Linux World domination (was Re: [NCLUG] PC for Linux (Ubuntu))

Michael Riversong mriversong at earthlink.net
Sat Sep 20 10:52:26 MDT 2008


Just can't let this one sit, even though we are now woefully off topic.

I happen to be a professional musician & composer, in addition to doing computer stuff.  Some of you know about that.  The way artist's rights are managed on this planet is horrible.  In the USA, copyright law was set up to "protect" us, basically to prevent the kind of situation that had evolved in Europe in the 1600s and 1700s.  At that time, partly because there were so many tiny countries and pricipalities scattered around, music was published haphazardly by anyone who decided to.  Most of the time, composers never got paid for their work except by the original patron who comissioned it.

Setting up copyright and publication procedures looked like a good idea.  However, over the 1900s the system gradually devolved into what we have today.  Rights to compositions became a commodity.  Normally, in the course of an artist's life, hard times will happen sooner or later.  Or maybe all the time.  Music publishing companies took advantage of this, and had a lot of leverage because the cost of setting up such a company is prohibitive for most artists.  So, we got ripped off.  For example, the song "Louie Louie", which has made millions of dollars, was sold by the original composer for only $10,000 so he could pay off some debts!  Almost every musician you have heard of went through something similar.

What's really horrible about all this is how the publishers and their enforcement arm, ASCAP, continually shout that they are "protecting" artists.  They are doing no such thing!  They protect only their own profits, and most composers go to an early grave because of the suppression that is continually leveled against us.  ASCAP has to be the worst, because when they hit up small businesses for license fees, they act like nothing more than bullies.

So don't get me started about protecting the original work of artists.  What i've said here is only a small part of the ghastly corrupt system we have to live with every day.  There can be no comparison between our situation and what is going on with software development.

As for busking, my main instrument is Celtic Harp, and even the Pearl Street Mall is too noisy for what i do.  In fact the buskers who make money are generally only the most obnoxious.

I gave up on the system a long time ago.  Much of my work is in the public domain, because i can't put together the manpower to set up a strong-armed organization of bullies to protect my interests.  I often have to live on the edge of real starvation (including this month).  I put the work out anyway, because it might help somebody somewhere sometime.  In fact several full albums of music are downloadable for free at http://www.biblicalbards.org  After all this, how come i'm still alive at all?  Income happens from a variety of sources, including random donations because a few people have the vision to see what this music is really about.  Similar things happen in the Open Source community sometimes.

-----Original Message-----
>From: Chad Perrin <perrin at apotheon.com>
>Sent: Sep 19, 2008 4:44 PM
>To: Northern Colorado Linux Users Group <nclug at nclug.org>
>Subject: Re: Linux World domination (was Re: [NCLUG] PC for Linux (Ubuntu))
>
>On Fri, Sep 19, 2008 at 03:13:13PM -0500, Rob Bayerl wrote:
>
>Let's take this a step backward:
>
>How do you feel about busking?
>
>-- 
>Chad Perrin [ content licensed PDL: http://pdl.apotheon.org ]
>Power corrupts.  The command line corrupts absolutely.


Michael Riversong

Cheyenne, Wyoming

Beautiful Music for the whole universe!

http://home.earthlink.net/~mriversong



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