[Slowhand] Bonus Tracks

[DeltaNick]

>> Here in Australia ... average price at the time was somewhere between AUS $30 - $35. After the enquiry it was found that the Australian retail CD costs were indeed far too high, the highest in the world in fact, and it was suggested the cost should be at the most $25. The music industry basically said "thanks for that but we'll keep the prices right where they are." ... Jump forward a few more years when the internet started to open up the rest of the world to us down here, and more and more people like myself said "xxxx you!!" to the local distributors and started ordering directly from CD Universe, Amazon, CD Now etc. (I have found the average cost saving including postage is between $5 and $10 per CD, usually taking 5 - 7 days and delivered to my front door) ... The way the local distributors try to discourage this is to add bonus tracks/discs to local releases. <<


Folks, let us not forget that the entertainment industry is just a half-step up from racketeering and organized crime. In fact, there's LOTS of cross-pollination. Remember the "casting couch" (many actresses do)? How many performers have been screwed by management? Read any book on how Hollywood was born, and the way it REALLY works, and you will find that those in the used car industry are saints, in comparison. And whenever you read about Hollywood, you often read about drug abuse too: they go hand-in-hand. While there are many honest, hard-working artists, performers, and employees, the essence of the entertainment industry -- and I mean those who "manage" it -- is a downright arrogant, dog-eat-dog, "screw you" mentality of pure exploitation.

Keep a few things in mind: when the recordings of Beatles music was delivered to Capitol Records, in Hollywood, California, the record company suits thought they could "improve" on the quality of the recordings. And I mean AFTER the Beatles were the biggest act in history. These idiots thought -- and still think -- the knew better. They don't care a fig for the quality of the music, merely whether it'll sell. And they're usually wrong. And who puts "copy protection" on their product? The people who lose most when they are no longer monopolies: Microsoft and the entertainment industry (they BOTH give us sub-standard products).

And let's not forget the industry WITHIN their industry that they've foisted upon us: Academy Awards and their Oscars, Grammy Awards, Emmy Awards, Golden Globes, etc. These are all symptoms of an industry whose sole goal is to perpetuate itself. There is no "art" in Grammy Awards. Instead, it's all glitz and bling. It's the same people who used the aforementioned casting couches, and screwed the artists they "represent," earning more money than the artists themselves in many cases. It's a farce of epic proportion, and some of us actually buy into it.

So, when you hear the record companies crying the blues about Napster and iTunes, just remember that they were the ones who caused this state of affairs in the first place: the sad state that the recording industry is in today. They "manufactured" music, then the Beatles came along and knocked them on their asses. Then the music industry bounced back and regained control, resulting in "Disco" music. Now we're in the early stages of the digital music format, and they scream bloody murder because it's out of THEIR control. A far as I'm concerned, they DESERVE what they get.

And yes, I think the fact that EC's record company (Warner Bros.) keeps making ridiculous "exclusive" deals with Best Buy and Target works against us all. The record companies may get some return in the short term, but in the long term, they screw themselves. They don't give a damn about the customer.

So, I applaud the Australians here on the Slowhand Digest, because their reaction to the idiots in Hollywood is their own record distribution, with Bonus Tracks that WE can't get in the US. It's a sort of, "Put that in your pipe, Hollywood, and smoke it."

It's all about selling a better mousetrap, and Hollywood hasn't figured that out yet. By screwing us, you screw yourselves. He who laughs last ...

                DeltaNick
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