The Future of Music

From time to time, I blog about music, primarily that of the indie variety. Currently, the music industry has gone through some significant shifts of which I have an opinion.

This guy got me to thinking about how music is and will be distributed. Bands like Radiohead and Nine Inch Nails have bypassed record labels and traditional distribution outlets by making their latest releases available online for little or no money. Of course, other musicians such as Prince have done this before, but none as current or recognizable as Radiohead have taken on the industry in such a way. It's akin to the Beatles handing out copies of Abbey Road at Piccadilly.

The free music doesn't stop there. Bands are utilizing tools on the internet to get their music to the masses by giving it away. A site like Daytrotter might make exclusive recordings available or Brooklyn Vegan provides MP3 samples of nearly every band it covers. Some bands simply give the music away in the form of free CDs in order to drum up some buzz for their tours where they make their real income.

Of course, the music industry might as well give it away as they continue to lose money. In fact, some have looked at giving it away in various ways to excite consumers enough to buy the records. What they used to call "getting a single played on the radio" is now just flat out giving it away. Will the 99 cent single go the way of the CD? Wait and see.

For me, it doesn't matter whether they give the music away or not. Most of it is crap. And that which is not crap has been done before. Whatever is left is what I buy and am happy to do so.

What has filled this void in music left by all that inferior product put out by an out-of-touch music industry? Indie rock. Band after band have made a living since the mid-nineties (in Sonic Youth's case, longer) by simply recording better music and hitting the road. They may not be selling millions of records, but they are not suffering from the same affliction as the majors have. Never before have independent labels and bands have been so successful. It gives me hope.

What isn't filled with a lot of hope is the state of music journalism, especially in indie circles. As people turn to Pitchfork or Brooklyn Vegan, they turn away from such indie publishing stalwarts like No Depression or Punk Planet. Does it mean that music magazines are dead? No. Does it mean that mediocre rock journalism leads to your magazine folding. No...look at Rolling Stone. What it does mean is that magazines are behind the times. They are not able to keep up with the next "it" band or latest genres. Online magazines and blogs are just better equipped to provide that up-to-the-second information indie fans crave. (As for RS readers...I can't explain it.)

Magazines are even turning to the blogosphere for their tips and news. Take the latest Spin. For the first time in the magazine's history, they featured a band on their cover (Vampire Weekend) that had yet to release its first album. All this was based on the buzz the band had created among the blogging elite. First Tapes 'n Tapes, then Vampire Weekend, now there's Black Kids. (Actually, there's probably someone else, but you get the point.)

The accessibility to new technologies has meant greater access to new music and at faster speeds. For a music junkie like myself, it's meant a nonstop flow of fresh tunes. For the majority, though, it has meant an over saturation of mediocre noise. This will most likely continue until record labels realize that, in the end, good music is actually profitable. And they better keep it coming, because we're reading and listening faster than ever.  The magazines aren't keeping up.  Will the record industry?

It's the Economy, Stupid!

Are we in a recession or aren't we? The way I understand it, we won't know until we have six months of economic distress. So, who really knows whether it's a recession or not. The point is that people are not doing well financially

The "president", Congress, and even the current crop of presidential candidates all have their ideas of how to get us out of this recession. They all have ideas for stimulus packages. Somehow, they all believe that throwing money at the problem in the form of sizable tax rebates and major cuts in interest rates will cause people to spend

Despite a limited knowledge of economics and an inability to balance my own checkbook, I have some practical and long-lasting ways we can turn our economy around.
1. Raise the minimum wage to a living wage. There are so many people in this country working for the minimum wage which hasn't significantly grown in years. What's more, if the minimum rises, so do the rest of our salaries. CEO pay has gone up astronomically over the last decade, but that only puts the money in a few hands. Why not spread the wealth? A hike in the minimum wage would mean more spending at all economic levels.

2. Provide universal healthcare/socialized medicine. Imagine the savings if our government put everyone (or almost everyone) on one healthcare plan. Sure, taxes for small businesses would go up, but that cost would be less than it is to provide health coverage for employees. Besides, it would keep the uninsured from running up huge bills at emergency rooms.

3. Quit sucking the poor dry! We are inundated with rent-to-own stores, paycheck advance shops, student loan scams and many other industries dedicated to sucking every last penny from the poor and working poor. I suggest that we either eliminate these services or subsidize their efforts. There are countries in Europe where people who need things like next month's rent or a couch can get the necessary funds from government. Furthermore, how profitable can it be to rip off people with no money. Eventually, they run out of the cheddar.

4. Go after corporations for the taxes they owe. We can raise the funds for some of these long-term economic fixes if the government doesn't allow corporations to slip through loopholes on their way to setting up shop in some Caribbean island that doesn't tax them. Additionally, end corporate welfare. This area of welfare has been way more detrimental to our federal resources than social welfare programs.

