Nicks McNuggets

[kokoro]

Notice how every time Stevie makes a negative comment about the internet, these people who otherwise ignore her are on her ass in a flash?

[michelej1]

[This article on The Brown Tweed Society blog uses Mellencamp and Stevie's internet comments as a springboard for a discussion about music's future]
http://thebrowntweedsociety.com/2010...-the-internet/
Aging Rockers and the Internet
August 26, 2010

John Mellencamp, RIAA, Stevie Nicks

by T. D. Ruth

The Internet has played a significant role in the distribution of music for over a decade. Whether its contributions are positive or negative is a question that has been debated for years, yet the last week has seen an uptick in commentary from some old school rock stars. The message that these rockers deliver is unique and, if the die-hards on both sides of the digital music debate would stop to listen long enough, they might just learn something.

The Debate

The digital distribution of music, movies and books is a polarizing topic. On one side are the industry trade groups who try to protect their members’ intellectual property through every conceivable means, including suing tens of thousands of end users who download these works for free. On the other side are groups of people who, for philosophical or pecuniary reasons, believe that the concept of “owning” intellectual property should go away.

While the RIAA may still pursue draconian instruments for enforcing copyright laws, its member-labels have come a long way towards embracing digital technologies. If they had not, there would be no ringtones (a good thing?), no Pandora, no last.fm, no iLike, and so on. There are plenty of creative uses of music online that did not exist 10 years ago, which have since become seamlessly integrated into our lives.

On the other side, there are those who still champion the role of the “pirate” and make tens of thousands of copyrighted works available to millions of people, yet organizations like Creative Commons now have a loud and legitimate voice in music policy. Creative Commons, which has been around almost as long as digital distribution, has proven that copyright is not a black-and-white issue. By creating a uniform and easy-to-understand series of alternative licenses, creators may distribute their works with all, little or no traditional copyright restrictions.

Insight From The Rockers

While both sides have taken notable steps towards reaching a middle ground, their underlying philosophical differences are nevertheless combining to substantively change the music industry. Unfortunately, it appears that the sum total of those changes may not necessarily be for the better.

ABC News ran a story last week on John Mellencamp, which quotes the rocker as saying, “I think the Internet is the most dangerous thing invented since the atomic bomb. It’s destroyed the music business. It’s going to destroy the movie business.” He continued, “Rock n’ roll – as important as we think it is, and as big as it was, and as much money as people made on it, and as proud as I am to say that I was a part of it,” will be gone after a few generations.

Then on Sunday, Stevie Nicks shared a similar sentiment, telling the NY Daily News that “the Internet has destroyed rock . . . I’m financially stable. I’m okay. 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. There are a lot of people out there as talented as we 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.”

Predictably, those who champion the Internet music model, in whatever form that innovation delivers, believe rock stars such as Mellencamp and Nicks are simply trying to cling on to an outdated business model. They paint these artists with the same brush as the RIAA simply because they dare to suggest that not everything is better online. However, oversimplifying the artists’ statements so they fit into the pro-industry narrative comes at the expense of an insightful message.

Mellencamp and Nicks are not a couple of corporate stiffs suggesting that the Internet be closed for business, or that we undertake drastic measures to undergird the industry in order to subsidize rockers’ lavish lifestyles. Rather, they are artists who are making a simple, educated observation. In short, blindly believing that technology can do nothing but progress our musical culture is naïve.

A Real World Example

Consider Nicks’ statement,“if you don’t have a hit single, they’re gonna drop you.” I work with a wonderfully talented pop rock band that’s truly better than your average commercial pop. They were signed to a major label and their first record did well, all things considered. In addition to respectable record sales and equally respectable radio play, their songs were frequently used in several of the year’s most watched television shows.

The label has been in trouble for the last couple of years, partly due to poor management but mostly due to the overall decline of the industry. When the time came to exercise the option for the band’s second album, the label hesitated. There were no number 1 hits on the first record and the label was not willing to risk paying the recording fund the band was promised in their deal.

The label offered to pick up the option but only if the band was willing to accept significantly less money to record the album, deliver the album on a tight schedule, and give up a higher percentage on non-record revenue streams. Not only was the proposal fundamentally unfair, the band would not have enough time or financial resources to write any decent songs.

