On Jul 7, 11:49 pm, "John P." <Jo...@nospam.com> wrote:
> "Flinstoneyerfired" <mmu...@onlink.net> wrote in a message
>
> >> Well... having value to the person who wrote it would indicate a very
> >> limited value. For it to have value outside of that, it has to be known.
> > What if that person was Jeffrey Dahmer and the music managed to heal
> > him somehow? What if the writer of the music is moved enough by it
> > that he doesn't commit suicide and discovers the cure for cancer? I
> > know- I'm a complete dipshit, but who knows what music has been able
> > to do in the lives of other people. I only know what it's done for me-
> > not that I'm capable of writing anything that is of value. I think it
> > exists without the listener as a kind of spirit and that when it is
> > heard, it can perform miracles. I think I have to believe that.
>
> If a tree plays a song in the forest and no one is there to hear it, does it
> make a sound? :-)
If Rush plays "The Trees" in the forest, does anyone care?
>
> > It's all about how we view the word value. There's many different
> > kinds of value- you have described one kind. I spoke about another
> > kind- there are others. Music can teach, it can inform, it can
> > accompany and set the mood for other activities, yadda yadda yadda ad
> > infinitum.
>
> Much agreed.
>
> > What's interesting is that consumers accepted that system up until
> > Napster.
>
> Perhaps because they had no choice. Pirates have been doing their thing for
> quite a while. You used to have to get :in" with the right group. You had to
> work in steps. Each one lead to greater treasures. Napster put then end of
> the rainbow with the pot of gold within easy reach of anyone with a computer
> and a connection. The music industry could have as easily done the same, but
> chose not to. As a matter of fact, with almost every technological step, the
> music industry has blown it and missed the boat initially.
That's what the music industry arrogantly chose to believe- that the
listener had no choice. The listener always had a choice, that was to
vote with his feet and not buy the crap they were selling. Finally, a
technology easy enough that any shlub with a computer can use- now,
the idiots in charge still cry about all the money they lost- greedy
bastards still have no idea of how to adapt. I truly enjoy hearing
about record execs losing their jobs- they've profiteered off of
musicians and music lovers long enough. They get exactly what they
deserve- as we all do eventually.
>
> > I love Kiss- Ace rules! What people never really got about them was
> > that they made some pretty kickass tunes, although their hit/miss
> > ratio got a lot lower on albums like Love Gun (IMHO).
>
> I didn't like anything they didn't do live.
I liked Alive- it was one of the first LP records I ever bought as a
kid. I like early Kiss- up to Destroyer- after that, it got kinda lame
for me. I didn't catch the same sense of urgency from them- of course,
they were megastars by then.
>
> I did read "Behind the Mask" (I think that was the title) and found it very
> interesting. I also read Slash's book not too long ago. He was, at once,
> exactly what I expected, and, at the same time, nothing like what I
> expected.
I have yet to read those- I really would like to read the Slash one,
though.
Mike
