gullybogan

Flickr photo by ___der deli___.

Dear Reader,

Music.

It’s a part of show business.

Which makes it a commercially marketable commodity.

Like canola oil.

Sad thing is, music generally means more to ppl than canola oil does.

Sadder thing is, the businesses that deal in music are all about money, and not much about the other aspects of music.

Like it being part of our culture.

To fight ‘piracy’ (i.e. fans listening to music for free), the Music Industry produced a DVD that it is sending to all Australian schools, to stop kids downloading music without paying for it.

They interviewed Frenzal Rhomb musician Lindsay McDougall for what they said was a documentary about how hard it is to survive as a musician in Australia.

But it turns out the DVD is just propaganda ordering The Kids to stop stealing music.

Mr McDougall (who is also on the Triple J breakfast show) had this to say when he found out he’d been lied to, and his talent co-opted for a cause that he doesn’t believe in:

I’m from a punk rock band, it’s all about getting your music out any way you can – you don’t make money from the record, the record companies make the money from the record. If they can’t make money these days because they haven’t come onside with the way the world is going, it’s their own problem. [more]

Hear, hear, Mr McDougall.

You’re my hero.

How do you feel about the music industry screwing both the fans and the musicians, dear Reader? How long do you think it can last, operating with that business model?

Yours,
Gullybogan