Showing posts with label music. Show all posts
Showing posts with label music. Show all posts
Saturday, January 08, 2011
Paris - Guerrillas in the Mist
Ice Cube: "Damn.. oh yeah! It ain't over mother.."
"KFLB newstime 4:36. In the top story of the hour, the largest single law enforcement operation in California history is currently underway. The police in five Southern counties are engaged in a massive battle.."
Paris:
P-Dog, back to break 'em off somethin
And never frontin when the rhyme keep comin
Not lotto but I'm in it to win it and never lose
Never singin but swingin and bringin nothin but bad news
And I'm madder than a motherFUCKER
Won't slip and the record won't skip, better get hip
Fin' to pop, but I ain't pop
How many cops gotta drop when the gat wreck shop
P-Dog comin up on another level
No hope for the black folk, FUCK a devil
It ain't nuttin but a skanless-ass trap
to keep motherfuckers broke and smokin crack!
So I'm grippin on the clip and finsta move
Another nigga on the trigger with nuttin to lose
You better duck when the gat buck bitch
cause the funk is on and Young Mark gimme some of that!
{*scratching*} Yeah - pass the match!
{*scratching*} Pass the match!
{*scratching*} Yeah..
Ain't nuttin changed, still anti-pig
Still anti-drug dealer and anti-house nigga
from bein broke in slavery
And if the skin is brown they only want you to stay down
I see the community need work
Black power mean mo' than a t-shirt!
All I'm tryin to do is be sure
that the young black youth stay true to the format
And see the plan to kill the man
and understand, it ain't shit for life to end
Look at the Oaktown murder rate
We need mo' than a panel to set it straight
The next time somebody asks why
a motherfucker sit still while the black keep dyin?
I'ma do a (?)alley U(?) and make you see you cain't
bullshit around with the people's fate!
And that's why we hate ourself
Sleepin with the enemy you're bound to catch hell
They ain't never been down with our side
So fuck Schlitz, Olde E and St. Ide's
You better hear the word when I warn ya
Now it seem like the whole WORLD's Arizona
One for Rodney and Latasha and Tawana boy ya better check ya list
for guerrillas in the mist!
Alright y'all, get ready for roll call
We got the gats, we got the masks, we got the gloves
The van's packed, and motherfuckers is ready to roll!
Uh-uh, wait a minute motherfucker
You better go on with that ol' trick shit
Cause in the 90's, niggaz ain't havin it
So you best just learn to deal and get the FUCK out!
White supremacy ain't never been a friend of me
You better check it when I wreck it cause it's gettin deep
And get ready for the funk when the pot boil
With a dry rag, kerosene, and motor oil
Now the Aryan is scary and I'm runnin up
Fat Tom better duck when he try his luck
cause I'ma see that he suck on a tech-9
or fifteen to his dome'll be fine!
Or maybe I'll just tar and feather ya
and castrate ya cause I hate a devil too
Rape your women up and then I'll rape your mind
Think about it it's an eye for an eye!
And now it's fittin that I'm spittin on America
A black man with a plan and I'm scarin ya
It ain't a threat but a promise out to each
In L.A., Forsythe, and Howard Beach!
Duck down when the clip from the tech POP
You cain't fuck with the sound when the needle drop
So don't speak when I plans to wreck the house
You can't win when the truth is spoken out
A real case of a brother you love to hate
Can't be roughed up or hushed or set STRAIGHT!
You better know me on the Mike McGee tip
and grab another clip, for guerrillas in the mist!!
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Friday, December 24, 2010
Thursday, April 09, 2009
French Lawmakers Reject Internet Piracy Bill
French legislators on Thursday rejected legislation to permit cutting off the Internet connections of people who illegally download music and films. But a stubborn government plans to resurrect the bill for another vote this month.
Backers of the bill -- record labels, film companies and law-and-order parliamentarians -- couldn't rally the needed support during in a near empty lower chamber ahead of the Easter holiday. Lawmakers voted 21 to 15 against it.
The measure would have created a government agency to track and punish those who pirate music and film on the Internet. Analysts said the law would have helped boost ever-shrinking profits in the entertainment industry, which has struggled with the advent of online file-sharing that lets people swap music files without paying.