The band faced an impossible choice between three options. First, they could take the deal, knowing they were getting screwed, they were going to deliver a sub-par record, and the relationship likely wouldn’t last for another album. Second, they could try to shop themselves to another label, knowing that things are just as hard everywhere else. Third, they could try to release their next record themselves.

Those who loathe the music industry establishment would suggest that the band go out on their own. The Internet provides uninterrupted access to the entire world market, distribution costs are nominal, and promotional channels are wide open. For a hypothetical band, especially one with an existing fan base and the talent to make a top-notch record, the go-it-alone approach is the essence of the utopian Internet/music business model, where record labels are rendered useless, the consumers are free from musical gatekeepers, and the artists earn an honest living from their craft.

Unfortunately, the members of this band live in the real world. They are a group of mid-20s guys, a couple of which are married. They have real bills to pay every month, just like everyone else. The money that is coming in from the first album, touring and merchandise is enough to cover their expenses and little else. There are no savings to draw from. So how are they supposed to support themselves while writing music for their next record? How are they supposed to finance tours and create merchandise? Who is going to undertake all the marketing and promotion?

In theory, the guys would take crappy jobs to cover the bills while they write music. Even if this hypothetical income was sufficient to survive, part-time writing produces part-time songs. Even if the part-time songs were good enough, a crap job certainly will not finance a quality recording. Even if they could record, they still face the extraordinary expenses to tour. And even if they were able to overcome all of these obstacles, if they are busy working at a crappy job while writing songs and recording, who is going to invest the time necessary to distribute the record, promote the record, book gigs, and manage all the other laborious tasks inherent in getting a record to the public?

Nicks is right. Here is one band that must make a crucial decision that they would not have faced 15 years ago. The industry shakeup has caused record sales to shrink dramatically, which in turn has reduced labels’ profitability, causing them to invest less in developing artists while taking an even greater share of the artists’ income. Artists with huge promise but little profitability are being dropped. The vast majority of those artists will never record again.

The bitter reality is that my clients may never have the opportunity to release another album and our musical culture will be that much poorer as a result.

A Simple Change in Perspective

Far too many well-intentioned people, both within and outside the music industry, seemingly believe that consumers are always right and what they demand necessarily must be given to them. However, as we have learned on so many other occasions, moderation is not instinctual in American society and music would not be the first thing we destroyed through over-consumption.

Give us buffalo and we’ll slaughter them into extension. Give us a forest and we’ll clear cut it until no trees remain standing. Give us unlimited access to free music and we’ll download it until artists can no longer earn a living recording it.

It is foolish to dismiss Mellencamp’s and Nicks’ observations. While their comments are full of hyperbole, the underlying concern is legitimate and we all would be wise to stop to consider what’s at stake. As both industry participants and consumers of music, it is imperative that we not take music for granted and acknowledge that, just like the buffalo and the forest, we are capable of doing irreparable harm to the art of recorded music.

It does not require an active imagination to envision a world where our rock music landscape includes an endless churn of “indie” artists who can’t survive in the business longer than a record or two, while the only artists with sustainable careers are a select few of the most contrived, formulaic pop monsters imaginable.

Accepting this reality is no less critical of a first step towards saving our musical heritage as accepting global warming is towards the survival of our planet.

[michelej1]

[Excerpt from an article on punk rock opera Everyhead who had an album planned for release in 1975, but it was supposedly banned in America. This reminds me of Dave Stewart's fake band Platinum Blonde ]

http://www.24-7pressrelease.com/pres...ion-167538.php

The Everyhead album features the lead guitar work of famed Steppenwolf band guitarist Michael Monarch, and was originally mastered by Kent Duncan, who mastered albums for such notable recording artists as the Jefferson Starship, Joe Cocker, Reo Speedwagon, Neil Diamond, Van Morrison, the Doobie Brothers, the Isley Brothers, among others.

It is reported that Stevie Nicks was interested in singing the part of the girl next door while she was still in Buckingham Nicks, but her new commitment to Fleetwood Mac interfered and she was forced to withdraw from the recording sessions.

