RECORDING INDUSTRY CRACKS ON MP3 PROTECTION
  The music industry is in confusion. On the one hand their attack dog, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is escalating
their battle with the Internet (see next story), but on the other, the industry itself is wavering on DRM copy protection for MP3s.
The latest salvo comes from the massive online retailer Amazon.com
which acknowledges that users want to play their songs on any device, something DRM prevents. Amazon is opening an on-line music store and has just
said "no" to DRM, something it has the muscle to do. The industry will have to go along if it wants to use mighty Amazon as an outlet.
Meanwhile, Apple is going to offer a non-DRM option on iTunes,
but they plan to charge an extra 30 cents per song for it. It all amounts to an anti-DRM push by the online music stores, and while a two-system approach like Apple's may work in the
short term, expect the better non-DRM model to replace the weaker DRM model in due time. Apple's CEO Steve Jobs has already made news by telling all the major labels that they need to drop DRM.
Unlike the online music stores which are music distributors, EMI is one of the four giant music producers, and once the music producers start to crack, it'll be bye-bye
baby for DRM. Earlier this year, EMI announced a partnership with Biadu.com, China's largest search site and a key player in China's pirated music market. They
will drop DRM on Biadu's EMI songs in exchange for advertising. This isn't a complete cave-in because only a portion of EMI's vast catalog will available in China.
The real sign of the DRM breakdown came at
MidemNet, the big music industry pow-wow held in Cannes, France earlier this year, where major label executives hinted that DRM might be on the chopping block. Details were vague, but even a hint
from that quarter is like the Vatican wavering on priestly celibacy.
The looming retreat from DRM is still unlikely to slow the music industry's proxy attacks on the Internet through the RIAA.
RIAA BATTLES THE INTERNET
 Q: Who owns culture, the corporations or the people? A:
What a silly question.
Two of the biggest guardians of corporate control over popular culture are the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), which is best known for suing 12-year-olds
for downloading songs, and the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), which is best known for censoring; oops!, we meant "rating," motion pictures. Both have been in the news of late and here's
an update.
Peer-to-peer (P2P) networks such as Napster, Grokster, WinMx, BearShare and Kazaa are favorite targets of the RIAA which takes them to court to stop file sharing.
Never mind that there is much more to share through P2P than music. All but Lime Wire, one of the staunchest P2P holdouts, have had to bend to the RIAA's will. Lime
Wire has counter-sued, essentially charging that the RIAA's exorbitant licensing rates are a Catch-22: the RIAA doesn't want P2Ps to share music without a license that the RIAA makes unaffordable.
The RIAA doesn't like P2P in any form because P2P makes music a commodity, like wheat, rather than an item like a CD. It is estimated that on-line songs, currently
costing about $1.00, would cost about $0.15 if the free market ruled. Find more on CNET's page at http://news.com.com/2100-1025_3-6102509.html which also has links to additional stories about RIAA bullying.
It's not just P2Ps. The RIAA's newest front is against the Internet broadcasters, who
used to pay royalties of seven cents per song played and are now supposed to pay 19 cents per song retroactive to January 2006. The RIAA holds a monopoly on
licensing, and if the RIAA doesn't like something, all it has to do to drive it out of business is raise the licensing rates. There is no appeal, no negotiation and no
alternative, and Congress backs their monopoly to the hilt. The RIAA can shovel as much money as it wants into campaign coffers because they can make it back easily
with their uncontestable rate increases. Find more about the drive to save Internet radio at http://www.savenetradio.org/about/index.html.
"We need this system to get paid," is the big lie that the RIAA and like-minded
organizations, such as BMI and ASCAP, have gotten most music publishers and a minority of songwriters to buy into. First of all, just try to find a songwriter who has
ever seen a dime from this system. The closest HWS has come is to those who have received royalty checks that are worth less than the annual dues they've had
to pay to qualify for the payments. Some entitlement! Only one in 10,000 ever sees a real payday from the current royalty system. The big lie is that no other
compensation system is even conceivable. Neither is thinking outside the box, apparently.
John Perry Barrow, who wrote lyrics for the Grateful Dead, and is with the
Electronic Frontiers Foundation, said at the 2006 "Future of Music" Presentation at Stanford Law School, ''The best thing that could have happened for a song of
mine was to have a lot of illegal reproduction of it.'' His point, and one echoed by many others, is that breaking the stranglehold on music distribution, even if it involves
civil disobedience, does far more to help songwriters and publishers than the RIAA's misguided fights with the Internet. See http://www.stanford.edu/~blp/diary/entry-55.html.
