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News Archive -- 2006 EMI Chases Sony's "Screw the Artist" Crown Jan. 6, 2006 -- Get caught cheating a bank and you have to pay it all back, but skim millions from Paul McCartney's royalties and you only have to give him a fraction of what you tried to make off with. No one does anything about it and it continues. Sony can't find the Bay City Rollers' original contract, so they just can't figure out how much to give any of them. They've got about $80 million in a special account and if archaeologists recover the original document before all of the members die, well, they'll think about handing some of it out. Industry Analysts and the Obvious Child Jan 24, 2006 -- We've come to the time of the year when those brilliant highly-paid industry analysts will step forward to tell you what happened last year and what the trends of the future are. Be most critical of the anonymous analysts, like the ones Reuters' Adam Pasick found for a story on EMI's new-found praise for digital Weird Scenes in the Data Mine Feb. 15, 2006 -- Somewhere out there someone has filed an antitrust suit against Apple because, get this, he bought some songs from the iTunes Music Store, which "forced" him to buy an iPod. This will first require him to prove that Apple has a monopoly on the market for digital music. If this guy wins, I'm going to buy a set of guitar strings and bitch because I was forced to buy a new Les Paul to put them on. Then it's on to the auto parts store for wiper blades that fit a Lambourghini. RIAA Backs Up the Bus April 18, 2006 -- The RIAA finally decided to release its "statistics" for 2005 and accompanying disinformation leaflet. If I get some time, there are a few interesting things I noticed, especially compared to Nielsen's figures, which were released about 5 minutes after the retail year ended. Recording Artists Ask For DRM June 4, 2006 -- I should have saved yesterday's headline for today -- Taking Stupid to the Limit. The whole story is over at DMusic, consisting of a press release from various music-related groups saying that they now insist on DRM. Otherwise the end of the world shall surely come to pass, for the sky is falling and a piece will certainly hit me in the head. Music Industry at Public's Mercy June 9, 2006 -- Having spun this issue in every other possible direction, the music industry's vortex of death has suddenly tossed them into the land of Irony, where they find themselves at the opposite end of their own argument. This should not be a revelation, unless you actually work IN the industry, where it is still in the form of a vague realization slowly creeping into their consciousness. RIAA's Grand Delusion June 14, 2006 -- Mitch Bainwol thinks the RIAA has "contained" the problem of unauthorized file sharing. Quoted in yesterday's USA Today, he says, "The problem has not been eliminated. But we believe digital downloads have emerged into a growing, thriving business, and file-trading is flat." Musical Independence Worth The Effort July 5, 2006 -- I was reading the comments at a Hilary Rosen blog post and was mildly amused by a commenter desperately trying to prove that every musician needs a record label in order to be a success. The amusement is because I have seen this same argument, over and over, at any commentable site that broaches the subject of why you may and may not need a record label. Reconsidering Attitudes July 12, 2006 -- An Alert Reader has pointed out to me that I may have been unfair in my assessment of karaoke. Guild Monkey Throws Poop at EFF August 2, 2006 -- Just so that we can be certain that every branch of the music industry has its head inserted fully up its anal orifice, Rick Carnes, the president of the Songwriters Guild, has stepped forward to offer his wisdom on the current state of affairs. Guitar Tab Sites Shut Down August 14, 2006 -- Greed must do funny things to your head. It certainly screws with your logic, as music publishers are trying to prove this week by having sites with guitar tabs shut down.