----- Original Message ----- From: "skip Heller" <velaires@earthlink.net> Subject: Re: CD burning/smash the RIAA!
You have the freedom to make any record you want ... But do you have the financial freedom to make it known to the public that your record exists
But in a competitive market place there'll always be the problem of getting your message out. That isn't unique to music. And if the consumer suddenly had too many choices instead of too few, would the prospects of being heard get any better for the artist? I'd guess that if the playing field were suddenly "levelled", you'd quickly see artists forming their own coalitions to help get their word out. And human nature being what it is, some of these coalitions would grow into evil corporations. I'd love to be wrong about that, though.
What passes for "alternative" is largely a joke.
Well, sure, "alternative" is just a genre now. As is "independent film". It seems to me the music that's being discussed on this list isn't something with immediate appeal the way "pop" is. It's more like the answer to a question that not everybody has asked yet. I'd argue that the real trick is getting people to ask that question.