Thursday, July 3, 2003

Dear music industry,
low quality = low demand
Commentary

By Mandy Jenkins
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Memo

TO: Music Industry Executives

RE: The truth

I've heard the music industry is upset. You say a bunch of downloading kids are stealing your money and you're gonna take their shoplifting butts to court. Record sales are down and have been for a few years. You blame this on music pirates; I think you're missing the point.

This is all your fault.

People aren't buying because the music industry itself is faulted. First of all, CDs are too expensive for Gen X-ers and teens to buy. They will buy only the music of artists they really have loyalty to - otherwise, it's easier to download a single hit than slap down $20 for a whole CD of crap.

That's right, I said it. The music industry sucks right now and your audience knows it. You aren't putting out music that is worth the cost of a CD.

Your problem is that as soon as one band or singer gets big, you go right out and find 10 more who sound exactly like them and slap together a CD with one or two good songs in the bunch. The result? Low-quality music that all sounds alike and tons of one-hit wonders on the airwaves.

Who can tell the difference between Avril Lavigne, Michelle Branch or Vanessa Carlton? They were created to imitate each other. Why would I buy each of their CDs, when I could download "Sk8r Boi" and "Game of Love" and be done with it?

Same thing goes for Nickelback, Staind, Puddle of Mudd and all of those bands that were created to be the "new" Creed (a rip-off of Pearl Jam, anyway). And the emo/wannabe punk bands like All-American Rejects, Simple Plan and Good Charlotte? They all sound the same.

The first bit of evidence: the album sales top 10. The long-lasting sales on the charts go to groundbreaking new artists (Norah Jones, 50 Cent) or perennial favorites with proven talent (Metallica, Steely Dan, Radiohead). Those one-hit wonder bands don't stick around for long and it isn't because of downloaders - it's because they aren't that good.

The second bit of evidence: I'll bet almost all online file-traders are between 15 and 30; however, they are not the only people who listen to music. What about everyone else; why aren't they buying music?

My mom couldn't download a music file if her life depended on it, but you aren't going to catch her at a record store, either. Music isn't good enough to get her to pay that much for anything less than a "greatest hits" CD - and most of today's artists will never see one of those.

Get my point? As long as the music industry continues to charge more for putting out garbage, your sales will decline. It doesn't matter how many college kids with T1 lines you find to sue - you will still lose in the end.

This isn't a question of ethics and it isn't a statement of legality; it is a measure of quality - and you aren't delivering anymore.

E-mail mjenkins@enquirer.com

I'm assuming the Cincinnati Enquirer is a newspaper. So do you think you could possibly print something about the actions we are trying to take at this site to make change? Even if it just winds up on the opinion page, some publicity is better than none.

Mandy, this was an excellent article. I fully agree!

Nickelback, Staind, Or Even Puddle of Mud sound nothing like Creed, or Pearl Jam. The lyrical content is sometimes the same, but usually not. Sometimes the music sounds the same as well, but usually not. That was a bad bad example. She should have tried to find bands that were more closely related.

Otherwise, it was a good article.

All-American Rejects, Simple Plan and Good Charlotte are not emo.

The only acts that I can think of that all sound the same are all those boy bands and a bunch of the blond, Britney wannabes.

Of course I first mistook Avril Lavigne as Alanis Morrisette. But only in the singing voice.

Staind, Puddle of Mudd and Nickelback all a rip-off of Creed? I just don't see it. They sound nothing alike.

The author's right about constantly finding a new act to sound like an old act. Much like on TV where each network rips off a reality show, but adds a new twist.

Good Charlotte is emo... their music is emotional, hence 'emo'.

Well, I just fell off my chair laughing.

Damn but Mandy has em pegged good and solid, and dared CALL the bastards on it.

Perhaps we could contact her and offer her the chance to carry our viewpoint to the masses ?

Just a thought.

-user

Yes, everybody contact her. She didn't put that article here, she probably has no idea this site exists (maybe).

She's busy, send her the link, and a couple to specific articles. Beg for her to give mention of this website and/or actions planned by people.

