The Great Library Conspiracy.

Had the opportunity recently to observe an online discussion about a book that had been printed in Canada. As far as he knew, one of the correspondents thought that all the copies of this book had been pulled from all the libraries in Canada.

Ok, that's a red flag for me right there. First of all, I can't imagine all the libraries in Canada agreeing on what type of coffee to use in their staff rooms much less uniformly banning a book. That's the government's job. If a book is allowed into the country, then each library system decided on whether it wants to have the book on the shelves.

This depends on several factors : One - popularity. We bring in what people want to read/watch/ listen to...especially if many people want it. Two - specific requests. If a patron really, really wants something and it looks like it could be a good addition to the collection, we'll try to acquire it. Three - availablity. Some things are just not available to us...we have budgets, too! To buy an obscure book from the UK for one patron to read may or may not be a good use of our book buying allotment. Four - for some libraries (academic/professional) they bring in materials to support the specific requirements of their institution.

However, the book in question was available (in an earlier edition) in a number of libraries throughout the country. Which brought up the question "Why so few?" Well, if you read the previous paragraph we can tick off the reasons. One - popularity. It wasn't exactly the new Harry Potter. Two - request. No one has asked for it. Three - availabilty. A small press book won't appear in most of the catalogues that we use for ordering so we have to fall back onto reasons one or two to become aware of it. And the newest edition was only available as a .pdf file from the publisher's website. Four - the libraries that did have this book were mostly academic libraries...probably not a real page-turner then. But it was available! Thanks to our interlibrary loan system you can ask your local public library to bring it in for you.

Or.....you could buy a copy for yourself!!!! Just make sure you use cash because you know the government is tracking your credit card usage. And opening your mail. I'm sure that they can mail it in a plain, brown wrapper to a PO box registered under an alias if you ask.

So, you want to know what the real Great Library Conspiracy is? I'll tell you.

We have a great selection of books, movies and music available at a minimal cost that has been carefully selected by professionals to meet the needs and wants of the community that we are in. We resist censorship because we feel that, in a free country that people have the right to express their opinions within the guidelines laid down by the laws of Canada. And we're willing to help you find things like bus schedules, phone numbers, and the nearest mail box. We'll even smile and point when you need to know where the washroom is.

Ok, I never said that the Great Library Conspiracy was a secret, did I? Unless you count the secret handshake that cataloguers use....

And in the End...

It's all about the music, isn't it? All the hoopla about the remastering of the Beatles catalogue seems to have fallen a bit flat. A shame, really - what a chance to hear the best pop music ever made with the best sound that technology can do in this day and age. I picked up the "Abbey Road" remaster and after listening have to conclude that it is in fact, the same album.

Better sounding? Yes, of course.

Better music? Nope. Not likely to happen. They pretty much nailed the bullseye the first time.

So will I buy some more of the remasters? Probably. I'm interested in what they do with the mono albums that never had a proper stereo treatment - I think my next purchase will have to be Pepper - time to drag out the record player and compare it with the mono record that I have.

I like good recordings as much as the next guy, but I'd still rather listen to my crackly old copy of Pepper than anything I see on the charts today.

Because it's the music that counts.

Robert Fripp and the teletubbies.

So, one thing that I have been reading recently is the online diary of Robert Fripp, best known as the husband of the blond lady from Teletubbies. Oh, and he played guitar in a band called King Crimson as well. I've always wondered what would possess someone to keep an online diary (writes the guy doing a blog...) and made a point of reading all of this years entry to get a feel for what he is trying to accomplish. And what has he accomplished? Well....

1. A complete visual encyclopedia of the small English town that he lives in - He takes pictures of the main street every time he walks down it. I can only imagine how much money he spent on film before the digital camera came along.
2. A pretty clear picture of how he feels about certain aspects of the music industry.

Fripp's company (DGM) were one of the first to be vocal about the rights of artists to keep their copyrights, instead of signing them over to publishers, record companies etc. He is currently taking time off from making music in order to prevent others from violating the copyrights to Crimson music that he holds. Isn't it sad that that talent is being used to email lawyers about legal issues and not to make music? Even being an independent artist is no guarantee to keeping your rights - if you license your music to someone and they continue to use it after the license ends you would be in exactly the same position that Fripp finds himself.

And the solution? Well, to start with, how about we live in a world that everyone gets along and treats each other fairly and with respect. Since this is unlikely to happen, how about a world where people understand the concept of fair exchange. Does a professional athlete deserve to make a million dollars a year? If he is selling five million worth of tickets for the owner, then maybe he does. If a CEO is earning fifty million running a company that is two billion in debt does he deserve his money? Does a musician deserve to make money from their music? If they are making money for someone else, then certainly a fair share should go to them.

I do understand the need for people who make investments in artists to see some return for what they put in - it's only fair. Do they need 95% of it? I don't think so. Sadly, the only way to keep the majority of the money in the artist hands is to have them fund and distribute their own work. I'm as well off selling 100 cd's for $5 each if I get to keep all the money rather that getting 5% of a thousand at $10. I would rather have a thousand fans, though - and that's what the record companies and distributors give you access to. Again, is this worth 95% of the money?

The consumer enters into this as well. Is it fair to charge $20 for a cd when you could sell it for $10 and maybe sell twice as many? Or have it at a price that people don't feel ripped off and resort to p2p sites?

