tom moody

Q. "How does the record industry change its rights structure so it captures a fairer percent of the value it creates in funding, marketing and managing the launch of artists?" (question asked in a New York Times article a while back, about digital sales surpassing CD sales at Atlantic when industry income generally is shrinking.)

A. It doesn't, but rather accepts the wisdom of the digital market (aka the commons) that it, the industry, adds little value: all the loudly-mastered CDs, bad promo photos plastered on bus shelters, and ear-bleeding AM play can actually hurt.

The industry accepts that while the above promotional techniques can "make" an artist by bludgeoning the public into accepting the performer, that support is fickle and easily withdrawn by the industry so that the short term benefits of being "made" are outweighed by the lifetime of neglect that can follow being "unmade." (As opposed to a more healthy, holistic model of artist development--fans find artist through "free" internet downloads and become a sustaining--but not always necessarily paying--community.)

...according to the Sacramento Bee, which apparently has a hard time writing the word "woman":

Obituary: Nation's oldest man, 112, dies in Sacramento

George Rene Francis, the oldest man in America, who lived through 19 presidents and saw Babe Ruth swat a homer, died Saturday in a Sacramento nursing home. He was 112.

[...]

Walter Breuning of Montana, 112 years and 98 days old, is now the country's oldest living man. Gertrude Baines of Los Angeles, 114, is the nation's oldest living person. The world's oldest person is Maria de Jesus of Portugal, 115 and 109 days old; the oldest man is Tomoji Tanabe of Japan, 113 and 101 days.

What's up with that? My guess is it's a way of getting around the boring headline "US's Second Oldest Person Dies." In terms of world news it's barely a blip without the paper's contorted deep-sixing of gender. But we certainly couldn't rule out rampant sexism at the Bee.