Stevie: MySpace is evil.

[DavidMn]

Originally Posted by danax6

Who says she's ignorant? She's got a teenager nearby, I bet Jessie knows exactly what MySpace is. And even then so, who's to say Stevie doesn't like to do some surfing herself?

Btw, I don't think a dig at MySpace is directly a dig to the entire internet. I share her opinions regarding the music business and the internet. If the internet screwed up one thing, it's that.

I couldnt agree more with your last statement.

[PenguinHead]

Originally Posted by Hawkeye

Her answers suck compared to John

For some reason, I get the feeling that Stevie isn't the person who is directly responding to the questions. I sense that, perhaps, she gives verbal answers to an assistant who then regurgitates them into terse, edited responses.

But then again, as chatty as Stevie often is, she can be very guarded. Her responses in various interviews sometimes land with a thud.

John is a surprisingly open, warm, humble and unpretentious man, which comes across so genuinely in his answers. His responses -- so off-the-cuff and honest -- make me feel almost like I'm sitting with a friend...just sharing a little conversation.

Sure, I wish that Stevie's responses have the same qualities as John's. It just goes to show how distinct their personalities are from each other.

[Jyqm]

Originally Posted by danax6

I share her opinions regarding the music business and the internet. If the internet screwed up one thing, it's that.

The Internet hasn't "screwed up" the music business any more than the printing press "screwed up" the publishing industry. The Internet is opening up whole new worlds of opportunities for musicians who otherwise might never have a chance to be noticed or get their music out to the public. Just because the embittered monks in the cloisters of the major record labels are pissing and moaning because nobody wants to buy their over-priced gilded manuscripts of crap anymore doesn't mean the music business is "screwed up." And if it is, it's their own fault. Greedy, reactionary record company executives are the enemy here, not the Internet.

[Livia]

^^^^

[danax6]

Originally Posted by Jyqm

The Internet hasn't "screwed up" the music business any more than the printing press "screwed up" the publishing industry. The Internet is opening up whole new worlds of opportunities for musicians who otherwise might never have a chance to be noticed or get their music out to the public. Just because the embittered monks in the cloisters of the major record labels are pissing and moaning because nobody wants to buy their over-priced gilded manuscripts of crap anymore doesn't mean the music business is "screwed up." And if it is, it's their own fault. Greedy, reactionary record company executives are the enemy here, not the Internet.

I respectfully disagree. Nobody complained about greedy record company executives before music was available for free. Sure, you might have thought that LP's and CD's were expensive, but everybody dutifully ran to the store to buy them anyway. And what are they to do these days but increase prices when the profits continue to decrease? It's a whole messed up circle, and yes, I still blame the internet for that ever happening. Nobody listens to albums anymore, nobody is lying on the ground smoking dope thinking about what their next record their going to buy is (thanks, Stevie). She's completely right when she says it's all fragmented these days, it comes and goes, like a fast roller coaster.

Another point of view. I manage a videostore, and 7 years ago, when I just started working there, business was blooming. Nowadays I am wondering if I will still have a job in 6 months. And I swear, every time a person comes walking in and doesn't rent a DVD because 'they have downloaded them all from the internet already', I want to bitch slap them.

[gldstwmn]

Originally Posted by EnchantedSLN

Ok, I see her point about MySpace. There have been very unfortunate stories about online sexual predation, and yes, if you get carried away and sit at the computer all day, it can be a very unproductive thing. But "they are evil"? She seems like such a technology prude lately.

I just wonder when she became so closed to anything new or different. It's not just myspace. I think a lot of us have noticed it in her comments lately.
I also thought she could have given a much better answer to Chris's question. We've come to expect the short answers from her though.

[Jyqm]

Originally Posted by danax6

I respectfully disagree. Nobody complained about greedy record company executives before music was available for free.

Are you kidding? Where've you been? People have been complaining about greedy record company executives for years, particularly since the advent of CDs. Charging between seventeen and twenty dollars or Euro for a disc that costs a mere pittance to manufacture, remarkably little profit from the sale of which goes to artists, is beyond greedy.

And what are they to do these days but increase prices when the profits continue to decrease?

Uh, lowering their prices would be a good start, actually. When your profits are down and you're losing customers, raising prices is absolutely the last thing you ought to do.