MPAA CO-OPTS CULTURE AND CENSORS MOVIES
  Jack Valenti, head of the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), the organization
best known for rating the movies, passed away on April 26th. This Washington insider led the major studios' drive to dominate the movie industry and American movie
culture. The MPAA and the major studios, for example, are behind Congress' unconscionable extensions to copyright protection, currently at 70 years after the copyright holder's death. Mickey Mouse
was born in 1928. Walt Disney died in 1966 which puts Mickey in the public domain in 2036, 108 years after his creation. Seems a tad excessive,
what? Just wait until they extend it again, 'cause the Mouse will never go public as long as there are campaigns to fund.
 The case for the MPAA as a censorship board and a plague on independent film makers has been wonderfully documented in This Film Is Not Yet Rated, now available on DVD.
Maria Bello, an actress in The Cooler, wants to know why her breasts are R-rated, but her pubic hair is NC-17. Kevin Smith, who directed Clerks, can't understand why kissing is G-rated for
heteros, R-rated for girl-girl, and NC-17 for boy-boy. Matt Smith (South Park, Team America: World Police) wants to know why independent film makers get no
information about the reasons behind their ratings, but major studios get detailed MPAA reports on what to cut to escape the dreaded NC-17. Welcome to the wacky
world of MPAA ratings: the Hayes Commission of our day.
http://www.filmstew.com/showArticle.aspx?ContentID=14712
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THE NEW BAY AREA TWANG BANDS KEEP A-COMIN'
It seems like every issue of Hicks with Sticks News has more about the Great Twang Band Explosion of '06-'07 and here are seven more new, recovering and recently
twang-infected bands.
First up are the Sure-Fires. This band, which played it's debut show at the Knockout on May 13th, is so new it doesn't even have a site or MySpace page, but HWS will do it's
best to let you know where they'll be via our Calendar page. The line-up is Mitch Polzak (Royal Deuces, Cotton Pickers, Fireball Mailmen) on guitar, Jay Laude (Stillmen) on drums,
Mike Walz (Stillmen) on standup bass, and newcomer Christina Ortega on lead vocals. This is going to be one honky-tonking, rockabillying band so keep your eye out for 'em.
The Sweet n' Lo's are fronted by the ukulele duo of Loraine Belmonte and Anne Arnhym with
lead guitarist Pierre Laik (Top Hands, Hotsy Totsy Hillbilly Jazzbos) rounding out the trio. Hear their country sweetheart favorites at www.MySpace.com/thesweetnlos.
Jeanie and Chuck's Country Roundup has been around for awhile. They were offering up a mixed acoustic
country-bluegrass style about five years ago, then went heavily bluegrass three years ago, and are now leaning harder toward country. Chuck's
mandolin is losing ground to his telecaster and they regularly play with steel guitar in the band. Can a drum kit and individual vocal microphones be far behind? http://CountryRoundupSF.com
Eric Embry's banjo and Tennessee vocals were a big part of Jeanie and Chuck's bluegrass period, and the same was true for the
Burning Embers when he started that group. But Eric always told Hicks with Sticks that the Embers would go country. He started by adding Les James (Red Meat, Plain High Drifters)
on drums, and then the band rehearsed more country songs. The addition of a telecaster and arrangements with less banjo and more rhythm guitar mean this band has arrived at twang central station. Catch
them at their monthly Riptide shows and at www.MySpace.com/theburningembers .
Chrome Johnson
might be back in business after a two-year break. One never knows with this secretive band which has no web presence and never posted their shows even when they had a site. HWS found them scheduled into
19 Broadway in Fairfax on May 26th, and learned they have indeed replaced guitarist Josh Schneck who had left the band to pursue his degree.
But is this a rebirth or a one-off? Time will tell because only the big johnson, Danny Uzilevsky, knows for sure.
The Hotsy Totsy Hillbilly Jazzbos, whose moniker reminds us once again
never to name your band while holding a bong, are also back in action. They too are semi-secretive about their plans, but find head Jazzbo Rick Quisol at www.myspace.com/rickquisol
and ask him, as some already have.
