Copyright

To me, copyright is a money scam. By claiming that something is yours, it is unavailable to anyone else unless they pay some absurd amount of money. I suppose you could contradict that copyright is used so that someone's idea isn't stolen. But the only reason that person is worried about their idea being stolen is because the other person would take the claim and earn money and they wouldn't. It goes right back to a money scam.
        If you think about it, songwriters usually have things that inspire them; objects, ideas, feelings, events, etc. Technically the idea isn't truthfully theirs because they used something to help them build something of their own. Which is just what the movie "Rip! Remix Manifesto" is there to talk about. The movie explains that mixers like Girl Talk are performing illegal actions by taking just a second of a song and combining it with other parts of other songs and creating something that sounds nothing like the original. Now when they do this, it is illegal. When the songwriters use other people's ideas to build their own, it isn't copyright. Why? That was just the question I'd ask you. It doesn't make sense and it is unfair.
           I understand that if someone took the song you created, put their name under it, and re-published it that you would be upset/angered. But if the person took one second of your song, added it with other songs to create a whole new sound and you still charged them hundreds of dollars. That is just down right ridiculous and unacceptable. If anything, you should feel proud that someone wanted to use a bit, even if it is just one second of your song. Charging them $216,000 for that one song is however, not okay. That is like saying, every time you use a road either to drive or to walk, you have to pay $216,000. That's not the same thing you say? Well in a way it is. That road was someone else's idea and creation. You had no part in it, therefore you shouldn't be able to use it without paying money. But it doesn't work that way. In our world, everything that is made and put out into public expected to be used by the public. IF YOU DON'T WANT OTHER PEOPLE TO USE YOUR IDEAS DON'T PUT THEM OUT THERE. Artists frustrate me because they put their songs out there, but then when someone uses their idea, they become infuriated and press charges. I mean, that's like putting a hamburger on a dogs nose and saying don't eat it. I understand the songs are for entertainment purposes, but don't be surprised when some people use your ideas.
        Some of the people who have fallen victim to having their songs stolen claim that their "idea/song/thing" is their intellectual property. That to me is a ridiculous statement. You could compare a math problem to this statement. So the first person answers this question can claim this as their "intellectual property." If anyone else wants to answer this problem, they have to pay $5. But in truth, the person to claim this intellectual property was the first person to solve the problem. So in truth, they others might have come up with the answer before the "intellectual property owner person" would have actually solved it.
        I'm sorry if this is really discombobulated. These are my jumbled thoughts that I have put to paper and I am sorry if they are confusing, but I don't feel like editing them because this issue just bothers me so much. Yeah I know that doesn't make sense, but it is my excuse.
       One last interesting quote of the movie was, "Culture always builds on its past." THAT STATEMENT IS TRUE EVERY WAY YOU LOOK AT IT. You couldn't make a printer without a computer, you couldn't make a pen without something to write on, you wouldn't make a vcr/dvd without a tv. Everything builds on itself. Spoons were obviously made because people needed any easier and cleaner way to eat. Padded chairs were made so that it made sitting more comfortable. If you have never heard of a song before, how could you ever make something that is worthwhile or even halfway decent. You have to have heard songs to gain the knowledge of sounds that work and those that don't. You have to take from other ideas before you can make your own!
       

My Kind of Music

My taste of music is quite picky. I know I should stop looking at the differences in music and start focusing on the similarities, but it is really hard to. I can't stand certain types like heavy metal and screamo. Those just make me very annoyed and I feel like my head is spinning and everything feels chaotic. But I also don't like super slow music. I can stand to listen to slow music for a while, but if it goes on for too long, I become super antsy. And I guess that is part of my personality. I am always alert and tense, so when something slow and relaxing comes on, instead of embracing it and calming down, it just makes me even antsier. However, in spite of all of this, there have been times when I really do enjoy a song with a heavy metal tune or a slow song. For instance, I really enjoyed 'The A Team' by Ed Sheeran. It had a nice tune, with a simple melody. I would listen to it on repeat for ages, but I soon got really sick of it, and I only wanted to listen to fast-pace music for a long time.