Adopting new business models to take advantage of all of the possibilities the Internet has to offer wouldn't be a terrible idea either. The number of songs and albums being purchased and downloaded from legal online music stores grows more rapidly every day.

Or how about this for a crazy idea: start nurturing artists with talent and potential for longevity, instead of pushing dispoable crap to the top of the charts for a week while offering virtually no support to artists who don't immediately perform commercially. All of the consumer polls that the major labels and the RIAA have done over the past few years have indicated that people are willing to pay reasonable prices for music they think is worthwhile, but more and more people feel that the music getting the most publicity is getting crappier and crappier.

There are loads of obvious solutions for how the major labels can fix their failing business models and win back consumers, but none of them are interested in hearing it. It's just as well. They'll go the way of the dinosaur soon enough, and we'll have plenty of smaller and independent labels, along with Internet-based companies, who will know how to meet their consumers' desires.

Sure, you might have thought that LP's and CD's were expensive, but everybody dutifully ran to the store to buy them anyway.

Everybody, huh?

Nobody listens to albums anymore, nobody is lying on the ground smoking dope thinking about what their next record their going to buy is (thanks, Stevie).

Nobody, huh?

She's completely right when she says it's all fragmented these days, it comes and goes, like a fast roller coaster.

The fragmentation of popular music has nothing to do with the Internet. It started happening long ago. I'm sure Stevie would like to remember the mid-70s as one big ol' party where everybody was unified by good ol' rock & roll, but nothing could be further from the truth. Even then, popular music was moving far away from the over-arching umbrella of pop/rock: punk, soul, disco, rap, new wave, funk, prog... and that's all before the beginning of the 80s.

[estranged4life]

Or how about this for a crazy idea: start nurturing artists with talent and potential for longevity, instead of pushing dispoable crap to the top of the charts for a week while offering virtually no support to artists who don't immediately perform commercially. All of the consumer polls that the major labels and the RIAA have done over the past few years have indicated that people are willing to pay reasonable prices for music they think is worthwhile, but more and more people feel that the music getting the most publicity is getting crappier and crappier.

There are loads of obvious solutions for how the major labels can fix their failing business models and win back consumers, but none of them are interested in hearing it. It's just as well. They'll go the way of the dinosaur soon enough, and we'll have plenty of smaller and independent labels, along with Internet-based companies, who will know how to meet their consumers' desires.

Amen to yer post!!!! If the music industry wants to blame the internet for sagging sales, fine...But the music industry exects were screwing the industry up long before the internet & music swapping existed.

I guess it is easier for the exects to place blame elsewhere instead of at the reflection in the mirror.

Thank God for half.com & eBay...That is how I purchase nearly all me music needs nowadays (I say about 80% of my purchases). On the rare occassion when I purchase new releases I purchase directly through smaller music labels (ie-Century Media; Never had to pay more than $10 for a new release, which includes shipping...Plus they always include free promo swag)

[danax6]

Originally Posted by Jyqm

Are you kidding? Where've you been? People have been complaining about greedy record company executives for years, particularly since the advent of CDs. Charging between seventeen and twenty dollars or Euro for a disc that costs a mere pittance to manufacture, remarkably little profit from the sale of which goes to artists, is beyond greedy.

That's what I said, yet still people bought them. Who was the fool?

Uh, lowering their prices would be a good start, actually. When your profits are down and you're losing customers, raising prices is absolutely the last thing you ought to do.

I know there was a reason I flunked Marketing in college.

Or how about this for a crazy idea: start nurturing artists with talent and potential for longevity, instead of pushing dispoable crap to the top of the charts for a week while offering virtually no support to artists who don't immediately perform commercially. All of the consumer polls that the major labels and the RIAA have done over the past few years have indicated that people are willing to pay reasonable prices for music they think is worthwhile, but more and more people feel that the music getting the most publicity is getting crappier and crappier.

Now this we agree on. It's exactly what I was saying that things have become too fragmented. Real talent doesn't have a chance anymore these days, unless you have a big commercial radio hit, big boobs or whatever else people go for nowadays. Music is all about image now, instead of the music. Perhaps you're right when you say the internet has little to do with that, that's a whole other discussion, but it brought forth a whole new culture, and the two are very entwined. You can go back to the 80's indeed and say 'video killed the radio star', I guess that's where it all started.

