First, before I get flamed, I have never permanently downloaded a song off the internet. The only ones I've downloaded are ones that couldn't be streamed and then I retained them just long enough to hear them once or twice to decide whether I liked them and then deleted them. And, as far as I can remember, these were all by independent artists who encouraged this so that people could hear what they sound like.

Now my point: How does anyone find out about new music and artists? 30 years ago, radio was that source because the stations then played a wide variety of music and artists. Radio today is boring and monotonous, playing the same 20 to 30 songs over and over and over . . .

I feel some form of internet sampling is needed because of this deficiency in modern radio programming. Ideally, every song on the market would be available for streaming so that I can see whether I like it first before I even consider buying it. This is true with virtually every other item I purchase. I get to sample most all my other purchases. I test drive cars, try on clothes, play guitars and amps, all before purchasing. The problem is the music industry hasn't provided a means for people to try their products before buying, so the public found its own means. Now this means is being abused.

We have a couple articles at our band's web site under the "Rants and Raves" section that more fully discuss our viewpoints. I have refrained from posting them here because they are rather long and I am concerned that they may look more like board spam.

These are interesting discussions. Obviously, there are many viewpoints and this isn't a simple problem.

www.stonemarmot.com

[This message has been edited by Sammy (edited 09-15-2003).]

[This message has been edited by Sammy (edited 09-15-2003).]

Stone Marmot
http://www.stonemarmot.com
Alternative pop-rock music:
Definitely rock, somewhat pop, but a bit more experimental.