Music+6



= = =Felina Tambakos=



[|Ad Age; Bloated Ticket Prices] [|Management Secrets of the Grateful Dead]

Maybe it's because I'm the product of a Dead-head household, but there is a definitive generational gap when it comes to concert attendance. You can blame it on ticket prices; you can blame it on the down-fall of music; you can blame it on the a-a-a-alcohol. My generation doesn't care to see their favorite artists live as much as our parents did. In the Ad Age article, there is a really interesting quote from the editor in chief of a major concert industry trade magazine "Pollstar": "In today's world, most people only go to one or two shows," Mr. Bongiovanni said. "It's easy to be a fan of somebody and still elect to not buy tickets this year." Every adult I've ever encountered that is of my parents' age, or even near it, has seen the Dead even if they didn't LOVE them. So why are fans not lining up to get a good spot for the artists of today? It might have to do with the ability to listen to music whenever/wherever you want. In the days of Jerry Garcia, there were no mp3 players and you certainly couldn't pick and choose a song to hear with you at the gym. The Grateful Dead still sell copies of their live shows. They also still sell tickets for minor venues with the remaining members of the band. I would know this because my Dad is a consumer of both the live albums and the New Years Eve shows at the Fillmore in San Francisco. I think it would be an interesting study to see why concerts were so necessary and important in the days of Woodstock, when most people my age could care less who's coming to town, let alone traveling to see them over 100 times. I don't personally believe that ticket prices are completely to blame.

Update on November 15, 2010
 * Allison Trygar **



[|Mixed Thoughts on Michael Jackson's posthumous album "Michael"]

Since the death of Michael Jackson in June of 2009, some of Jackson's unfinished songs have been leaked to the internet beginning the month following his death. For some, the release of these songs have been viewed as inappropriate and taking advantage of the death of Jackson. Those close to Jackson believe that he would not want the songs released since they have not been given the final stamp of approval by Jackson. Some believe that those benefiting from the estate of Jackson are looking for another way to make money off the artist. For some fans, they are skeptical of the authenticity of the songs and whether or not the songs were actually produced by Jackson, or whether they were computer generated.This past weekend, an official cut of the song "Hold My Hand" ,a duet with Akon, was released. A note was left behind by Jackson in his home stating that he wanted this song to be the first track released on his next album, hopefully he would be satisfied with the released product. It is unfortunate the circumstances of Jackson's death, but for some his death is a way to embrace the legacy of his career and new generations will be able to enjoy his greatest hits and the last songs created by him before his death.

=CAMERON NASH= November 16, 2010



[|The Beatles come to iTunes] [|The Beatles on iTunes at last?] [|Apple says iTunes will sell music from Beatles]

iTunes has become the staple of the music industry. Consumers can go to the iTunes store on their computers and albums will be downloaded either in its full context, or in individual song format. Nearly every major artist in the world has music, and videos, available through this popular application, but finally as of today, Tuesday, November 16, 2010 arguably the biggest names in music ever have finally come to iTunes. The Beatles, and their enormous catalog of records that includes all 13 of their studio albums, the double "Past Masters" collection of non-album tracks, two hits compilations, and a box set including everything except the hits collections were made available to consumers for legal downloading for the first time. Personally, I did not realize that the Beatles music was not available, but I can be rest assured that there were millions of fans who were anxiously awaiting the day. Although, some may disagree. In the article, it discusses the long wait and drawn out process on why the Beatles music is just now becoming available. One Beatles fan even goes on to say " Almost anyone who wanted to download Beatles songs has already done it via P2P torrents, and they can get them for free. iTunes and Apple Corps missed the revenue stream a long time ago. The songs have been available on numerous torrent sites for years." I guess we will see how this story unfolds even though I am sure the Beatles will continue to sell a substantial amount of material via iTunes, even though fans might have already illegally downloaded their music.

=David Chmura= **Islamic Women in Music**

November 17, 2010
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For the last post I wanted to explore something very different and controversial and I came across this video on YouTube that shows Muslim women who have found their place, expressing themselves through music. The short clip shows how some Muslim women wish to break the stereotype that they must be silent and suppressed. Their music is partly what defines them. Women too have gifts that they should be allowed to express. This short clip shows how women from various western countries have taken a stand to express their talents to the public and are proud of what they do. I would imagine that especially in the western world, the music industry would encourage women who aspire to use their musical talents.

As I watched the clip and did a little research, I wondered how Islamic fundamentalists in the East perceive these women. Obviously, these women enjoy a bit more freedom than other Muslim women in more fundamental regions. From an Islamic course I took over this past summer, one perspective from the fundamentalist side was that women such as these who are more-so "public" figures are not really Muslim women.

[|This link] gives a very interesting perspective on what thoughts a Muslim woman has about secular music opposed to religious music. The thoughts she expresses give an interesting insight into perspectives/concepts that I hadn't really thought about.


 * Cheyne Prock **

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For the last update I wanted to keep it simple and go over video recording and the ability to put it on the internet for everyone to see. This innovation has made it possible for people to share their music and get famous like Justin Bieber. Some people learn how to "Dougie",some people learn how to play instruments and some even learn how to roll blunts.Tupac Shakur is a very influential man and some people even hang on his every word or action. Here is an example of using a video recorder and having the ability to put it on the internet for people to learn. In this case,Tupac is showing people how to roll a blunt and says no to drugs. These innovations can be used as learning tools as shown here.