[vivfox]

Write On Target: Stevie!
By Debra L. Schubert
... to save the world or dolphins or my neighbors down the street from self-destruction due to their immense love of all things Tea Party, but I knew you'd never forgive me if I didn't share pics from the Stevie Nicks concert instead. ...
Write On Target - http://debralschubert.blogspot.com/

[vivfox]

Stevie Nicks: “The Internet Has Destroyed Rock” « 104.3 WOMC
By 104.3 WOMC
First it was Prince and now has it out for the internet. The songstress is pointing her finger at the web and claiming it's existence is making it harder for young musicians to make a living and a name for themselves. Nicks shared ...
104.3 WOMC - http://womc.radio.com/

Stevie Nicks: “The internet has destroyed rock” - Musicrooms.net
Former Fleetwood Mac star Stevie Nicks has revealed that she is worried about the future of rock 'n' roll in the age of the web.
Musicrooms.net - http://www.musicrooms.net/

Stevie Nicks: The internet has destroyed rock
Monsters and Critics.com
By Daniela Elser Aug 28, 2010, 18:43 GMT Former Fleetwood Mac star Stevie Nicks has revealed that she is worried about the future of rock 'n' roll in the ...
http://www.monstersandcritics.com/pe...destroyed-rock

RIAA Record Label Founder Says Internet Not Music's Enemy
Zeropaid
Just shortly after Stevie Nicks said that the Internet has destroyed rock, the founder of Elektra Records, an RIAA record label according to RIAA Radar, ...
http://www.zeropaid.com/news/90437/r...-musics-enemy/

Stevie Nicks: “The internet has destroyed rock” | Celebrity News Now
By Jessie K Powell
Former Fleetwood Mac star Stevie Nicks has revealed that she is worried about the future of rock 'n' roll in the age of the web.The 62-year-old singer said:
Celebrity News Now - http://www.celebritynewsnow.com/

Kerascene Digital Music News
By Kyle Bylin
Stevie Nicks Says 'The Internet Has Destroyed Rock.' image from quicktime.warnerbrosrecords.com; List Of Top Creditors In Playlist Bankruptcy Filing. Ticketmaster's Irving Azoff Unveils All In Ticket Pricing And Three Day Return Policy. ...
Kerascene» Kerascene Digital Music News - http://kerascenenews.com/digitalmusic/

How to Sell Records: Say Something Ridiculous, Capitalize on the ...
By session
So what do Stevie Nicks, John Cougar Mellencamp, and Prince have in common? They all think the Internet is damaging the music industry. At first I thought, “what the hell?” Then, it dawned on me. Either they are completely out-of-touch ...
TheSessionSpot.com - http://thesessionspot.com/wordpress/

Stevie Nicks And The Overconsumption Of Music | Free-Music-DL.com
By admin
free-music-dl.com - Free MP3s, Music News & Interviews Mashed with related videos, images, tweets and digg stories!
Free-Music-DL.com - http://free-music-dl.com/

[vivfox]

Super duper long, long, long career retrospective article on Stevie solo, and her work with Fleetwood Mac and others.

http://thepoliticsofmusic.blogspot.c...vie-nicks.html

[vivfox]

Best Coast Guest List 2010, Interview by Pitchfork « The JangleBox
By TheJangleBox
[Drake] would be awesome, but I'm also obsessed with Stevie Nicks, so I think, ultimately, my number one collaboration would be to do something with Stevie Nicks. BB: Probably Little Boots. I think her music's really cool. ...
The JangleBox - http://thejanglebox.wordpress.com/

Older Songs at the Moment

BC: I started listening to E.L.O. a lot on the European tour, and “Can’t Get It Out of My Head” is one of my favorite songs ever. And another is James & Bobby Purify: “I’m Your Puppet”, which is a song that Bobb and I listen to a lot when we’re touring and driving.

BB: Fleetwood Mac: “Sara” from Tusk. I listen to that song probably every day, at least once. Some days more than once [laughs ]. And “You Make Loving Fun” from Rumours. I’ve been really obsessed with those.

http://thejanglebox.wordpress.com/20...-by-pitchfork/

[vivfox]

But here's what I really wanted to write about. Jeff and Caryle came up yesterday afternoon for Heidi's belated birthday celebration. During the morning, he had helped his sister with her garage sale and apparently, there was a crapload of vinyl for sale. He called me mid-morning and ran a few titles by me. A couple I already had, a few I wasn't interested in, but there were two that really got my attention. Here's the first:

It is, obviously, Stevie Nicks' 4th solo album The Other Side of the Mirror which I pretty much trashed here. Still, it was the only one of Stevie's solo albums that were actually issued on vinyl that I didn't have. This album was completely unopened - plastic seal still intact so whoever purchased it NEVER EVEN LISTENED TO IT. Well, because I know Stevie, I knew that the stuff on the inside would not be boring, so I ripped open the plastic, undisturbed since 1989 and sure enough, I was right!