Everybody, huh?
Nobody, huh?

I apologize for generalizing.

And it's not just Stevie. Everybody (or should I say 'most people'?) looks back at the 70's as one big dope smoking party, and I've heard a lot of people say they'd like to go back to that, at least music wise, if they had a choice. Music still meant something back then, and with it came all the charms that are just lost nowadays.

[Jyqm]

Originally Posted by danax6

That's what I said, yet still people bought them. Who was the fool?

And people still buy them.

Now this we agree on. It's exactly what I was saying that things have become too fragmented. Real talent doesn't have a chance anymore these days, unless you have a big commercial radio hit, big boobs or whatever else people go for nowadays.

No, real talent does have a chance these days, precisely because of the Internet. Bands are able to get their music out to a surprisingly large public without relying on major record labels. Not only are there dozens of websites dedicated to giving underground musical talent more exposure, and writing intelligent, detailed music reviews and criticism that are available to the public at no cost, but there's also the fact that nearly every band these days has its own website or MySpace page where they can expose the world to their music.

EDIT: In case you'd like a good example. Look at a band like Wilco. They recorded Yankee Hotel Foxtrot in 2001 and were promptly dropped by their wonderful label - Reprise, of course - because it wasn't commercial enough. Now, instead of dicking around for half a decade and then putting the songs on a Fleetwood Mac album, they just put the album up online while they looked for a new contract. All of their fans had the ability to listen to this album for free for nearly a year. Eventually, the band signed with Nonesuch - ironically enough, a subsidiary of Reprise - and released the album in 2002 with only very minor changes. Why would anybody go out and buy this album that had been available for free on the evil Internet for nearly a year? I don't know, but the album has since gone gold. It's the best-selling album of their career, and it's widely regarded among most critics as one of the best albums of the decade so far. Some people even have the audacity to claim that the online buzz surrounding the band's label troubles and their decision to make the album available for free through their website actually helped sales.

Music is all about image now, instead of the music. Perhaps you're right when you say the internet has little to do with that, that's a whole other discussion, but it brought forth a whole new culture, and the two are very entwined. You can go back to the 80's indeed and say 'video killed the radio star', I guess that's where it all started.

Hell no, it started well before that. Beatlemania had at least as much to do with mop tops and matching suits as it did with "I Wanna Hold Your Hand."

And it's not just Stevie. Everybody (or should I say 'most people'?) looks back at the 70's as one big dope smoking party, and I've heard a lot of people say they'd like to go back to that, at least music wise, if they had a choice.

You shouldn't even say most people. Lots of folks still remember that the 70s were filled with a whole lot of ****ty music that was all over the top of the charts. It was no better or worse than today in that regard. Here's a list of some number one songs of the year to jog your memory a bit:

1973: Tony Orlando & Dawn, "Tie A Yellow Ribbon"
1974: Barbra Streisand, "The Way We Were"
1975: Glen Campbell, "Rhinestone Cowboy"
1976: Rod Stewart, "Tonight's The Night (Gonna Be Alright)"
1977: Debby Boone, "You Light Up My Life"
1978: Bee Gees, "Night Fever"

Yes, truly it was a golden age. It's a real shame nobody's turning out hits like these anymore.

Look at the year 1979. This is the year of Tusk, of London Calling, of Fear of Music. And incredible year for popular music, right? And who had the top ten singles? Chic, The Knack, Rod Stewart, The Village People, Donna Summer (twice), Gloria Gaynor, Robert John, KC & The Sunshine Band, The Bee Gees and Peaches & Herb.

Music still meant something back then, and with it came all the charms that are just lost nowadays.

Music still means something now. Go to any music festival and you'll see dozens of great bands pouring their heart and soul into really fantastic music, with thousands of people crowding around the stage experiencing the rapture of seeing one of their favorite bands put on a kickass concert. Walk down the street and you'll see dozens of people completely lost in the world of their iPod, rocking out to whatever strikes their fancy. Music means as much to people now as it ever did. It's just different music, and people are listening to it and loving it in different ways. Meanwhile you just sound bitter and old in a way that you probably told yourself in the 70s you never would, when your parents said the same thing about the music culture that you loved then that you're saying now about today.

