Lft to Rt: James Patrick with DIY Host Nick Bjelopetrovich. Photo By Josh Williams.

JP is a 15 year music business veteran that, simply put, loves sound. He spent his first ten years in the industry creating sound for the sake of sound. The joy this brought him, almost without exception, took precedence over the generally accepted American journey: the pursuit of money.

Over time, Buddhist thought has become an important influence to both JP’s artistic and personal philosophies; according to Buddhist thought (paraphrase) there is nothing permanent or fixed in our existence, and the only way to realize joy is to live for the journey. JP lives by the mantra “Be true to yourself, and do what you love. And if somebody tells you that you’re a failure because you’re not rich, they’re full of ####. It’s about being happy.” Well said.

“I left college to be a DJ and I was doing that for a few years and finding some great success, and then…” his excesses came back to bite him. By the age of 21, JP had partied himself into a heroin addiction that for the next three years dragged him through an immense amount of suffering.

JP is no stranger to a path gone awry; he’s lived it. But he gives his early choices, and the suffering he endured because of them, a great deal of credit for teaching him some valuable lessons; even so, he doesn’t recommend dropping out of college to learn these lessons the way he did.

It could be argued that music, the thing that offered JP the most joy, had opened the doors to a lifestyle that would see him on a roller coaster through jail and treatment for his addiction. As he moved through the recovery process, this same tool continued to call to and motivate JP on his journey, “…I was coming out of this and trying to find myself again with a new path, a sober path, a path that is tuned into nature’s needs and the flow of this great universe that we’re all a part of, without drugs, of course, and it was music that saved me.”

JP tells his story. Photo By Josh Williams.

At a crucial point in JP’s own journey, an audio production guru by the name of Jackie Lee Robinson (IPR Co -Founder) made a profound impact on JP’s life through the Electronic Musician’s Workshop. The Electronic Musicians Workshop was Jackie’s way of offering independent instruction to students interested in, audio production, music business, audio engineering, and, of course, electronic music creation. It’s obvious by JP’s referral to Jackie that he is very thankful for that relationship, and so it’s no accident that JP now seeks to “give back” in similar ways.

Whether grateful for the gifts he’s been blessed with or moved to see others experience the same salvation music has brought to him, JP’s own continuing education project, Slam Academy, along with his teaching for IPR and Ableton Live, have put JP in a position to play a mentoring role in the lives of other young, aspiring electronic music enthusiasts.

JP WAXES MUSICAL

As any audience member who attended can attest, JP’s pre-show philosophizing was a very important part to understanding his performance.

His first piece was without noticeable structure, but it was clear JP was enjoying every knob tweak, cable patch and signal route of his own, self-built analog styling; he looked like a kid in a candy store gleefully picking through the best sounding morsels, respecting and connecting with every waveform he could persuade the device to produce.

Spacey, drone-like, wispy, and wonderful don’t fully describe what he was up to, but, being there, brought the piece into focus. The beautiful impromptu rendering might best be described as an “audio meditation”. This piece was not a song by any traditional definition, but having JP’s backstory brought with it “audio understanding”, if you will. Proof filled the room as the 7+ minute piece came to a close and the audience erupted with genuine applause; the moment appeared as magical for JP as it was for the rest of us.

James Patrick at play. Photo By Josh Williams.

Throughout both performances he would occasionally peer over his shoulder at Nick Bjelopetrovich, student DIY Host, as if to say, “that was really cool, did you hear that?” And it was obvious Bjelopetrovich did, because he would often nod and smile before JP had the chance to offer full eye contact: master and apprentice sharing a moment, respecting each flow, each turn, and passing the joy on to the rest of us.

The second piece had more structure to it: drum samples, MIDI clips, bits which had been thought through and constructed. JP transitioned from a mostly analog performance into one fully infused with his favorite digital instrument: Ableton Live. Still tweaking knobs with a huge grin, little controller lights throbbing in time with his Live session, it was clear JP was connected with the audience in a more recognizable way this time. This second piece had structure and recognizable elements, but it was still entirely its own, hard to define entity… such is the nature of improvisation.

James Patrick - a kid in a candy store. Photo By Josh Williams.

He shared later, “The only way to really realize real music is to be aware of this present moment and create it right now.” Recorded music is a static example of what we enjoy when the artist who put it together is unable to be there and perform for us in person; but real music must be experienced as it is created, on the spot, in order for it to be realized in its most natural way.

