I knew I had to post this when I saw that only 3,241 people had seen this video. I figure we can add singles -- if not TENS -- of people to that number. ;-)
Absolutely lovely.
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I don't suppose there are too many things better to post on Christmas Eve than something about peace.
My friend Greg recently turned me on to this documentary, made by Mark Johnson, called "Playing For Change: Peace Through Music."
I don't want to ruin all the fun by telling you the story here; take 18 minutes or so and watch this video above... you'll be glad you did. (Get a sample song, "Stand By Me," below.)
Happy holidays my friends!
PBS chat transcript is here.
Playing For Change website is here.
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It seems to me that artists exist in some kind of existential purgatory.
Anyone who considers themselves any kind of artist is constantly using art to make sense of the past and the present. To explain and elucidate, to bring some sense of order the universe -- to make stars into constellations.
At the same time, however, our forever temporal art is itself shaping the future of culture as it bombards society, bouncing endlessly through the insides of minds and countless other imaginations.
Art is paradoxical by nature. It both reflects the past and creates the future. It both orders and dis-integrates, and somehow, through the course of both, defies entropy.
Maybe that's what humans do, too: reflect and create.
Maybe that's why we need art so badly.
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This is bloody genius. Enjoy!!
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The article I'm going to talk about is over a month old, but I just read it for the first time the other day, so 'round these parts (read: my blog) we get to treat it like news. ;-)
Now, there are a lot of ways to get music. Some folks buy it from iTunes or some other digital equivalent. Some enjoy the "free-dom" of Limewire or a torrent. Some import CD's they bought way "back in the day" (like, circa 1999). Some listen to radio (AM/FM/XM/WWW). Some frequent the MySpace.
"Piracy" has been a music industry buzzword since the days of Napster. It's also been the Industry's blatant and somewhat pathetic scapegoat for the fact that they simply didn't see the "digital age of music" coming. Well, almost a decade has now past since the lovable Shawn Fanning helped incite the music revolution, and the music biz has finally come up with an idea that just might work. If it flies, the thought is that it will preserve the Suit's high-paying executive job, pay the artists, and -- GASP -- maybe even create a workable solution for consumers.
The idea, in a nutshell, is to provide consumers with an unlimited supply of music downloads for a monthly fee that will be bundled into their internet service charges.
Here's the article that explains it more fully:
Fee For All Warner's New Web GuruAs always, critics already have their guns drawn, but I, for one, am having a hard time coming up with a downside to this agreement. I would GLADLY pay $5/month to get all the music I want, especially knowing that the artists I love would get paid! (Now, if we could only pay the artists fairly, that would really be something, eh?) But, existing within the current system, it's frankly the best idea I've heard in a long time. Am I missing something? //