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Singing Cow To Attack CBDTPA
karmawarrior writes "Gateway is launching an advertising campaign against Senator Holling's CBDTPA bill, which, apparently will include its cow mascot encouraging computer users to legally download MP3s and burn their own CDs." Wired also has a story; see Gateway's website for more, as Gateway takes a page from Apple's "Rip-Mix-Burn" playbook.
They don't. Bought a complete system from them in 1999, basic junk box (Lose98, K6-2 400) and the motherboard (some MSI-55?? micro-ATX thing) and power supply (90W. 90W??! 30% of the time, when I tried to use the LoseModem, the system immediately reset, probably due to too much current being drawn) in the machine were both complete crap.
Since you're an x86 hardware novice, find a local geek and have him/her put together a system for you out of separate components. You won't save money with this approach, but you will get better quality than any of the big OEMs can give you in a "personal" machine. Also, if you build from components, you don't have to pay the Windoze tax unless you want to. HTH,
Give a monkey a brain and he'll swear he's the center of the universe.
I own you all.
The US/Canada music industry is a big place, there are lots of players. There are the big 5 sure, but lots of smaller outfits jostling for places too. However aside from their anticompetitive behavior is the sample fact that lots of folks DO like what is played on the radio etc. They support very expensive big radio stations with it. They buy Wal-Mart's full of music.
Now, I'm lucky that for the past 8 years I've been living in two cities with great diversified radio markets, Boston & Montreal, but guess what? Folks listen to the big boys, not the stations & programs playing the non-mainstream stuff. They actually LIKE the chain radio! Lowest-common denominator sells - at a profit! It is true in radio, it is true in TV, it is true in film, it is true in consumer goods, it is true in food, it is true in furnishings, it is true in books, it is true in electronics, it is true in web sites, etc. Heck I get it in 2 languages and it is still prevalent.
Wrap your brain around that: Lots of folks like commercial radio. When given the opportunity to choose alternatives they choose the mainstream stuff. Stop, grab a chair, sit down, let this pardyme shift bubble through your cerebellum: Pop Culture *Is* Because Folks Like It.
Whew - revelatory huh?
It's not some evil cabal of music oligarchs dictating to a captive audience but a bunch of savvy marketers pandering to the public in a mostly capitalistic market. Oh sure there's syndicates & you-scratch-my-back/I'll-scratch-yours etc. but they don't own the whole game, there are still independents, just MOST FOLKS DON'T CARE.
They WANT Top-10, they LIKE Britney or Whitney or AM Gold or whatever, they buy it and support the whole edifice. Sure artists don't get paid as much as they could under other companies, on the other hand these big companies get them attention and distribution and airplay and for all of everyone bleating "it's about the art" or "it's the artists" the marketers and the paper pushers and the schmoozers and all of the other big-5 trappings are just as crucial in becoming a big hit.
Want to be big go for the big 5 and take yer chances. Wanna go the hard route then try the independents and see if you manage to win big there. But don't go crying theft when the big 5 provide a demonstratable service, deliver the goods. And don't be suprised when they take a pass on acts that don't fit in their product lines, don't have the volume to justify their investment.
So yeah, if if your particular tastes aren't mass-market then you won't find them in heavy rotation in a mass medium like radio. You also won't find supermarkets carrying exotic & obscure foods or suburban malls offering unique goods. What part of this don't you get?
I don't read ACs: If a post isn't worth so much as a nom de plume to its author then I wont bother either.