5. Bring back the Work Projects Administration. This was the program that created jobs by building roads, bridges, and other public projects. Besides fixing our existing structures, the new WPA could start to lay tracks for new public transportation options in response to ever-growing gas prices. Imagine if you could actually ride a train to work instead pumping your tank with $3 of Texas gold. The WPA could also continue the trend of cities building biking and walking trails which would also help with the fuel crisis.

Like I've said before, I have no real economic training, but I think these ideas would work. Someone with way more training in economics might think I'm crazy, but how crazy was it to think just a few years ago that we might have a woman or a black man as president? What I do know is that whatever we've been trying so far is not working. If it was working, there wouldn't be so many people living below the poverty line in what is supposed to be the world's richest country. And besides, I have yet to hear an answer that is neither beneficial to those who already have so much nor a long-term solution to our economic woes. When you've got something better, let me know.
1.

Coffee and Dreams for the District

The "District", the partially nameless moniker arbitrarily given to COMO's downtown area, is constantly witnessing changes in storefronts and eateries - for better and worse. It often occurs to me that this part of COMO is both the reason this place is livable and the source of much of my misery. This contradictory feeling is mainly due the potential of the downtown that never feels fulfilled.

I know that it's already been reviewed by "real" journalists, but I have to express my pleasure in discovering the District's newest coffee shop, Kaldi's. From what I've heard, Kaldi's is based out of St. Louis and actually supplies much of the coffee for some Columbia coffee joints. So, it's not completely new to Misery, but it is a welcome new member of the District.

Kaldi's took over the nice corner space on 9th and Cherry, once occupied by one of those crappy noodle chains. I have to say that the space is way more appropriate for a coffee shop than it was for soup and noodles. The interior is sleek, trademarked with Kaldi's logo, and provides a variety of seating.

The coffee has been fine. Actually, I've liked most of the coffee in COMO. None of it is spectacular, but it's all well-roasted and brewed. The latte' at Kaldi's is a little heavy on the milkiness and light on the coffee taste. The coffee doesn't stick out which is fine - it's neither spectacular nor bitter.

What I like is that Kaldi's provides another coffee space that isn't hippie-dippy (Lakota), hipster-Christian (Artisan), or loaded with local yokels (Coffee Zone). It's an alternative that diversifies the coffee scene in downtown COMO without being Starbuck's.

The menu is varied and interesting, similar to Artisan. R and I enjoyed our savory crepes (salmon in one, turkey sausage and bacon in the other). The crepes were interesting, but a little on the Misery-bland side.

Over breakfast, we got to talking about the changes that are happening in the district.

First of all, there is an actual tapas restaurant. We're not talking about a place that serves Horsd'œuvres on little plates. No. We're talking about real Spanish-influenced tapas. Throw in some Rioja and I might forget I'm in Misery.

Secondly, there is word that Cucina Sorella and/or Trattoria Strada Nova will be returning upon the arrival of its founder. This would be a welcome return of one of COMO's best breakfast spots. Without Cucina, the quality of breakfast in this town dropped dramatically.

Third, it appears that the Ragtag/Uprise move to Hitt Street is making serious progress. I, for one, will be eager to attend films at the Ragtag knowing that there will be two to choose from. Rumor has it that one theater will have seats similar to the thrift store throw-aways like the current location and the other will have more traditional theater seating. Whichever is fine with me. I'm just exited to have choices of indie films in this town.

As far as the dreams I have for the District, I wish some stores would fill the empty space. I'd even be fine with some chain stores like Urban Outfitters or Banana Republic. These kinds of stores would be better than no stores and might bring additional traffic downtown to help support the existing businesses. Also, the rumor of Trader Joe's coming to COMO has to come to fruition. A downtown location would be ideal and this town could easily support the discount natural/organic/international food store.

Then, there are the businesses in COMO that should be downtown and not in a strip mall. JinaYoo's Asian Bistro has been the happiest addition to COMO's dismal dining scene in the last three years and should be downtown. Speaking of great Asian food, why hasn't Osaka made the move to the District? Besides the sheer entertainment of the hibachi, their sushi is far superior to Sake, downtown's current sushi joint.

These improvements and the return of hotels to downtown might even be enough to give the District a real name. (The Doc[umentary] District? The Mizzou District? The District of Columbia?) The hotels could be a big piece. There is talk of the Tiger returning to its golden era as a grand hotel. Then there's the project by the university to create a downtown hotel that can host conferences. (However, can this really happen when the university is in such dire economic straights?) Hotels would provide the District with the population and life it needs to be a viable downtown.

I'm coming to terms with the possibility that I may be here for quite awhile, so I want the place to improve as much as possible. A lot of that improvement can happen downtown to make this an exciting place to live. It could give me a reason to forget that we're two-hours from any major city with real restaurants and entertainment.

In the meantime, I'll attend the Modest Mouse show on Thursday (after a burger at Booche's), catch a flick at the Ragtag, and stay at home Saturday to watch The Game (OSU/Michigan-for all of you who aren't familiar with college football). That should do for now.

4 Sale

I have two, count 'em, two Arcade Fire tickets for September 28 in KC. Any takers? (Not to worry, I still have mine.) Email or leave a comment if you're interested.