Brad Barrish

I NEED A JOB! Just thought I would put that out there. Here’s my resume. Hire me. Someone. Please.

In August 1999, the world saw the first public release of Napster. That moment set off a chain of events that, to this day, provides hours and pages of debate. Napster wasn’t the first technology to become the whipping post of the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), but rather the latest, and probably the most publicly debated.

The technology used to copy music has been around for three decades or more. When blank cassettes and consumer recorders were introduced in the 1970s, the RIAA pronounced impending doom. Sales of recorded music would sink and people would stop buying as much music as they used to. Even Alan Greenspan said, “Unless something meaningful is done, the industry itself is at risk.”

The Digital Home Recording Act was passed by Congress in 1992, mostly due to the lobbying of the RIAA and other such organizations. The act insured that digital audiotapes (DAT), and other devices that allow personal copying of music would be required to incorporate technology that would prevent consumers from making a copy of a copy from a copy. In other words, if you were to make a copy of something on a device, there would have to be technology in place that would prevent someone else from making copies from the copy you made. The act further mandates that a tariff be paid on each recording device sold. All of this meant that DAT never caught on as a consumer device, though it’s widely used in the professional audio business.

Let’s be clear about something: the RIAA is not out to protect consumers’ interest. It is out to protect the record companies. Their mission statement reads as follows:

“The Recording Industry Association of America is the trade group that represents the U.S. recording industry. Its mission is to foster a business and legal climate that supports and promotes our members’ creative and financial vitality. Its members are the record companies that comprise the most vibrant national music industry in the world. RIAA members create, manufacture and/or distribute approximately 90% of all legitimate sound recordings produced and sold in the United States.

In support of this mission, the RIAA works to protect intellectual property rights worldwide and the First Amendment rights of artists; conduct consumer industry and technical research; and monitor and review – state and federal laws, regulations and policies.”

Their goal, as stated above, is to see to it that the record companies make money. There’s nothing wrong with this, but when they seek to control and mandate what consumers can and cannot do with music that they purchase, therein lies a problem. If the RIAA, record companies and other such organizations had their way, trading files on the Internet would not be allowed (without proper payment), ripping (or digitally extracting) music from CDs that you purchase to make your own compilations, put on a portable digital device or play on your computer would not be allowed either. In the eyes of the RIAA, all of the above is the same as stealing, and furthermore has and will continue to cause a decline in the sale of pre-recorded material.

The music industry has seen the largest decrease of music sales in the last ten years (5 percent overall, but approximately 12 percent from the same period last year). Research done by firms such as In-Stat/MDR, the labels, scholars and especially the RIAA say that decline in sales is due, by and large, to the downloading of music over the Internet. While that may be partially true, many studies fail to take into account that over the last ten years the prices of CDs have gone up even though the economy has been declining, especially over the last few years. Consumers are also much more savvy than the record companies would like to think. They don’t want to pay twenty dollars for the one song they heard on the radio, and in many cases that’s exactly what’s being sold. Essentially, the labels are asking consumers to pay twenty dollars for a single. Consumers know how much it costs to manufacture a CD and in protest, some are turning to the Internet to get their music for free.

The number of people who download music from the Internet without any intention to purchase, I believe, is less than those who intend to buy. In fact, a study done by Jupiter Media Matrix said that Internet users who download music from unauthorized peer to peer (P2P) services are more likely to increase their music purchases. A whopping 34 percent said that they spent more money on music than before they started using P2P services, while 15 percent said they spent less. The remaining 50 percent said their purchasing habits did not change.

This all proves one thing: the music industry is missing out on a great way to promote music, and more importantly, make money. Their biggest mistake was shutting down Napster, and now they’ve got real trouble on their hands. They can shut down services like AudioGalaxy (which they did recently), but while they sit around patting themselves on the back, thinking they are winning the war, a new technology is born that is much more difficult to trace, therefore proving that it’s only a small battle that they have won.

[DISCLAIMER: The purpose of this article is to inspire intelligent discussion, educate and empower you as a consumer (who hopefully gives a shit). I’m not an academic writer and I don’t pretend to be one. While I’ve read many articles, studies and legal documents, I’m not an expert. I do consider myself a well-informed person on the subject. The article is full of information for which I do not cite my sources, but these are my words and opinions. I will provide links to all of the articles, studies and legal documents at the conclusion of this article.]

[WARNING: The photos attached to this story contain from-the-waist-up nudity. If you are offended by such things, perhaps you should just go away.]

I was tired of having hair. Driving with the windows rolled down was out of the question and forget about running my fingers through it. Both scenarios would result in a disgusting afro mess. Either I started using product to keep it in line or it was coming off. Those were the two choices. Hair just shouldn’t be so much work. So, it came off.

It’s not that I didn’t think about it. When I was in Kansas last week the humidity overpowered the conditioner that usually calms it down a bit. Visions of shaving my head started entering my thoughts. It became inevitable. Just before I made the final decision, I stared into the bathroom sink in between glances at myself. The face needed a shave as well. It was difficult to picture myself with a shaved head again. I had done it once before.