Wrapping up with an audience Q & A, JP was asked when it was he first realized that the music business was where he wanted to pursue his life’s calling. He responded by saying, “I think it was first failing at everything else… literally.” He went on, “We’re all on this great quest together and I think honestly that if you can realize that the path is your destination, it is only then that you have ‘arrived.’ In other words, the learning process itself is the goal.”

James Patrick, Drone Science. Photo By Josh Williams.

Those who know him closely could’ve told us why it is JP is so important to IPR, but most of us needed to experience it firsthand to truly understand. JP is one of many remarkable Instructors that guide our students through an incredible educational journey, and we are truly blessed that he took the time to share his story with us.

Have you got 24 hours before an Audio Production gig? Great, you can always ask a friend or find a book that can put you in the driver’s seat.

Kevin Bowe breaks it down plain and simple:

Kevin Bowe

I’m not proud of some of the things I’ve said yes to, but I feel worse about the few things I’ve ever said no to…… let me clarify.

Any time a gig is thrown in my face “yes” is my screen saver response for three reasons.

First, you definitely want to build a rep as a go-to person, someone who, without question, will get the task done and done well, no matter what it is and what the deadline is.

Second, you want the money.

Third, you want the repeat business.

I tell my students, if you have a busted pipe and you call a plumber and that plumber shows up right away, fixes it correctly, charges you a fair price, and then gives you his card…. you’ll put the card on the fridge and next time you need a plumber, you don’t think…. “hmmmm who should I call?”, you call THAT GUY. Because he’s YOUR plumber, no questions asked.

That’s who YOU want to be to your clients: Never late, always ready to work, always meeting deadlines. You don’t want to be low maintenance; you want to be NO maintenance. Then, next time a client needs work, they won’t think about who to call; they’ll call YOU.

Megonia’s sisters Carolyn Gleason (accordion, vox) and Maureen Koenig (vox, banjo), are both part of the IPR family, and they’re doing something musically unique with band mates Kellie Nitz (stand-up bass, background vox), and Sam Rhode (guitar, vox). Both Carolyn and Maureen are accomplished musicians and music teachers in their professional lives outside IPR, and we wanted a chance to hear of what they’ve been up to.

Megonia lft to rt: Carolyn, Kellie, Sam, and Maureen. Photo by Caitlin Knealing

Together since 2009, Megonia draws from a musical style that Maureen studied in college. She spent a semester in the hills of TN in 2004, and the people there taught her how to play banjo. She was drawn to the old time style because of the rich heritage attached to it; historical context was important to those she learned from, and, having grown up in a small town surrounded by farmland and family tradition, this resonated with both she and Carolyn.

Maureen explained the band’s name, Megonia, was a nickname sister Carolyn gave her as a child. Since then it has evolved into a fictional South Dakota town. And this fictional town has the potential to offer up plenty of character sketches that fit nicely into an old time songwriting schema.

While writing for Megonia, guitarist Sam Rhode finds himself focusing on character development and story rather than on themes or “ideas”. As it turns out, this was a common choice for old time lyricists as well. Although this is a departure from a typical heavy metal lyric, something Sam is more familiar with, he has enjoyed the challenge of writing material in a new style and feels it comes to him quite naturally.

For original pieces, collaboration often works like this: Maureen and Sam throw musical ideas at each other. Maureen typically offers Sam a riff, and maybe a lyric; Sam will build on it and pull the rest of a piece together. Both Sam and Maureen often write on their own as well, but they usually come together as a group, Carolyn and Kellie in more of a supportive role, to meld the musical pieces into a unified whole.

Despite their popular music and heavy metal backgrounds, Megonia have found it easier to bring in income performing an old time style of music. All four Megonia band mates have a history playing in bands around the Twin Cities so they already understood the high level of competition there is associate with these styles. It’s tough to differentiate your brand with so many artists fighting for the same musical territory, so it made sense for them to try something that sets them apart. Choosing to play an old time style has the added benefit of opening up the types of venues that will hire them.

Megonia have played clubs like The 331 Club, The Kitty Cat Klub, and the Acadia Cafe, but they’ve found their style has offered them opportunities to play weddings, churches and other private engagements that pop and metal acts typically aren’t invited to do.

