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This weekend, my family converged on a water park in Sandusky, Ohio to bid my younger brother farewell. He is leaving next week for Duluth, Minnesota to be the lead pastor at a church. While we are very sad to say goodbye to him, we're happy that he is happy and excited to be starting a new adventure. Here are some photos from our weekend together. 0 Comments
Do you want to know why the music industry is struggling? Look no further than the comments section of Sterogum's post about the new U2 album. The historically important, though increasingly irrelevant, top-shelf Irish band will release 3 different limited edition versions of its new record "No Line On The Horizon" on March 3. By releasing limited editions of their album, U2 is following in the footsteps of Nine Inch Nails and Radiohead who released free and limited editions of their latest works to the great adulation of their fans. In the post-Napster world, people don't want to pay for music -- but they will pay for exclusivity. They will pay to have something that no one else (or at least very few people) has. The problem for U2, though, is that they, as a band, are not as exclusive as NIN and Radiohead. U2 is much more accessible, and therefore, are an easy target for the wrath of the indie snobs. My prediction is that the limited editions of "No Line On The Horizon" will sell quite well. People who love U2 are older, have more disposable income and remember a time when buying records was an important experience. Going to the record store, thumbing through album covers, learning about new bands from the people who work there....the very act of buying a new release from a band involved some personal sacrifice (time) but was rewarded with the feeling of making a real connection to other humans working and shopping at the record store. By releasing limited editions of their albums, bands are necessitating that buyers make a level of personal sacrifice (go to stores) to purchase their records. The problem that U2 faces, though, is that the social nature of buying music has changed with the advent of Napster. Music has become a commodity that people expect to get for free. People no longer visit record stores just to browse and feel a connection -- they visit Pitchfork or Stereogum, download a few freebies and make anonymous comments on articles. The record store club hasn't really changed -- music snobs have always existed -- it's just the members' reaction to music has changed. Bands that have the financial ability to release limited edition sets are trying to combat the commodity mentality of the post-Napster music fan, but as U2 has proved, they can't make in-roads to the new generation of music snobs because they, as a band, aren't indie enough (and aren't willing to give their music away for free). Personally, I dread the day that record stores stop existing. At age 34, I look forward to going to Galaxy CDs or Shake-It Records, thumbing through CDs, making a purchase, bringing it home and ripping it for consumption on my iPhone/iPod. Buying digital music is certainly easier, but it doesn't have the soul of buying a new record from a record store. I don't know how the music industry can combat the free mentality of the majority of its consumers (law suits aren't the answer), but as a lover of music, I pray that they find a way. Brilliant, funny and topical from UncleJayExplains.com
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