[Ghost_Tracker]

Originally Posted by PenguinHead

For some reason, I get the feeling that Stevie isn't the person who is directly responding to the questions. I sense that, perhaps, she gives verbal answers to an assistant who then regurgitates them into terse, edited responses.

But then again, as chatty as Stevie often is, she can be very guarded. .

Disclaimer to make sure people don't misunderstand --------> I've had some thoughts on this; however, they are just opinions, of course:

I honestly feel that these responses are coming directly from Stevie. It's hard to figure out how to articulate why I feel they're so short but - -
I think she probably has reasons for it. I think she feels a little weird answering questions from someone she can't even see - she's an extroverted "people person" which makes her tend to be very friendly -
in person. (Under certain circumstances - I'm talking, "by nature" she TENDS to be that way.)
If you REALLY think about it - - - wouldn't a written question from a stranger, with a written response, in a strange environment (the Internet) maybe tend to have the exact OPPOSITE effect with her?
So in Stevie's mind, this isn't a "conversation" and she feels no desire to treat it as such. Questions are asked, she politely answers them - - -
"MOVIN' on!. . . ."

But try doing even that on MADONNA'S home page -
good LU-uuuuck!

[trackaghost]

Originally Posted by Jyqm

No, real talent does have a chance these days, precisely because of the Internet. Bands are able to get their music out to a surprisingly large public without relying on major record labels. Not only are there dozens of websites dedicated to giving underground musical talent more exposure, and writing intelligent, detailed music reviews and criticism that are available to the public at no cost, but there's also the fact that nearly every band these days has its own website or MySpace page where they can expose the world to their music.

The Arctic Monkeys are a prime example of this too. They are easily the most talked about band of the past year in the UK and they were playing sold out gigs and festivals, and having record companies chase after them, simply through word of mouth gained through posting demos on their myspace page. Myspace is not always evil it seems, sometimes it's a positive thing.

Originally Posted by Jyqm

1973: Tony Orlando & Dawn, "Tie A Yellow Ribbon"
1974: Barbra Streisand, "The Way We Were"
1975: Glen Campbell, "Rhinestone Cowboy"
1976: Rod Stewart, "Tonight's The Night (Gonna Be Alright)"
1977: Debby Boone, "You Light Up My Life"
1978: Bee Gees, "Night Fever"

I happen to like Rhinestone Cowboy.

[AliceLover]

When I saw that Stevie was answering questions again, I immediatley went to the nicksfix and put one in. Its really all over the place, but theres only like 1 mirror question, so I hope John see's it. I was so excited to see the questions being back up again, i screwed up the question.

[DrummerDeanna]

I love how the people who are the most against MySpace are those who don't use it and admit to knowing very little about it.

It can be dangerous, yes.

Oh - and I really want to commend you parents who either don't allow or chaperone your kids Internet usage. That is one of the big problem - parents who let their young young kids go wild on the Internet.

My sister teaches the sixth grade - even though they're not old enough ALL of her students have MySpace pages...and they don't understand what the problem is. These little 12 year old girls are perfect targets for the pervs out there - and they are out there. But don't punish MySpace - punish the pervs and then freakin' monitor what your kids are doing!! The whole parenting thing is totally falling by the wayside...

Anyway - so Stevie doesn't like MySpace..that is a shame as it could be a great venue for her music and such - BUT she already has the Nicksfix...and doesn't really need a MySpace page. Besides..who would run it?

I, personally, love MySpace. I have found people I never thought I'd see/talk to again and although I've been stalked/pursued by pervs and weirdos - for me the good has outweighed the bad....

[skcin]

I think she's generalizing - remember how she was complaining about her niece being on the computer all the time? That kids these days are socially retarded because most of their interaction is on the net? I don't think she's meaning Myspace the website, she's probably speaking of the net in general.

BTW - Myspace is fun but also creepy. I, like Deanna, have found people I thought I'd never hear from again, which is great. BUT I've also been propositioned by men despite the fact that Myspace profile states that I'm married, and I don't even have any sexpot whorey pics up. My teenage nieces are on it & I get really nervous. I try to keep an eye out for them & remind them not to post too much personal info, but it's scary.