Fundamentalist Christians...Face The Music

I know the title of this particular angry rant may frighten some people but understand that it is here I will list my qualifications to set minds at ease and then I will attack mercilessly, pre-emptively and without apology. I warn you now if your sensitive feelings can't handle the truth then just fuckin' blow me.

First, I was raised for most of my life here in this small town nestled in the emo buckle of the bible belt.

Second, I attended a Catholic church as a child, went through catechism and underwent confirmation.

Third, during said catechism classes I was subjected to the most mindless mounds of bullshit crammed down my throat. (I just didn't realize it was bullshit until later...more on that coming up)

Fourth, I later became a Baptist and had the same mounds of bullshit crammed down my throat only this time...it was a force-feeding.

Fifth, I've been to an apostolic church (whether I wanted to go or not...the latter obviously being the case)

Sixth, I've been on one helluva spiritual journey through my entire life that is still ongoing, though I'm settled back in my roots of Catholicism.

Seventh, I harbor no ill will toward God or any of his divine associates

Eighth, God told us that the truth will make us free, so let's move on

Now, with those eight guidelines, let's thoroughly examine what's going on here and yeah, if you want to, you can relate it to The WM3 case though I personally give two shits whether you do or not.

Just when I thought it was over and done, I find out that once again, I'm dead wrong. As a co-worker and I were discussing music I suddenly found myself verbally accosted. According to this Fundamentalist Buttinski, I'm going to Hell...straight there...do not pass go. What a fucking surprise this is.

During the course of this conversation, I'm actually discussing in an A-B conversation type of way, the way that mainstream broadcast radio has so very little to offer in terms of good music. Now this isn't exactly a debate. We were each able to state good points and bad, pro and con and see each other's side pretty well. I ended up getting this young and curious mind very interested in one of my favorite genres of all time...Industrial. He'd heard the likes of Ministry, Nine Inch Nails and, amazingly enough, Apoptygma Berzerk, Razed In Black and Heaven 17. Still, he wanted to know more about the stuff I was listening to and the wonderful music project which I'd been able to have a hand in making (Immune System "Live In Hyperborea"...you can get it on CD Baby Dot Com :D ).

So on I droned about the host of new CDs that now grace my desk by bands like Testube, Pine Tree State Mind Control, Trylok, Regenerator and the compilations, Moonlight Corporation v1.0 and Resist The Command and Resist The Command 2. When he asked about the latter two, I simply warned him that the songs were very political...much like Rage Against The Machine and when he asked where he could get them, I had started to tell him that I would write down the site address until...

Enter Fundamentalist Buttinski.

Now, before I go on, why is it that a person who knows less than I do, has the I.Q. of fucking bean dip and about as much sense decides that this is something of an act of Satan attempting to warp his "fragile mind." I'm not kidding, they actually used this term.

Fragile mind? HE WORKS IN A FUCKING PRISON, YOU DUMBASS!

This Fundamentalist Blonde suddenly takes it upon herself to C her way into this A-B conversation and I'm about to C her to a fucking exit with a swiftness. Get a gander at some of the claims she decided to make.

1. The last two CDs were satanic because they question our government and it's actions. ...this comes after fully admitting that she didn't have a single fucking clue as to what was on the CDs

2. Industrial is the devil's music...just look at Marilyn Manson! ...this comes despite the fact that Manson just isn't quite as controversial as he used to be

3. This music could drive him to the depths of depravity and possibly terrorism ....HAHAHAHAHAHAHA...WHAAAAT?

4. He should stick with the classic rock on the radio and not bother listening to what I say (then I heard her whisper to him) because I am a wolf in sheep's clothing...

*sound of a record scratching signalling a stop* Ok, OK, CAN YOU POSSIBLY MAKE CHRISTIANITY LOOK ANY LESS APPEALING AND ANY MORE FLAKY THAN WHAT IT ALREADY IS! This is why I do not regularly attend any church, people. It's like a goddamned cereal box...when it's not nuts, it's fruits and flakes.

Here in the buckle of the bible belt, in this foul year of Our Lord 2008, I could not believe how much sway this person was actually possessing over this guy! I was stunned! I was shocked! I was appalled! For the first time in my life, I actually happily condoned mercilessly euthanizing this person. One Shot And The World Gets Fucking Smaller.

