Re: [ARSCLIST] Deejays--was: Brunswick Records rights/Universal

[steven c <stevenc@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "David Lennick" <dlennick@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Bob Olhsson wrote:
>
> > Karl Miller wrote:
> > >However, let us keep in mind, advertizing budgets help keep the world
> > >functioning.
> >
> > Advertising budgets are also cannibalizing American music. We have the
perfect example of precisely where this leads in American broadcast radio,
television.
>
> And not just in music..the lack of advertising killed "Book of Daniel"
after 3 weeks (a show that should have been on cable in the first place, but
that's
> another matter).
>
Well, advertising has been with us at least since the Roman Empire
(graffitti-based advertising was found on walls in the ruins of
Pompeii!) and paid advertising since shortly after the first
newspapers rolled off the presses (if the rolled off then!).

However, as the world continues to be ruled by greed, advertising has
become ubiquitous...I wouldn't be surprised if there is a body of
neuropsychiatrists being paid to figure out how to put commercials
into your dreams!

And, IMHO...most of today's media problems are caused by the fact that
there are two active demographic groups that everyone wants to reach:
the ever-younger "younger generation," because they are easy to sell
stuff to (just convince them they need it to be up-to-date)...and the
baby boomers, most of whom (not me!) have plenty of spendin' cash and
are nostalgia-driven big time.

So...we wind up with a choice between whatever passes for "popular
music" (i.e. whatever the music industry wants to sell)...and
endless recyclings of vintage rock hits. And, of course, dat
ol' debbil sex appeals to both groups (the younger group has
just outgrown giggling at the word "underwear" while the older
is hoping they can get aroused enough to overcome the effects
of their advancing age!) so it shows up everywhere!

There are a few "fringe markets"...Toronto has a commercial
all-classics station whose market demographic, judging by the
ads, is mainly evaluating nursing homes(!)...and there are the
inevitable "new country" stations (think seventies rock with
fiddle and pedal steel added to convince the working class
they are listening to good old American country music, which
keeps the neo-populist crowd happy).

And if this sounds cynical, it's because I AM!

Steven C. Barr