November 10, 2002

8:14 PM

Do you think that most successful up-and-coming rock bands make fistfuls of cash? According to Steve Albini they don't, at first. In his own words, The Problem With Music.
posted by ashbury (3 comments total)

if you didn't know before that the recording industry sucks, you do now. and why.

so seek out the unsigned bands. email the ones you like. if they've got a cd, buy it from them (send a money order!), and tell your friends. support local music. there's gotta be something good going down next tuesday in your city, and if not in yours, then in the next one over. pay the cover, even if you can get in on the guestlist.

i don't know. it seems like there isn't much a consumer can do right now. but whatever there is to do, do it for the music you love.

OT - oh, and the new negativland cd is amazing (albini's rant is on negativland's domain). soundtrack for a slow motion car wreck, i guess is the concept.
posted by carsonb at 8:39 PM on November 10, 2002

That's an ancient article, but a great one nonetheless.

All hail Steve.

/me runs off to put on some Shellac.
posted by xmutex at 8:48 PM on November 10, 2002

Albini's piece is vaguely interesting, but you should know it's just a blatant, self-serving ripoff of Courtney Love's brilliant deconstruction of the business, which has been around at least half as long. I'm sure we've discussed this before.
posted by dhartung at 8:54 PM on November 10, 2002