As for Nickelback, Creed, and Puddle of mud sounding the same, I am proud to say I have no idea because along with not buying cd's, I flipped off my radio 1.5 years ago. Because it all sucks, bad and what's the point of damaging my ears if it's not going to be good music doing it.

i agree, she was out of line to claim nickelback, staind, and puddle of mudd sound like creed, lol. staind, i can at least claim came up through the masses to gain attention. there was no record-company creation there.

she is spot on about everything else though. almost all music videos, and radio stations are playing is this one-hit wonder crap. and it even showed in the movie industry, when they made that Justin to Kelly movie after American Idol, it bombed horribly! luckily they wont be blaming P2P for that, hopefully...........

Hello,
Here is something RELEVENT TO THIS TOPIC, ALL READ!!:
I was listening to the radio this morning in Los Angeles, KROQ 106.7, and on the news they said METALLICA, LINKIN PARK, and a couple others were NOT going to allow there music to be sold on ITUNES, PRESSPLAY and a couple other of the services. WHY? Because they want there music to be in its "intended form". What the Heck is that, a stupid reason not to ADAPT to REALITY or TECHNOLOGY. If nobody gives a rat about these two bands in 10 years and they are dead broke, THEY CAN BLAME THEMSELVES!!!
I'm done!

intended form meant sold on a CD, what a sad state of affairs they are in.

Intended form should be their live performances, not a cd. A cd doesn't capture the emotion and energy of a live show. And if live is the intended form, then musicians would lose a lot of money, because their tour dates are limited to large cities.

I've bought some good stuff because I only found 192k copies on P2P...

Hey Mandy Jenkins, whoever you are, your commentary is well done written. You say it with the right words. Yes today the music industry is just looking to make money. The quality is not included. It just must sell. It is not anymore music for heart and brain. You listen music stations and watch on TV. It sounds all the same crap. Someone produces a 'great' tune, a short time after comes many other 'new' performers do same style and everyone is proud to say 'hey people i invented this music style'. It is a big mess around. So the only chance people have to get independent is to pick the tunes they like with the P2P technology. The music industry controlled the market for many years. We do not need anymore to run after what is 'a hit' or whatever. They lose control and this makes them get nervous. Dead to all the greedy stupid suckers called managers. Music Industry, your end (in its actual form) is not far away!

Sherminator, you are SO right! I turned my radio off years ago and stopped keeping up with current music. I thought it was a sign of "getting old". But the reality is, there is no danger in music. It doesn't raise goose bumps or pushes the edge anymore. Instead it's candy-coated garbage. The only good music that's been made has come out of the U.K.(not excluding West Coast punk bands and midwest indies of course) in the past 10 years. Radiohead, Tricky, Massive Attack, Goldie, and Portishead. I'm sure P. Diddy will eventually sample them and whore it out to the music industry as "da new shit". Excuse me, I have to go break something now.

I sent an e-mail to her. Don't know if she reads it though, but if enough of us e-mail her, perhaps we may have an ally. Wow, I feel like Darth Vader.

Fuck the RIAA. Fuck them up their stupid asses.

Mary is smart. That was a great article. I applaud her for writing that.

great article.
as for all the responses saying creed, staind, nickelback don't sound the same get real. mandy was right on with this. maybe they dont sound the same or like a worn out remake to you. but then perhaps you knowledge of music is comprimised by the fact you have been force fed yur media for too long. if you even think these bands are not pop you can honestly classify yourself as knowing nothing about recorded music. sure its not sugary pop for nubile young teens, its the angst flavor for the older more frustrated market. you have been duped and marketed to. i have not bought a major label cd in years because it is 90% crap. just as the majority of movies out there are rehashed crap. you are living in a corporate world where you may make the choice but what you pick from is already decided. break free and open your mind to art that is not created for profit (end of rant)

Perhaps you're not qualified, munjoy or anyone else, to determine exactly how things sound to other people. Actually, forget the perhaps. You know you're not. You know dick about fuck-all. Anyway, if those bands' music makes an emotional connection to other people it's none of your business. I don't get why you would think you know so much. I know I don't understand the connection my music, or any other musician's music makes with people, not really. I'm pretty sure Lennon & McCartney are the only people who ever might have. The bottom line is, if a person feels they've gotten something of value from someone else's expression, then they have. Period. If you didn't derive something you consider to be of value from it, then who gives a shit?

