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The ironic part is, the monitoring speakers the mixers/producers used are in many case are cheaper than the audiophiles speakers/amps (and room treatment is so crucial - without it you really don't know wtf is with the bass). Audiophiles may argue that their speakers gives more 'detail', but then those detail are 'ignored' by the mixers/producers (well they are using cheaper/inferior speakers). On the other hand, you will never win an argument about which speakers is "warmer" : )

David Byrne (of Talking Heads fame) did a fantastic article for Wired a few years ago about this. He discusses (with details!) how the music industry works, some of the "models" of releasing music, and the economics/incentives to each one. Great read.

On a semi-related note, it's also worth looking at Steve Albini's now classic essay "The Problem With Music", which showcases how horrible the modern music industry is to musicians. It was written before the whole "digital revolution", but it helps remind me why I don't feel sympathy for suits in the music business.

Legendary producer Steve Albini has an excellent blog post on the recording industry. It covers their practices and contracts as well. It's available here: http://www.mercenary.com/probwitmusby.html Definitely eye-opening. Woadan

Because for really good audio sound cards inside a computer case are not a good idea

I think this is a bit of a myth put about by the external card makers. There are many pro-level internal sound cards - for instance this one is very highly respected. (And it should be good for over $1000 for only 4 analog io's!)

Steve Albini has been around the industry for a while, and here is what he has to say on the matter... Also, Courtney Love of Hole pretty much agrees with his assessment. When you factor in "recoupable expenses" bands really don't get much at all from recordings until they hit gold or platinum. Of course, YMMV and I sincerely hope that it does.

The record companies that make up the RIAA have provided income for some artists, and debt for others.

Before the abolition of slavery in the US, some abolitionists refused to buy cotton clothing, because the cotton in it had been picked by slaves. And although buying cotton clothing provided jobs for the slaves, their opposition to the system was too strong for them to want to be a part of it.

I feel similarly about the major record labels. The bands on major labels which I am most likely to enjoy (because they're doing something innovative) are the same bands who are most likely to get screwed by the system. I can't buy a major-label CD with a clear conscience, because I'm handing money to a system that abuses musicians. I can, however, buy tickets to shows with independent musicians when they come to my town (which is, luckily for me, all the time) and when I'm at the show, I can buy their CD right from the band, ensuring that they get most of the money from the CD purchase. The Internet also makes it possible to go straight to the artist for music, and the proliferation of cheap, relatively-high-quality computer recording equipment frees bands from the need to go to major labels just to get their recording bills paid.

This is the wave of the future; big record labels are now just dinosaurs biding their time. As more and more of us get our music directly from the artists (either in person or over the Internet) and directly support the artists (either through CD sales or some sort of online micro payment or "tip jar" system, more and more artists will be able to make a living without dealing with the treacherous major labels.

Today's well-paid musicians got that way making 50 cents per disc sold... it should hypothetically be even easier to do well if you get 5 bucks for disc, or even 2 or 1. All that needs to happen is for the music-buying public to vote with their wallets against the "music industry" and for the musicians themselves.

BTW, I'm a musician, and I've been able to put out a good CD every year or two while still holding down a full-time tech job... I'm not at all worried about the talent pool drying up if the majors go out of business. There are plenty of people out there making music because they love doing it and don't need to make any money at it to make it worthwhile. And for the few who can make a living at it without selling their soul, that's great... hopefully there can be more of them in the future as more of us turn our backs on major-label music and support more independent musicians.

I don't think it is that humans just lost the ability to create good music, it is more likely that the system does not reward talented people enough to keep them making music. Or something...

I think you're mostly right on. However, good musicians ARE making music. It's just that the big distribution channels won't play nice with artists, so people who are good and who value their integrity won't play the Come-Record-Label-Please-Fuck-My-Ass-And-Take-My-M oney game.

Excellent article by Steve Albini:
http://www.mercenary.com/probwitmusby.html

If you don't love making music, get a job at 7-11 or better. If you do love making music, make it, and refuse to comprimise your integrity. You will be much happier in the end. If you are by chance one of the few artists who gets a good deal from the RIAA, then take it. Take it cautiously, and be sure to thoroughly examine the candy before you stick it in your mouth.

This essay by Steve Albini pretty much sums up the situation. It's quite old now but I'm sure it still applies - in fact it's probably worse now.

Bob

Do you know of any stand alone DAC's that would be good?

How much do you want to spend?

$130? Behringer SRC2496
$700? Apogee MiniDAC
$1000? Benchmark DAC1
$1700? A used Apogee Rosetta 200
$2800? Universal Audio 2196
$5900? Weiss Engineering DAC1
$9400? Prism Dream DA-1

These are some options I know of from the Pro Audio world. What sounds better than your built-in DACs is up to your ears. You might also look into a USB audio interface that someone makes Linux drivers for. You'd get a lot more than a DAC, but it might suit your ears and wallet better than some of the options above.

Do you know of any stand alone DAC's that would be good?

How much do you want to spend?

$130? Behringer SRC2496
$700? Apogee MiniDAC
$1000? Benchmark DAC1
$1700? A used Apogee Rosetta 200
$2800? Universal Audio 2196
$5900? Weiss Engineering DAC1
$9400? Prism Dream DA-1

These are some options I know of from the Pro Audio world. What sounds better than your built-in DACs is up to your ears. You might also look into a USB audio interface that someone makes Linux drivers for. You'd get a lot more than a DAC, but it might suit your ears and wallet better than some of the options above.

e.g. they must pay for videos (you have no chance without one) and most of them are never aired. Don't get me wrong. I don't think the situation today is acceptable and the big companies have to change a lot, but let's face it there is no way without them.

That's funny that you say "they (Sony) must pay for videos". Did you know that practically *everything* the Major's do for the artist comes out of the artist's royalties first. They force you to recover the cost of videos, marketing, touring, etc.

Perhaps it's time to post this again:

The Problem With Music (Steve Albini)

It's an interesting read, even if you think Mr. Albini is generally full of shit.

Chris