sorry, this is long...

[Susanne E Trowbridge <umcp-cs!jhunix!ins_aset@seismo.CSS.GOV>]

Dear innocent Love-Hounds readers,

I am sorry that this reply turned out to be so loooong.  Really I am,
but when I am flamed, I fight back.  Can't help it.  I promise that
I shall never write something this lengthy again, and I hereby propose
to Messrs. Hofmann and Wicinski that this discussion be transferred to
net.music, if they wish to continue it (though I wouldn't mind if it
stopped)...

>From: James B Hofmann <hofmann@AMSAA.ARPA>
>Subject:  Smiles all around.

>J.D. is a mediocre writer (much like his friends).  Why doesn't
>he hang it up and get a real job?

If this is supposed to be a sideways attack on me, sorry.  It is not
hard to get a job freelancing for the City Paper.  If you can do better,
give Russ Smith (the editor) a call at 889-6600 and tell him you want
to do music reviews.  Then the world will finally be blessed by some
un-mediocre music writing.  However, I shall keep writing for the CP
'til they kick me off, because I need the money.  And I'm sure JD shall
keep writing for Musician, the Post, the Sun, etc. until they kick him
off.  He enjoys writing.  He gets paid well for it.  WHY should he "hang
it up and get a 'real' (yeah, writing's not a real job, is it) job?"
Because you say so?  Christ.  Many of the musicians he interviews have
mentioned that they like his work, so obviously the world consensus is
not with you.

>>As for sending out free records to critics, what the hell's wrong
>>with that?  

>Because we the record buyers are paying the overhead for promos,
>that's why.  Most critics write pretty meaningless drivel to help
>enhance their egos.  Personally, I'd rather have a well-educated "describer"
>than a critic.   This is one of the reasons I like Sound Choice
>over the overpriced, less copy/density "Musician".

I personally never buy Musician because I haven't the slightest interest
in reading about "Simon LeBon's favorite microphone" or "Stevie Ray
Vaughan's favorite guitar" etc. etc.  Like the title says, it is for
musicians, or at least those plenty interested in such specs.  However,
I hate to admit it, but sometimes that "meaningless drivel" has
convinced me to buy a record, and in many cases it turned out to be a
GOOD record...R.E.M., the Velvet Underground, and many more were bought
by me strictly because I read about them.  Am I alone in this?  I think
that the promo copies, sent to radio stations AND reviewers, give
returns beyond their cost.  Also, as stated above, I do not write to
enhance my ego, I write to make money.  Writing is my secondary
source of income, and if I can earn some extra $$ from it, where's
the harm.  

Also, I get no promo records as a reviewer.  Very few critics are 
"famous" enough to get promotional copies of records.  You guys make
it sound like any dickhead could start up a xeroxed zine and get
twelve promo copies of each new Warner Bros. record.  It is not true.
Generally, magazines and papers get record service and pass the
records out to the reviewers, giving them "assignments" (more on 
this later).  How hard is it to get record service?  Well, for a
few years I wrote for the Grand Rapids Press, which has a circula-
tion of about 150,000.  Despite attempts, we could only get record
service from Elektra and Warner Bros.  No one else thought we were
worth bothering with.  When you think of the (rapidly dwindling)
number of "big" newspapers and music magazines in America, the
number of promo copies sent to reviewers JUST ISN'T THAT LARGE.
>---
>jim

>From: The weenies are everywhere.... <wicinski@nrl-cst.arpa>
>Subject: babble babble, babble

Another load of ego-enhancing meaningless drivel from sue "weenie"
trowbridge...

>I have a collection of everything JD baby writes in the post, from his
>blasting england synth bands (which I liked and would shake his hand for
>it) to his articles on 'Genesis stioll rocking'.  Yawwnnnnnn...

Okay.  The Post.  The music EDITOR at the Post is named Richard
Harrington.  A couple times a week, Richard calls JD and says, "We
need a review of the new Madonna/Van Halen/Stones etc. record, could
you have it in by Monday?"  In other words, JD does NOT DECIDE WHICH
RECORDS TO REVIEW FOR THE POST.  He is an employee, working under
Richard Harrington, a middle-aged fellow with rather pedestrian
tastes.  However, I'm sure he'd appreciate you collecting his works.
Now, Musician is a whole different matter.  He is free to decide what
he shall write about in his Short Takes column.  As mentioned before,
he strikes a balance of about 50/50 between indies/major labels.
Oh, sorry, if it's on Homestead it IS a major label, isn't it, Tim?
What would Greg say if he knew he was purchasing major label records?
Are you out there Greg?  