The government, intent on gaining the upper hand in piracy, managed to slip the measure into an April 28 special session devoted to initiatives by President Nicolas Sarkozy's conservative UMP party.
The president's office reaffirmed Sarkozy's wish to get the law passed "as quickly as possible."
He "does not plan to renounce this whatever the maneuvers" to try to stop the bill's passage, a statement said.
Music labels, film distributors and artists -- who have seen CD and DVD sales in France plummet 60 percent in the past six years -- almost universally supported the measure, hailing it as a decisive step toward eliminating online piracy and an example to other governments. Artists' groups in France have said the future of the country's music and film industries depends on cracking down on illegal downloads, and the legislation received industry support from around the world.
"It is disappointing that the law was not confirmed today," said London-based John Kennedy, Chairman and CEO of the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, which represents the recording industry worldwide and supported the bill.
Legislators and activists who opposed the legislation said it would represent a Big Brother intrusion on civil liberties -- they called it "liberticide" -- while the European Parliament last month adopted a nonbinding resolution that defines Internet access as an untouchable "fundamental freedom."
Opponents also pointed out that users downloading from public WiFi hotspots or using masked IP addresses might be impossible to trace. Others called its proposed monitoring structures unrealistic.
"It is a bad response to a false problem," said Jeremie Zimmerman, coordinator of the Quadrature du Net, a Paris-based Internet activist group that opposed the bill, calling it "completely impossible to apply."
He said the bill's rejection is proof of a widespread sense that it was a draconian approach.
Under the legislation, users would receive e-mail warnings for their first two identified offenses, a certified letter for the next, and would have their Web connection severed, for as long as one year, for any subsequent illegal downloads.
French Culture Minister Christine Albanel had said the bill did not aim to "completely eradicate" illegal downloads but rather to "contribute to a raising of consciousness" among offenders.
"There needs to be an experiment," said Pierre-Yves Gautier, an Internet law expert at the University of Paris, noting the plummeting profits of the entertainment industry. "Frankly, it's worth it."
Backers of the bill -- record labels, film companies and law-and-order parliamentarians -- couldn't rally the needed support during in a near empty lower chamber ahead of the Easter holiday. Lawmakers voted 21 to 15 against it.
The measure would have created a government agency to track and punish those who pirate music and film on the Internet. Analysts said the law would have helped boost ever-shrinking profits in the entertainment industry, which has struggled with the advent of online file-sharing that lets people swap music files without paying.
The government, intent on gaining the upper hand in piracy, managed to slip the measure into an April 28 special session devoted to initiatives by President Nicolas Sarkozy's conservative UMP party.
The president's office reaffirmed Sarkozy's wish to get the law passed "as quickly as possible."
He "does not plan to renounce this whatever the maneuvers" to try to stop the bill's passage, a statement said.
Music labels, film distributors and artists -- who have seen CD and DVD sales in France plummet 60 percent in the past six years -- almost universally supported the measure, hailing it as a decisive step toward eliminating online piracy and an example to other governments. Artists' groups in France have said the future of the country's music and film industries depends on cracking down on illegal downloads, and the legislation received industry support from around the world.
"It is disappointing that the law was not confirmed today," said London-based John Kennedy, Chairman and CEO of the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, which represents the recording industry worldwide and supported the bill.
Legislators and activists who opposed the legislation said it would represent a Big Brother intrusion on civil liberties -- they called it "liberticide" -- while the European Parliament last month adopted a nonbinding resolution that defines Internet access as an untouchable "fundamental freedom."
Opponents also pointed out that users downloading from public WiFi hotspots or using masked IP addresses might be impossible to trace. Others called its proposed monitoring structures unrealistic.
"It is a bad response to a false problem," said Jeremie Zimmerman, coordinator of the Quadrature du Net, a Paris-based Internet activist group that opposed the bill, calling it "completely impossible to apply."
He said the bill's rejection is proof of a widespread sense that it was a draconian approach.
Under the legislation, users would receive e-mail warnings for their first two identified offenses, a certified letter for the next, and would have their Web connection severed, for as long as one year, for any subsequent illegal downloads.
