Signs Of A Struggle?

Back in 2005 Mattafix, the alternative hip-hop group from London, released their 'Signs Of A Struggle' album to critical acclaim, with the first single from the album 'Big City Life' rocketing up the charts across the globe.

The first single was so promising, and coupled with a performance at Parklife in 2006, I decided about a year ago, to go and buy the album.

I found it in HMV for the bargain price of $17.99, and didn't hesitate to take it to the counter for purchase.

Except on the way to counter I read the back of the album - and found the heavy-handed DRM warning and protection taking up half the space on the reverse CD sleeve. From a band who warned us 'don't let the system get you down', seem to have subscribed to that exact system in order to protect their music.


Mattafix: Not Iron Maiden

I don't have any problem with people protecting their music, but as Apple have finally come to realise with their DRM-free downloads, it is almost impossible to stop people copying and sharing tracks.

When I was making my own mix tapes, I had no comprehension that what I was doing was wrong, and if anyone else had pointed it out to me, I doubt I would have cared one way or another. Frankly if I want to listen to Iron Maiden, Whitesnake and Guns n'Roses tracks all alongside each other, then I've bought the music and I'll do what I want with it. (They were all available on 'Mixtape: Metal #4' - available from all good bootleggers)


Mix Tapes: Jail Time

Anyway, the point of this is that after seeing Mattafix with a new single out, I finally decided to buy Mattafix's old album some two years late via iTunes for $17.99. And of course, because it's $17.99 instead of $16.99, that means one thing - it's released DRM rights-free. I can download and copy it a hundred times to my heart's content.

Perhaps Mattafix had original had the decision made for them by 'the system'? Maybe they realised the irony that whilst they may have been perceived to be protecting their music by one section of the music society, many others thought that with their first commercial release, they had succumbed to commercial greed? Maybe they haven't even given it much thought at all?

Still, I'm $17.99 shorter, half-way through the album and trying to decide if it was money well spent...

Extract from Columbia Records Survey

Kids from Unis in America were all interviewed about music and here are some of the results....

“The kids all said that a) no one listens to the radio anymore, b) they mostly steal music, but they don’t consider it stealing, and c) they get most of their music from iTunes on their iPod. They told us that MySpace is over, it’s just not cool anymore; Facebook is still cool, but that might not last much longer; and the biggest thing in their life is word of mouth. That’s how they hear about music, bands, everything.”

Radio, it would appear, is dead. Video finally got it.

iTunes loophole: Straight Edge Article Six

So the story goes something like this...

I downloaded a track from iTunes the other week. I think it was the Axwell track I mentioned earlier in another blog. There is no mention on the album that it is a mix album, although if you have half a brain, you'd realise it was. But I don't half a brain, so I downloaded it and of course, at the end of the track, it's still at full volume when the track cuts out. Sounds ridiculous.

So I told iTunes this, and to their credit, they gave me the $1.69 back without any argument and apologised about the 'poor quality of the track'.



iTunes: not iDiots

I replied saying 'it wasn't the quality, it was the fact that you've sold me an incomplete song and that your website is full of mis-information when mix CDs clearly aren't labelled as such.'

They thanked me and off we all went.

It reminded me of a time when I nearly threw my toys out the pram at HMV. I bought a CD in the bargain basement bin - not even I will reveal who the CD was by - and when I got home, I peeled the stickers off the front of the CD to find the words 'all or some of the tracks may have been re-recorded by one or more of the original artists.'

Yep. A bad karaoke CD. It was horrible and I was livid at HMV. 'Top dog for music' seemed like a bit of a joke. I almost went back and complained; I even thought about writing a letter - then I realised that would mean that more people, other than the cashier and myself, would know what I bought. It wasn't worth the chance that people I knew could find out.

So anyway this brings me in a roundabout way, to my point:

Straight Edge Article Six of The Theory Of Revolution: Be Honest


Bill Gates once said that your 'unhappiest customers are your greatest source of learning.' More and more of my purchases have moved from HMV to other retailers and online - a similar pattern to most of the general public - but I used to LOVE going to HMV and wandering around for hours. But once you've been cheated on a dodgy copy of Bucks Fizz's greatest hits (DAMN, SHIT, I didn't mean to say that...F**K I wish I could take that back), you feel totally betrayed.

Maybe I'm over-exaggeratting, but the Article should never be questioned. Be honest, and your customers and consumers will be honest with you.

The 13th Post: Welcome Mr. Billy Ocean

Better get this one out of the way as quickly as possible.

Been downloading music off iTunes today - rumours are iTunes is going to go wireless soon, which will mean you'll be able to download music anywhere there is a wireless network - and that iPods will be set-up to download the music themselves. Exciting stuff. Anyone hoping to catch-up and compete with Apple in this department has a LONG way to go...

I spent the morning downloading random tunes that I haven't heard for ages, or things that are sitting in the UK and US charts that Australia hasn't seen yet. I got the following:

'The Longest Time' - Billy Joel
'Tell Her About It' - Billy Joel
'When The GoinG Gets Tough' - Billy Ocean
'Get Out Of My Dreams' - Billy Ocean
'Carribean Queen' - Bill Ocean

And then one a more modern and less tragic note:

'With Every HEartbeat' - Robyn feat. Kleerup
'I Found You' - Axwell


Axwell: Not a twat

I made the mistake of buying the last one off a 'mix' CD on iTunes, which I should have realised means the song stops half-way through as it's mixed into the next song, which makes it sound ridiculous. I'm going to complain to iTunes and see if I can get a credit for it. Should be interesting to see what they say...


Ocean: Salty & Very Deep

And what is it with Billy Ocean? I realised after downloading them that all three songs I bought have sub-titles next to the main title of the song:

When The Going Gets Tough (The Tough Get Going)
Get Out Of My Dreams (Get Into My Car)
Carribean Queen (No More Love On The Run)

Maybe Mr. OCean was in two minds when he was thinking about a title for these songs? Maybe he was writing them with someone else, and they were arguing so much that this was the compromise? Maybe he suffered from an accute case of duel personality and each of the people in his head kept re-writing the titles?

He actually had an accute habit of it. Other songs included 'I Sleep So Much Better (In Someone Else's Bed)' and 'On The Run (Hold On Brother)' and 'Stop Me (If You've Heard It All Before)'.

The man was obsessed. Maybe his name wasn't Billy Ocean, but actually Billy (Ocean). Or maybe it was Billy Ocean (From Fyzabad In Trinidad)? Actually his real name was Leslie, so maybe some extreme 'your first name makes you sound like a GIRL' name-calling at school had left him with severe pyschological damage, causing him to name everything he created with specific and descriptive titles to avoid ANY confusion?

Still, I'm sure he was a nice man. According to Wikipedia he is now a teacher. I bet the students all write 'Leslie' in big letters on the blackboard before he comes in to class.