Fair Exchange!! Unfortunately, it costs money to make music - shouldn't everyone receive fair compensation for their work? Whether you are the musician, the engineer, the graphic artist, the financier or the consumer, we should all get what we deserve. It's a big pie, after all. Everyone deserves their bit.

catfishman.

Fripp's Diary : http://www.dgmlive.com/search_diaries.htm?diarist=3

edcbcdecabcfef....et al.

For those of you who are looking at the title and going "What?..." try humming the letter names as musical pitches to the rhythm of "A Whiter Shade of Pale" and you'll probably get the idea. Written by one Matthew Fisher and the source of his claim to have co-written the song with Gary Brooker and Keith Reid.

Fisher sued Brooker and Reid for both a claim to the title and royalties ensuing from such. Fair enough, it is probably the catchiest part of the tune and well deserving of some recognition. The old way of distributing credit to only the melody and lyric writer is well out of date in an era when samples and guitar riffs are the focus point of much popular music.

My question is where do we draw the line between the creation of the song and the filling in of parts? Is not writing the drum part really why the drummer is in the band? Why he receives his session fee/salary/share of the gig money? Sure. But what if it is a fantastic, unique drum part? Steve Gadd on "50 ways to lose your lover"? Neil Peart on just about anything Rush have done? There are a number of their songs that one of the others have written lyrics for that he gets no credit for. How about the Police? Summers and Copeland gave that music it's unique sound. Sure, Sting writes some good tunes but do they sound the same without the other guys? And of course the big question.....Does the guy who played the cowbell on "Don't fear the reaper" deserve a co-writing credit?

I'm sure every musician with a lawyer who didn't have a work for hire contract thrust in front of them for a piece of music they performed is going to be looking at this and going "hmmm...that tambourine part I played in that song really was the most important part of the song. I should be getting a percentage of that." and who's to say that they are wrong. Maybe the cowbell is the best part of "Reaper".

Last thought - as a guitar player, my solos are my trademark (Nigel Tufnel - Rock God) and riffs are frequently created from the most basic of chord progressions. As a songwriter, I create music out of nothing. Which is more important? The song has to come first, yes but does it really matter what chord progression Jan Hammer was soloing over in the Mahavishnu Orchestra?I don't know the answer but I'm pretty sure that courts everywhere will be trying to find out before long - especially as the aging rock musicians of the 60's and 70's look for ways to retire in comfort. Maybe sanity will reign and people will settle without involving the courts. And maybe Matthew Fisher will start playing with Procol Harum again.

Catfishman.

When I'm old and wise...

Well, today was interesting. I attended a funeral for someone that I had just finished college with and was 11 years my junior. While I can't claim to have been good friends with her, I do think the world is a poorer place without her, and the Oilers need all the fans they can get.

Not even considering all the "divine plan" ramifications of having someone die so young and pointlessly, It made me think about two things -

One, How do people fill that hole in their lives? When you lose your daughter or sister or friend, how do you get on with life? After returning home, I felt awkward about dealing with such prosaic things as eating dinner or staining my deck. How does someone return home to a house that has one less person in it?

Two, Why didn't I get to know her better? We always think we have the time to get to know people but no one really knows, do they?

Last thought - maybe I have friends that deserve more attention before it's too late. Before I have to go to church to say goodbye to them, too.

Catfishman.

I am just an egg...

Ok, so ripping off Heinlein is a good way to start this thing? Hey, if you're going to steal - steal from the best.

Welcome to my attempt at putting some thoughts out into the web and telling you about things that I do. I am the guitarist in the band 'new classic rock' band Big Blue Sun (Canada - not to be confused with the British folk band of the same name, nice guys though they are) - check out our music on facebook or CBC new music canada. Also love to read all sorts of books and read all kinds of meanings into them - lots of sci-fi, biographies, history and travel books.

I may also go on endlessly about my favourite soccer teams, but only when they're doing well. Which, given that I am Scottish, is unlikely to happen. I used to dream about Scotland winning the World Cup; now I'm hoping that we qualify for the thing.

Music is my number one preoccupation - Still a huge fan of the progressive and fusion scenes of the 1970's. One of my greatest achievements is having a Mahavishnu Orchestra CD turned off in my car because it was to hard for the passengers to listen to. Recently rediscovering Gentle Giant and Procol Harum in a big way. I always liked GG but for some reason limited myself to a few albums that I played over and over and didn't really explore their catalogue. Such fantastic musicians - it's amazing that they could play such complex stuff and still feel like they could groove. Procol is a band that I had never listened to, outside of one hits collection that I had bought years ago. Reading Douglas Adams biography while in Scotland last year (yes, I went to libraries all over the UK while on vacation) he mentioned his love for the band and how the song Grand Hotel had inspired "The Restaurant at the end of the Universe". I got the live DVD at the union chapel and was absolutely floored by the music and the atmosphere that this band creates. For those of you that only know Whiter Shade of Pale and Conquistador - so much great stuff is buried in this band's discography! The hits cd I had didn't even come close to telling me what this band was capable of.

Last thought - Why would I be floored by a band older than I am that's never made an impression on me before? I realized that it was because I never made the effort to listen to them before this ...it's easier to listen to our musical comfort food that reminds us of our teenage years rather than discovering new (to me) music.

catfishman.