Fill your coffee cup, I need to ramble.
OK, so the satellite radio thing made me mad. And let me tell you, plenty of other listeners are not so happy either. I received a bunch of email about it, most of the "We have to do something!" variety. The crowds are assembling. The torches will be lit.
Or not?
Maybe somebody at Sirius will see that more than a few people are not so happy about the state of their digital shower and will put a little more thought into it. I kind of doubt it. As much as "the market" supposedly drives things in entertainment America, the music industry has a well-known tin ear when it comes to what the fans want. (Yeah, I know... fans have also wanted choices in digital music and I have not exactly put myself behind that particular mule, despite lighting my own torch against the RIAA. Can you hear me Hillary Rosen? Oh, 'mule' and Hillary Rosen in the same parenthetical insert. So clever!)
So the mental gyrations about the satellite thing have again got me thinking about the future of music delivery. Actually, 'delivery' isn't the right word. Discovery is the issue. In the future (which may or may not be now), how will hungry ears find out about new music? Yes, this is a well-worn area of discussion, but my disappointment with Sirius made me realize that that one channel removed from their lineup implemented a very, very old-school thing: free-form radio. Usually, the debate centers on things like iTunes, gaming, popular movie soundtracks, MySpace, exclusivity deals, etc. But here I am again ignoring all of that, stubbornly going back to a kind of media comfort food.
Should I be asking a different question, such as: Do people really care about access to the unfamiliar? Am I in a tiny, tiny minority here? The ghetto of the "new, weird music"?
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - Pico
I've checked out Pandora before and it wasn't too bad for exploring new artists and records. It still doesn't beat reading your reviews, though :-)
2 - Tom Johnson
Stump! Holy crap! A friend of mine played them for me ages ago - I mean AGES ago, like, 1992, or so. She figured I might like them. Never saw another copy of that album. Every once in a while I would remember to look for it, but I never saw anything. I guess it's been reissued finally. I may have to pick that up, if only to end the quest. I'm not even sure it's something I would listen to much anymore . . .
3 - Christopher Rose
I used to listen to Pandora a lot and absolutely loved it. Then they had to restrict themselves to US listeners only for copyright reasons and booted me out.
Now I use Jango and love listening to a random mixture of old favourites and totally never heard before artists. It would be one heck of a review to beat that!
4 - Mark Saleski
oh man, copyright restrictions screw up so many good opportunities on the internet.
5 - Mark Sahm
Maybe the answer is that you need to start your own pirate radio station.
6 - Mark Saleski
can we use your new & spiffily appointed basement?
7 - Mark Sahm
Sure. If you send me the tracks, I can put them together for you... nearly free of charge. I only ask for 6 beers a piece for me and my co-worker.
8 - Phillip Winn
I've discovered a couple of things through Pandora, and should probably let last.fm try to recommend a few things to me since I've given it over a week of my playlist now, but then, I'm still straddling the album-at-a-time and the shuffle-em-all-and-let-god-sort-em-out fence.
9 - Mark Saleski
I only ask for 6 beers a piece for me and my co-worker.
i have heard that your co-worker can't handle 6 beers.
10 - S.Rod
M.Sahm - Co-worker! Get him! That's rich, ain't it? Co-worker...
M.Saleski - I don't really drink beer...but I would trade for a bottle of Riesling.
11 - Mark Saleski
oh right, you don't like beer. gees, it's hard to keep this stuff straight. one person likes REM, one doesn't (or won't admit to it for fear of his life). then there's the beer/wine thing...etc..etc...etc
12 - S.Rod
I'll drink fruity beer...
13 - Phillip Winn
S.Rod, you're such a *girl*.
You're welcome!
Are you sad that Zima is being discontinued? Did you know they were still making that stuff?
Mark, I've been meaning to ask you what you think of P!nk. ;-)
14 - Mark Sahm
I like REM, Saleski... just not all of their songs. But I don't drink wine, because it gives me a migraine after an hour or two.
And S.Rod--- Framboise and Peche don't really count as beer.
15 - Jordan Richardson
Framboise and Peche don't really count as beer.
A lambic is a style of beer. It does so count.
And I still find tons and tons of new music. I usually find a few new bands or performers a week just by snooping around online. Some are good, some are not, but there's no shortage of new stuff and there are endless ways to find them. Count me as one of the few excited people in terms of the music of today. I love it.
16 - Brian aka Guppusmaximus
I agree with Jordan that there are sooo many ways to find new music. I just wouldn't use the word excited... Though, I was psyched to find this just in time for Christmas.
Personally, instead of satellite radio, i prefer internet radio especially some of the international "stations" (www.metalexpressradio.com) I'm pretty sure with how good wireless is becoming(and a little extra cash) you probably could ditch Sirius/XM.
17 - Jordan Richardson
I just wouldn't use the word excited...
Good thing it was my word and not yours, eh?
18 - Brian aka Guppusmaximus
As for "fruity" beer, lemon is okay but anything beyond that(blueberries,etc)is a bit ridiculous.
I prefer Hoegaarden or Paulaner...
19 - Brian aka Guppusmaximus
Yea... you can keep it. It seems that it doesn't take much for you to get that way.
20 - Jordan Richardson
Lambic is the sweetest elixir the Belgians ever created. Good flavour doesn't end with citrus. I've had peach, raspberry, blackberry, and apricot. I've also had wheat beer with hints of banana and cloves and that was fucking delicious beyond belief. And apple beer. And double chocolate stout.
Is 6:30 am too early for a pint?
21 - Jordan Richardson
It seems that it doesn't take much for you to get that way.
Good things happen when you have an open mind and an eager ear. There are other things beyond METALLLLLLLLLLLLL, ya know?
22 - Brian aka Guppusmaximus
Sorry, I just don't agree with you. I don't want my beer tasting like fruit punch. A hint of orange peel & some lemon is enough. But, then again, you either like beer or you don't. Stouts are great for the way the barley or malts are roasted & ofcourse how the beer is brewed. (Plus, it has less calories than standard beer for those who are counting). Same with Lager,Wheat,etc.. I just feel that adding a lot of sweet fruit masks the true flavor.
23 - Brian aka Guppusmaximus
Good things happen when you have an open mind and an eager ear. There are other things beyond METALLLLLLLLLLLLL, ya know?
Yea, How could I possibly know that?? You're dead on! I'm sure Vince Gauraldi does a killer cover of The Philosopher. How else would I ever know about his work.
24 - Jordan Richardson
I don't want my beer tasting like fruit punch.
I've never had a beer that tasted like fruit punch. That's crazy talking.
I just feel that adding a lot of sweet fruit masks the true flavor.
Have you ever had a lambic or are you just certain you won't like it because you think it tastes like "fruit punch?" The "true flavour" is whatever the creator wants the "true flavour" to be. If the true flavour of a beer is created through spontaneous fermentation rather than conventional ways of brewing, I would say you wouldn't be "masking" anything. But hell, that's just me.
How else would I ever know about his work.
Dunno. Maybe you Cast Your Fate to the Wind. :P
25 - Brian aka Guppusmaximus
Sure. Whatever Jordan...
I've never tried different beers, I've never listened to anything other than Metal and I'm pretty sure if your really spontaneous with Kool-Aid you could brew a killer beer,Dude!