Along with new performance outlets the band uncovered a tight knit group of likeminded Twin Cities musicians that have carved out a musical place for themselves here, and they’ve discovered a way to fund both their gigging and their latest recording project through live performance.

Megonia are currently working on a new recording that will follow them on a tour through South Dakota into the Black Hills this summer. The new material has begun to reveal their own unique musical identity that’s changing up their old time style a bit. But they’re staying true to their traditional instrumentation and their South Dakota sensibilities (all four members are SD natives).

At IPR we really like Megonia; with solid acoustic instrument chops, and spot on vocal harmonies, Megonia have got something special to offer the Midwestern musical landscape, and we’re lucky to have had them guest a DIY appearance. Stay linked to their Facebook page to learn more about where you can catch a local or South Dakota tour date and how to pick up a copy of their new CD upon release.

Jimmy and JAB take time on camera to talk directly to their audience members, sometimes by name, and they may even comment in the chat area during a song performance. But the key is they make it fun, and, for the most part, they keep it clean; if he were up late enough, I’d let my ten year old check them out.

Jimmy and JAB laugh a lot, offer back story to the songs they’re performing, and sometimes they’ll even feature the music of friends and fellow artists just to mix it up. BBH has got a cool thing going, and, if they can hang on, audio production graduates of their caliber can’t help but succeed with a brand this cool.

Lft to Rt: IPR graduates Jimmy Watkins and Josh Burdette: BBH Productions

The BBH guys are highly tech savvy, multi-talented, and they offer this service free to their fans. No doubt they’ve thought of ways that might help them monetize what they’re doing, and IPR has offered them an education that makes a DIY career as artists look promising. This is not a money maker for them yet, but it could be.

Just recently my friend Kat Soland of Traffic Resources International shared an article link she found at Bloomberg Business Week online: Evan Lowenstein’s Stageit, a Live Music Site by Adam Satariano. According to the article Evan Lowenstein is helping artists with a new way to monetize live performance, and, he’s even got some big names on the roster including Jackson Brown, The Indigo Girls, and Jason Mraz.

Here’s how it works. The artist performs in whatever informal setting they wish (kitchen, living room, bedroom, etc), the artist sets a price of admission to the performance, chooses a cap for how many audience members can watch,  and then the artist performs via Stageit. Stageit handles billing, offers a chat space for artists, and they take a sizable chunk of the revenue at 40%, but they handle things like concert promo and making sure you’ve got the proper streaming bandwidth so streaming isn’t glitchy.  In the linked article Satariano suggests it’s “…something akin to a pay-per-view version of Skype…” Of course, the web cam and the computer are the artist’s responsibility.

This is a great idea. In one way or another, it’s an idea that others have been toying with for quite some time (including my friends from BBH). And, I’m excited about its potential. In the article, “Bob Schneider, a singer-songwriter in Austin, Tex., says he made about $1,200 from a recent Stageit show, which is helping fund a new album.” With a big following, I can see this being an amazing, intimate way for artists to connect with their fans and make some dough.

Have you visited or performed in an online show? And what do you think of the idea? Please share the experience; feel free to comment below.

He’s ticked off almost as many important music business people as he’s written about, but he’s carved out a huge online readership for himself, and many of us read almost everything he writes. I know I do. Why? Because I get to manage IPR’s social media, I blog for IPR, and Bob Lefsetz has a very infamous industry opinion.

I’ve pulled a lot of content ideas straight out of The Lefsetz Letter. Bob is almost always the first music business “journalist” to report on important industry happenings, and he frequently writes his blog several times a day…  often while the rest of us are sleeping. Some mornings I’ll even have 3-4 Lefsetz pieces waiting in my inbox.

IPR Instructor Kevin Bowe reads the Lefsetz Letter as well; Kevin and I have talked about him before. So, when I came across this article on the Wired magazine website, Kevin’s name immediately came to mind. He too read the article and decided he had something to say about it.

Kevin’s rant will make more sense to you if, A) you’ve read the Wired article, and B) you’re familiar with The Lefsetz Letter.

Here’s Kevin’s Rant:

Bob Lefsetz is at the very least an on and off interesting cultural phenomenon….. without the web (a free podium which is free to listen to) there IS no Bob, but this is the world we live in so there is DEFINITELY a Bob, and, agree or disagree, everyone in the biz reads his
newsletter. Everyone.

Although he strikes me as equally miserable a human being as the legendary Lester Bangs, he is honest in a very rare way, VERY rare in the music business. In our business, lying and artifice are accepted as just another day in the office.

