Payola

Like it never left, the record company Sony BMG settled a lawsuit for what was called payola back in the 50s. For those of you not familiar with what payola is, it is when a record company or some promoter affiliated with the record company compensates a radio station for playing a specific artist or song more often then it would typically be played.

I recall saying more than once, if you take something and cram it down people’s throats enough it will sell. This was displayed to a “T” with the inception of American Idol, and now such artists as Jennifer Lopez (J-Lo for those hipsters), Good Charlotte, and Celine Dion enjoyed extra air time because of such antics.

Radio is somewhat of a paradox, and it is impossible to try and satisfy everyone. First off on general radio, you only get to hear songs which have deemed “single worthy”. These songs get are played too many times and typically stay on the air longer than they really should, all making for a stagnant play list. How many more times can people really hear AC/DC’s Back in Black or the Eagles Hotel California? However, if you play more unknown artists, or tracks from the albums which aren’t known as well you may alienate some listeners who don’t want to give anything a chance.

Second, is edited songs – how annoying is it to hear a random beep or gibberish where a word deemed “un-wholesome” would be? There is way too much regulation on what is allowed to be aired and the spectrum should be widened. It was great when I could hear the original version of Pink Floyd’s Money until a few years ago they started changing the part when they say “Bullshit”. It appeared that way for years, but all of the sudden they change it.

Third, it is all about dollars. Radio stations are getting revenue from the record companies, thus record companies get money from increased album sales. All along the consumer, the listener gets screwed, but wait – you downloaded that hit song illegally. So the record companies are gonna sue Joe Sixpack for an obscene amount of money, which Sony then turned around and spent on payola.

So here is what you do with that payola, and the fines inflicted on Sony BMG, and all the other guilty parties partaking in this: come to the defense of downloaders. Support the EFF with a percentage of the money from this settlement and all others which are sure to be coming. Help stop the nonsense of making songs pushed down your and my throat a hit. Turn your radios off and turn on those cd and mp3 payers. Let a variety of music ring!

It Happened Again....

As it turns out I am going to have to eat my words which I made in my last posting. It was I, after all, who said that it takes more than a screwdriver to break into a car. Well, unless the individuals who got into my vehicle were armed with a rake and a tension wrench they proved me wrong, six days after the original attempt my vehicle fell prey to a malicious attack. The attack this time around started with the trunk lock, only they changed their minds after doing a small amount of damage.

This time the guilty party managed to get into my vehicle leaving my Oakley sunglasses lying on the drivers’ seat and stereo still intact in the dash. I consider myself fortunate because whoever gained entry to my vehicle left everything, CDs, loose change and the above items. They were unable to break into the glove compartment where I had the faceplate of my radio secured that day (not anymore if who ever are responsible for this is reading). They did their best by puncturing the dash and making a nice pry mark. All this while the alarm was going off, and of course no one noticed anything.

The beauty of car alarms, they are great, but so many go off for no reason what so ever. They are so common now people tend to just ignore them, or lament to their friend how annoying they are.

So after the second attempt, on 18-July-2005 (first one was on 12-July-2005) I filed a claim with my insurance company to get the damages repaired. The estimate I received was $1,200, almost half of which will be coming from my pocket to pay for the deductible.

So this has caused me to do multiple things, first off it made me realize just how badly I need to get out of there (find another jobby-job). Second, that my employer needs to do something about the security, or lack there of in their parking areas, as I am currently collecting my thoughts to send the board a letter threatening legal action if they continue to condone the activities which are taking place. Third I changed where I park and I am doing sporadic checks on my car during the day, I may even start moving it so it isn’t in one place for too long.

Yes indeed, my paranoia on the situation has risen, that’s for sure.

Trunk area:


Drivers Door:


Dash Puncture Mark:


Glove Compartment Damage:

Memo to all the Schmucks

This is a message for all you would be or aspiring thieves who tend prey on automobiles. This is a message for all you schmucks who would rather cause property damage just for the pure simple bliss of it. All this bitterness isn’t unfounded, but it is undirected because this mysterious person simply fled with nothing more than what (s)he came with.

Yes indeed, my vehicle fell prey to the wide world of auto breaks ins this past week. I essentially work in a bad area of town, and the problem is further compounded by the fact that people who visit the place have mental disorders and/or substance abuse problems. So it could have been any one of these people, or as it was relayed to me “some kid”, yes school has been out for the summer for about a month now. What better way of breaking the summer time blues than with a good ol’ misdemeanor?

So I walk outside after a pretty rotten day, and find that some moron stuck a screwdriver in my drivers side door lock, destroying the cylinder and prying out the molding partially. There is also some minor body damage below the molding from them prying it off or something. Thankfully they did not get into my vehicle, but the damage was made.

The inconceivable thing about is that it has happened many times before, and the place does nothing about it. They don’t accept any sort of responsibility, nor offer any sort of preventative measures from it happening again. Sweeeet!!