Look, people, let's get something straight, I'm calling bullshit right here and right now. I don't give a fuck what your opinion on this matter is, faith over fact simply will not fucking work and if it works for you then perhaps Neverland really is the place to be for you...or Florida during Hurricane Season, preferably.

I saw past the propaganda years ago. First, you fundamentalist whackjobs out there tried to make D&D (That's Dungeons & Dragons to you) players out to be horrible people who were engaging in depraved and immoral acts and carrying the game into acts of Satanic sacrifice and/or/maybethey'reboththesame, Murder. When that didn't work, you tried to put it on Geraldo, When that didn't work you tried to make us out to be geeks when, in truth, we didn't really need that much help in that department did we? I will say this though, I'll pay fifty bucks to anyone who comes back alive from telling Vin Diesel that he's a devil-worshipping nerd and is setting a harmful example to our children. Come on! Where's that faith of yours? I'll give you the entire contents of my MacGuyver Money Clip which totals slightly more than that! No Takers? Thought so. Onward.

Heavy Metal music was supposed to be the Devil's tool, right? Remember all that bullshit preachers were spouting on the pulpit and in their propaganda that actually got published? Remember? Come on, you know the claims! No band could get a recording contract unless they pledged their souls to The Desolate One and then they included mind control shit in the sounds and backward masking and when the backward masking turned out to be FUCKING GIBBERISH it was ...and I'm not joking...Satanists Have Their Own Language. Fuck me running backwards with a shovel, Get me a fuckin' ladder...this shit is getting deep. Well, fundies, one of your own has taken the heat off Metal so now all you die-hard Megadeth fans can listen to Rust In Peace a little bit longer without being hassled over your mullets. I love that fuckin album. Yep, one of your own has decided the new course in the name of not just God but Country as well...Industrial Meeewwwsick Isss The Deeeeevil!

Somebody please CUT THE FUCKING SHIT!

I am sick of parents who are irresponsible as shit blaming whatever activities their kids were involved with unsupervised, no less. It's when your sick sad and irresponsible asses get into a fucking pinch because YOU are about to be called into question, you find something to blame. You find a couple of elements to blow out of proportion and then you unleash it upon the world, unfurling a new banner and becoming crying TV martyrs for your cause. Sell it somewhere else, I'm not buying. I've got a couple of D&D games in the works and neither you nor anyone else will stop me...don't make me roll Initiative, motherfucker! I've got 2d20 and I'm not afraid to use my Level 5 half-elven cleric. Like apples? How do ya like THEM apples!?

Secondly, I'm sick of you stupid fucks not even LOOKING at something. How quick you are to tell ME not to judge a book by it's cover but you damned sure judge me by the color of my Margin of Error T-Shirt or the title of my Resist The Command CDs...get fucking real. Back in the '60s we had an abundance of music that said something and made a social difference...that had a statement of meaning to young people at that time. In the 70's we celebrated the end results that those songs got us. In the '80s we settled for the advertisement of mind-numbing decadence and in the '90s...malignant mediocrity that has spread like a virus in pandemic state. Why is it when I find something of real social importance I'm being asked to accept MORE STORIES ON BRITNEY'S LATEST BATSHIT EPISODE? Look, tell Britney that her career is over, lock her the hell away and get her off my supermarket tabloids before I finally projectile vomit radioactive day-glo. When a death metal band like Children of Bodom can get away with covering one of your pop idol songs...it's over.

I am sick of having this mediocrity and banality shoved down my throat and then having THAT rewarded. But I'm a Satanic Terrorist. This is enough to make me torch my minister's certificate, shell out the $200 and actually join The Church of Satan completely. Then again, is it any wonder people just settle for atheism?

Ok, look, you got your fucking P.M.R.C., you somehow managed to get Tipper Gore (THE Bullshit Artist's Wife) behind you and you've almost managed to legislate everything BUT John Fucking Tesh, Billy Ray Cyrus and Michael Goddamned Bolton into oblivion. We retreated, we caved, we hid and we lay in wait. We didn't know what else to do! Now, though...NOW when we're starting to re-emerge to show that we're grown up and we're angry for legitimate reasons are we suddenly having the dogs set on us again. NOW when our anger only makes us focus and approach the subject in mature ways (writing as opposed to mass slaughter ala Slayer) do we find that we're still being treated like FUCKING CHILDREN!

