MySpace to Stop Streaming

I read the following today on Digital Music News. According to this article, streaming on MySpace, not downloading of copyrighted material will be banned. I've discovered new music from profiles containing audio players with that profiler's favorite music on it. Another outlet for people to hear music will be scratched. I guess the major labels want the same royalties they get when a song is played on the radio. Newcorp who owns MySpace could work out a deal, but you would think anyway to get music out there in this ultra consolidated world, would be a plus for the labels. Ged Dougherty who is Chairman of Sony Music BMG, UK said this weekend that the CD will lose another 50% in sales in the next few years and labels need to get back to artist development. If the major labels spent less money on legal fees to fight "the cause" and put that effort into true artist development, everyone would benefit.

MySpace Begins Music Filtering Initiative
Music is an incredibly integral part of the MySpace experience, and a
high percentage of profile pages feature popular songs. Most of those tracks
are copyrighted, and streamed without permission. Tackling the thorny
issue, MySpace has now tapped audio identification experts Gracenote to filter
unauthorized content. Moving forward, MySpace will proactively identify
and block copyrighted songs, and remove the accounts of repeat violators.
"MySpace is staunchly committed to protecting artists' rights – whether
those artists are on major labels or are independent acts," said Chris
DeWolfe, CEO and co-founder of the social networking giant. "This is
another important step we're taking to ensure artists control the content they
create."
The move was probably inevitable, especially following a string of lawsuits
and tough statements from Universal Music Group. Earlier, UMG chairman
Doug Morris pointed to major copyright violations at both YouTube and
MySpace. "We believe these new businesses are copyright infringers and owe us
tens of millions of dollars," Morris said during a Merrill Lynch conference in
September. "How we deal with these companies will be revealed shortly."

Anti-Incurious

The most recent New Yorker referred to the President as incurious. It struck me that incurious is perhaps the worst adjective that can be ascribed to a person. The immediate image that comes to mind is a human sitting in front of a TV, watching a test pattern for hours. Two artists with anti-incurious careers have new albums out: Beck and Los Lobos. Beck's latest album is called The Information and it has audio and accompanying video tracks (if you buy this version). I'm not as schooled in Beck as I am in Los Lobos, having managed them for 8 years, but he seems to be reaching for new heights with each endeavor. This one seems to carry on where Guero left off. On first listen, I immediately liked the songs Elevator Music and Think I'm in Love. With titles like these: Cellphone's Dead, Strange Apparition and Nausea (Shouldn’t this song segue from Elevator Music?), it's worth checking out. Lobos Lobos' new one, The Town and the City has a more blues/soul feeling than anything they've put out in past 15 years. Two hauntingly beautiful songs are the lead off track, The Valley and If You Were Only Here Tonight. Listen for the piano on The Valley. It's subtle, but it makes the track. Eddie Gorodetsky, long time band friend and the co-executive producer and writer of Two and a Half Men, (he also has an acting credit as Bacchus in the film Maked and Anonymous), has a co-writer credit on Free Up. Don't let the much-noted comparison between Little Things and Whiter Shade of Pale fool you. This song is all about David Hidalgo's soulful vocals and the lyrics by Louie Perez.
Little Things all around me, Little things that I could never see.
Like the Heart breaking inside me, that I just threw away.
If you're looking for an in-your-face/rock it to 11 track like Mas Y Mas, Colossal Head or Viking, you won't find it on this record. Pour yourself a cocktail, sit by the fire and enjoy The Town and the City.

Ya Gotta Bereave

That’s the headline from today’s Newsday and it sums it up. The Mets (and the fans) baseball year came to an end last night. Here is my morning play list in order of emotion.

1. Auf Wiedersehen – Cheap Trick
2. Funeral For a Friend – Elton John
3. Try Not To Cry – Greg Trooper
4. Let It Go – The Domestics

Take Me Out To The Ball Game

My cousin Andrea, a lifelong Mets fan, reminded me of the lyrics to various versions of Meet the Mets. The words to the song are ingrained in my brain, but until I saw them in front of me, I never paid attention to this line: “Bring your kiddies, Bring your wife”. The song was co-written by a woman. This line infers that it’s being sung to men. Are women excluded from independently going to a game? The lyrics were updated in the mid 1980’s and I believe the version we hear today is sung by Joy Askew who sang with Joe Jackson during his “Steppin' Out” era. Knowing so many women who are passionate about baseball, it leads me to the most famous baseball song, “Take Me Out To the Ball Game”. Here is a wonderful take on the 1927 version of the song, lead vocals by Theresa James who is joined by Stuart Ziff. Ziff is a soulful songwriter and the lead guitarist for WAR. According to Wikipedia, these were the original 1908 lyrics

Katie Casey was baseball mad,
Had the fever and had it bad…

On a Saturday her young beau
Called to see if she'd like to go
To see a show
But Miss Kate said "No,
I'll tell you what you can do:" Take Me Out…

The updated 1927 lyrics
Nelly Kelly loved baseball games,
Knew the players, knew all their names.
You could see her there ev'ry day,
Shout "Hurray"
When they'd play.
Her boyfriend by the name of Joe
Said, "To Coney Isle, dear, let's go",
Then Nelly started to fret and pout,
And to him, I heard her shout: Take Me Out…

These additional lyrics are rarely heard, but the song was written about a woman who wanted nothing more that to go to a baseball game. I can relate. Game Five NLCS. Glavin gets four days rest. Let’s Go Mets.

