Why I STRONGLY Dislike the RIAA

And it's NOT because I've got a ton of illegal music on my computer. In fact, everything I have on my drive right now is perfectly, 100% legal. I've bought some, I owned the CDs to some, and I've been given much of it for use on the podcast. So there.

But when the RIAA sues a stroke victim who is living on a monthly disability check -- and who has repeatedly stated that he has engaged in no copyright infringement -- I have a problem. They don't care about anything but their bottom line, and that is rapidly decreasing, as people find other ways to get their music -- most of them perfectly legal. Since I started podcasting, I haven't felt the need to go out and buy a CD at WalMart or any of the mall stores -- if I've got the money, I'm going to buy a CD from a band that's struggling to "make it" and has escaped the notice of the "major labels." There are thousands out there to choose from, in all genres. In fact, take a look on the right sidebar, and you can see what I'm listening to, thanks to a cool widget from the folks at Last.fm.

It takes some work -- you have to separate the wheat from the chaff. And there's plenty of chaff out there, but that just makes the wheat taste that much better. OK, now that I've run that metaphor into the ground, I'll stop.

To reassure my long-time readers, I'm not planning on turning this blog into a music-focused blog, or a podcasting-focused one either. I am working on a few things that are more in keeping with the intent of this blog -- pop culture in the light of Biblical principles, theological topics written so that the average, non-seminary-educated person can understand the issues, etc. THOSE posts take time, which I don't have a lot of right now. THESE posts, however, I can bang out quickly, and they keep the front page from looking so empty and lonely.

Posted by: Warren Kelly at 10:28 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 356 words, total size 2 kb.

Inspiration!

No, I'm not going into the inspiration/inerrancy debate. I'm talking about me, being inspired to post something fairly substantial after such a long absence. And inspired by someone whose music I listened to many, many years ago.

David Bach, one part of my favorite all-time Christian rock bands, Guardian, has written a three-part post about the future of Christian music and the CCM industry that one can only pray is being read by the folks in Nashville. Bach writes as someone who has been inside the industry, someone who has seen the guts of the monster, so to speak. And he's trying to get Christian artists to see what's happening to their industry so that they can be prepared. As he puts it:

My intent here is not to discourage anyone, but rather to tell the truth—the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Mine is not a rocket science/ prophetical hypothesis. Similar tales of coming fiscal woe are all over the internet in regard to the general market. But the CCM industry has always lagged behind the general market by about 18-24 months—so for some of you reading this, it will be a shocker. Again, my primary hope in writing this is that even one aspiring artist will read it and take heed—hopefully saving themselves years of grief and wasted energy.

This is one area in which the Christian industry can't afford to lag behind the rest of the entertainment field. IF Christian entertainers are really in it to get their message out, rather than make some quick $$ from their fellow believers, then there needs to be a radical change in the way Christian music is marketed, distributed, sold, and promoted. And that's exactly what Bach is calling for. more...

Posted by: Warren Kelly at 04:31 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 869 words, total size 5 kb.