French Culture Minister Christine Albanel had said the bill did not aim to "completely eradicate" illegal downloads but rather to "contribute to a raising of consciousness" among offenders.
"There needs to be an experiment," said Pierre-Yves Gautier, an Internet law expert at the University of Paris, noting the plummeting profits of the entertainment industry. "Frankly, it's worth it."
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Ban on Arts Stimulus, Declare Arts Worker Jobs Not “Real”
Folks, we have a lot of work ahead of us in the good ole' USA...
The plot in US politics, in the space of a few short weeks, has gone something like this:
- A new Administration could bring new vision to making the arts part of the economy.
- Arts spending is wasteful.
- Any spending on anything should be specifically prohibited from reaching the arts, as that would be wasteful and evil, and the arts are the best symbol of Waste itself.
As digital musicians and visualists, relevancy to the rest of the people around us is important. What we do can be meaningful to people, and it can pay for our health care and our loved ones and our kids. It’s often not a life or death thing - but then, neither are many jobs. It’s a gig. Heck, even if it’s a hobby, it supports someone else’s gig.
So that raises some really deep questions about what’s going on with our society when arts-related jobs are singled out above nearly every other sector as meaningless or “wasteful” or not “real jobs.” This stimulus bill will pass, but that fundamental misunderstanding isn’t going anywhere - and it’s time to recognize there’s a problem, and start to work to set it right.
Roughly half of one one hundredth of one percent of the US economic stimulus plan was slated to support job protection in the arts — US$50 million. Meanwhile, we’ve just passed one trillion-dollar bailout of finance and are told another trillion is needed.
You might expect anger to be directed at finance, given their industry was at the heart of the problem. Instead, legislators single out — the arts?
In last-minute negotiations in the US Senate, legislators — including key liberal Democrats — have gone still further to ban any use of stimulus funds for the arts (”museums,” “theaters,” and “arts centers” get singled out). The move was largely symbolically-motivated, not fiscally-motivated. Adding insult to injury, arts institutions are lumped together with casinos and golf courses - literally.
- U.S. Senate Votes Against the Arts (Chicago Examiner)
- Arts Bashing (Center for American Progress)
Congress Restores Arts Funding, Drops Arts Stimulus Ban, After Public Outcry
Here in the US, Congressional Democrats have reversed not one but both bad decisions on the role of the arts in the economic stimulus package. Provisions that would have blocked any stimulus funds from reaching arts centers, museums, and theaters have been dropped. (Golf courses and casinos are still in the ban. Maybe this time, someone read the actual legislation.) And the US$50 million (out of some $800 billion) that would go to the National Endowment for the Arts, dropped from a Senate version, has been restored to the bill. It appears both of those changes not only cleared the House but are part of the Senate version that’s in votes as I write this.
If you believe artists shouldn’t rely exclusively on government funding, you can still celebrate. The arts will receive far less of a handout than a lot of other industries — and do more with it. Arts advocacy groups estimate that for every dollar of the NEA money, another seven dollars will come from public and private supporters. What the tiny amount of federal spending does is make up for shortfalls in lean times, protecting an arts sphere that depends on a variety of sources for revenue. Nearly 15,000 real jobs could be saved by those same estimates. That means an arts infrastructure in the US that can remain healthy and independent.
But the important story here has nothing to do with the stimulus bill, or even the US. It’s that public outcry from people like you rescued this legislation. And if public support can do that, it can do a lot more for the arts, not only in federal spending but other key areas.
Americans for the Arts says supporters from its organization alone sent some 100,000 messages and letters to their Members of Congress. That’s not counting the many more letters and phone calls from constituents, not to mention letters to the editor and press attention.
Here’s one example from CDM comments, by Dartanyan Brown:
I heard the congressman from Nashville (!) talking down the $50 million for the
National Endowment for the Arts. I immediately called his office and let his
staffers know that (blue dog democrat Cooper) was full of hot air on this issue.
As a synthesist, jazz musician and former NEA artist-in-residence I had the
facts and anecdotes to make my points clear.
If Rush Limbaugh can get his folks to call, we can at least counteract them with some facts and persistence.
Call them, they listen, they respond to numbers.
