BrewBlog

Accounting for the big plunge in "music sales": the digital singles effect

Link: Accounting for the big plunge in "music sales": the digital singles effect.

The music industry quaked yesterday as reports surfaced indicating that CD sales have plummeted 20 percent compared to the same period last year. This is just the latest a string of bad news for music sales going back several years. The question is, what's to blame?

This article offers a good summary of the state of the music biz.  Anyone not seeing this coming isn't paying attention or doesn't care.  Personally, I'm not sure that I care either.  Being such a big music fan you'd think, on the surface, that I'd want the industry to thrive.  What I really want is access to great music and that's pretty much it.  When I say "music industry" I'm narrowly referring to the big record company and media conglomerate complete with cocky executives basing their business and effort around what sells and puts money in their pockets.  It's a business after all so it's really not a problem or something worthy of much complaint.  I can dig through piles of complete crap to get to the one copy of the one CD that I want.  That's fine.

Overall my music consumption has gone down.  I could do a series of posts about why but...why?  I'm guessing it has to do with my willingness and time allocated to the discovery process.  I still discover new music I enjoy every year but many artists I enjoy also fall of my radar or simply go away.  I discriminate a little more these days as well.  I don't automatically grab anything I think may entertain me although I do still take the occasional risk.  My personal track record of music risk taking is really good so my reason around buying less has to do with other factors.  My level of effort goes up if I get into a musical drought and the result is usually very satisfying.  I'm way off topic now.

The basis of this article (and was supposed to be for this post) is that the music industry is facing a serious decline in CD sales.  A big part of the problem is that people have alternative ways to get music and can opt to simply buy the single that the crappy radio station they listen to has crammed down their throats.  Hmmmm.  Now these robots that the industry has worked so hard to create are doing exactly what they are supposed to be doing.  They are buying the music only now it's the single and not the other 15 songs of worthless garbage.  Oops.  Now how are you going to get out of this hole?  You may need to actually produce mainstream music that isn't 90% bullshit.  Guess what, that is impossible with these masses. 

The good news is that there is more and more good mainstream music coming out and it is beating out some of the crap.  People will buy the CD if it has more than one good song on it.  Also, many of the smart executives are seeing that you can release old unreleased and remastered bits from the classics.  People will buy that too.  I can only hope that the trend quickly becomes worthy artists selling all the CDs and calling the shots and making the money.  The independent labels are laughing at some of the big guns now and I love it.  Let's hope they don't "go corporate" and that they keep to their initial mission statement.  One unfortunate casualty is the closure of the "record store".  I've always had a dream of someday having my own record store but that would now be a bad idea.  The future of this business is not brick and mortar but there still may be some hopes of an actual store but things would need to be different.  My local record store, Dimple Records, is going to disappear before my son buys his first music.  Their sales have been declining and once their core business fails to yield enough money the other cool things they do will not be enough to sustain and they will go away and will likely be replaced by a Starbucks or nail salon. 

I've been considering selling off another several hundred CDs from my collection.  I sold a few hundred a year and a half ago and haven't missed them.  I'm thinking another cut would be good.  I love my CDs but I don't listen to most of them anymore.  Each and every one has a memory associated with it.  I've gotten my money's worth for sure.  It's just that I don't see the need to keep them around if I'm not going to listen to them any more.  The idea of a CD "collection" is less attractive now then it was when I started collecting 20 years ago.  With some exceptions, CDs will slowly become worthless so I may as well get a few bucks out of them and pass them along to others that truly want them.  There are already a few hundred people that have something from my collection.  It's time to fire up my Amazon sellers account, which has a perfect 5 start sellers rating!

Side of beef with your meds?

Allison recently came across what I would consider direct evidence supporting my recent posts Ready Pay, Stupider and possibly others.  One of the frustrating things about our society is how the idiocy of some impact all of us.  Think about every dumb rule or law and just know that enough stupid people directly cause the passing of these rules and laws.  Many things you used to be able to do you cannot do anymore because people either did it wrong continuously, abused it in some way or could not do it and complained enough that sympathetics agree that no one should do it if some could not.  In our attempt at fairness and equality, we limit the potential of the "can" people by forcing us to maintain pace with the "cant's" or "wont's" instead of just letting people be different OR having the guts to limit certain non-essential rights to those who have demonstrated that they in fact can function in a certain expected way resulting in a short cut or other benefit.  We can't all be winners folks.

