Let me ask you, do you think we got the best politicians we could have elected? If not, how do we change the system?
I welcome whatever happens to get the correct information out into the world. But how do we get citizens to pay attention to it? They make up their minds first, then look for confirmation rather than looking for accuracy.
But we are seeing politicians state absolute lies and then have citizens pass along that information. For as much info as is available, we are also seeing the concept of "See it enough times and it must be true."
Voters voted for politicians who lied. The information was available to them, but they didn't care. They voted based on what they believed. I don't know how one overcomes this. For example, why do 20-30% of the country believe Obama is a Muslim?
I'm for anything that increases participation, so I am very much in favor of participatory journalism. I am curious, though, whether it will get more people to actually look for facts and then believe them when they and others find them. Although we are living in the age of Internet journalism, we seem to be more polarized than ever. I hope the trend doesn't continue.
Re: Re: Re: Professional musicians, legacy players, and "piracy"
Now, money from recorded music sales is going down, but that's because more people are buying digital tracks (which are cheaper). But the difference is more than made up by consumer spending on other music-related purchases, e.g. live concerts.
And that doesn't consider spending in related markets, such as music equipment - which grew 5.72% in the past ten years, according to NAMM.
If we are playing with numbers, I think they aren't going to look as good for 2010. NAMM reported significant declines last year. The US Labor Bureau reported that average household spending on entertainment went down comparing 2009 to 2008. And Live Nation has reported declines for its concerts this year. We won't know for sure how the overall music market is doing (and will probably never know since some of it isn't reported), but based on the trends I've been seeing, I don't think we'll see increases for 2010. I think the recession has taken its toll and I'm wondering if there will be a permanent shift in spending priorities. This is what has happened in Japan:
Japan Goes From Dynamic to Disheartened - NYTimes.com: "Hisakazu Matsuda, president of Japan Consumer Marketing Research Institute, who has written several books on Japanese consumers, has a different name for Japanese in their 20s; he calls them the consumption-haters. He estimates that by the time this generation hits their 60s, their habits of frugality will have cost the Japanese economy $420 billion in lost consumption.
“There is no other generation like this in the world,” Mr. Matsuda said. “These guys think it’s stupid to spend.”"
It would be interesting to know how many are making a living from record label income vs how many are making a living from other music related income.
Very few have ever made money directly from a label, but whatever marketing and promotion the label has provided may directly impact how much the band can make via touring, merchandise, sponsorships, etc. And pretty much everyone says that the real way to make money from a label is songwriting. If your song is on a mega hit and gets radio play, that's where you get paid. So if you are the songwriter, you make more money if the album sells millions than if the album just sells a few copies.
The more meaningful number is the "consistent 1000 capacity venue", which is still very annoyingly vague.
That's the part I am curious about. Although I haven't sat down to make a list, I don't think all of Colorado has more than about 20 acts that consistently play 1000 capacity venues. And if you are looking at how many acts that come through Colorado that play 1000 capacity venues, I'm guessing that it wouldn't be more than 1000-2000 per year (I don't know the exact number of 1000+ venues, but lets say there are about 10-20 in the state and each of them averages two shows a week -- some have more and many have fewer) you end up with 1000 - 2000 headlining acts playing the state per year.
Now Colorado has fewer bands and fewer venues than a place like California, but you can see that it is hard to come up with 30,000 bands that consistently play 1000+ venues. Colorado tends to get quite a few bands on tour, so I think if they exist, they do play here. But many of them play venues that hold between 100 and 600 people. The bands headlining venues that can hold 1000 or more tend to be pretty well-known, either because they have been popular for a long time or because they are the big thing of the moment.
I suppose it might be possible to come up with that number throughout the world, but it still seems high if 1000+ venues is the criterion. And maybe we are talking about bands that tour every few years and make enough money to then not tour every year. So perhaps those 30,000 bands aren't all touring in any given year.
At any rate, I know that very few Colorado bands consistently play 1000+ venues, and among those who do, most are signed to a major label, are signed to a big indie label, or have in the past been signed to a major label (e.g, The Fray, One Republic, Big Head Todd, Yonder Mountain, Devotchka).
