When Steve Jobs came up with his 99-cent song idea, he saved musicians from the curse of piracy.
It’s all in the ether. But musicians get paid, however long the tail. Better than nothing at all.
More people get to hear those beautifully written pieces. I walked by a coffee shop yesterday.
On its walls displayed the AKAI tape decks. A by-gone era. We used to gather around it to listen to Steely Dan‘s DO IT AGAIN, again and again (ironically, we followed the imperative i.e. Do it again) .
Musicians like George Harrison was throwing a concert for Bangladesh, wearing white suit, with his rendition of “My Sweet Lord“‘s I really want to see you Lo.
Something about being together, globally and ecologically.
That was before the internet. Or else, with today’s broadband, more would have joined in with near-zero latency.
We live in an exiting age, with technology at our disposal. But do we see huge crowdfunding that does humanity proud?
I know, I know. It’s all ad-hoc now.
OK. I am all for green weekend.
And Electric Vehicle conversion, one car at a time.
But in the grandeur scale, we need a hero. Be they from the entertainment or sports, politics or business.
Something is broken. Perhaps the spirit of togetherness, of committing to a cause larger than ourselves.
Like Jobs, I do hope some technologists can come up with apps or simple business proposition that saves the music and saves the day.
Simple solution. Less than a dollar. And let music sing. Not when we can still spare a dollar for the brother. DO IT AGAIN.
PLAY IT AGAIN. I really want to see you Lo.
Thang Nguyen 555 