But they all DO sound the same, they all try to sound like Pearl Jam. And they come out with one or two decent songs then fizzle out. When Sony and Vevendi got together about the end of the eighties and decided some of the music was just too damned good, and people were only buying their favorite groups, they conspired to kill Rock, and the 80's music as we know it. NOw we have a wide mishmash of crap that people THINK, they like because of the effective brainwashing tecniques used by the advertising industry. There are groups being touted as the next be all end all of great entertainment that 15 years ago would not have gotten 10 seconds of a producers time. See, the plot is to sell these one hit wonders for all the cabbage they can grab, squeeze them out, suck them dry and send them packing. Now the beauty of that is, in the future there will be no great demand for their crap, and the record companies knowing this, won;t be out any more royalties than what they choose to pay in the form those stupid K-Tel-esque compilations. See most of the stuff being downloaded is that music that endures. And when someone gets whiff of it and like it, they ask for it, when the record store have to get it from the industry, the industry has to pay royalties again. And that just pisses them off to no end," God DAMN, I thought we wiped that band off the face of the earth 10 years ago, Now we have to pay them royalties again"?!?!?!....get the picture? And diggit, you sound liek you have some issues bud!

EVER line in this article is right on the money. The industry has ONLY itself to blame. Every time you turn around, the industry is touting "Joe Blow" as the new thing in metal, rock, pop, rap, etc etc etc. Joe Blow is ALWAYS a cheap knock-off of the "Joe Blow" before him/her/them. I'm a metal fan and 90% of the "new" metal acts are UNTALENTED, REPETATIVE, and flat BORING. Yet the industry is hashing it out by the truck load. Go figure.

I must agree with the comments of RythmMethod when he said there was a conspiracy to kill rock & roll. There are several key players to blame. First off MTV, first and foremost for killing headbangers ball while embracing the new "alternapop" trend that was anything but Alternative. Then there's the rash of alternapop bands. Green Day and the Offspring were the first wave in the hostile take-over. The guitar solo, once a prominent feature of of any good rock/metal song was replazeed by fuzzy and shoddy guitar playing of nothing more than a few power chords. The once powerful, fearsom, and dominating vocals of lead singers gave way to the apthetic heorin crazed Seattle boom of the mid 90s, and later gave way to the whiny angst-ridden sound of the late 90s to present. Comparing crap neo-metal bands like Nickelback, Staind, Blink 182, Linkin park, and countless others to pearl jam is an insult to Pearl Jam. Pearl Jam actually had guitar solos in thir music. Pearl Jam actually took on ticket master AND the recording industry. Grunge was the last true stage of rock and roll before it's complete bastardization into the apathetic crap played by inser the name of your favorite Joe with lots of piercings band here. Save your tired defenses of these neo-metal groups, none will ever put out a CD with such overall quality of Guns N Roses Appetite for Destruction, or any of Metallica's first four albums. Can any of your mosh heros even play a guitar solo, I've not heard one in so-called Rock music in years. Can any of your Johnny Emo hat wearing gas station rejects even hold a candle to the guitar stylings of Eddie Van Halen? I think not.

Yes Alanis is another demon all together, paving the way for much crap music to follow on the pop spectrum. Is it any wonder Hansen followed up quickly with charts hits, hmm something to chew on.

I did a radio show in college playing metal, and decided against a career in radio after interning at a radio station, seeing how much corporte bullshit it is. You think radio stations take requests, think again. Radio stations DJs (I use the term loosely) are bound by a playlist the recieve at the begging of their shift (though most are automated now). Should you call in with a request and should the DJ feel particually nice he'll mark your name down next to the song on the playlist and mention it went out to you by request when it gets to that spot in the rotation. The music you hear on FM is dictated by advertisers, plain and simple. they want their ads to run after the most popular songs. Not to mention that radio stations are all owned by one of a handful of corporate giants, you'll NEVER hear anything on FM radio that the advertisers don;t want you to hear.

Much like other listeners here I have stayed away from radio for well on 5 years now, only flipping through the AM dial to listen to sports talk shows on rare occasions.

Yes the quality of music is piss poor and corporate radio has a strangelhold over what you and I hear, and that's not going to change any time soon. I wholeheartedly agree with the "one good song per CD" argument. there's a few good internet radio stations out there like hardradio.com, of course RIAA wants to shut them and others down, we can;t have good music reaching the masses after all, what would the advertisers think?