CBGB's RIP & Rain Helps

Last night after Patti Smith's almost all cover set, CBGB's closed the doors on its Bowery location. There is talk of it being dismantled and rebuilt in Las Vegas. Weird. I was only there a handful of times, most recently about 10 years ago. I don’t have a right to lament it’s closing. I haven’t patronized the club in a decade. Ms Smith seemed to put it best when she said, "Kids, they'll find some other club. You just got a place, just some crappy place, that nobody wants, and you got one guy who believes in you, and you just do your thing. And anybody can do that, anywhere in the world, any time." Isn’t that what it’s all about, one guy/gal believing in you?
Rain postponed game 5 of the NLCS. Glavin gets an extra days rest and things are starting to look brighter for the Mets.

Mets 3- Dodgers 0, Iron Men

The Mets won, swept the Dodgers and on Wednesday they play the Cardinals at Shea. Saturday night's game will always be associated with "Iron Man". This goes to show you how advertising gets in your ears. Watching sporting events on TV (especially if it's the same network, Fox in this case) makes you imune to the visuals or the branding in the commercials as they repeat the same ads over and over. I saw one spot that takes place in an office and I think it's for Burger King, but I wouldn't bet the farm on it. A car company- see the branding was lost on me again- uses the intro to Iron Man in their spot. I think I heard it at least once an inning. Now it's been in my head for the past three days. It didn't help promote the vehicle, but it makes me want to go to iTunes and download the song. Viva La Ozzy.

Mets 2 Dodgers 0

1986 Let's go Mets Video (FULL)


The Mets are up two games to none. Here's the 1986 Video Let's Go Mets. Quality isn't great, but it's worth watching to relive the glory days of '86. Fast forward 20 years and we're back in it again. Hopefully this team will not 1. Record a song or 2. Make a video.

Mets 1 Dodgers 0

Mets up by one game. Game two tonight. Just when you think you've seen everything in baseball: Double play at the plate! Kudos to LoDuca who is also the answer to my last entry.

PLAY BALL!

PLAY BALL! Those are some of the sweetest word one can utter. The Mets, my addiction since 1969, begin the playoffs against the Dodgers today. This leads me to list songs that factor in Mets history. I doubt you will be downloading any of these into your iPod, but they did have their moment.
1. Meet the Mets. The team's theme song which is still used today. It was written in 1961 before the team played a single game by Ruth Roberts and Bill Katz. If I remember correctly, the version we hear now, which was recorded in 1984, is sung by Joy Askew who sang with Joe Jackson during his hit making days. The original version is awash in it's banjo and clarinet glory.
2. 1986 was a big year in song for the Mets starting with Get Metsmerized. Ok this is scary. A Mets rap! Maxim says that Darryl Strawberry's first wife Lisa sang background vocals. (We are going to ignore his single Chocolate Strawberry) Ponder these lyrics: I'm George Foster, I love this team/the Mets are better than the Red Machine or Lenny D. your spirit's contagious/what ya do to your body is really outrageous or my favorite rhyme When they want a batter filled with terror/they call on me, Rick Aguilera.
3. Let's Go Mets Go Not only was this a song/record, but it was a video. The scary facts according to Shelly Palmers website (he wrote and recorded the song): This was a gold record meaning 500,000 units were sold and the video went triple platinum. I confess to buying the record. There was a rumor, which my friends and I may have started, that Mookie Wilson sang lead on the song.
4. The Mets also had an album out after they won in 1969, but I think that was audio highights from the games. There seems to be a remastered CD out there with naration by Lindsey Nelson. I read somewhere that the Mets sang classics like You Gotta Have Heart on this record. This I am not aware of this and maybe it's better left unheard.
Of note: When WNEW-FM was a rock station in '86, they recorded parodies such as Lenny & the Mets using the backing track for Benny & the Jets.
Current sounds at Shea: Boggie Shoes. Who is at bat?

Labrador, Minty Fresh and Ba-ba-ba

There are three ways I find music 1. On Sirius 2. Through a friend 3. Blogs. It's a treat when the music leads you to a band/person/song you hadn't thought about in awhile. Through the 3Hive Site I was directed to Labrador, which is a pop label based in Sweden. On their roster is one of the most intriguing band names I've come across, Suburban Kids with Biblical Names. I had to listen to Rent A Wreck Link . From the first Ba-ba-ba's I had a smile on my face. This led me to the band's US label which is Minty Fresh, which was founded by Jim Powers a great music guy I had the pleasure of working with when he was at BMG. Music is the great connector.