Look, you got it all, ok, just back the fuck up before I back you the fuck up. I'm not asking for ground, goddamn right, I'm TAKING it and you're either in or in the fucking way. I know it may be reprehensible, immoral and just plain wicked but it gives you no right whatsoever to become a tyrant by IMPOSING limits on those freedoms. Fundamentalists of the world, you must understand that it's actually the people you're up against that have more hours locked into prayer than you (Dear God...Please Save Me...From All YOUR "GOOD" PEOPLE!) and if I were Christ, I'd return to rapture those people as something between tragic irony or poetic justice.

I mean, for fuck's sake, I'm 29 fucking years old and I STILL get carded for CDs and movies when I don't even get carded for Jager body shots off the local barmaid anymore. I'm staring down the barrel of some pimply-faced 16-year-old with braces who couldn't get pussy if you dropped him into a women's prison (of the exploitation film variety) asking me to prove that I can buy the new Cradle of Filth CD. Thank God the internet is smart enough not to ask those kinds of questions.

Fundamentalists, get with the program and learn the most important lesson of them all...when you legislate my choices, I'll retaliate by legislating yours.

Face The Music...it's coming stronger than ever.

The Lord Genocyde Show Episode 6 Casting Call

Hi Everyone,

Right now, I'm currently working on The Lord Genocyde Show Episode 6: The Panopticon Project. While I've already got some of the integral parts filmed, I still need individual responses and this past couple of weeks has proven beyond doubt to be the most frustrating. I haven't been able to find one single person who wants to appear even briefly in a short film in this small town. Frustrating as it is, these same people can be overheard swooning over the next huge media flops (Britney Spears...another fine Louisiana Product *note the overbearing sarcasm*) stating, "I wish I could make millions and be in movies." While it's true that no one's making millions from this project (hey, least of all me here) I still need some individual responses. So here's what I've come up with so far.

Many of us have webcams and if you have one, you can record yourself. Once you record yourself you can send those files to me via YouSendIt.com. If you do submit videos, here's what will happen.

First, if selected, you'll be featured in the video and in the credits.

Second, your video or video recordings will only be edited to include a music soundtrack and the question itself. That means that while the music is playing the question will appear in text and then include your answer and the answers of others.

Now, what would you need to do? Simple! Please follow the instructions carefully.

First, record yourself answering the following questions. Please try to make a separate video file for each question.

1. Do you know what Panopticon is? Don't do a Google Search on this, a simple yes, no or even a wild guess would be sufficient.

2. If left up to you would you allow surveillance cameras to be posted on every street corner, lightpost and stoplight of your town, regardless of size? Why?

3. What is your opinion of our own Government's desire to perform such an action? Why?

4. What would be your opinion of cameras in disguise monitoring every street corner, intersection and all public places? Why?

5. Would you allow such cameras into your home simply based on the fact that you have nothing to hide? Why?

Ok, now those are five really easy questions. On to step two.

Second, Highlight each of the video files and then save them to a zipped (compressed) file. If the file size is more than what the free YouSendIt will allow you to use, simply email me at TotalGenocyde@gmail.com and I'll allow you use of my personal account to send me up to two gigs.

Third, email me with the following information you'd like to use in your videos

Name: (screen names or nicknames work)
Location: (you can leave this one blank, it's really optional)
Age: (What this does is give the viewer an idea of what type of demographic I'm reaching)

Fourth and final, Once you're on YouSendIt, send the file to TotalGenocyde@gmail.com. If it's easier for you to send it file by file, please do so.

After that, just sit back and chill. I'll be posting some updates on it here and there. This episode is going to take awhile. For most of the episodes, I've just been sitting back here in the studio (actually the western part of my living room) and using the webcam but this one is special as it's the first one I've taken out of the studio (living room) and finally hit the street with it.

