all things considered, it’s a natural progression that’s heading towards singularity: you can’t stop technology from making all ripping off of records the easiest of activities that way you can’t stop suits from earning 98% from a record’s sale. rollingstone reported 5 years ago that all things paid, including the hookers and jack daniels and cocaine, each CD should only cost 2% from the price to keep the band happy and give them earnings to afford yet more pussy and booze and substances. but the usual record shop price adds the 98% for the bloated salaries of the executives who has nothing whatsoever to do with the creative process.
so.
the piracy and the ripping off and the giving away of all records for free – NIN, radiohead, smashing pumpkins, etc, except metallica with capitalist ulrich at the helm with the anthem *buy ‘em all* or *for whom the cash register rings* – it rings for thee!
torrents and all other file sharing methods, including legit, pay-per-download vendors like iTunes and its followers killed the virgins of this world but lo and behold, there is the promise of resurrection.
vinyl.
taking prominent space in stores and advertisements, slowly bringing coolness back to the record stores. and i think they’ve got the right approach too – just put out the damn thing with very minimal message, none of that *better sounding* or *collector’s item* bullshit in exclamation points and starbursts. somebody thought very hard on this. try ripping a fucking vinyl on your mac. see?
yesterday i saw a metalhead shelling out 75 dollars on a death magnetic vinyl, something that costs 12 dollars on a CD and free on torrents. but this one willingly gave all his month’s beer money for something bulky and fragile and analog.
fuckitty fuck me, the suits are winning again.
and of course i know that vinyl sounds better too.
***
and just like that, december is in the chair.
my mind is abuzz with all the things that should be done before leaving (shutting down cable and internet, notifying the post office, etc) and as soon as we land (doctors, dentists, optometrists, etc).
meanwhile, two false starts on a story that coital interrupted the novel and this one just won’t give it a rest, robbing me of sleep for a week now.
time to bake. there is beer at the end of the oven.