That picture on the inner sleeve is one of my favorite Stevie photos of all time. I always figured it was from an earlier Stevie era, but I guess the poster of it I had in college was a promo for Mirror so it makes sense. Was it included in the Mirror CD artwork? I can't remember and I am too lazy to go look. And I love how Modern had all the vinyl labels for her solo albums be something that tied into the album cover. In this case, it's the black-and-white checkerboard floor.

I'm pretty sure that my Stevie vinyl collecting days are over because I would be shocked to find out that either Street Angel or Trouble in Shangri-La had been released on vinyl.

http://dancsblog.blogspot.com/2010/0...ale-style.html

[vivfox]

+I WILL FORGET THE ANGELS' PRESENCE NO MORE « Stop the Storm
By alchemynow
The other one is a Stevie Nicks tape, The Wild Heart. I have listened to that tape throughout my jogs so many times I can't count them. Yet suddenly yesterday, on my 59th birthday, there was one line from one song that leaped out not ...
Stop the Storm - http://stopthestorm.wordpress.com/

The Politics of Music: It's All About Stevie Nicks
By musicrebelbabe
Stephanie Lynn "Stevie" Nicks (born May 26, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter, best known for her work with Fleetwood Mac and an extensive solo career, which collectively have produced over forty Top 50 hits and sold over 120 ...
The Politics of Music - http://thepoliticsofmusic.blogspot.com/

Classic Rock and More: STEVIE NICKS Working On Her New Solo Album
By Graham Rhodes
FLEETWOOD MAC's Stevie Nicks is working on her new solo album number seven. Stevie has co-written the album with former Eurythmic, Dave Stewart and is the first time she has co-written one of her solo albums. ...
Classic Rock and More - http://classic-rock-and-more.blogspot.com/

Stevie Nicks | Hollow Art
By tessisamess
Stevie Nicks 6. oops! Stevie Nicks 7. Stevie Nicks 7. oops! Stevie Nicks 8. Stevie Nicks 8. oops! Stevie Nicks 9. Stevie Nicks 9. oops! Stevie Nicks 10. Stevie Nicks 10. oops! Stevie Nicks 11. Stevie Nicks 11. oops! Stevie Nicks 12 ...
Hollow Art - http://www.hollow-art.com/

My Turn: Coming full circle with country music
The Eastern Progress Online (subscription)
My mother was and still is an avid Stevie Nicks follower, and my dad, although one of U2's biggest fans, always loved to play bluegrass and country on his ...
http://media.www.easternprogress.com...-3926698.shtml

Stevie Nicks: “The internet has destroyed rock” - Musicrooms.net
Former Fleetwood Mac star Stevie Nicks has revealed that she is worried about the future of rock 'n' roll in the age of the web.
Musicrooms.net - http://www.musicrooms.net/

Rock queen, legend, icon, ect. Stevie Nicks gets her groove on ...
By Jen
Hello there! If you are new here, you might want to subscribe to the RSS feed for updates on this topic.Powered by WP Greet Box WordPress Plugin Stevie Nicks has gotten her groove back. Nine years after her last solo CD, the.
Your Hollywood Gossip - http://www.yourhollywoodgossip.com/

Stevie Nicks: “The internet has destroyed rock” | Celebrity News Now
By Jessie K Powell
Former Fleetwood Mac star Stevie Nicks has revealed that she is worried about the future of rock 'n' roll in the age of the web.The 62-year-old singer said:
Celebrity News Now - http://www.celebritynewsnow.com/

Kerascene Digital Music News
By Kyle Bylin
Stevie Nicks Says 'The Internet Has Destroyed Rock.' image from quicktime.warnerbrosrecords.com; List Of Top Creditors In Playlist Bankruptcy Filing. Ticketmaster's Irving Azoff Unveils All In Ticket Pricing And Three Day Return Policy. ...
Kerascene» Kerascene Digital Music News - http://kerascenenews.com/digitalmusic/

[vivfox]

Pop Trash Addicts: Sky Ferreira - Covers, Ke$ha & Horse Shampoo
By Mike
I love your covers of “Stand Back” and “Animal”. Can you please stick them on a future single as a B-side? If Stevie Nicks and Miike Snow let me! Sure, why not. Last but definitely not least, how you maintain your lustrous locks? ...
Pop Trash Addicts - http://poptrashaddicts.blogspot.com/

[silvasprings]

Originally Posted by vivfox

Rock -N-Roll is dead but not entirely because of the internet. That genre of music generally sucks nowadays. However if you listen to Hip Hop like I do there are zillions of great songs that have been released this century.

