When I read the thread title, I thought of Lisa Simpson's line about love: "Romance is dead - it was acquired in a hostile takeover by Hallmark and Disney, homogenized, and sold off piece by piece." The same thing can be said about music.
I'll definitely be watching this, as it's a topic that means alot to me. Hopefully, it'll lead to some proper discussion without someone going on about how everything's okay now that we have the Darkness to save rock and roll...
Are they interviewing label executives? Does Frontline have a Fleet of colonoscopes? And I do mean Fleet . . .
There was a review of it in the Daily News yesterday which said that while it was a good documentary, it didn't break any "news" per se, basically re-told you what you knew already, and while it bashed things like Clear Channel monopolies (yeah!) it didn't cover things like file-sharing that have also impacted the industry. Gave it 2 stars. I still want to watch it anyway, but I'm now going in with lowered expectations.
Well that was a wee bit disappointing. Instead of only talking to record business types they also should have spoken to the ordinary music fan.
Danny Goldberg, who started out with Jim Morrison and the Doors, thinks that Scott Weiland is the most authentic "real deal" rock star he's ever experienced? The lead singer of Stone Temple Pilots? Did he actually say that? They want to give the perspective of a struggling young artist with integrity finding his/her way through the music business and they choose Kate Hudson's cousin, whose father has been in the business for years? Somehow I bet there's a band playing in a smoky club somewhere that would be a much more interesting subject. It was OK, but disappointing.
I don't think Frontline made that for us, the more-hardcore music fans. If anyone learned anything new from that hour, it was because they weren't paying too close attention in the first place. I agree with Ghost about Hudson - come on, she might as well have been born with a microphone in her crib, thanks to record producer dad, and I don't think she'll have much problem "breaking through." Notice there was no talk about how little the artists get for each CD sold, or the draconian major record label contracts. RS
I think for a better look at the record industry (albeit not the focus) just rent/buy the DVD, "I am trying to break your heart."
The poll on the website isn't very good. It only provides you with the option to make choice of how you get your music, and I get mine via multiple options listed there.
Even if it was good, how could I watch it? My heart's already broken from the death of rock and roll. I don't need to break it any further...
I ended up skipping this show after reading the Washington Post's review, which was something along the lines of, "This show was made for people who haven't seen a newspaper or the news the last few years."