I have not, and never would, simply copy an entire article from another site, not indicate the originating source, and do so without permission and no additional commentary.
Would this also apply to things like lyrics, sheet music, and poems? Let's say I have a site that posts lyrics to songs. Let's say copyright is gone. Do you think that I should ask for permission from all songwriters before posting lyrics and not to post if they don't give permission? I'm curious in what situations do you advocate always obtaining permission and not using content if permission is not granted?
If the creator cannot be found or contacted, should I avoid using his/her lyrics? To what extent should I try to obtain permission and at what point should I give up? And if I use the lyrics and then the songwriter objects, should I just take down the lyrics? What is the protocol?
I'd like to see more guidelines about when permission should be obtained and how that might be accomplished.
Some people have advocated that everything digital automatically enter into the public domain or at least be sharable. They decry "permission culture." And in this case the author was given credit, so it wasn't like she didn't get credit. So isn't this the future? Seems like the main thing the editor did wrong was to assume public domain exists where it doesn't. But what if we eliminate copyright? As long as the creator is acknowledged, isn't this what we want to have happen?
The beauty of music applications is that many people are creating them quickly, not investing a lot of money into them, and then making them available for free or low cost. This way you can have a lot of them floating around and see what works and what doesn't work.
The whole field of video games is changing rapidly. It's shifting to a low-cost model rather than investing millions into the next big game.
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Video Game Revolution: Social Games, iPhone Apps, Digital Downloads - The Daily Beast: "One need only look to Facebook and the success of titles like Mafia Wars, Pet Society, or FarmVille to see such seismic changes in action. Not only do these offerings turn gaming on its head by offering instantly accessible, user-friendly titles that are appropriate for all ages free of charge, but also an estimated 200 million people are lining up to play social games each month, while demand steadily declines for the $60, male-focused first-person shooters or fantasy dungeon hacks of yore."
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Much as I'd like to agree, as someone who's really sensitive to pollution, good air quality is something that I would happily pay for if I was sure I could get it.
And many of us are paying for it in the form of environmental protection that may add to the short-term cost of energy supply, but will be better for the earth over the long term. Similarly what we may not be paying for water at the moment (although most of us do pay for water in the form of monthly bills) will be a cost to future generations if we have planned poorly and left them with inadequate supplies. (It's already happening in farm areas in Colorado as farmers and cities fight over water rights.)
This might turn out to be worthy of its own Techdirt post
I knew Liz Clark awhile back when she was still living in Denver. Now she spends part of her time in NYC, part in Ireland (where her bandmate/partner is from), and part of the time on the road. According to their bio:
Liz and Tessa’s philosophy of simplicity manifests itself by spending part of their year as homeless troubadours, touring the USA and sharing their love of music. The rest of the year is spent in Ireland, working a 10 acre organic garden and running an award-winning cafe on the Emerald Island’s West Coast.
They have developed this idea which is a nice variation on the usual house concert.
... we are starting a new concert series to raise money for the album and we are calling it "Beat Roots". It is going to be a food and music series. ... So the idea is that we, L & the M, will come to your house and cook a 3 course gourmet meal for you and your friends, using the finest produce from your locality and while you are eating your dessert we will treat you to an acousic house concert of our L & the M songs. There is a price of course and for the works (which includes a glass of wine or 2) it is $50 a head but we are flexible. Maybe you just want appetizers and wine and we could probably do that for about $30. "Beat Roots," Lonely and the Moose, 10/23/10.
I philosophically believe that any one should be able to get any medical option they choose, as long as they are willing to pay for it.
Sure. But of course there are a number of medical treatments which are considered optional or experimental and aren't covered by insurance and wouldn't likely be covered by a government plan either.
I don't know exactly what you mean by "not to treat what will make no difference anyway."
There are some medical treatments that are very expensive but don't prolong life and don't even offer a better quality of life in the remaining time. That's why hospice is becoming more popular. We are realizing that sometimes it is better to opt for palliative treatment than to continue medical treatment when there is no indication that it will work. And we now have living wills so people can indicate in advance if they don't want to be resuscitated.