Stars and biz people talk about music that everyone knows is bad and they say it’s good because they’re feeding at the same trough. But Bob does not feed at this trough, and he says whatever he thinks. Sometimes he even changes his mind and says the opposite of something he said a month before.

Kevin Bowe

On the business end I often agree with him, although some of the things he discusses are above my pay grade, and, therefore, totally boring to me (ex: his rants about cell phone companies – I just don’t care about this). But when he discusses the old versus the new music business models, the live concert industry, Apple, and things like that, he often makes a lot of sense, even though he’s not really a very good writer, per se, and he definitely needs a therapist, or maybe a better therapist.

But when it comes to MUSIC, I very rarely agree with him – his tastes run towards the Eagles and all the other kinds of music that turned me into a lifelong punk in the late ’70′s.

The other area in which I find him distasteful is that he’s just plain hateful towards artists – almost in that clichéd “I’m a critic because I failed at music so now I’m going to take it out on musicians” way.

His attitude towards anyone trying to promote their own music is borderline obscene and says way more about Bob than it does about young artists trying to succeed. Although, again – he does have a good point about young artists focusing WAY too much on promotion and not nearly enough on rehearsal.

My issue with Bob is not that he hates certain things so much but that he enjoys hating them so much.

But, Bob doesn’t care what I think, although he has published a couple of my comments on things. The take-away here is that I DO READ HIM. I’ll skip it if it’s boring, but I do subscribe…. a win for the Bob-man.

And I almost feel bad saying this but….. you should probably read him too!

New comers to IPR’s “Blogging with the Experts” can expect the following…

In this installment, for example, I (Christian, IPR’s social media and blog guy) approached an IPR Audio Production Instructor and asked him to write a blog post within his area of expertise. There are no set rules, and, if said Instructor should choose, he was given the freedom to pick the topic.

With these, my only request is that said Instructor refrain from colorful explicatives; I’m proud to report no problems in this area thus far.

The opinions expressed below are not necessarily those of IPR, The Institute of Production and Recording, but you may find them both entertaining and educational. Enjoy!

Newer and Older Versus Better (and the hideously over used term “Vintage”!!!!!!)

By Kevin Bowe

I guess my feeling is not that older is better or newer is better, but that better is better. Most people these days who lament the long lost days of analog tape never had the pleasure of paying for, carrying around, storing, or editing on said analog tape.

I’m not saying tape is bad but come on!!!! There are definitely many convenience factors about digital recording, and that’s just a fact. There are also some sounds you could get with tape that are trickier, or, according to some, impossible to get with digital. But…. the advent of Avid’s “Heat”, SoundToys’ “Decapitator” and many other tape simulators have given us
more choices, plus the tape sounds you can get are more varied and controllable.

Front and center: Kevin Bowe

I would say that the main factor in the artistic process that’s changed with the move from tape to digital is not just the SOUND, but HOW we do it and how we THINK about it. Every studio musician nowadays is like a trapeze artist working with a net, even the best of us. Back in the tape days, after the 4th take, the drummer would look at you and ask “did we nail it?”. Now after the 8th take they ask you “you got enough”? The assumption being, right from the start, that one great take is not even worth trying for.

It is assumed we will “comp” everything and fix anything that’s not cool. I definitely believe this affects the attitude that the players, and us engineers and producers, have towards the artistic process and therefor the performance itself. Especially with singers – our goal now is to create a vocal performance that the singer cannot actually sing! (at least with some singers…). Obviously there are things about this that make me uncomfortable, especially when I hear that singer live in a club later on….. oy!

All that said, however, older is NOT always better. Better is better. My favorite is when mid-80’s cheap guitars on Craigslist are pawned off as “vintage”, like that means they’re “good”. They’re not good. They are what they are. And new is not always bad- what’s the VERY FIRST THING Muddy Waters did when he moved from the Deep South to Chicago and got some money in his pocket???? He bought an electric guitar, which was fairly new technology at the time. Is that selling out? I don’t think so.

In the end most people in the business who make sweeping generalizations like “digital sucks”, “music sucked after 1982”, or “country music sucks”, etc., are either showing their ignorance or just posturing to try to promote a certain “image” of themselves that they’ve decided is cool. It’s not. You won’t catch Rick Rubin making statements like that, which is why he’s able to produce Slayer AND the Dixie Chicks.