So now my example is going to sound small because I went overboard on trying to set the stage as to why this is so dumb.  When I go to Safeway to pick up a prescription at the pharmacy I'll occasionally pick up something else I need.  Maybe I'm out of vitamins or over the counter cold medicine or something.  Simple, right?  I would sign off on the prescription, make my purchase and on my way I'd go.  But noooooooooooooo.  Safeway has a new policy that does not allow people to make additional purchases at the pharmacy when you pick up your prescription.  What?  Now I have to make separate transactions at different areas of the store?  Why?  Well, because people are stupid.  Apparently, the policy was put in place because people would bring over items from the butcher department and slap them down on the counter to include with their prescription of Lipitor.  The pharmacy is supposed to be a fairly sterile environment and having raw meat tossed around where meds are exchanged is a BAD IDEA.  So, no more purchases.

They could just have a policy against purchasing meat at the pharmacy but then someone would bring rat poison or something.  Then it would require a new policy.  Repeat and repeat.  Then someone would say that it isn't fair to only be able to buy certain things and where's the list and so on.  So a blanket policy was introduced and now, for the rest of my life, a separate transaction is necessary.  Thanks people.  This gripe supports the "ready pay" concept.  Someone brings something unacceptable to the pharmacy window and that person is banned from purchasing additional items from the pharmacy.  Why not?  Or I'd pay for that privilege as part of my ready pay membership.  Sigh.

My eyes are wide open (part 2)

I became a vegetarian a little over six months ago.  People always ask why and then list the common reasons.  The answer is that I did it for all the common reasons.  I do it for the health reasons mostly but I also do it because of the animals and the environment.  A vast majority of the meat consumed comes from animals that are treating horribly.  There are to many examples to list and I'm not expert but I know enough.  Most people eat meat anyway and just choose not to think about it or proclaim their lack of concern by making a joke or say something about humans being on top of the food chain.  Personally I'm not okay with it and it enforces my beliefs supporting vegetarianism.  It's basic ethics for me.  I definitely don't judge others for eating meat.  Most of our society has grown up eating meat and it's the norm.  It's just a personal choice of mine after doing some thinking about it. 

The health implications of eating meat are debatable but I've discovered a few things.  I had some trouble with my cholesterol throughout most of my twenties.  Mine ranged around the mid 200's.  After not eating meat for several months it has dropped below 200 for the first time in over ten years.  Last check it was 172.  Heart disease kills millions of people and one contributor is plaque in your arteries from having high cholesterol, among other things.  Meat is full of saturated fat so by eliminating that from my diet, I've solved the problem.  I don't need to take medication.  I understand that some people's bodies produce harmful levels of cholesterol and those people require medicine to stay healthy.  Who knows, that may eventually be the case for me.  But for many if not most it can be controlled by simply limiting consumption of cholesterol and the saturated fats. 

Since Allison is vegetarian and does all the cooking I've learned that being a vegetarian is not impossible and can be very satisfying.  You definitely do not need to eat meat to get all the nutrients your body needs.  Since going vegetarian my diet has become much more diverse.  The variety of food is far more satisfying than I would have expected.  Meat eaters often wonder what a vegetarian eats.  Sticks and leaves?  Many people hear "Vegetarian" and say "I don't really like salad" or "I hate tofu".  I'm pleasantly surprised at the variety of my diet.  Again, this is because of Allison.  She's been doing this for so long she has done all the work and passed the info along to me.  Many people attempt to become vegetarian and fail because they limit themselves to lettuce and a handful of common vegetables.  They become unsatisfied quickly.  The other pitfall is replacing meat with simple carbohydrates like pasta and bread. 

Being vegetarian does take work though.  You need to know how to get complete proteins from non animal sources.  In some cases you have to combine certain foods to increase absorption of their nutrients.  Fortunately a recent vegetarian fad has caused many restaurants and markets to offer more non meat choices.  The question is, is it a fad that we're seeing?  Perhaps.  I don't care either way.  I'm not doing it because others are.  It's strictly a matter of belief based upon what I know.  The growing number of vegetarians along with the boom of the information age has made it a better time than ever to be vegetarian.  Allison is always getting great recipes and information from the growing number of web sites dedicated to the vegetarian and vegan diet.  As I mentioned before it's also helping dispel many of the myths about vegetarianism.  It isn't a far out idea or strange in the least.  Being a vegetarian doesn't make you anything other than someone that does not eat meat. 