We are in a country that thinks that it is normal to be on 5-10 medications at the same time.
Yes, I agree with you. We are overtreating some people and undertreating others. The goal isn't to allow everyone to have every possible medical option. It's to provide basic health care to catch problems early and then not to treat what will make no difference anyway.
I have Blue Cross/Blue Shield in Colorado. This is one of states where the company raised rates so quickly on individual policies (like I have) that they are being forced to give a slight refund/rebate.
Coverage wars - Healthcare business news from Modern Healthcare: "This month, Anthem in Colorado -- without conceding its increases were unreasonable -- agreed to refund $20 million to subscribers under a settlement with the state's insurance division, which challenged the company after logging 210 complaints about increases in individual plans."
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The bottom line is the US pays more money for health care with poorer results than other countries. We don't have the best system, based either on cost or outcome. We need something better.
There's a tidy loop that allows more corporations to fund political ads which go to keep the newspapers and TV stations afloat. If you want to change the country you really need to look at political funding. And maybe it's time to start looking at governing more via consensus and interactive planning that clearly lays out all the options and lets everyone try out various scenarios via computer first, to see what the consequences will be.
John Roberts' America - NYTimes.com: "Colorado is ground zero for what’s happening in John Roberts’s America, competing for the dubious distinction of being the top state in the nation for spending by shadowy outside groups telling people how to vote."
Until the majority of people understand that all the parties are the problem and band together informally, outside the party system, nothing will change.
A lot of people think we are on the verge of a major international overhaul. The financial meltdown has pointed up some flaws in capitalism, and the rise of China as a economic power is changing power structures. And dependence on oil has skewed political alliances.
Who would have thought a few years ago that what Detroit would become the innovative center of urban gardens? Talk about localism of food supply. It doesn't get more local than growing your own on abandoned urban lots.
Off the top of my head, I can think of at least four Denver musicians (not famous ones) who own restaurants/bars locally. And former Bronco quarterback John Elway and former Bronco coach Mike Shanahan own restaurants here (neither is total owner and neither runs day-to-day operations).
For celebrities, putting a name on a restaurant is a way to extend the brand. For local musicians, sometimes it's a way to create a venue to play in. Other times it's a day job where you might have some previous background or skills.
Running a restaurant is hard work. For most people there are easier ways to make money and better forms of investment. Perhaps the simplest way for a celebrity to get involved is to get a licensing royalty for use of your name but not risk your own money or worry about keeping the place running.
On the post: When The News Lets Everyone Really Participate, It Changes The Way News Works
Re: Re: Re: Re: Will we see better politics?
I welcome whatever happens to get the correct information out into the world. But how do we get citizens to pay attention to it? They make up their minds first, then look for confirmation rather than looking for accuracy.
On the post: When The News Lets Everyone Really Participate, It Changes The Way News Works
Re: Re: Will we see better politics?
Voters voted for politicians who lied. The information was available to them, but they didn't care. They voted based on what they believed. I don't know how one overcomes this. For example, why do 20-30% of the country believe Obama is a Muslim?
On the post: When The News Lets Everyone Really Participate, It Changes The Way News Works
Will we see better politics?
The Big Lie - The Daily Dish | By Andrew Sullivan: "It seems to me that the last year or so in America's political culture has represented the triumph of untruth."
On the post: 30,000 Musical Acts Are Making A Living... But Is That Good Or Bad?
Re: Re: Re: Professional musicians, legacy players, and "piracy"
And that doesn't consider spending in related markets, such as music equipment - which grew 5.72% in the past ten years, according to NAMM.
If we are playing with numbers, I think they aren't going to look as good for 2010. NAMM reported significant declines last year. The US Labor Bureau reported that average household spending on entertainment went down comparing 2009 to 2008. And Live Nation has reported declines for its concerts this year. We won't know for sure how the overall music market is doing (and will probably never know since some of it isn't reported), but based on the trends I've been seeing, I don't think we'll see increases for 2010. I think the recession has taken its toll and I'm wondering if there will be a permanent shift in spending priorities. This is what has happened in Japan:
Japan Goes From Dynamic to Disheartened - NYTimes.com: "Hisakazu Matsuda, president of Japan Consumer Marketing Research Institute, who has written several books on Japanese consumers, has a different name for Japanese in their 20s; he calls them the consumption-haters. He estimates that by the time this generation hits their 60s, their habits of frugality will have cost the Japanese economy $420 billion in lost consumption.