Most of the music that will be used will be from two CDs entitled Resist The Command and Resist The Command 2. You can find these CDs in the $5 CD Sales Bin alongside many, many others at DSBP's Website. I urge you all to get copies of these two CDs (Resist The Command 2 is a two-disc set) and really take a listen to them. If you'd like to try it before you buy it, then stay tuned both to my videos, the 'net radio shows on DarksideRadio.com and Tommy T's Cyberage every Sunday Morning at 3am to hear music from these very powerful CDs.

I hope that some of you out there will answer this call and take full advantage of the chance to give yourselves a voice.

Sincerely,
Lord Genocyde

Episode 91: Enter The Pit

It's no secret that the last few days have been nearly completely shitty.

We came back from the Immune System tour with our show schedule so badly ripped to shit that I'd given up on the thing. Honestly, how many times in two months do I need to remind someone of the schedule to which we had agreed? After everything, I was so frustrated, I ended up leaving Krush.

Two weeks prior to that, I ended up backing away from the West Memphis Three support group after I found myself having to constantly justify my actions to some halfwitted moron that refused to understand but constatly questioned me or talked down to me like I was their kid. Now this. I'd made up my mind that if every weekend were going to turn out like this, I was just going to not even bother firing up the computer. It was becoming frustrating.

Sunday I'd found myself in a pit. Despite a good workout, despite doing what needed to be done, I just felt like hell, mentally. I was exhausted, drained and just plain ridden hard and put up wet. I didn't feel like talking about any of it, I didn't feel like solving the problem. Hell, I didn't even feel like venturing into the outside world for one day. I just wanted to stretch out on the couch and watch some damn movies and tell the entire outside world to get fucked for one day. I did exactly that. I gave up giving a shit for one full day. This was my day to relax, regroup and recharge. Misty still wanted to talk about it. I ended up just letting her after awhile. It wasn't worth a fight. It wasn't even worth an argument for that matter. I just didn't respond.

Monday didn't seem to be any more promising than Sunday. I woke up after barely any sleep and dragged myself into gear to get to work.

Great... I thought to myself ...From one fucking pit into another.

I've come to accept that I'm going fuck-all nowhere at work. That's why I'm working on getting the hell out of there while the getting is good. Let's face it, word 'round the campfire is that they're looking to do away with the defensive tactics portion of our regular one-day-per-year in-service training. Why? Because they're afraid of lawsuits.

While I've always been critical of the administration's line of logic I have to ask...THE FUCK KIND OF BRAINIAC THOUGHT THIS BULLSHIT UP?! Their first goal was to eliminate smoking on the compound (like that's going to stop me, right?) and now they want to eliminate defensive tactics.

Hmmm...if it looks like a powderkeg, smells like a powderkeg and they're not letting me bring a lighter or a match around it...yep, it's a fucking powderkeg and I'm not sticking around for someone else to light that short fuse. I wonder how many lawsuits they get when someone on either side snaps and a full-on brawl ensues or someone gets killed because an officer didn't know what the hell else to do. Even though the defensive tactics course was cursory at best, it's still better than nothing.

It's a good thing I've got those close quarters combat videos and you best believe when someone gets their head split open, I already have my way out of that bullshit criminal AND civil suit. Now you can see why I'm nowhere near as eager to get into work as I used to be. Back to the original point of this story.

So now I'm dragging my heels to the shower. I feel like I've been eaten by a bear and shit off a cliff onto the jagged rocks below and now I just want to crawl back into bed and sleep the night and the following day away. Can't do it though, got shit to do.

After the shower, it's scrape the fangs, throw the monkeysuit on, throw the lunch together, grab a couple of other items and then off I go. When I get to work, I find that, thankfully, I'm working in the control center. That means no putting up with whining, pissing or moaning from anyone. Being a Monday Night, I'm guaranteed to be left alone. Not much to do on a Monday Night in control except inventory some of the items (restraints, chemicals, tools, etc.) and do the normal paperwork.

It was during the chemical inventory that a series of unfortunate events happened. Nothing that could have lost my job but unfortunate nonetheless. Get ready for a laugh, though. I know you're going to howl at this one.