More background on today’s developments:
- House passes stimulus bill with $50 million for artists (Los Angeles Times)
- U.S. Senate Begins Voting on Obama’s $787 Billion Stimulus Plan (Bloomberg)
To all of you who were active, and to our elected representatives who got this right, thanks.
Targeting the arts in this way may have backfired for those elements seeking to vilify it. Instead, it caused thousands of people to rally to the cause. Here’s an example of organizing meetings in Chicago - and a renewed sense that the arts could be part of the economic solution, not the “costly distraction” so many try to make it out to be.
- Organizing Around Art (Chicago Tribune)
Thursday, October 02, 2008
Apple Threatens iTunes Shutdown Over Royalty Dispute
Apple has threatened to shut down the iTunes music store if an obscure three-person board appointed by the Librarian of Congress increase the royalties paid to publishers and songwriters by six cents per song.
The Copyright Royalty Board is scheduled to hand down its decision on these rates by Thursday. As part of their general muscle-flexing of late, music publishers asked the board to increase the royalties paid to publishers and songwriters for the sale of digital downloads from 9 cents to 15 cents per song.
Apple -- which has mightily resisted tampering in any way with its 99 cent price point for tracks -- said that if the rate hike goes through and the labels refuse to absorb the entire resulting increase, the iTunes music store will become unprofitable.
And, Apple says, it likes making money.
"If the [iTunes music store] was forced to absorb any increase in the... royalty rate, the result would be to significantly increase the likelihood of the store operating at a financial loss -- which is no alternative at all," wrote Apple iTunes vice president Eddy Cue in a statement filed with the board last year, according to Fortune. "Apple has repeatedly made it clear that it is in this business to make money, and most likely would not continue to operate [the iTunes music store] if it were no longer possible to do so profitably."
Out of each 99 cent song, Apple currently pays artists and labels an estimated 65 to 70 cents per song, 9 cents of which they currently pass on to publishers. According to Apple, the 66 percent increase in publishing royalties to 15 cents per song requested by the National Association of Music Publishers (NMPA) is too much for the company to bear.
Of course, Apple could simply tack the extra six cents onto the price of each song in its store and make up the difference that way. But part of iTunes' longstanding allure is that every track costs 99 cents (with the exception of DRM-free tracks in the iTunes Plus previous to October '07).
Steve Jobs is unlikely to raise the standard track price on iTunes to $1.05, although that would probably be just fine with the labels, which have been pressuring Apple to budge on its 99 cents per track policy for years by allowing Amazon to sell DRM-free albums that they insist be wrapped in DRM when iTunes sells them, among other things. Despite this pressure, Jobs has refused to relent, continuing to insist on the 99 cent flat pricing structure. It's hard to believe that Apple would close iTunes rather than raise prices, but that's exactly what iTunes vice president Cue threatened to do.
Prospects for the record labels absorbing the entire increase are dim. They're not trying to do Apple any favors when it comes to keeping the price of songs at 99 cents, and a 15 cents per song publishing royalty would gobble over 20 percent of their per-song revenue. Apple will almost certainly have to pony up some of any additional fees, meaning that it'll either have to raise prices, run the store at a loss or stop selling music altogether. According to Cue's statement to the board, Apple prefers the third option.
Apple and the NMPA had no comment.
The Copyright Royalty Board, pictured above, is set to announce its ruling on digital publishing royalties for the first time ever by Thursday. Previously, digital downloads had operated under the same rate that governed the sale of physical albums. In addition, the board will set new publishing royalty rates for physical albums and ringtones. The new rates will be in effect for the next five years. The previous rate of nine cents per track has been in effect since '96 (updated) -- one reason publishers say it's high time for an increase.
The Copyright Royalty Board is scheduled to hand down its decision on these rates by Thursday. As part of their general muscle-flexing of late, music publishers asked the board to increase the royalties paid to publishers and songwriters for the sale of digital downloads from 9 cents to 15 cents per song.
Apple -- which has mightily resisted tampering in any way with its 99 cent price point for tracks -- said that if the rate hike goes through and the labels refuse to absorb the entire resulting increase, the iTunes music store will become unprofitable.
And, Apple says, it likes making money.