So what about organics?  Organics and "all natural" are quite different and a bit confusing, I've found.  Stupid labels put on food that suggest "all natural" or other such claims are often bogus.  You must look at the label and decide for yourself what is "natural".  There are no regulations for "natural" so there you go.  Organic, on the other hand, does mean something and this is an area we've come a long way with.  There is a certification, at least, that designates something as organic.  Typically this will mean that something was grown free of harmful pesticides or fertilizers.  This is more difficult to do which is why it costs more. 

Another consideration is nutrient replenishment of the soil.  Soil has a natural abundance of nutrients that makes the food grown on it healthy and good for you.  Over farming the land degrades the soil leaving produce that is far less enriched with the good things we expect to get when we eat fruits and vegetables.  For example, a farm will have 15 or so nutrients abundantly available in the soil but over time, if those nutrients are not put back into the ground, you're left with a depleted soil containing only a few nutrients.  Organic farming practices rely on crop rotation and traditional cultivation to limit erosion.  Foods grown this way are healthier in that they have more of what is good and do not have those things that are bad.  Going all organic is hard because it is expensive but there are lists of those vegetables and fruits that benefit the most from organic farming.  You can always start there. 

I've only really scratched the surface here and there is so much more to all of this.  My level of knowledge is tiny but what I've learned so far is compelling to me.  It's compelling enough for me to make some simple changes.  I've found that you need not be an expert to make better choices.  It isn't an all or nothing thing either, it's a progression.  Can't live without meat?  At least try to eat organic meat.  For example, it's much better to eat beef that isn't from a cow feeding on it's own grounded up dead and pumped full of antibiotics, chemicals and hormones.  Many of the harmful chemicals used on farms concentrate in animal fat that you later grill up and enjoy.  Also, animal suffering is reduced a great deal when raised organically.

Clix2 by iRiver - I must have this!

I love my current MP3 player, the iRiver HP40 that I blogged about in October of 2005.  I've had it for quite a while now and it's been holding up very well, which was something I worried about with hard drive players in general.  Apparently it's not a problem.  Anyway, I've been wanting to get a newer, smaller player that would be a bit friendlier at the gym or wherever.  I'm willing to give up a lot of capacity just to have something small.  The flash players back when I got my HP40 were typically well under 1GB and were fairly small.  I know flash is the way I want to go for my second player since I'm going to continue to use my HP40 and it has an impressive 20GB capacity and does everything I need it to do.  A flash player will get me the smaller size and it will be lighter and hopefully give me better capacity than then flash players from four years ago.

After doing a little research I've discovered that the new flash players are better than ever.  They are smaller, lighter and have better capacity and battery life.  So which one should I get?  Many rave about the Apple Shuffle and Nano.  Those are ridiculously popular.  They are a little pricey but worth it if that's what you want.  I do like them.  I looked at many that all seemed to have one or many things going for them.  I began to wonder how I would narrow it down when I came across the Clix player by iRiver.  After looking at the features and reading the reviews, I was thinking I had found a winner.  After all, I like my current iRiver player and I like all the features and the fact that it does not require any proprietary software.  I can use the standard file system to manage my music just like I always have.  Then, while looking more into the Clix player I came across the brand new Clix2 player.  It's available in Korea and is on it's way to America in March (2GB and 4 GB models) or April (for the 8GB version).  The Clix2 was unveiled at the CES in Vegas, of course.  This player looks AWESOME!!!  I must have it.  And hey it's my birthday at the end of the month.  Perfect.

Links:

• http://www.iriver.co.kr/event/clix/c_event.asp
• http://www.clixhere.net/blogicles/showentry.php?e=10
• http://www.slipperybrick.com/2007/02/iriver-u20-clix-2/

My eyes are wide open

I need to try and not come across psycho is this post.  This past year or two I've become  smarter or at least more informed about diet and health.  Most of this new knowledge and awareness is credited to my wife, Allison.  When we first started dating I used to make fun of some of her dietary practices and avoidance of toxins.  I considered her diet high maintenance and we would tease each other.  In those days I would eat anything and use pretty much any product, dismissing study findings and warnings as largely paranoia, thinking much of what we were being warned about fell into the same category as things like "you shouldn't eat rat poison" or "you shouldn't submerge your AC powered radio into the bath while it's plugged in".  I used common sense and didn't take unnecessary risk but I didn't think too deeply about it.  I became desensitized to the "everything causes cancer" warning light flashing in my head.   My favorite thing to say was "Product XYZ causes cancer in rats, but I'm not a rat and I'm not being exposed to those ultra high levels, therefor it doesn't matter". 