As I finish restraint inventory, I start checking out the chemicals. Now, if it's one thing even we fear, it's the Fox 5.3. I've already been "qualified" with it and it fucking sucks. That shit burns like hellfire and fury in a fucking can. There's simply no other way of putting it. You don't get used to this shit. There's no way you can. It's not tempered with CS gas to make you think, "Oh this is nothing." Uh uh...this is straight up OC. It's The Flames of The Ninth Circle of Hell marketed well and that's all it is. Once I'm done, I put it all back but there's something in the corner of my eye that's been bugging me.

You see it coming don't you?

Well, not only do I stupidly pick it out of my eye, I also rub my eye...there's a contact in my right eye and now it feels like the rim of my eyelid is on fire. Quickly, I pull the solution and the lens case out of my bag and pluck both contacts from my eyes to wash them both and let them soak. About an hour later, I put the right one back in and there's one of our social workers turning in his personal alarm/panic button. I'm having to do all this with only one eye open and then...Satan came to torment and torture my eye.

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, he unleashed the Nine Furies of Hell AND every Judgment Day Style Wrath of God into that right eye for good measure. The constant watering of my eye isn't helping...it's only intensifying the entire episode.

I hear Sam Kinison in my head screaming, "OH OH OOOOOHHHHHH I'M IN HEEEEELLLLLL! I'M IN HEEEEELLLLLL!!! *RRRROOOOOAAAAARRR!*"

No words were ever spoken so truly. The pain was so intense that my eye, unbeknownst to me, had already started becoming bloodshot PRIOR to the damn pain setting in. I know Carl Cestari's philosophy was to learn how to eat pain but I don't think he ever experienced this type of insidious agony in his life.

So, here I am, operating with one eye that looks as though I've just smoked about this compound's weight in pot WITH THE SUBSTANCE ABUSE COUNSELOR STANDING AT MY FUCKING WINDOW! Oh I'm happy now...I'm wearing a gigantic fucking happy hat...JESUS JUMPED UP CHRIST!

The happy news to this is, Satan did eventually depart and God did apologize for getting the wrong eye. I've hated myself for doing such a foolish thing ever since.

By the time the next shift comes on...the entire compound knows about it and the story has been so blown out of proportion that I'm still getting shit over the damn phone about it when I'm not running into co-workers in the middle of town.

I think the only real relief would have been to just remove the eye completely from my head and try playing "Hot Potato" with it...that would have been a barrel of laughs.

Tuesday came and went so fast, I'm still trying to discern whether or not it actually happened.

Wednesday, I did another foolish thing. My weight has come down so that I can comfortably wear jeans again and still need a belt. Well, when I get home, get dressed and grab all the gear, I've noticed that it's become a bit chilly outside. As I'm going to the cemetary to begin work on my Panopticon Project...don't ask, you'll see it on Google Video...I'm looking for my hoodie. No dice, can't find it. Then, I go looking for my light jacket...nope, can't seem to find it either. Finally, I grab the one thing I haven't worn in ages...my black trenchcoat. For added protection from the awful effects of the sun, I grab my tinted goggles as well. It's going to be breezy out and these contacts will dry and stick to my eyeballs whether I have rewetting drops of not. Having everything I need, off I go. As I'm going through the filming process, I notice something...my shoulders are getting awfully hot.

As I walk home, I notice, gosh, it's awfully warm out here.

When I get home not only do I notice that it's late but the back part of my shirt in the shoulder and all down the center of my back is damp. Apparently, it wasn't going to stay chilly for long and my contacts have done some flipping around because my eyes are all kind of out of focus.

Ok, so while tragedy seems to have taken some nasty ballshots at me, at least they are pretty funny. I'm officially out of my pit now.

I'm ready to take some nasty ballshots at life. Who's with me?

iPods: Convenience or Trendy?

Here's a post from a rant on DSBP's website. TommyT posted it at the end of Cable's rant on how the illegal downloading (black market style) is hurting the indie leagues in music. I have to say that, while I agreed wholeheartedly with Cable's post, TommyT's follow-up seems to need a little fine-tuning.

This is why I haven't chosen to negate the article in it's entirety but simply respond to it because some really good points are made. Who knows, it might open some dialogue and make some progress and that's really all I'm after.