“There is no other generation like this in the world,” Mr. Matsuda said. “These guys think it’s stupid to spend.”"
On the post: 30,000 Musical Acts Are Making A Living... But Is That Good Or Bad?
Re:
Very few have ever made money directly from a label, but whatever marketing and promotion the label has provided may directly impact how much the band can make via touring, merchandise, sponsorships, etc. And pretty much everyone says that the real way to make money from a label is songwriting. If your song is on a mega hit and gets radio play, that's where you get paid. So if you are the songwriter, you make more money if the album sells millions than if the album just sells a few copies.
On the post: 30,000 Musical Acts Are Making A Living... But Is That Good Or Bad?
Re: Re: Re: Re:
That's the part I am curious about. Although I haven't sat down to make a list, I don't think all of Colorado has more than about 20 acts that consistently play 1000 capacity venues. And if you are looking at how many acts that come through Colorado that play 1000 capacity venues, I'm guessing that it wouldn't be more than 1000-2000 per year (I don't know the exact number of 1000+ venues, but lets say there are about 10-20 in the state and each of them averages two shows a week -- some have more and many have fewer) you end up with 1000 - 2000 headlining acts playing the state per year.
Now Colorado has fewer bands and fewer venues than a place like California, but you can see that it is hard to come up with 30,000 bands that consistently play 1000+ venues. Colorado tends to get quite a few bands on tour, so I think if they exist, they do play here. But many of them play venues that hold between 100 and 600 people. The bands headlining venues that can hold 1000 or more tend to be pretty well-known, either because they have been popular for a long time or because they are the big thing of the moment.
I suppose it might be possible to come up with that number throughout the world, but it still seems high if 1000+ venues is the criterion. And maybe we are talking about bands that tour every few years and make enough money to then not tour every year. So perhaps those 30,000 bands aren't all touring in any given year.
At any rate, I know that very few Colorado bands consistently play 1000+ venues, and among those who do, most are signed to a major label, are signed to a big indie label, or have in the past been signed to a major label (e.g, The Fray, One Republic, Big Head Todd, Yonder Mountain, Devotchka).
On the post: How Cooks Source Magazine Learned That Reputation Is A Scarce Good... As Reddit Applies The Social Mores Of Justice
Re: Re:
Would this also apply to things like lyrics, sheet music, and poems? Let's say I have a site that posts lyrics to songs. Let's say copyright is gone. Do you think that I should ask for permission from all songwriters before posting lyrics and not to post if they don't give permission? I'm curious in what situations do you advocate always obtaining permission and not using content if permission is not granted?
If the creator cannot be found or contacted, should I avoid using his/her lyrics? To what extent should I try to obtain permission and at what point should I give up? And if I use the lyrics and then the songwriter objects, should I just take down the lyrics? What is the protocol?
I'd like to see more guidelines about when permission should be obtained and how that might be accomplished.
On the post: How Cooks Source Magazine Learned That Reputation Is A Scarce Good... As Reddit Applies The Social Mores Of Justice
I'm confused.
On the post: Oh Look, It Appears Music Video Games Were A Bit Of A Fad Too
Rapid Iteration
The whole field of video games is changing rapidly. It's shifting to a low-cost model rather than investing millions into the next big game.
___
Video Game Revolution: Social Games, iPhone Apps, Digital Downloads - The Daily Beast: "One need only look to Facebook and the success of titles like Mafia Wars, Pet Society, or FarmVille to see such seismic changes in action. Not only do these offerings turn gaming on its head by offering instantly accessible, user-friendly titles that are appropriate for all ages free of charge, but also an estimated 200 million people are lining up to play social games each month, while demand steadily declines for the $60, male-focused first-person shooters or fantasy dungeon hacks of yore."
