - with MP3 there is no dependence on airplay, bribes, distribution, at all!! And I for one, and every last musician I know that has had the music industry suck on their tit - say - "Good Riddance, Music Industry. Don't let technology's revolving door hit you on the way out. Have a nice day. Don't call us, we'll call you."

I think with the advent of MP3s homogenized music such as the Backstreet Boys and Nine Inch Nails will go the way of the dodo. Instead of a few dozen mega-stars we will see tens of thousands of musicians finally able to make a modest living in music.

As for the delivery costs of radio stations... who cares? They can go the way of the dodo, too....

Say goodbye to creative and innovative acts...

The creative and innovative acts will always get produced. An artist is not driven by money but by the need to creat art. Further, widespread MP3 availability will make it possible for these acts to be heard and to get gigs.

Say goodbye to creativity...

We've already said goodbye to creativity. Albums using sampled music are so dangerous to produce due to various claims to copyright on "licks" that it's amazing any new music is being produced at all in the United States. This is a case where music as property has been taken too far. Can you imagine a world where every time you play a lick from Professor Longhair or Eric Clapton you have to pay a royalty?

Usher in a new era of commoditized downloads... I admit that I'm bugged by the sites that destroy or cut various Mp3s that they are distributing in the name of advertising. This is destroying art. This is treating art as property. I have to point out that LONG before mp3s existed there was the informal concert taping community (DAT-Heads) - who've been trading tapes for a long time and many bands support our efforts!!

It is the labels that are against concert taping and MP3s because they believe in a law of artificial scarcity, that somehow there being one and only one copy of "Sensitive New Age Guy" somehow increases its value, which is dead wrong. Music evolves. Every live performance is different.

As for your last point about the future of recorded classical music, do you have any idea how much money recordings net most orchestras? Zip. Nada. Nothing. Zilch. I think high quality MP3s of classical music will do more to open up peoples ears to classical and into attending classical concerts than any number of snooty PBS shows.

A future where good music is distributed commercial free via MP3s, where an artist can make a decent living playing live and from selling albums at shows - that is the world I want to live in.

(I buy CDs at every show I go to - why? because I can get them autographed, I always find CDs I had never heard of, and I'm supporting the artist)

I, Rhysling