Everything in Quotations and bold print will be from Tommy's statement.

"Subject: Napster and Itunes kill the music scene!!!!

yes, they do...don't even try to say I'm wrong...cause I am not. Ever since these 2 places became all the RAGE amongst the trendy millions in this stupid country, CD sales for all underground labels, and bands have gone so far down its pathetic.We are all jaded and torn at this point.We are all going bankrupt slowly and some quicker than others as we see... Its really sad to see the people that really "do care" about the music and the bands that produce the music going down, and losing it all, as these corporate monopoly online companies are cashing in huge and becoming so rich off of all the compulsive impulsive, trendy sheep that don't care about killing it all off, because they still support those places."

Napster and iTunes Music Stores, respectively speaking, have really done nothing more than make the corporate leagues richer, this much is true, however, most of these places DO NOT carry independent artists a lot of the time. When they do, however, the bands lose money on the production costs of the music. Let's face it, there's server space to rent here and, if you can't pay Apple or Napster, your tunes are cyber-history. I'll get to the trendy sheep portion much later on.

"So, Why is this happening? -society is always looking for the next corporate trend, the poor and lower middle class are always working hard to make the RICH RICHER and then bitching about it. So, whenever they give us a new trend to latch onto, most sheep flock to it like flies on shit.Thats the deal with ipods and napster. Its really pathetic to hear people talk about it all, and all the music they cop for free online and think they are cool as they are destroying the very nature and livelihood of the music scene that is responsible for most peoples sounds and their "look and image" as well..thats where it all starts..the music!!"

Ok, originally, this was about the iTunes store and Napster, not the iPod. Blaming the iPod for the transgressions of those that use them is like blaming guns for what criminals do. The iPod is only a tool in this, nothing more. The iPod is simply just an mp3 player. The biggest flaw with this particular player is that your music has to be in a certain format (AAC format, primarily) and then and only then can it be put onto the iPod in question.

"They are advertising these companies on the TV all the time and promoting the fact that we should all pay these people for crappy mp3's and turn the "album concept" into a thing of the past, as they are trying to make everyone buy song by song of all the stupid mainstream hits, and then that trickles down to the underground as well.The underground is hurting more because every lost sale is more of a big deal than it is for the mainstream shit labels that sell millions to trendy weak sheep anyways.."

On the point of album concepts for just a moment. This, to me, is completely understandable. I can't tell you how much I actually like checking out CD artwork and liner notes and even who's in the "Fuck You/Thank You" sections. Having the lyrics is also a plus. I don't know why but there are always little nuggets of wisdom in a lyrics sheet. Everyone that grew up with music the way we have agrees with this...EVERYONE. While I'm not saying it's right, some people (sadly, too many of them) are just not as appreciative of the art and concepts that are put forward. For some of us, it's not just music...it's a dimensional gateway into some other world that we'd never get to experience otherwise. You can't deny someone an experience. The ones that pride themselves on being more "functional" just don't understand this point and, therefore, miss it altogether. I've seen some CD art that should be on display at some goddamned museums but I've seen some that's just shit. The latter cases are mostly few and far between. They're nearly nonexistent in the indie leagues. I wonder something though and this point does beg the question, does most mainstream music even have such things as album concepts these days?

"ipods are $300!!!!! imagine how much money these corporates have made off of all these sheep...when was the last time these people spent $300 on cd's in one shot? not often believe me...I am a distributor and work with so many others that do, and its very rare to get $300 from anyone for cd's...yet these people are paying that kinda cash for a walkman that plays inferior sound quality...mp3...is not a CD!what the hell is wrong?"

Ok, slow down for just a minute and let's not be misleading.