True, it's a shame that rock is dead cause i don't know about hip-hop, i'm not a real fan, i love the more upbeat dance type RnB but i need the melody of singing and often hip-hop doesn't have that, i might not be listening to the right kind though.

[michelej1]

Rock and Roll photographer Greg Savalin is interested in putting together a book with his photographs. He had a showing of his pictures earlier this month and it included Stevie. Here's an article on him from the Sacramento Bee:

http://www.sacbee.com/2010/08/13/295...-featured.html

He's the one who shot the photo below.

[vivfox]

Natch Rants: “DIY or Die!” | HOME / ND BLOG
By natchet
Many of the sources quoted in the article are multi-platinum selling, ultra-mega-stars of the old world way of the music business (Stevie Nicks, John “Cougar” Mellencamp, Prince). These guys and gals lived in a different era, ...
HOME / ND BLOG - http://newdisaster.com/

107.7 The Lake » What's With The Blame Game?
By Hank Dole
John Mellencamp, Stevie Nicks, Joni Mitchell and Neil Young have all recently attacked the internet and its impact on the music business. Just last week, John Mellencamp, while promoting his latest release, told Reuters “I think the ...
107.7 The Lake - http://blogs.1077thelake.com/

[vivfox]

Now Stevie Nicks - MacDailyNews
Parade of the Aging Rockers: Now Stevie Nicks thinks the 'Internet has destroyed .... That's a good one because Stevie Nicks destroyed one of the greatest ...
http://www.macdailynews.com/.../para...ing_rockers_no...

John Mellencamp: “Internet Most Dangerous Thing Since Atomic Bomb”
Zeropaid
Fleetwood Mac singer Stevie Nicks declared in an interview the other day that the “Internet has destroyed rock” as well as children's “social graces. ...
http://www.zeropaid.com/news/90469/j...e-atomic-bomb/

SO THAT'S WHY STEVIE NICKS WEARS THOSE BOOTS: « Tammy's Turns
By greg
SO THAT'S WHY STEVIE NICKS WEARS THOSE BOOTS: Tags: Stevie Nicks. This entry was posted on Friday, September 3rd, 2010 at 11:32 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. ...
Tammy's Turns - http://www.tammytingles.com/

Sarah Vanell Live at Desert Ridge Marketplace 08.20.10
By Little Rat Bastard
Sarah's rendition of the Fleetwood Mac/Stevie Nicks song Dreams really gave a showcase for her range and vocal control without succumbing the pitfall of not actually being Stevie Nicks. While Sarah has a very signature sound to her own ...
Little Rat Bastard - http://www.littleratbastard.com/

[vivfox]

Stevie Nicks Working on First Solo Album in a Decade
By AceShowbiz.com
Fleetwood Mac singer Stevie Nicks is recording her first solo album in almost a decade with former Eurythmics star Dave Stewart. The Brit has become Nicks' new writing partner and the pair has teamed up with revered producer Glen ...
Aceshowbiz.com - Entertainment News - http://www.aceshowbiz.com/news/'

Stevie Nicks Working on First Solo Album in a Decade : Jumping ...
By Jumping Anaconda
Stevie Nicks Working on First Solo Album in a Decade · Katy Perry – Campaign for German TV 'ProSieben' (Pretty Hot & Sexy) (Wikio) · Lady GaGa Appears at Eminem and Jay-Z's Second Detroit Concert · Pearl And The Puppets Offers Love For ...
Jumping Anaconda - http://jumpinganaconda.com/

Franzenfreude: My word of the week « Psychologies
By Rosie Ifould
... and has been part of the team since launch. Before that, she experimented with a number of careers, including political theatre activist and being the new Stevie Nicks. She is (hopefully) better at her current job. ...
Psychologies - http://www.psychologies.co.uk/