JPF Home Page Forums General Messages Brian Austin Whitney Blog Sunday, May 28th, 2006

Hi Folks,

I am sitting here in my office finishing up the Rap category (I took a break from it to watch some of the DVD's we've gotten.. some really interesting and fun stuff) and looking at a squirrel hanging from the bird feeder on my office window. This guy is relentless. Hanging often by one paw and digging into the "squirrel" proof feeder to get seeds to come out while the entire bird feeder rocks back and forth from it's remaining suction cup (the second came undone already) in a harrowing game. I wonder if he realizes that it's going to fall off at any moment? I went to the window and rapped on it and he looked at me but didn't budge. I guess the allure of easy food is just too great. But ironically, not only is his pursuit dangerous, and more work than is necessary (there are far easier food sources, including in our own (and thus this squirrels) back yard where we throw seeds out on the ground all the time for the squirrels and birds) but the pay off is really not that great because he has to dig and dig and dig to get a single seed out of that thing. But he keeps trying because behind the plastic of the bird feeder, he sees the big payoff of all those seeds, but sadly he'll never get to them. It sort of reminds me of the musicians who work and work and work their whole lives pursuing a major label record deal, getting little to nothing in return, risking everything for the pursuit and ignoring easier paths to making music and having a happier creative life in their own backyards. In the end they often end up frustrated and hungry while those on the inside (like me sitting here in my office) are amused by their fruitless efforts). (See how that all fits together.. sometimes I even amuse myself).

Enough of the analogies.. I think you get the point.

Today is the Indianapolis 500 and I am listening to it on radio. It's not on TV because like it has been every other year of my life in Indiana, it's blacked out locally. Too bad. The race used to always be sold out, but they would STILL black it out every year just so folks wouldn't take the risk of not buying a ticket in case it might be on TV. What has really happened is that what was the biggest race in the world is now not even the most popular in Indianapolis. The Brickyard 400 is WAY more popular. The Indy 500 is sort of like Sears and Roebuck compared to the Nascar's Wal-Mart. (By the way, while I am typing this it just ended in a very exciting finish where rookie Marco Andretti, grandson of Mario, lost by 6 feet on the last lap to Sam Hornish Jr. and it actually made me a bit nostalgic for the old days). The USAC and CART feud split their dominant racing league (and launched the Indy Racing league from the rubble) and while they were infighting for power, NASCAR raced past them and left them far behind in the dust. Sears similarly got fat and lazy and slow and went from being the "Wal-Mart" of their era (which was a LONG era) to recently being bought by their bitter rival K-Mart after they emerged from a bankruptcy (something I still can't figure out how it ever happened). Someday, Wal-Mart will likely meet with the same fate, but as with Sears, their reign will likely last beyond many of our lifetimes. But I bet before the end of the century, they're left behind by someone new heading into the next millenium.

The music industry is susceptible to the same kinds of things. The one difference is publishing. Because they "own" the songs and the master recordings of all the "staples" (sort of like the meat and potatoes of the business) it will allow them to artificially maintain control much longer than they would if copyright ownership wasn't propping them up. But eventually enough new artists will become relevant and that power will fade.

Just some random observations on this hot Sunday in Indianapolis. What are you doing today?

Brian

[This message has been edited by Brian Austin Whitney (edited 05-28-2006).]