>I call a major label anyone who charges list price (8.98 or similar) for
>an album.  Homestead and Enigma are major labels, as are Rought Trade,
>and the Cartel.  Skate Punk Hardcore, you have re affirmed my belief in
>you sue.

Always glad to affirm people's beliefs in me, I know I'm so well
thought of around here.  (sarcasm off) Rough Trade and the Cartel
can't be major labels by your criteria, Tim, because most of their
LPs go for about five pounds ($7.50) in England.  They sell for about
$9.99 over here, but that's just because it costs a lot to send
records air mail to America.  And they do send them air mail.  

My criterion for what makes a major label is different.  What records
do you see in your local mall record store?  No Enigma or Homestead
there, just MCA, Warner Bros., Atlantic, CBS, etc.  I think that
their network of retail distribution has more to do with it than
what they charge.  Also, it's shocking to me that in so many record
stores, you see all the Homestead/SST/etc. records shunted away in
the "Import" bins, selling for import prices.


>We pay for it. The consumer that is.  Which is why the american indie
>labels sell there records for cheaper than list price cause they don't
>send that many promos out.

See above on comments on how hard it is to get record service.
Now, radio is a different matter, it's ridiculously easy to get record
service if you're a radio station, no matter how small...WJHU is only
10 watts, but we get service from all the majors and many, many indies
(obviously, there are more indie labels than we could ever find out
about...)  But think about it.  If a radio station plays a cut from
your album, you're essentially getting a three or four-minute ad
for your record.  Also, towns with progressive radio stations tend
to have more progressive record stores which stock the records, and
in many cases the stores and stations work together.

>My feeling is that the big record labels are trash.  critics are trash.
>we are trash. everything is trash.  

Great, I'm arguing with a nihilist.

>I think that Fripp's idea of "small, mobile, and intelligent" (actuall
>Bennet's) should be applied to record labels.  What I would like to see
>is a collection of small labels which put out bands that live in the
>same area as the label (Ace of Hearts, Dischord, and Rabid Cat come to
>mind as prime examples).  These labels can concentrate on local artists,
>and releasing albums with little publicity.

How many people see a record in a bin by an artist they've never heard
of, and just buy it for the hell of it?  Publicity serves a purpose.
Locally, of course, bands can become well known by playing area clubs,
but how many Baltimoreans are going to know about bands popular in 
Boston?  They could hear them on the radio...WJHU plays *lots* of music
by Boston bands...but, oops, that would require sending out promo
copies.  We get good service from Ace Of Hearts, hate to disillusion
you, but it's true...

>  The resulting products can
>be sold for a cheaper price, since most other expenses could go away.
>Also I can't see why record companies be non-profit. Most operate like
>that anyway due to reality.

How naive!  It takes TIME to run a company, a lot of it.  People can't
work from nine til five and then come home and work on their little
cottage industry record company.  Who has that much energy?  People
like Gerard Cosloy (Homestead's prez) and Nick Cucci at Relativity
can put their all into their small labels and make a living off it too.
People gotta eat, Tim.  

>I also don't see too many big critics reviewing any cassette releases ??? 
>too much pressure from the record industry ??

Probably the fact that virtually no record stores (even the progressive
ones) carry cassettes have more to do with it.  Also, radio stations
often don't like to play cassettes because they're a pain to cue up.
Another reason: many cassettes are just put out and sold by the band
itself, a "one time only" thing.  Cassette distribution services or
cassette-only labels seem to be the answer.  ROIR's releases get a
good bit of publicity, as does the company itself.  

You won't like this, but bands who put out cassettes don't tend to
send out promo copies.  WJHU gets maybe one cassette a month.  As I
said, you don't see them in stores.  The only way for critics to get
a hold of 'em would be for them to read "Sound Choice" or "Option,"
send away for the cassettes, and review them.  

>  Did you buy a copy of the 
>fanzine they (Morning Glories) were selling, Greed ??  

No, unfortunately.  Didn't even notice they were selling a zine.
  If I see a copy when I'm down in DC, I'll pick one up.

-Sue