In related news: a group of suits called the COPYRIGHT ROYALTY BOARD shot down a plan by another group of suits known as the NATIONAL MUSIC PUBLISHERS ASSOCIATION to raise the per-song royalty rates artists receive from digital downloads. The increase from nine to 15 cents would have cut into the slim iTunes profit margin to such a degree that Apple hinted it might terminate the service. In case you’re curious about the stats, Apple gets about 30 cents for each track sold, keeping 10 and feeding the rest to the record label, which kicks down a paltry sum to the artist and spends the remainder on cocaine and short-sighted Luddite panic.
Elsewhere in the dystopian Internet wasteland: Aerosmith singer STEVEN TYLER has sued an anonymous weirdo fan blogger for impersonating him and disclosing “intimate details” of his life. Alas, the blog has been destroyed and the cache flushed, but reports indicate that the contents were bafflingly mundane. Damn, there go my masturbation plans for tonight.
In spicier news: the obscenity trial of Darryn Walker, the unfathomably sad British blogger who wrote an extremely graphic pornographic fictional story detailing the grisly murders of UK pop group GIRLS ALOUD, is set to get under way soon, but I’m not seeing a conviction in his future. “Girls (Scream) Aloud” just has way too much artistic merit. My favorite bit:
“The man pretended to consider Sarah’s suggestion then said ‘I'm afraid I don't see a way to let you live and cut off your sexy bits.’ ”
Related:
Bringing up Baby, The Big Hurt: Hootie goes country, Roses stay in denial, Spector gets 'demonic', The Big Hurt: Rock in a hard place, More 
- Bringing up Baby
Few things in life are certain, but this is: a gentle, white miniature poodle named Baby is the most famous three-legged, barkless dog in the world.
- The Big Hurt: Hootie goes country, Roses stay in denial, Spector gets 'demonic'
I’m still not used to the idea that Darius Rucker (“Hootie” to you and me) is a chart-topping country superstar now.
- The Big Hurt: Rock in a hard place
Fear not, broke American: the music industry feels your pain.
- The Big Hurt: Broken bones and stripper poles
Only a few weeks ago, I was making fun of Aerosmith for their inability to present Aerosmith in their Guitar Hero: Aerosmith Presents Aerosmith tour.
- The end that could have been
For a few wonderful days, it seemed that Aerosmith were finally kaput.
- Plunder, pillage, and profit
When Napster, invented by a Northeastern freshman, threw the music industry into chaos in 1999, Steve Jobs didn’t panic. He saw an opportunity.
- Less
Topics:
Music Features
, Celebrity News, Entertainment, Apple, More
, Celebrity News, Entertainment, Apple, Music Stars, Internet, Science and Technology, Technology, Music, Pop and Rock Music, Aerosmith, Less