The past few years I've began to realize that these things that Allison had been talking about all along were applicable to me and that her lifestyle was in fact far superior to mine.  I'm just smart enough to realize that and have the discipline to make some changes.  She has taught me a lot already.  What she hasn't explained to me I've gone off and learned on my own because of her.  I always knew she was passionate about diet and health but had no idea how smart she is about it!  I truly believe that my being with her will add many good years to my life, seriously.  I feel very lucky to have her in my life.

It would be impossible to try and cover everything I've learned in this blog post.  I'm sensitive to coming off as preachy or as having a better then you attitude.  I am by no means an expert or health genius.  I'm also fairly new at this as well.  I'm inspired enough by my new outlook to share it whenever I can without being a crazy person.  In the past one of the big barriers to my paying attention to the health nuts of the world is that they came across as so radical and crazy.  There are also a lot of stereotypes about vegetarians and the like that freak people out.  You only used to hear about "these types" when they chain themselves to a tree or show up at a Presidential speech with "Impeach Bush" signs.  Free love and extreme liberalism, etc.  The fact is, that stuff is all nothing but stereotypes.  Those people do exist but there is so much more going on there than what I'm talking about.  So much of that is just noise.  Thank goodness that is changing and many well rounded folks are taking notice and it's not just the crazies speaking the virtues of holistic living.

The main point is that most people do not pay much attention to what they eat and put into their bodies.  That is evident by the success of fast food restaurants and horrible food products.  It is also evident by the rampant illnesses in our society, much of which can be curbed by lifestyle changes.  It's true that no matter what you do you run the risk of being ill and contracting diseases.  The healthiest, most conscientious person can get cancer and the high risk person may not.  True.  However, there is no disputing the connection between poor diet and illness.  Thousands of credible studies prove it.  Are our habits so important that we don't listen?  The other main category that has my attention lately is that of environmental hazards and toxins.  The chemicals used in society and even food are killing people.  Enough evidence exists about so many things we're exposed to that are bad for human cells yet many look at it as part of living when it isn't necessary to expose ourselves in many cases.  I often hear arguments such as, "I could get hit by a truck tomorrow and I'd be dead" or "I'm going to live life the fullest".  What people are really saying is that they don't want to have to worry about it and take the effort it takes or make any sacrifices.  Why?  It seems like we all spend a great deal of time fussing over things that do not matter and struggle making the changes that will likely extend your life.  I also hear the argument that being old sucks so why strive to be ninety and live a debilitated life.  A healthier life simply extends the quality of life into later years.  We all have the hard living uncle that's in his fifties but looks much older.  A poor diet and lack of nutrition will make you age faster. 

The bottom line is that many harmful things can be avoided simply by making some changes.  Unfortunately some of the changes are expensive and not everyone can afford to by organic produce and higher quality products that are better for us.  But anyone can stop drinking soda and cut way back on eating junk food, for example.  Junk food is considered "junk" because it's mass produced, cheaply made crap.  Take a simple example like maple syrup.  The readily available maple syrup everybody buys in the store has a bunch of crap in it.  Go to your fridge and check it out.  It has a dozen or two ingredients, half of which you cannot pronounce or recognize.  Next time you go to the store get the organic syrup.  What does it have in it?  It has maple syrup and that's it.  Why eat all that other crap?

This post is going longer than expected.  More on this later.

Wine Drinkers May Live Longer

Where's my glass?  Interesting that this is a Dutch study.  Next we'll learn from them that smoking pot makes you 35% smarter.

Link: Wine Drinkers May Live 4 Years Longer.

Men who drink about half a glass of wine a day over decades may outlive teetotalers by four years on average, a 40-year Dutch study shows.

Men who currently drink "should do so lightly (one to two glasses per day) and preferably drink wine," says Streppel, a graduate student at Wageningen University in the Netherlands. A standard drink is 5 ounces of wine, 12 ounces of beer, 8 ounces of malt liquor, or 1.5 ounces of 80-proof distilled spirits or liquor such as rum, vodka, or whiskey.

The study was presented today in Orlando, Fla., at the American Heart Association's 47th annual conference on Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology and Prevention. Moderate Drinking, Longer Life Streppel and colleagues studied data on 1,373 men living in the Dutch town of Zutphen. The men were followed from 1960 (when they were 40-60 years old), until death or June 2000, whichever came first. During that time, the men completed up to seven surveys about their drinking habits. Men who drank any type of alcohol -- in moderate amounts -- tended to live longer, and the wine drinkers lived longest of all.

Modest amounts of alcohol, especially wine, may be good for men's hearts, the researchers note.  Light alcohol intake may boost HDL ("good") cholesterol and help prevent blood clots, says Streppel.