The A Team by Ed Sheeran

One thing I find very interesting is how frequently my taste of music changes. I honestly only notice the changes thanks to Pandora. When you pick your own station based on a band or song you like, it will only play songs of similar type. For a while, I had Lana Del Rey, an Alternative station, and Kid Cudi. But after, say, a month of listening to those, I soon found them repetitive and boring and soon started listening to Florence and the Machine and Linkin Park. I understand that I am not switching to completely different genres, that I am only changing my artist interests, but it is still interesting. After listening to too much of Florence and the Machine, I changed to Marina and the Diamonds, which I would really recommend checking out. The lead singer, Marina Lambrini Diamandis, has a super raspy, harsh voice, with a super unique sound. I can't quite put a name on her sound, but it was definitely something I had never heard before. But then, I got sick of her and soon regained my love for Lana Del Rey, which I am currently listening to. My point being, it is fascinating how people's tastes of music changes quite frequently. I don't think most people recognize it, but let's face it. No one wants to hear the same band forever if they had a choice; they would become boring and before you know it, the person would be ripping their hair out of their head.

Marina and the Diamonds:

"Lies"

 

 

 

"I am not a robot"

 

 

"State of Dreaming"

 



Sly and the Family Stone: A very sly band indeed

        Personally, it isn't my cup of tea. The sound is a little too funky and soulful for my taste. But saying that, I think there are multiple reasons that make this band a really great and inspirational band.
        As we said in class, they were technically the first multi-racial rock band. This was a huge movement at the time, considering that their albums were released during the late 60's and early 70's. This band, I would think, would be a huge symbol of hope to the colored people of the United States at the time. It showed them that white and color can work together and neither is better than the other. Plus, the beliefs of the band shined brightly through their music. Many of their songs revolved around inspirational messages of hope and determination. These themes and ideas were especially apparent on their album Stand! which was released in 1969. Songs on the album such as "Stand!," "You Can Make it If You Try," and "Everybody's People," really show the bands opinion on the political dificulties that the United States was facing at this time. Though, it makes me wonder (Ha, Stairway to Heaven reference) that if this band was releasing these motivational messages that went against the laws of the country if the government at all felt threatened to destroy them as a band. You hear and read about dystopian books where the people make a rebellious movement and the government immediately feels threaten and executes all of the suspects that had anything to do with the rebellion. The most recent book being "The Hunger Games." I do realized that these are fictitious stories and that they are not true, but I wonder if the government at all felt threatened by this band. Maybe it caused some concern that this would spur a rebellion. I am also aware that there were many rebellions against the laws of discrimination, regardless of them having anything to do with this band. I just begin to question if such messages from a popular, well-known band, would be of any worry to the government.
         I kind of went off-topic a little bit, but overall I think this band impacted the political and cultural aspects of this time period.     

Trans-Siberian Orchestra

Though I do love the holidays and everything that comes along with them, there is one thing that really gets on my nerve. Christmas music. It can be so cheesy and groany and it really gets annoying. They are all about the same thing... Gathering under the mistletoe, seeing family, opening presents, gathering around the fire... By the 900th song, I think I get the point that the holidays are all about celebrating. I don't need to hear it 'round the clock until my ears bleed. But there is one band/orchestra that will make me drool. The Trans-Siberian Orchestra is one of the best creations/musical groups/orchestras ever created. They are the one Christmas group that I will blast when they come on the radio. The idea is so creative and original. It brings life to old Christmas tunes that have become boring and drab. I don't care if you are Jewish or Hindu or Islamic or aethist or whatever religion you follow. This band is super talented and you have to listen to a least one of their songs. And maybe it won't be as meaningful to you as it is to someone who would recognize the tunes, you can still appreciate the amount of talent that goes into making these master pieces of art.

My favorite song they play is definently Christmas Canon. I know I was saying how I like how this orchestra brings a newer look on songs and they do on most of the other ones, but this one just is truly a classic. It is so elegant and and the simplicity of it makes it incredible.

No doubt it is an incredible song. The vocal ability of these children is just mind-blowing and they perform the song very well.

Here is Wizards in Winter: This is my FAVORITE of their upbeat songs.



Here is the song again, just with a really neat twist

Here are some other great hits:

Christmas/Sarajevo 12/24

A Mad Russian's Christmas

This band is a great addition to music, even if they are religion specific. I really recommend that you check out all of their songs.

Led Zeppelin

I will admit, I was pleasantly suprised when I listened to Led Zeppelin. I thought they were a cliche screaming band that is talentless and obnoxious. To my suprise, they were actually decent. I think they are still are a bit too over-the-top for me at times - I am still adjusting to the new era of rock 'n' roll, where people do a lot more screaming. As Mr. A said, they are absolutely TALENTLESS when it comes to writing lyrics. It's funny if you think about it. They are really talented musically, especially when it comes to playing instruments. But then they just SUCK at songwriting. It makes me wonder if they are the kind of people who use the right side of their brain more, making them very creative. And then it seems as if they have no ability what-so-ever to activate their left side of their brain to think logically.

