Waaaagh!

Here in Austin it's SXSW time again... i think i've attended, hmm, 4 of them over the years. I'll likely hit the NOFX/Breeders free show saturday, and might try to buy my way into the japan showcase though the only band i'd want to see there is ketchup mania playing at 1am so who knows...

was out at the driskill bar last night - different crowd than usual... buncha longhairs and kids... betting the strip clubs did well last night with all the A&R assholes in town.

Speaking of A&R assholes... Trent released new numbers from sales of Ghost - and 1.6m is a number big enough that a whole lot of record labels had best take note. He's hitting the core value proposition of piracy... if people HAVE money and the cost isnt something they'll notice... they'll pay. This is why iTunes is a success. If you're dealing with kids who have NO money and just want to listen to the music - a) these are not potential customers and b) artists are very familiar with the concept of having no money and wanting to listen to music i doubt artists are too terribly upset. Sure - it was the A&R guys picking up the bar tabs last night (i saw one rolling up a cash register receipt that had to be 5 feet long) - but considering how little else they do for artists i think they can afford it... for now...