Art, like people and technology must be judged on a fluid, case by case basis and people need to be willing to change their minds as time goes by- otherwise they run the risk of getting left behind and becoming “vintage” THEMSELVES!!!!

Always remember, today’s dub step is tomorrow’s reggaeton. Think about it….

Please let us know what you thought of Kevin’s post. If you do not, we may think you didn’t read it… and you did… so we’d love to hear from you!

Friday, January 20^th 2012 – Music Business DIY’r and award winning singer/songwriter Dan Israel offered DIY onlookers an acoustic set featuring songs spanning his 15 + year career.

Not only is he unabashedly honest in presentation, Israel’s songs pair pleasant hooks with lyrics rooted in real life industry experience. And the life of a “rock star” is not always glamorous.

Dan Israel performs @ IPR's DIY 360 (Photo by April Wallace)

Music business success may sometimes include multi-platinum sales and Beverly Hills mansions, but Israel has found that regional and local successes are equally important. It was through honest, personal perspective that he earned the Minnesota Music Award in 2005 for song of the year, and again in 2006 for songwriter of the year. As he put it, “It’s like I got fed up with everything and I wrote all of these songs about how fed up I was, and people felt connected.”

When people feel connected to an artist’s music, they support said artist through sales and show attendance. And this connection has turned Israel into a true music business, DIY success story.

He started recording on a 4 track in college and self-released his first record. 20 years and 11 albums later, it’s safe to call him a DIY pro. In spite of all the curve balls life and the music business have thrown his way, he remains a steadfast self-promoter.

Israel understands multiple income streams are the path to longevity; despite income from shows, CD’s and t-shirts, he holds all his own publishing rights, and is starting to license some of his music for use in other media.

You can catch Dan Israel playing solo at the Aster Cafe, St. Anthony Main on February 9^{th @} 9 PM with John Swardson and Ashleigh Still (Cover is $7). For more information about his music and upcoming shows, you can check Dan’s website here.

Friday, January 13^th – Today’s music business installment, filled with rock hair and loud guitars, shook the walls of Robinson Hall to the sound of Minneapolis rock ‘n’ roll quartet, Black Church Service. These rockers pull from a wide-ranging blend of influences to craft their unique sound that is part rock ‘n’ roll and southern blues, infused with a dash of classic punk rock a la Ramones and The Clash. The Service often expands its core lineup of Tyler, Adam, Joe and Matt to incorporate more instruments and styles into the performance. As lead vocalist and guitarist Tyler said, “If you play the washboard well, we want you in the band. We want this to be an orchestral experience. A church service, if you will.”

Black Church Service (Photo By Kate Waterloo)

IPR students, as well as anyone else aspiring to a career in the music business, can take a lot from the band’s incredible work ethic. These guys really know what it takes to be successful in the business of music. On top of band practices that last any where from 2 to 7 hours, each of the members puts in about 50 hours a week at work and school.

Recently, Black Church Service completed recording their self titled EP at the legendary Terrarium right here in Minneapolis, and after a few shows in promotion of the EP, they are going to get right back in the studio. There just “ain’t no rest for the wicked”, as most of us in the biz are familiar with. All of their hard work is certainly paying off and the EP is hot off the press and to be officially released at their 7^th Street Entry gig, Saturday, January 21^st.

Black Church Service (Photo By April Wallace)

Admission is $3 for IPR students, so get out there and support your local rock “n” roll, and remember, “If you want to play music, you have to go to Church. A Black Church. Because that’s where you learn how to put soul into music,” – Muddy Waters.

IPR’s DIY 360 series is a weekly educational event that blends performance and do-it-yourself know how to teach music business survival in context of an ever-evolving industry. We at IPR want to prepare our graduates with every possible tool for music business success.

To intro the day, Host Adam Levy read Krane’s bio; it’s something he typically doesn’t do for DIY guests, but he found it compelling and wanted to share. Krane’s  bio married his personhood to who he is as an artist. His life’s message focused on the importance of personal growth, awareness of self and helping others.

The way Krane began his session was impressive. Though his gear was on stage, he was deliberate about putting the audience at eye-level; it was clear he see’s performance as a way to intimately connect with others. Once he was comfortably off stage and closer to the people, he launched into his first song.

