Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2019/12/14/shake-it-off.html
…
6 Likes
In the end, most private equity investors don’t care about the concept of value outside the monetary definition of the term, and sometimes not even then. This is a great illustration of that, someone buying an item for no other reason than to hoard it and express spiteful power over some “lesser” person.
Not that the usual “Mob bust out” business model of most vulture capitalists is much better. We need more awareness of how these firms operate, what their priorities are, and the damage that they do.
36 Likes
This is partially David Bowie’s fault:
8 Likes
These are people who are the very definition of those who know the cost of everything and the value of nothing, which has pretty much infected the music industry.
29 Likes
While I sympathize with her in the broadest context, something tells me that if this hadn’t happened to her, she wouldn’t give much of a damn that some version of this has happened since the inception of recorded music. And that this private equity piracy is endemic to all manner of industries that dramatically impact quality of life for working people all around the globe; the retail chains that destroyed Main St USA and are now being gutted leaving dead metal boxes and food deserts all over the landscape, for instance.
19 Likes
Agreed, and it’s important to note that the music industry was a natural for the private equity guys. Long before they saw the potential to exploit the artists and loot the catalogues, no-kidding gangsters were doing the same thing they are now.
16 Likes
"private equity as a whole, calling it a “potentially harmful force [to] the music industry [that is] buying up our music as if it is real estate, as if it is an app or a shoe-line”
So, what she’s saying is that music really is art.
8 Likes
This is true for most people - and the reason that we have a conservative party. It’s difficult to empathize with others for some people - I don’t know why because as a child if someone else got a cut I would physically feel shock and hurt even though it wasn’t on me.
Shockingly - this isn’t true for all people and they can’t see the harm until they experience it directly.
17 Likes
something tells me that if this hadn’t happened to her, she wouldn’t give much of a damn
So her own life experiences opened her eyes to this fuckery and somehow this isn’t good enough for you? When you finally get a chance to hold an acceptance speech for the “Bitter Keyboard Warrior of the Decade” award in front of a huge audience, exactly how many societal ills will you manage to cram into your speech? And none of these will have an even tangential connection to yourself right?
38 Likes
I’ve read that by the end Picasso was seen dumping many of his paintings into the ocean to keep his market more valuable.
Or maybe that was diamonds I can’t remember. Happy Holidays!
3 Likes
So The Man’s been fucking over the little guy since the start but now that he’s tried fucking over someone he thought was little but actually has the power and voice to say something about it and bring attention to the issue that’s… a bad thing?
28 Likes
My hard drive is now in the cloud. It’s scalable.
18 Likes
Back when Taylor Swift refused to have her music on streaming services and wrote that open letter to Apple music complaining about what they pay, I said she should really be complaining to her record company who made the deal with the streaming services. I wonder what she thinks now.
Record companies have been screwing musicians out of money since record companies were created. Hopefully, some day young musical artists will realize that record companies will screw them over any way they can and take steps to protect themselves. Follow Ray Charles’ example and own your master recordings.
8 Likes
So the music industry needs a musician-led/owned record company in much the same way the movie stars of many decades ago decided they needed a film company they could have some control over: United Artists
11 Likes
Most (all) modern music is just product. It’s all calculated, tested, reviewed, mixed by a team, approved by another team, promoted by a third team, and strategically released by some other fuckheads.
Think about it. We have Trump and not a single popular music “artist” has anything to say about him? At least the Punks went after Reagan when no one in the mainstream would.
12 Likes
Interesting comment.
A friend was musing just the other day (here in UK) as to what happened to all the protest songs - especially in a timeline screaming out for them.
The only thing I could respond with was ‘well, Billy Bragg’s still at it, I guess’.
I am totally unfamiliar with whatever set of sub-genres rap has become, but perhaps there’s some lyrical social commentary in there?
7 Likes
That’d make a great band name.
6 Likes
14 Likes
What saddens me is that no one with a lot of listeners is standing up to say something. Even if they were stupid enough to sing a song praising Trump it would be taking a risk to have your voice heard for something you feel strongly about. One more way we’re doomed.
Calling out Soros gets a medium-sized yikes from me. I know there are no good billionaires, but his name is a dog whistle.
11 Likes