"If the [iTunes music store] was forced to absorb any increase in the... royalty rate, the result would be to significantly increase the likelihood of the store operating at a financial loss -- which is no alternative at all," wrote Apple iTunes vice president Eddy Cue in a statement filed with the board last year, according to Fortune. "Apple has repeatedly made it clear that it is in this business to make money, and most likely would not continue to operate [the iTunes music store] if it were no longer possible to do so profitably."
Out of each 99 cent song, Apple currently pays artists and labels an estimated 65 to 70 cents per song, 9 cents of which they currently pass on to publishers. According to Apple, the 66 percent increase in publishing royalties to 15 cents per song requested by the National Association of Music Publishers (NMPA) is too much for the company to bear.
Of course, Apple could simply tack the extra six cents onto the price of each song in its store and make up the difference that way. But part of iTunes' longstanding allure is that every track costs 99 cents (with the exception of DRM-free tracks in the iTunes Plus previous to October '07).
Steve Jobs is unlikely to raise the standard track price on iTunes to $1.05, although that would probably be just fine with the labels, which have been pressuring Apple to budge on its 99 cents per track policy for years by allowing Amazon to sell DRM-free albums that they insist be wrapped in DRM when iTunes sells them, among other things. Despite this pressure, Jobs has refused to relent, continuing to insist on the 99 cent flat pricing structure. It's hard to believe that Apple would close iTunes rather than raise prices, but that's exactly what iTunes vice president Cue threatened to do.
Prospects for the record labels absorbing the entire increase are dim. They're not trying to do Apple any favors when it comes to keeping the price of songs at 99 cents, and a 15 cents per song publishing royalty would gobble over 20 percent of their per-song revenue. Apple will almost certainly have to pony up some of any additional fees, meaning that it'll either have to raise prices, run the store at a loss or stop selling music altogether. According to Cue's statement to the board, Apple prefers the third option.
Apple and the NMPA had no comment.
The Copyright Royalty Board, pictured above, is set to announce its ruling on digital publishing royalties for the first time ever by Thursday. Previously, digital downloads had operated under the same rate that governed the sale of physical albums. In addition, the board will set new publishing royalty rates for physical albums and ringtones. The new rates will be in effect for the next five years. The previous rate of nine cents per track has been in effect since '96 (updated) -- one reason publishers say it's high time for an increase.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Monday, September 08, 2008
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Land Of Confusion
Still fitting to our current times. Maybe that is why Disturbed remade this classic. They did an outstanding job. The only sad thing is that shit has not changed in 25 years on this planet.
Disturbed
Genesis
Monday, August 11, 2008
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Fuck the Government - Immortal Technique
Truthfully, the government has done nothing for me or my family. I am from New Orleans and saw with my own eyes what the Government thinks of it's own people. I was arrested and spent almost 5 years in the state prison system over a plant over ten years ago. A plant that grows naturally on this planet. Then they took my right to vote for this felony offense against them & their law so that I could never vote to help change the law the made me a felon in the first place. Fuck the Government...
Friday, July 18, 2008
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Barenaked Ladies Singer Faces Cocaine Charges
Now they will label him a criminal b/c he likes to get high. So fuckin' sad...should of been a drinker buddy!
Monday, July 14, 2008
Leaked RIAA Training Video
HA! They trying to label music downloaders as terrorists or the worst criminal of all! WOW!
Wednesday, July 09, 2008
Tuesday, July 08, 2008
Saturday, July 05, 2008
Art of Expression? or Art for the Ego?
Written by Daniel Carrone for New Orleans Bands.net
I recently saw a movie that was released in 2001. The title of the movie was "A Beautiful Mind". It is a story about a man named John Nash who was a mathematical genius. He came up with a formula that is used in today's world economics. What is funny is that everyone, not just world money markets, can apply his formula to everyday life. It is a simple formula, easy to understand but in the end can pay off with major success to all those involved.
His formula basically stated that if every man and woman when faced with a decision, would look at all options and choose the one that not only helps them advance but also everyone around them, everyone would win every time. This formula is pretty much the same as the golden rule in its effectiveness. If everyone did unto others, as you would want others to do unto you, wouldn’t everyone win?
