Don’t act too shocked but it turns out your non-friends at the RIAA want you to know that copying any CD’s that you buy to your computer ain’t legal.  While it’s not the focus of their lawsuits, they’re starting to get the word out that you’re engaging in criminal activity whenever you do this, as they spew in this Washington Post article.  Why these scumbags haven’t filed suits against the software companies that make this possible is something to ponder- shouldn’t Microsoft, Winamp, Apple and others be liable or at least be threatened to be dragged into court for making ripping possible?  Don’t bet on it- the RIAA typically act like cowards, going after individuals in their lawsuits rather than large, deep-pocketed companies.  As the article notes “… for those old media to survive, they must adapt, finding new business models and new, compelling content to offer.  The RIAA’s legal crusade against its customers is a classic example of an old media company clinging to a business model that has collapsed.”

Speaking of new models, Billboard has an interesting article where a group of lawyers evaluate the new 360 contracts that labels have been cooking up to get a piece of the touring and merchandising pie as part of artists’ contacts.  Needless to say, they don’t think that these contacts are all peaches and cream and that artists need to be savvy before they sign away anything.

—Jason Gross

Just a quick note that my list of best music journalism of ‘07 will appear in PopMatters in a few weeks- I’m makin’ a list, checkin’ it twice, etc..  As for New Year’s resolutions… I want to try to keep concentrating on my writing and editing so that hopefully I’ll become better at each (which means my reissue project work is still on hiatus).  Also, I’ll try to make a better effort not to be too disgusted and snobby about mainstream artists with abhorrent personalities- after all, I do like Amy Winehouse but I draw the line at Britney.  Hopefully, I can also report here about some positive things happening in the biz and some good role models instead of just ranting about the evils of the RIAA or FCC (which should both go to hell and burn).  Have a good holiday and I’ll see you online in ‘08.

—Jason Gross

With all the top 10 lists I submitted to magazine polls, I never considered those to be my real year-end list. The polls are essentially just looking for some kind of consensus and what individual voters have to say is secondary at best. It makes it look like you only enjoyed ten albums each year and that you didn’t like or care about maybe dozens of others that also came out (even if that’s not really the case). It’s basically an ego thing to be involved in that and I admit that I ain’t above that yet. So on my other blog, I posted what I consider to be my real list of favorite albums of the year. But… even then, we always find out about releases that we missed months later into the next year so this is my definitive list as of December 2007.

—Jason Gross

Despite the FCC’s sleazy victory in handing more power over to large media conglomerates, you can still work to stop this by having Congress step in to do something.  See info below from stopbigmedia.com:

The Federal Communications Commission approved new rules that will unleash a flood of media consolidation across America. The new rules will further consolidate local media markets—taking
away independent voices in cities already woefully short on local news and investigative journalism.

Congress has the power to throw out these rules—and if 100,000 people demand it, they’ll have to listen. Click on the link below to sign the open letter to Congress urging them to stop the FCC and stand with the public interest.

http://action.freepress.net/campaign/sbmopenletter/

http://action.freepress.net/campaign/sbmopenletter?rk=hpsEDbK1uyCvW

—Jason Gross

In this Wire interview, these two icons discuss the latest Radiohead album of course but what was more interesting to me was their conversation about why albums are still important in a download age. 

(continue...)

—Jason Gross

Sad but true.  Thanks to anyone who heeded the call and contacted your member of Congress.  Maybe the courts will put a halt to this the way they did under former FCC scumbag Michael Powell.

—Jason Gross