Squeeze my lemon till the juice runs down my leg.
Squeeze it so hard I fall right outta bed.
You gotta...Squeeeeze my lemon...till the juice runs down my leg
(I-wonder-if-you-know-what-I'm-talkin-about)
Oh the way you squeeze it gal - I know I'll all right outta bed

I mean seriously? Is it really that hard? Even The Band, who had an obsurd way of coming up with lyrics wrote songs that were ten times better than this.

One thing that is a negative is all of their songs blur together in my mind. I remember hearing parts of songs that I really liked and I would have liked to link them down below, but I honestly have no clue as to which songs they were. Plus the fact that the songs are so long. Even if I try and listen to them, I just end up tuning out by the 4th minute.

Overall, I think they are a band I will keep an eye out for as we continue to move on into the 70's. They have good songs and have some killer instrumentalists. They aren't a bad that I think I will ever love, but I can see some potential and hopefully they will continue to improve their lyrics.

Florence + the Machine

I am in love with this women. Her vocals are so good she makes me want to cry. Her voice is so motivating and powerful, it makes me want to get up and run a marathon. Before I say anymore, I really want you to listen to this song:

If you haven't fallen in love with that voice, I am sorry that you are missing out on a such an incredible talent. The way she starts with that powerful intro really sets a great mood for the song. I love it when artists make statements like that. From the very beginning, they give it all they have rather than just slowly climbing to their climax.

Florence + The Machine are a British indie, rock band that consists of Florence Welch and Isabella Summers and a variety of artists are used as their back up music. Her recent album, Ceremonials, is a really emotional and empowering album with tribals sounds and a variety of music influences. In some songs, I see influences from maybe African tribes and in others, I see influences from Egypt and the Middle East. Florence Welch has the same classy sound as Kate Nash, but Nash's sound is much softer, while Welch's is full of energy and anger, which really brings life into her music.

This song is a very good example of how she incorperates different sounds into her songs. What I love about her songs is when the song begins, I feel like it has a set path. Rather than bouncing everywhere and being jumbled, it is very organized and together, building at the right times and softening at others.

Here are some other songs of Florence that I love:

No Light, No Light

Bedroom Hymns

Heartlines

Strangeness and Charm

If you have time, I really urge you to listen to as many of her songs as possible. She is a really talented and inspiring artist and I feel like she has a lot to offer in the world of music!



Woodstock Festival

It is quite a shame, but before this class, I never knew what Woodstock was. It was mentioned from time to time, but I had no clue what it was. Little did I know it was one of the most important musical events in history. It is estimated that 500,000 people (or some call them hippies) showed up for the festival. They only prepared for 50,000, a mere 450,000 less.

As we were watching the documentary on Woodstock, the thing that effected me the most wasn't the acts that were playing; it was the scenery and culture of everyone and everything. I have never seen a documentary that shows the culture during this time period and I thought this movie was really eye-opening. For instance, you can't even compare the way they dress to our fashions today. The way Janice Joplin dressed is just something you don't see everyday.

Plus everyone has this really chill look about them. I realize they were probably all super high and in completely different worlds, but it is good to be shown and exposed to how some people really did live. I am also aware of the fact that these 500,000 people represent a small population of the millions of Americans during this time period. Meaning that just because they dressed this way doesn't mean others did. I just think it looks like a really happy time. It is as if everyone left their cares and worries outside of the fences of Woodstock. Thats not saying I would want to be there. It seemed like a drug crazy, no limits, sex everyday kinda festival. But I do think it shaped our music today. I think it brought new ideas to the world, like the idea of having a multi-day music festival with a large lineup, so that your audience had a variety of artists to hear. It would draw in more crowds, creating large amounts of revenue and it would be advertisment for your city. It is also more appealing for the audience and spectators because instead of paying $50 (more or less) per concert, they could pay $300 (again more or less) to listen to 30+ artists. It was a brilliant idea. Also labor costs would somewhat decrease (maybe) because instead of unsetting and setting the stages everytime a band would perform maybe every other week or something, you could just leave the stage up all the time because there would always be someone playing. Sure you would have to pay for managers and sound people and many more, but I think the revenue brought in would cover that.

Woodstock was a reveloutionary event, that I think has influenced music in a very postive way and it gave a new light to rising and hopeful artists, as well as the experienced well-known ones.