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In Rainbows, Radiohead (digital download), October 10, 2007 Track Listing: 1. 15 Step, 2. Bodysnatchers, 3. Nude, 4. Weird Fishes/Arpeggi, 5. All I Need, 6. Faust Arp, 7. Reckoner, 8. House of Cards, 9. Jigsaw Falling into Place, 10. Videotape Part II: To Be Free Note: For Part I, see Kid A. Clean up those hard drives. The story hit the wires and made its way up the chain all the way to the Home pages of most news outlets. The suits had won again. The RIAA victory sent shockwaves through the recording industry as a single mother of two was now forced to pay a record company $220,000 dollars for sharing 24 songs on a peer-to-peer file sharing service. It translated to $9,250 for each of 24 songs concentrated on. The rich get richer? It begged the question: who really won here? The artists? Forgetting the dollars and cents of it for just a moment, if the ultimate goal of any artist is to achieve a wider audience so that the fruits of their labor can be enjoyed, then wasn’t file sharing the Holy Grail? Of course, only the most naive of consumers would subtract green from the equation. But, were the record companies the winner? The recording industry? If making an example out of a single mother who lived paycheck to paycheck translated into victory, then what exactly was the prize? Was it really a good business practice to spend years threatening and slapping lawsuits on your client base? And if those clients were now forced to pay across the board for what they had been getting free, would the majority of consumers be willing to hand over their hard earned money to the big businesses that aligned themselves as the enemy? And what about those ever inflated ticket prices for concerts where the real money was? Would any consumer in their right mind fork over 200 bucks and up to see their favorite artist in lieu of this ongoing war? In the end, all is forgiven? The beat goes on? __________________________________ We wiggle in coffins that don’t fit quite right. Can’t seem to stretch. Our bodies tighten in the darkness. It is stress over the next month’s bills perhaps, or a toothache that needs attention. The clock battery goes out. Don’t know when it happened exactly: 6 p.m., 6 a.m., one or the other. Ominous 6. Time for a replacement battery. Morning approaches. As usual, we are not ready. “Wakey wakey -from “Fast Arp ” It was ripe before it was fresh before it began to turn as blue and purple as an eye that had seen too much. “You used to be alright -from “15 Step” The city was the energy source, breathing all around. Mornings plugged into the circuit—the morning ride on the EL with other hard working people. The trip. We passed street after street and saw row after row of vintage dreams, some towering in their historical pride. We saw others that were waiting to be gutted and brought back to life. Inside the train—a ride into the new day—you suddenly catch a bizarre mix of perfume and piss. “Has the light gone out for you? -from “Bodysnatchers” You work harder to pay more. Bi-level. Buy. Looking down on the sidewalk from your fortress up in the sky, you see the leaves scatter in the wind. “Forget about your house of cards -from “House of Cards” It won’t be long before you take off. “Everybody leaves -from “Weird Fishes/Arpeggi” But it’s okay. Really. You’ve got a new computer. Ok. Computer. Pay what you can. Really. Pay what you can. It’s all good, at least this once. “It’s all wrong -from “All I Need” They say it is wrong so you play by the rules, rules set forth by rulers. But if you are not careful, they will even try and steal their way into your conscience. “You’ll go to hell for what your dirty mind is thinking” -from “Nude” Today may be a day without a storm, when all the pretty colors show you how full of life things really are (or can be). On days like this you feel like you can stretch out beyond the horizon, you no longer feel quite so trapped inside it all. “No matter what happens now -from “Videotape” |
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