My CD collection consists of 200 CD I purchased legally, the bulk of which were bough prior to 1998. I can honestly say the onyl CD I've bought within the past two years has been a Christmas Cd by Los Straightjackets. And yeah they get a TON of airplay on FM radio don't they.

Stop force feeding us your crap, and we'll stop not buying the crap you put forth on out plate and try to pass off as caviar.

Low quality music is only ONE of the reasons the RIAA is going down. We can all point to examples. There are of coarse a few "good" signed acts still, but we can generally agree that the overall picture of promoted industry band is sub-par. An even BIGGER problem is that there are increasingly FEWER acts/artists being promoted these days. THAT reason is more responsible for this general arguement than the quality of each label act individually.

Fewer acts are being promoted instead of just "worse" acts is the REAL reason that we find that radio/eMTv/etc. sucks
even harder than before.

Let's define the problem correctly!

SUPPORT LOCAL AND INDEPENDENT MUSIC!

Shmoo of Electric Gypsy

You guys, Staind, Nickelback, and Puddle of Mud sound nothing like Pearl Jam. If you think they try to sound like them, you've got to be tone deaf.

RhytmMethod, a lot of 80's music was just as bad, especially in rock. Countless bands put in pointless solos that didn't fit in with their songs. It was as much about look as it is today.

Furthermore, there's nothing wrong with diggits comment.

Flyabusa, it would be nice to see a bit more talent in the current scene, but you're asking quite a bit there. Why does every band have to do amazing solos? Or have the guitar stylings of Eddie Van Halen? That would become so old and boring after a while. Then you'd be bitching because all of the bands sounded the same. Stop living in the past and live in the now. Sure there may not be any mainstream bands that you like, but what about the Independents?

I believe the key word there Kneo is they TRY to sound like Pearl Jam. That all started with Stone Temple Pilots, and Creed is carrying the torch now.And I have'nt heard any Independant music yet that I would want to buy. Garage.com or whatever it is, frustrated me to no end trying to download from it, so I gave up. Where else might a person find a user friendly Independent sight?

I still don't see how they try to be like Pearl Jam. They each do their own thing. If they wanted to be like Pearl Jam, don't you think they'd follow in their steps and leave their labels?

Garageband.com isn't too difficult to use... not sure why you're having a problem with that.

sometimes, some of the bands at garageband don't want you to d/l thier music... they only want you to stream it and inflate their egos with high marks...

but you know what, it is OK that they do so since they are doing it with their OWN music!

MOST bands on garageband (mine included) are tickled pink to have you download...rip...burn...share the music.

Garageband is a huge BOON compared to the vast majority of the rest of the music "hosting" sites so far...

mp3.com ROYALY fucked us over

napster was cool in the begining...

iuma.com is still ok as far as I can tell...

but the others are all in it for the money... they see it costs virtually NOTHING to "host" our music. All WE have got to do is provide the content.
(garageband and iuma.com have not RAPED us yet... fairforshare could and should work, but most of the others are potentially just as bad as internet versions of the RIAA!)

Be viligent

Watch them like HAWKS!

(but let the p2p companys fight with the big dogs a while, maybe they will wound each other enough to let the consumers and musicians have our love fest!)

Support local and independent music!

-Shmoo, of Electric Gypsy

why do we have to by a cd if you hear the hit song once an hour on the radio stations. by the time the radio stations get done with the song its overplayed and makes me sick to hear it. i just download music because its fun. by the way its the bootlegs that are usefull to download.

Thanks a lot for sending me your email and letting me know this group was here. It's good to hear so many people outhere know what I mean.

There's a reaspn you never hear our side of the story. Spin and RS are owned by big media and are too afraid to put the RIAA down--and that troubles me. I'm actually quite surprised my paper even let me write the article in the first place, as they are a part of the largest corporate media ownership in the country, but I guess I slipped one under the radar.

Sorry if some of you disagreed with some of my music rantings (hey, we all have out own tastes), but I see we all agree on the fact that there is definitely something wrong here. I'm just glad I was able to feel as if I could do something about it. Otherwise, we vote with our wallets and it seems we're all fighting that fight.

Thanks for reading!

-Mandy Jenkins