Ding, dong,
the witch is dead

by JOHNSON CUMMINS

Over the past two weeks in this column, I’ve looked at how the record industry slump has been somewhat self-imposed, but now let’s look at the positive effects file-swapping has given us—other than the obvious financial benefits. Before we all start kissing babies and patting ourselves on the back, there remains a downside to the download, so here comes the rub. Local mom-and-pop retailers like Sonik, Sound Central and l’Oblique now have to rely solely on a loyal clientele for survival, or face the grim truth that laid low le Pick Up, Subalterne and others. Likewise, many small indie labels have had to call it a day after their distributors went tits up as a result of—you guessed it—those mom-and-pop stores closing up (the list is sadly too long to mention here).

Here are the facts—ready? Compressed MP3 files sound like ass, and technology has moved at a snail’s pace in the sonic department over the past five years. Sadly, a lot of people raised in the lap of Limewire and others have been conditioned to think that’s the way music is supposed to sound. If you really like the band, do both them and yourself a favour and buy the record at your local rekkid shop. As for the bands that are like, meh—rip it.

That said, file-swapping has taken over from the mixtape generation and has actually encouraged more people to go see more live bands than ever before, creating line-ups at the merch tables for CDs and vinyl (and t-shirts, of course), creating more promoters to fill the demand of more touring bands, hence inspiring young musicians and also essentially separating the wheat from the chaff. Dig it, it’s called evolution, people, and it’s happening now! It’s no wonder that the increase in downloadable music, illegal or otherwise, is directly proportionate to the explosion of live bands littering the highways and the packed houses that greet them. Ever wondered why people that complain the most about illegal downloads (ie. Lars Ulrich) always suck live? ‘Nuff said.

Herein lies the secret, folks—rock ’n’ roll and many other styles of music have always been, and will always be, about the sweat and blood of a live experience, and if your band is truly kick-ass, people are going to register that fact right away, without the smoke and mirrors of mega-marketing and angular haircuts.

Support your local record store, because they need your help more than ever, and don’t be shy to ask them to recommend some stuff you may have not heard before. Go see live bands and buy their records at the merch table, because this money will go right into a gas tank and will probably be the most money most bands will ever see from record sales. As major labels continue to conglomerate in desperation, it seems like it’s only a matter of months before they’re finally out of their (and our) misery. Once the monster has been brought to its knees, I invite you all to gather ’round the major-label headstone and piss on the grave. I’ll be there with my limited edition Envy gatefold vinyl pressing in one hand, and my dick in the other, and then we’ll really kick out some jams.

Home taping is not killing music… money is. Jonathan.cummins@gmail.com