Why the music industry sucks

This comes from the International Musician, which is the official newspaper for the Musicians Union, the AFM (American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada). I didn't get permission to reprint this, but what the heck. I hope theydon't mind...


Sony Agrees to Payola Settlement

Sony BMG Music Entertainment has admitted that employees lavished cash, trips, and other bribes on radio stations and their employees so its music would be played on the air. This confession is part of a wide investigation by New York State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer into the music industry, reports the Washington Post.
Spitzer claims that, despite assuming more sophisticated forms lately, Sony's practice doesn't much differ from payola scandals that have always dogged the music and radio industries.
It appears e-mailed memos were Sony's undoing in this case. As part ofa $10 million settlement with Sony, Spitzer unveiled a string of incriminating messages sent to and fro between record company executives.
In an e-mail from last September, for instance, and unidentified Sony BMG executive complained that the company was paying to much in trips and gifts to the then-program director of Buffalo, New Yorks WKSE-FM in return for airtime for the Sony BMG rock band Franz Ferdinand. "Two weeks ago, it cost us over $4,ooo to get Franz on WKSE," the e-mail stated. "This is what the four trips to Miami and hotel cost."
Spitzer's investigation may not end with Sony. The attorney general has also been looking into the practices of Warner Music Group Corp. and radio companies, including Clear Channel Communications, Inc.
Also, Sony's woes may go beyond Spitzer's investigation. In a further development, US communications regulators said August 8 they will review whether Sony BMG and radio stations violated rules that require disclosure of payments for airing songs.
Federal Communications Commision Chairman Kevin Martin directed his enforcement bureau staff to review the settlement agreement for possible evidence of wrongdoing.
"If the bureau determines violations of payola rules occurred, we will take swift action," Martin said. "In addition, if we are presented with evidence of payola rule violations outside of the Sony BMG settlement, we will thoroughly investigate those complaints as well," he said.


Seems like payola is alive and well...more comments to follow...

RL

What the heck do I write about?

Hello everyone. welcome to the blog. I have many things I would like to write about, though I'm not sure what to start with today, so I guess I'll just ramble for a moment...lets see...ummm...o.k., how about gigs!

I am working on getting some new venues for the band. ( Someone went to the website and mentioned it looked like I retired!) We do have the gig in Niagara Falls coming up. (Sept. 9@ Cafe Etc. ) This is a really cool bar, and they have a new outdoor patio in back with a Bocce Ball court. We would love it if you come out to see the band. Some other places I'm working on are the Sonoma Grill on Main and Le Metro on Elmwood. If any of you find your way to these or any other places you would like to see us at, mention the band and tell them you would like to see us there. A little bit of grass roots support goes a long way. I suppose any town can be tough to book gigs in. Check out the Gusto and compare listings of Jazz to Rock...16 listing for Jazz...68 for Rock...pretty pathetic acutally. This is one reason I don't want to call the band a Jazz band, the kiss of death for gigging ( it's really not anyway...not truly... but we are not really Rock either...were in MUSICAL LIMBO!!!!). One sure way, it seems, to have nobody show up at you gigs, is to tell 'em your a Jazz band. Is it just that Buffalo is blue collar, "I'll have some Lynyrd Skynyrd with my beer thank you" kind of town? Definitely partly it. I spent many years playing with a "Classic Rock" band, so I feel qualified to comment on this particular side of society ( and I will! That will probably take a whole entry itself!)...

So anyway, I am trying to get us out there, and hopefully we will get you out there too. The best way we can keep things going is with your support. Bar owners want bands to bring people into the bar, and I don't blame them....

hold that thought...have to go walk the dog! be right back...

ok, I'm back...we being an instrumental band seems to put us in the Jazz category. I suppose this is partly true. I use some of the same tools a Jazz musician uses. Certain scales, forms, chord progressions...but I use many of the tools of a rock musician ( oxymoron alert- Rock Musician...HAHAHAHAH...I kid the rock musicians!) like the distorted guitar, certain scales, volume levels. I'm not always sure exactly how to classify the music ( not that I want to, but people need labels to help understand things). I kind of think of us as an Instrumental Rock-Jazz Jam Band. Seems to fit. But Jazz is still in this classifacation, so I will now offer two possible reasons it's hard to draw a crowd for Jazz...

Supeficial Reason No. 1 : Not enough girls

Not enough girls listening to Jazz, and therefore, not enough girls at the Jazz gig. Drinking establishments are a place of social interaction and discourse. More importantly, they are a place to meet MEMBERS OF THE OPPOSITE SEX! Weekend after weekend the female of the species dons the appropiately fashionable attire in order to go out and perform the complex ritual of shaking ones booty in order to garner the attention of the male of the species. The males, knowing this, flock in droves to offer up liquid libation in copius amounts in order to facillitate this behavior. Thus a true market economy can thrive, and everybody is happy! THIS CANNOT HAPPEN WITH JAZZ! Jazz is polyrhythimic, lots of notes flying about, and, like my mom says, can sound like 4 guys each playing a different song! I't gosh-darn confusing! The booty shaking ritual is so complex and demanding that it needs to be accompanied by a very simple, constant rhythmic pulse so as not to confuse prospective booty shakers. Hence the appeal of "Rock Music"

Existential Reason #2 : Jazz is hard

When I was really getting into Jazz ( I come from a pretty hard rock backround ), one of my first breakthrough moments was when I could ACTUALLY RECOGNIZE THE JAZZ SONG ON THE RADIO!!!!!! No kidding. I think sometimes people ( especially Jazz musicians ) can forget that this instumental Jazz thing might not be readily apparent to some people. Rock, forgive me, is easy. Rock is a punch in the gut, while Jazz is well placed remark. A punch in the gut is easy to understand, while jazz requires a little effort. When I learned the forms of Jazz, learned what it was I was hearing, and in a way HOW to listen to Jazz, my enjoyment of it went way up. I started to be able to appreciate the many wonderful things going on in a Jazz performance. It's not that hard really and you might have a really good time!

Come out to our gigs and I promise to play enough Jazz to make you think, and enough rock to shake your booty to. Females drink free...

RL

NEW WEBSITE LAUNCHED!

Well we've finally redesigned the Official Ron LoCurto Website! A couple fine tuning things to finish and we're done. Use the link to the right to check it out and tell us what you think. What would you like to see added?

PATTERN SEEKING PRIMATES REVIEWS

Well you've all had a chance to listen and absorb the incredible new release from The Ron LoCurto Band! We're dying to hear what you think. Please post your comments regarding the new CD here. Thanks for your support of great original music! – Katie Hildreth, Noize Productions

WHAT'S THAT? . . .
YOU DON'T HAVE THE CD YET?
WHAT THE H#@! IS WRONG WITH YOU?
HAVE YOU BEEN LIVING UNDER A ROCK?. . . HELD HOSTAGE IN SOME CRAZY MAN'S BASEMENT? . . . FROZEN IN A CRYOGENIC STATE WAITING FOR SOMEONE TO REINVENT JAZZ? . . . GO TO WWW.RONLOCURTO.COM AND GET IT NOW!

A BLOG IS BORN!

The Ron LoCurto Blog is Born!