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I'm particularly fond of apps that let anyone create music. Here are some of them:
Music Creation for the Untalented, the Untrained, the Lazy, and Those with Some Time to Kill
On the post: Debunking The Claim That Giving Away Music 'Devalues' It
Re:
And many of us are paying for it in the form of environmental protection that may add to the short-term cost of energy supply, but will be better for the earth over the long term. Similarly what we may not be paying for water at the moment (although most of us do pay for water in the form of monthly bills) will be a cost to future generations if we have planned poorly and left them with inadequate supplies. (It's already happening in farm areas in Colorado as farmers and cities fight over water rights.)
On the post: Belle & Sebastian Considers Opening Up A Taqueria
This might turn out to be worthy of its own Techdirt post
On the post: The New Children's Health Plan Is Videogames?
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: This debate
Sure. But of course there are a number of medical treatments which are considered optional or experimental and aren't covered by insurance and wouldn't likely be covered by a government plan either.
I don't know exactly what you mean by "not to treat what will make no difference anyway."
There are some medical treatments that are very expensive but don't prolong life and don't even offer a better quality of life in the remaining time. That's why hospice is becoming more popular. We are realizing that sometimes it is better to opt for palliative treatment than to continue medical treatment when there is no indication that it will work. And we now have living wills so people can indicate in advance if they don't want to be resuscitated.
On the post: The New Children's Health Plan Is Videogames?
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: This debate
Yes, I agree with you. We are overtreating some people and undertreating others. The goal isn't to allow everyone to have every possible medical option. It's to provide basic health care to catch problems early and then not to treat what will make no difference anyway.
On the post: The New Children's Health Plan Is Videogames?
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: This debate
You might want to look at this paper. It is pretty thorough and does look at death rates in the US compared to other countries.
http://content.healthaffairs.org/cgi/reprint/hlthaff.2010.0073v1.pdf
The concluding sentence:
"... meaningful reform may not only save money onver the long term, it may also save lives."
On the post: The New Children's Health Plan Is Videogames?
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Sleazy???
Coverage wars - Healthcare business news from Modern Healthcare: "This month, Anthem in Colorado -- without conceding its increases were unreasonable -- agreed to refund $20 million to subscribers under a settlement with the state's insurance division, which challenged the company after logging 210 complaints about increases in individual plans."
____
The bottom line is the US pays more money for health care with poorer results than other countries. We don't have the best system, based either on cost or outcome. We need something better.
On the post: RIAA, Chamber Of Commerce: Censorship Via COICA Is Okay, Because Other Countries Censor Too
It's keeping big media afloat
John Roberts' America - NYTimes.com: "Colorado is ground zero for what’s happening in John Roberts’s America, competing for the dubious distinction of being the top state in the nation for spending by shadowy outside groups telling people how to vote."
On the post: RIAA, Chamber Of Commerce: Censorship Via COICA Is Okay, Because Other Countries Censor Too
Re: Re: Re: Maybe...
A lot of people think we are on the verge of a major international overhaul. The financial meltdown has pointed up some flaws in capitalism, and the rise of China as a economic power is changing power structures. And dependence on oil has skewed political alliances.
Who would have thought a few years ago that what Detroit would become the innovative center of urban gardens? Talk about localism of food supply. It doesn't get more local than growing your own on abandoned urban lots.
On the post: Debunking The Claim That Giving Away Music 'Devalues' It
Pricing can affect perceptions
On the post: Belle & Sebastian Considers Opening Up A Taqueria
Re: Complimentary business
For celebrities, putting a name on a restaurant is a way to extend the brand. For local musicians, sometimes it's a way to create a venue to play in. Other times it's a day job where you might have some previous background or skills.
Running a restaurant is hard work. For most people there are easier ways to make money and better forms of investment. Perhaps the simplest way for a celebrity to get involved is to get a licensing royalty for use of your name but not risk your own money or worry about keeping the place running.
On the post: RIAA, Chamber Of Commerce: Censorship Via COICA Is Okay, Because Other Countries Censor Too
Keep your eye on the political money
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