The iPod Touch (nearly indistinguishable from the iPhone) ranges in price of $300 - $400

iPod Classics run about $250

iPod Nanos run roughly in the ranges of $150 - $200

iPod Shuffles run about $75

We all remember when the CD mediums first came out...a CD discman was unheard of. When those first started hitting the shelves, some models and brands ran in excess of $200 and the bad part was, you had to be uber-careful with them. Now, even the lowest quality CD player has anti-shock and is a bit more durable than those of old. Long before I could even THINK about affording a CD stereo for my room, I had to work a solid week of busting my hump washing cars, slinging tires and handling oil in the most unforgiving conditions (this included inclement weather and inclement customers...namely every backward-ass fuck on the face of the planet) and even then, after that week, I barely had enough for two CDs PLUS the stereo...the CD Walkman was the absolute LAST thing on my brain. I just made tapes of songs I liked from what few CDs I had and went on my merry way...and this was back in the mid-90s. Since then, I've gone through a succession of tape decks (my fave will always be that $50 Aiwa with the AM/FM radio...GODDAMN I miss that thing!), CD discmans (And I had some GREAT ones) and even CD Boomboxes (the new one I got makes CDs sound like you're listening to them through a tin can).
More on this point later.

"The companies are banking off all the people and taking them away from the cd's and the record labels as they make billions and the artists who they are taking from are becoming broke, and have to find new ways to keep their livelihood going as they are not making royalties off their records/cd's anymore.I know this..I am in this position with my label and my band...and yet we get thousands of e-mails from fans and supporters each week that love the way we all sound, but they don't buy anything...cause they have the free downloads from somewhere or they bought a few online, or they are too busy with their own "new project" as everyone has a project in this scene too."

And this is a sad fact. Sadly as well, it's also one of the symptoms of the iTunes/Napster/Rhapsody illnesses.

"Sure, I know what the "haters" are saying right now..."the artists get paid from the downloads"....very naive...I bet you believe there were weapons of mass destruction in Iraq too?"

So...I think that answers my question about George W. Bush claiming that we kept the receipts for those. Figures.

"I don't know of any bands that have made any kind of signifficant cash from downloads at all..if you call $10.00 for thousands of downloads a paycheck, I would like to say, how about we do that to you at your job? $10 for 1000 hours? cool...we'll submit the forms to get that going for you too, so you can live like all of us "well off musicians"...."

I actually got the same argument at my own job when a major was attempting to pound a sense of duty into our heads when they addressed how important it would be to the institution to have us there in the event of an emergency. He also added in, "The money was never part of the deal."

I called up every bill paying department that I could find a number to and told them I'd no longer be paying them as I'm fulfilling a duty. In my mind they stood and cheered but on the phone they threatened to cut me off. I later sent that major a letter, with all due respect, informing him that, unless they've found some miracle that allows bills to pay themselves, the money IS part of the deal or he can find others that are far more naive than us. This point? VERY Understood.

"I talk to record labels as well, and most of them are not making much at all off of this...its not helping, its just hurting as society becomes "done with the cd format"....for an inferior format of mp3? talk about going backwards just to be a lazy fuck who doesn't want to stack any cd's in their house.. jeeez..."

Note: There is a slight loss in sound quality. While it may be unnoticeable, when you read the meters in a program like Adobe Audition, you can actually spot it in the waveform. In this case, there isn't a debate over whether MP3 is an inferior format, I simply think that, rather than overemphasis of how inferior the format of MP3 is is useless. Rather than that, should we not go with just how superior .WAV format is?

"The corporates have pulled the wool over society's eyes again...yeah, many of the so called glamourous rebels are just sheep in peoples clothing as they try to act so "industrial" or so "sub culture" yet they are just feeding the corporate society and making Bill Gates kinda people all the more richer. while killing the bands, the labels and the people who really DID care about the music, and now really have to go to other things just to survive because of the downfall of the support system for an ACTUAL MUSIC PRODUCT!!

its like people don't care they are not getting a product for their cash when it comes to downloads..they are that blinded by all this.. they are paying for a cheezy mp3(like a cassette tape), and getting no physical product for all their cash...the mp3's can always crash or your system can have failure and you lose them all...unless they are all backed up..whatever..."

Actually, I don't think Bill Gates had much to do with iTunes. This fell into more of Steve Jobs' vicinity. However, this point I also concede: When you buy something, wouldn't you rather buy something physical? I liken buying MP3s to the legalized snake oil salesmen called Insurance Agents.

