"Ms. Nicks, who was a very talented songwriter many years ago."

[silvasprings]

Originally Posted by michelej1

http://caroompasroom.wordpress.com/2...-the-internet/

Rock is Apparently Dead, A Victim of the Internet
Posted on September 1, 2010 by caroompas

You have to hand it to aging rock stars – their wealth has purchased them lots and lots of time to sit around and philosophize about the Internet.

Not long ago, this space reported on Prince’s theory that the Internet is dead, old news, passe, over, kaput. And that’s why he is releasing his new album as a bonus in the Sunday edition of a newspaper, which is alive and well in at least, oh, three or so major markets. Let’s go crazy, indeed.

And now, a woman on whom I used to carry a major crush has declared the death of rock and roll, and the culprit is none other than. . . the Internet.

Stevie Nicks, of the Peyton Place version of Fleetwood Mac, is preparing to release a new solo album, or CD, or whatever people release these days, and during an interview to promote same, she was quoted as saying:

“The internet has destroyed rock. I’m financially stable. I’m OK. But what about the kids trying to make it in this business? If you’re not an established band, if you don’t have a hit single, they’re gonna drop you.”

“They” being, apparently, the record labels. She went on:

“There are a lot of people out there as talented as we (Fleetwood Mac) were, but they can’t sustain being in a rock ‘n’ roll band for long without success. We were able to, but we’re going to die out.”

Well, all due respect to Ms. Nicks, who was a very talented songwriter many years ago, and who even more years ago was a pretty good singer, it’s not like Fleetwood Mac has sustained success. Sure, the monster hits that they produced in the late 1970s are still in heavy rotation on classic rock stations, but I seem to recall a double album called “Tusk” that kind of hit the shelves, and remained on them. And that, as I recall, was pretty much the end of one of the most successful, if romantically complicated, bands of all time.

Let me try and figure out what Stevie, who, by the way, is 62 years old, is saying here. If I understand her, the Internet has opened up the ability to record and distribute music without the benefit of a record label. And that, in turn, has flooded the market, or at least the Internet, with a dizzying array of musical offerings, without the filter of record executives, who did serve a useful function of sorting out the wheat from the chaff, at least to a small degree. And that, as a result, if an artist does not have an instant hit, and then more hits to sustain that success, they are dropped like hamburgers in a vegan cafe.

However, before the Internet, if you were an artist signed with a major label and you didn’t come up with a hit in the first, say, 12 months, chances are you were going to be dropped like pronouns in post-modern poetry. And if you did have a hit, and failed to follow that up with another one in, say, another 12 months… well, there’s the door, Eleanor.

For example, let’s take one of the most successful bands in history. Let’s take. . . oh, say, Fleetwood Mac. Now, FM had it all – they had two English guys who had lots of musical street cred from days gone by, they had Christine McVie, who was married to bass player John McVie (the Mac to Mick’s Fleetwood) and could also write and sing very nicely, thank you. After several semi successful iterations of the band came and went, John and Mick hired Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks, a couple who wrote and sang great songs, and Lindsey played a pretty mean guitar. It turned out to be one of the most fortuitous hiring decisions in history, though it led to romantic disaster. Mick and Stevie got together, Lindsey went off with someone else, they wrote great songs about it, Mick’s wife objected to Stevie, John and Christine got divorced… It was a mess. But it produced two stunning albums: “Fleetwood Mac” and “Rumours.” These albums both sold millions of copies and produced many singles which also reached the top of the charts. But fame, fortune and lots of drugs resulted in “Tusk,” which bombed. After that, the band pretty much broke up. If it hadn’t, it’s doubtful things would have turned out differently.

The point is, labels as they once existed are increasingly irrelevant today. Yes, there is much more product out there. The Internet is swamped with new material. But a band like Arcade Fire is burning up the charts without a major label behind them, because word of mouth (always the best advertising) is far more virile now, thanks to… the Internet.

So Stevie, good luck with your new album. We’re glad you’re financially stable, and we hope you get a hit so you can continue that stability. Meanwhile, the Internet looks pretty darned stable, too.

This guy probably wasn't born when these albums rolled out. He is seriously trying to start a war with chiffonheads and FM fans everywhere, so what Stevie Nicks hates the internet, it's probably because Liz Rosenberg brainwashed her so she could keep on milking the tour cow.
Nobody can deny that the quality of music in general has slipped especially in the last 10-15 years. the internet may not provide a causal relationship but why would people buy albums when they could steal them from the privacy of their own homes.

Remember, Mama said to buy albums!