Glen has posted many times about the RIAA over on http://www.art-machine.org and its mission to destroy music sales by creating Mission Impossible-style discs that disintegrate after you play them once. Now the RIAA has the support of a company called Platinum Disc, LLC. They’re going to ensure that you never copy a disc. In fact, you may never want to play the disc more than once.
I bought a Burl Ives disc today for $5.97. I remember Mr. Ives from my childhood when he sang “Blue Tail Fly” and “Big Rock Candy Mountain.” These were the big hits for kids in the days before Snuffleuppagus and Mr Hooper sang to us on Sesame Street.
I’ve missed Burl’s voice and wanted to add one of his CDs to my collection.
The cover shows Burl with a big smile and says: Burl Ives, Blue Tail Fly, The Old Front Porch, Big Rock Candy Mountain, …and Many More.
Actually, it’s ONE MORE. There are ten songs on the CD, but only one more by Mr. Ives.
The really, really fine print on the back cover, on the left side, way down on the bottom of the back cover on the left side says “All selections are new studio recordings by the original artist or one or more members of the original group. Selections marked with an asterisk (*) are the original recordings.”
Six of the songs are by other performers and NONE are marked by an asterisk (*) so that means four songs by Burl Ives.
You know, I would have paid six bucks for a CD with four Burl Ives songs, but instead I feel I’ve been had. No, I know I’ve been had. And I’m mad because I’ve bought CDs before that were new recordings by the orginal artists (who probably haven’t been in a studio since their voices failed in 1969, and there was fine print on the cover then, too.
On second thought…never mind.
Too many of our people are dying in Iraq. Too many of our leaders are crooks, or worse. Too many of our homes are infected with Fox News. Too many of our people are going hungry, or even homeless. I like the music of Burl Ives, but next time I’ll just make a donation to the Food Pantry or to someone who really can be helped by the six bucks.