Nobody's Rockin': I ranted a bit about Clear Channel a few days back. I really think the implosion of the music industry is one of the more remarkable on-going business stories of recent times. It's not just the radio meltdown. CDs aren't selling. The various factions are suing everyone in sight, trying to make it impossible to copy anything when they should be addressing the reason their CUSTOMERS want to copy stuff to begin with (i.e. too expensive, too many filler songs on CDs when you only want the one, need for a centralized availability, etc.), lobbying to price internet radio out of the picture. You see, they've lost track of their CUSTOMERS. They think they know the formula to make money; judging from their financial results, the market disagrees. So they sue to protect their paradigm. This article sums it up. Note how the industry fears that there is no new Big Thing on the horizon, meanwhile they put all their effort into homogenizing everything so that the next Big Thing won't get a chance to interfere with their failing formulas. Another article says it well, quoting Blazing Saddles: "Gentlemen, we have got to protect our phoney, baloney jobs!"

I can't imagine a more misguided industry. Remarkable.

But also note there are high hopes for the latest release from poser-rapper Eminem. His new song is getting a lot of airplay. It's got a nice, peppy beat. And of course, Eminem is always challenging society with his subject matter. If you're wondering what his new song is about, well, let's just say there are in excess of 60 uses of the words me/I/I'm/I've in what can't be much more than a 3 minute song.

It still feels so empty...