The Billy Boys are new on the HWS radar though they've apparently been around since 2004. All four of them are named "Billy" Something-or-other, but
until we get to know them better, we can just call 'em all "Billy Ramone." Find them at http://thebillyboys.com and their music at http://cdbaby.com/cd/billyboys2.
GIT YER TWANG HANDLE HERE
Never rounded up the cows, driven an 18-wheeler, busted a bronco, or spent time (or worked) at Gilded Lil's House of Delight? Well, not to worry urban buckaroos. Thanks to an inspiration sent by
Eric "Louis, Louis" Predoehl, a.k.a., Toothless Livered Parker, you can up your twang credibility by picking a new name from the following lists. Cheating is not only allowed, it's encouraged.
First Initial
A=Armadillo; B=Bubba/Babydoll; C=Calamity/Chicken; D=Dusty; E=Toothless;
F=Fightin'; G=Griftin'; H=Hognose/Horseface; I=Iron; J=Jail(bird/bait); K=Kid; L=Little/Big; M=Mule(face); N=Nasty; O=Outlaw/Outhouse; P=Poorboy/Purdyface; Q=Bald/Hairy; R=Reckless; S=Slim/Fat; T=Texas;
U=Ugly/Charmin'; V=Varmint/Vixen; W=Weasel; X=Boss; Y=Yellow; Z=Steel
Middle Initial
A=Ass(ed); B=Balls/Boobs; C=Cracker; D=Dog; E=Eyes; F=Face; G=Guts;
H=Head; I=Indian/Squaw; J=Jimmy/Jane; K=Boy/Gal; L=Liver(ed); M=Mouth; N=Nose(d); O=Bob/Mae; P=Pecker/Muff; Q=Daddy/Momma; R=Rascal; S=Skunk; T=Thighs; U=Mug; V=Vamp/Bull; W=Wheel(s); X=Butt; Y=Tooth(ed); Z=Neck(ed)
Last Initial
A=Allison; B=Brown; C=Culpepper; D=Dupree; E=Ellis; F=Fletcher; G=Granger; H=Hopkins; I=Malone; J=Jones; K=Kenton; L=Lee; M=McGee; N=Nathan;
O=O'Brien; P=Parker; Q=King; R=Reilly; S=Smith; T=Thompson; U=Black; V=Johnson; W=Watkins; X="X"; Y=Stevens; Z=Bullworth
NEW LORETTA LYNCH CD
 Loretta Lynch
has generally straddled the line between the better aspects of twang and pop, but their second CD, Concrete & Ether, is clearly on the twang side of the fence. The CD's strengths are its
harmonies, songwriting and an undercurrent of humor that adds up to a balance of variety, cohesion, and sustained listenings through repeated plays.
The band gets right to it on the opening track with a sweet, cheeky number about needing a good-for-nothin', low-down man to fill "Your Old Shoes."
Track two is a lively addition to honky-tonk's storied "Drinkin' for Two" category. There's also something to be said for judging a CD by its covers
which are very different here and equally interesting. One is an a capella take on the traditional gospel number, "Wayfaring Stranger." The other is an
accordion-lead version of "New World" which, in its original, was a Reagan-era political anthem from the punk band X. Melanie DiGiovanni from Yard Sale,
a kindred band to Loretta Lynch, renders what was once John Doe's raucous guitar lead on her squeezebox, while three-part harmonies from the Lynch ladies lower the song's anthemic quality without lowering its
bite.
This band might have had a good reason to fold instead of grow. A new baby came along and practice and performance time were naturally limited. It's a
treat that they could get a CD out at all, let alone such a good one.
ALL THE NEWS THAT PRINTS IN FITS
Twanger-songwriter A.J. Roach has released his third CD,
Revelation, but it's only available in Europe where it hit #1 on the Euro-Americana chart. Find downloadable MP3s at http://www.roachmusic.com/music.php
. The page also has all four songs from his EP side-project, The Poplar Tree, which he describes as, "
a lo-fi concept album that chronicles love, lust, murder and revenge in a small town"...  In the last issue, HWS announced DJs Rockin'
Raul and Tanoa "78rpm" "Boppin' & Rockin'" party every Monday at Easy Lounge in Oakland, but that ended after only a few weeks. Mondays are tough... Fridays aren't
though and you can find DJs Dr. Scott and Oran at Club DeLuxe on Haight on the last Friday of every month where they're spinning R&B and bop on
ancient vinyl. The event is called Shuckin' & Jivin' and it's free too! |