Though I didn’t realize it at the time, “Picking Flowers Next to Road Kill” is quite an emotional piece. After a close listen to Krane’s cd, the track appears to be about being open in our strengths and weaknesses, and approaching human brokenness with grace and understanding. Krane himself is true to the character of his material.

Krane spoke intimately about his life throughout the course of DIY. He had a pretty normal childhood; he went to church, raked leaves for neighbors and was polite to his parents. From a young age he had a desire and a dream to work with and help kids. Even so, by the time he was twenty, he’d made some bad decisions that landed him in jail for five long months and changed his life’s plans. While incarcerated, he began to write, and discovered he was pretty good at it. This coupled well with his enjoyment of music and seeded a strong creative passion and a direction for the future.

Upon his release, Krane surrounded himself with those of similar passion.  He was drawn to his friend Michael Larsen (aka Eyedea). Together, they created music and toured the world until less than a year ago when tragedy struck; along with Krane, the hip-hop world mourned the unexpected death of Larsen. In the heart of his DIY interview, Krane picked up a guitar to perform “Wild West”, in remembrance of his lost friend.

Larsen was a well-known freestyle beat battle champion and Krane is no slouch to a good freestyle match himself. So one audience member wanted to know if Krane preferred to freestyle or simply stick to his standard set when he performs. Krane proceeded to invite the audience member to the stage for a freestyle rap battle between them.  In the next several-minutes, the two improvised back and forth within a set of idea boundaries. It was clear both were accomplished rappers as they created a complex conversation and bounced rhymes effortlessly between each other: a no brainer for a DIY high light reel.

Without question Krane offered this DIY audience a distinctive look into his art and unique personhood.

Because of his legal history, Krane is unable to work directly with children, but he did plug his after school “Wanna be a Rapper” writing program where he puts his focus of helping others to work.  Learn more about it via this Youtube link.

Even at IPR there are those who believe that digital distribution is evil and those who don’t.

Those who believe it’s a good thing like the leveling of the playing field for new artists. You want true quality competition?  There is little to argue that internet distribution will weed out the inferior and promote that which is truly good. That’s not to say that some of the good will slip through the cracks, and some of the inferior will have better marketing chops. This was definitely the case with major label marketing and distribution in days past. Those who champion the new way of distribution enjoy the fact that no longer will a small group of record company execs get to decide what will and won’t be popular. Now, it’s up to the people to decide.

Those who believe that digital distribution is evil are the ones who stand to gain the most from the old business model. I think most of us would agree that stealing is stealing no matter how we factor it, and most of us would also agree that we want our favorite artists to keep making a living from selling their brand. Nobody thinks stealing is okay, and music fans want those who are truly good to keep creating new content. Without content it’s pointless to go to shows. And, who doesn’t love live music, right?

Some believe that labels (and some artists) have held on to old ways of making dough intentionally, despite the fact that the writing has been on the wall for a very long time. Many labels, and some artists, have taken file sharers to court in the interest of recouping lost revenues. This has generally been accepted as a stupid move. Instead of trying to embrace the technologies associated with this type of distribution, the old guard has decided to hang on to what they know.

Bob Lefsetz, one of my favorites, claims that record labels only always cared about self-preservation, short term. If record company executives have really failed to see a big picture for the future, then they’re stupid. However, if they’d looked at all the data and decided indicting file sharers really was the most financially feasible way to move forward then they acted on the best available data they had at the time.  However, I think the truth probably sits somewhere in the middle.

What if we give labels the benefit of the doubt here? What if they really didn’t know that all their legal pushing would lead to a badly damaged music industry as a whole?

It doesn’t really matter now. Yeah, labels should’ve embraced a new business model and not legally chased the fans (a.k.a. file sharers). And, arguably, they may not have seen it as a choice. If you don’t call stealing what it is, then you’ve simply given everyone a pass in future iterations of this same battle. For the sake of absurdity, let’s just say somebody invents a way to digitally distribute physical goods (star trek style). Would it then be okay for people to create digital copies of whatever physical good they choose and give it to their friends? No would be the appropriate answer here, despite the fact that a standard of living, the world over, would improve overnight. So what, we’d still need to live by an ethical code. But I digress…

My contention is that, despite the intentions of labels and artists, “legally doing nothing” would’ve been an inappropriate response. But I don’t believe labels went down this road intentionally.

Does anybody really think record labels did this on purpose to destroy any hope for their future sustenance?  I look forward to hearing what you think.