The reason we see so many people that do not want to cooperate with these formulas is due to the fact that we as humans have something called free will. Everyone has a choice. It is up to you to make the choices that define who you are and who you will become. It is up to you to make choices that gratify one’s ego or help others. It is no secret that when we think of others before ourselves, it not only makes us feel better but it also makes that person feel better. If you treat everyone, even those you dislike and strangers with good temperament, you can improve your heart, your life, and even your career.
I hope by bringing this up that I can educate others and make them see that hating, jealousy, and any other negative emotion associated with gratifying one’s self ego is not productive to anyone. It may give short-term success, but it will vanish rapidly and leave misery and pain. It always does.
When did the _expression through art become a competition? The reason I ask is because even in today’s mainstream industry, the artists and bands squabble over who is best. One great example was Voo Doo Fest this past weekend. On Sunday several bands were playing, and one of the first bands, after their set was complete, called out to a band named “Shine Down” to top that. Why would these artists be so concerned with toping each other? Are they not all doing the same thing and expressing their emotions through music? Again at the festival, the band named “Green Day” made a remark about the group “Sonic Youth”. It is these types of competitive remarks that should not be exercised. They all are doing what they love and being successful in what they do. Still they must hunt down negativity and exercise it publicly.
We see this negative productivity in our own local scene also and it does not stop with the bands. People are constantly out to out do the next person so that they can be top dog. My close personal friend would call this the “crabs in a bucket” theory. When one crab gets to the top of the bucket and is about to escape, another crab will grab him and pull him back down in to the bucket. I see this at work 7 days a week, 365 days a year here. This negative energy is not productive. No one will ever go anywhere until people learn to work together and remove these ego-pleasing emotions of greed, hate, and jealousy. Many do not realize that together we can make a difference. That together, everyone can be successful.
I recently saw a movie that was released in 2001. The title of the movie was "A Beautiful Mind". It is a story about a man named John Nash who was a mathematical genius. He came up with a formula that is used in today's world economics. What is funny is that everyone, not just world money markets, can apply his formula to everyday life. It is a simple formula, easy to understand but in the end can pay off with major success to all those involved.
His formula basically stated that if every man and woman when faced with a decision, would look at all options and choose the one that not only helps them advance but also everyone around them, everyone would win every time. This formula is pretty much the same as the golden rule in its effectiveness. If everyone did unto others, as you would want others to do unto you, wouldn’t everyone win?
The reason we see so many people that do not want to cooperate with these formulas is due to the fact that we as humans have something called free will. Everyone has a choice. It is up to you to make the choices that define who you are and who you will become. It is up to you to make choices that gratify one’s ego or help others. It is no secret that when we think of others before ourselves, it not only makes us feel better but it also makes that person feel better. If you treat everyone, even those you dislike and strangers with good temperament, you can improve your heart, your life, and even your career.
I hope by bringing this up that I can educate others and make them see that hating, jealousy, and any other negative emotion associated with gratifying one’s self ego is not productive to anyone. It may give short-term success, but it will vanish rapidly and leave misery and pain. It always does.
When did the _expression through art become a competition? The reason I ask is because even in today’s mainstream industry, the artists and bands squabble over who is best. One great example was Voo Doo Fest this past weekend. On Sunday several bands were playing, and one of the first bands, after their set was complete, called out to a band named “Shine Down” to top that. Why would these artists be so concerned with toping each other? Are they not all doing the same thing and expressing their emotions through music? Again at the festival, the band named “Green Day” made a remark about the group “Sonic Youth”. It is these types of competitive remarks that should not be exercised. They all are doing what they love and being successful in what they do. Still they must hunt down negativity and exercise it publicly.
We see this negative productivity in our own local scene also and it does not stop with the bands. People are constantly out to out do the next person so that they can be top dog. My close personal friend would call this the “crabs in a bucket” theory. When one crab gets to the top of the bucket and is about to escape, another crab will grab him and pull him back down in to the bucket. I see this at work 7 days a week, 365 days a year here. This negative energy is not productive. No one will ever go anywhere until people learn to work together and remove these ego-pleasing emotions of greed, hate, and jealousy. Many do not realize that together we can make a difference. That together, everyone can be successful.
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