BACK TO THE FUTURE
I'm a lifelong music fan and DJ (radio and club) and I have to admit I feel like Daniel Brockman's blog post (see "The Problem with the Future of Music: Amanda Palmer and the rise of the music biz Super PAC," thePhoenix.com, May 3) has been beamed in from bizarro land.
Labels pressure artists to "deliver a single" and otherwise deliver commercially viable work, so if superfans do the same, no change there.
No doubt, interfacing with fans has become more demanding and more work in the age of social networking, but that's true for everyone in every industry.
And the labels' power hasn't waned — the bubble burst on music as a commodity. MP3s are worthless and people pay accordingly.
The truth is, recorded music has always been worthless. The price of "music" is determined solely by the delivery system. A new record costs more than a beat-up used record, even though both contained the same music. "Gold" CDs (remember those?) cost more than the same music on a "regular" CD. The cost of music on eBay is determined solely by the value of the physical copy as a collectible, so late-'80s alternative CDs are worth $100 apiece while their records sell for pennies, but '60s soul CDs are worth much less than their vinyl equivalent. And so on.
I love David Lowery but how many articles have you read from construction companies bitching that people won't buy their houses right now? That's hurt way more people than the music bubble pop, and yet somehow editors think it's less newsworthy.
JOHN STRIEDER
EUGENE, OREGON
IT'S IN THE CARDS
I'm writing regarding Peter Keough's review of The Avengers ("Awkward First Steps," Arts & Entertainment, May 4). I know he is a writer and understands metaphor. And while I think the handling of the playing cards (having the underling say they were in his locker and not on him, we already know Nick Fury is not one to tell the truth) was clumsy, the rallying around them was of humanity. As much as things were affecting the rest of the world, this was the first time they saw firsthand someone they knew and liked being affected while they were together. It was a poignant moment and a truism. Most of us do not react until one of two things happens, a large catastrophe occurs, or something happens to someone we care about.
WILLIAM FUENTES
WINDSOR LOCKS, CT