"so I just figured I would bring up some of these points to anyone who wants to read through, and I am not pointing at anyone specifically, or naming names...but I think its pathetic that society has decided that all of us musicians and record labels and distributors deserve a HUGE PAY CUT, because they found some new corporates to make richer and pay for a non-physical product and still expect us all to release music and go broke and lose our own livelihood and house while all these people get their music for free, or close to it, and then stop buying cd's so they can just get their mp3's to use on their overly priced and trendy ipod.

this society is at its lamest and never in my worst nightmares did I dream that it would suck so badly to be in the music industry....baahhhhhh

good luck, anyone in the underground music business will need it...

----TOMMYT"

Ok, so now we come to the conclusion of this where I finally say that, on most everything, Tommy just nailed the problem...and mercilessly so but let me show you how this is not all a broad-stroke, black-and-white problem.

Granted, I've been taking my music with me everywhere as a kid. It was a rare occasions when you didn't see my head stuck in a set of headphones. Though the devices on the end of the headphone cord changed, one thing didn't...the function.

I gave up the tape deck because I got tired of fast forwarding through songs and having to rewind...it broke the groove on a constant basis and believe me, I'm not about to write a book called How Damien Got His Groove Back. Not to mention, tapes didn't last...they'd wear out. I'll never forget the awful tragedy of losing my beloved Anthrax tape to the player when it decided to eat it. I'll never forget how disappointed I was that I'd lost my beautiful Doro Pesch when the only copy of Warlock: Triumph And Agony's pad finally came loose from it's moorings, giving the tape itself no buffer whatsoever. CDs had more of a shelf life. I loved being able to skip over a song I didn't care for with a touch of a button. The only problem was that packing around CDs AND a player was just a little bulky.

I ended up getting an MP3 Player out of convenience. I'd gone through two in particular and then, I bought my first iPod on eBay...Apple didn't make jack shit off me. Why? Because I didn't buy it from them.

"Well, yeah, D, but you still have iTunes!"

How the hell else do you propose I put the music on there. All the music within my iTunes was bought and paid for...CDs (Unless they were generously donated by the bands out there who are helping me to help you, etc) There are a few exceptions but those are individual tracks (much like Cable, occasionally, I have to download to fulfill requests) and the most important part of that is...I don't buy a fucking thing through iTunes. I never have and I never will. I won't go and download an entire indie CD and if I do, best believe that I'm buying it shortly thereafter. If I don't like it, I'll ditch it...no need to take up hard drive space. I can honestly say, though, that I've liked just about everything I've bought or have had submitted.

Now, whatever happened to that first iPod? It got replaced. A friend of mine had told me about the new nanos after he bought a 4GB version. He didn't get much use out of it before upgrading to the 8GB version and then gave me his old one. Do I have an iPod because I wanna be "cool?" Hell no, I figure I'm already cool enough without the motherfucker. I've got it for the following reasons:

1. I'm not always alone at the gym and I don't understand how someone can get amped to R&B or country...I'm not making this up. With my iPod, I can listen to my Adrenaline tracks without someone bugging me. Not just that but the gym I go to on occasion doesn't have speakers and/or a stereo in every room (like their Dojo section where I spend most of my time) and I like the idea that not only can I listen to something to amp me up on my way to the gym but I can work out in any area of the gym without having to stop to turn up the volume or turn it down and I can listen to whatever I have on me at all times...portability case.

2. So far, this thing also plays movies. So, this means whenever I'm sitting down to dinner at a restaurant, I can watch one of my 9/11 documentaries or even those two episodes of Mystery Science Theatre that I have on the computer.

3. Hey, it works as a photo album!

4. I don't have to list the songs in any particular order. I can go by band name, song title, album title or just shuffle through. Personally, I like just going by album and then having total control.

5. I don't have to stop mid-workout to change a CD.

Personally, if I could redesign the damned thing, I would. I'd eliminate the dependence on iTunes as it's a moody fucking program and I'd just give the fucker a drag-and-drop feature. Then again, as of the time of this writing, they probably already have a model like that in existence.

By the way, Tommy, if you ever really want to hear some inferior MP3 sound, pop in a pair of headphones to a newer model MOTORAZR and an iPod will probably sound really awesome in comparison.

At least, I know it does with me.