I went into my office to get some large scissors for the initial cut. There’s was just no way of getting clippers through my hair without giving myself a sloppy chop to begin with. I cut and cut some more. Have you ever grabbed a mass of your own hair and cut it? The sound is somewhat disturbing. It falls somewhere between the ripping of a cotton shirt and fingers down a chalk board.

The top was first. I wanted to at least have a little fun with it. You know, the reverse mohawk and stuff. Hair was all over the place. As much as I tried to get it all in the sink, it ended up on the floor, in my eyes, in my ears, under my finger nails and it clogged my clippers in no time. The amount of hair in the sink was incredible.

I jumped in the shower and did what people do in there. I didn’t need to use much shampoo and the conditioner went untouched. Perhaps I’ll just let it grow out, so I can do it all over again. For the time being, I’m going to enjoy driving with the windows rolled down.

1) …sent a handwritten letter? I wrote my dad a letter for Father’s Day. Other than holidays of that nature, you won’t find me handwriting much of anything. On ocassion I hand write my journal entries or other writing, but most of the time it’s all done on the computer.

2) …baked something from scratch or made something by hand? My defintion of baking is putting something in the micorowave, cooking something pre-packaged on the stove or warming something up in the toaster oven. The last time I cooked something was at least a year ago, if not longer. I honestly don’t even remember.

3) …camped in a tent? The last time I camped in a tent was on New Year’s Eve 2000. I was in Sequoia National Park with my dog and girlfriend at the time. If it wasn’t the best New Year’s I have ever had, then it was at the very least, the most beautiful. We had a fire going and just watched the stars and froze our asses off. It was seventeen degrees when we woke up in the morning.

4) …volunteered your time to church, school, or community? I volunteer my time to you, dear readers, every time I post to this site or the other one. Isn’t that enough? I give money to good causes and email a lot of letters to politicians about issues I care about.

5) …helped a stranger? I’ll just post a journal entry from November 9, 2001 to answer this one.

I had to do something to make me feel a little human…or something. It was actually a friend’s suggestion to take a walk down Hollywood Blvd, which I have never done in the nearly four years that I have lived in Los Angeles. So I drove to Hollywood and Highland, parked and set out walking up and down Hollywood Blvd. to look for some homeless people to give some money to. I didn’t give everything away because I really didn’t run in to that many. As a matter of fact, the first guy that I saw sitting down against a wall with his legs pulled into his chest, I asked, “Can I help you?”

“Are you a cop,” he replied.

I chuckled and shook my head, “no.”

He said he was looking for crack or dope. I said I really couldn’t help him out with that. I even offered him some money, but he didn’t take it.

The next guy I ran in to had just gotten in from Denver via the Greyhound. He was a trashy punk kid that probably hadn’t showered in a while. He said he painted houses and it was getting too cold in Colorado, so he decided to come here. I sat and talked with him for a while. He was a 20 year-old with broken teeth and some crusty blood on his lip.

I sat squated down next to him. I asked him what he was going to do. He said he was going to get a job counselor and get some food stamps while he was here and look for work. I asked if he would be able to find work very easily and he replied with an enthusiastic, “yes.”

“Last time I was in town, I found work in no time,” he explained.

I asked if he wrote or read and he pulled out some science fiction book that was stuffed in his sleeping bag that was attached to his backpack.

“I go to the library during the day and check out some books and magazines, mostly. I also use the Internet.”

I had to wonder what he used the Internet for, but I did’t ask. I didn’t feel sorry for him. I didn’t feel anything really. I spoke to him as a human being and not down to him in any way. I told him to take care, gave him a few bucks and continued on my way.

It was amazing to me what Hollywood Blvd. looked like. I don’t know what I was expecting. It was certainly looking a lot cleaner. They’re building the area up to look like Times Square or something. I saw a lot stars on the sidewalk, of course.

I just kept walking. Eventually I made it to La Brea, crossed the street and walked east again. They were blocking a major section of the street off for a film, so I had to turn around and cross to the other side of the street. I peaked in some stores and just watched the sidewalk pass before my feet. It was nice to be out and maybe I was doing something good, if not for me, for a few other people. I stopped at a newsstand on the corner of Cuheanga and picked up a back of smokes. A guy was wheeling himself across the intersecion that I was about to cross. I looked at him.

“Can you help a homeless guy out?” he asked.

“Yeah, of course,” I replied.

“God bless you.”

I smiled," no, God bless you."

“Why do you say that?”

“Because we’re all just human, man.”

He stuck out his filthy hand to shake. I stared at the stub left from an amputated leg for a second. I took his hand in mine and shook it. That felt good. Though I didn’t dare do anything with that hand. I found myself afraid of what filth was now on my hand. I crossed the intersection, smoking my cigarette.

As I got close to Highland again I ran into the punk that I gave some money to. He was with a couple of other young punks and a little puppy. They asked if I could spare some change for a burger or something. I gave them a five to split. One of them, a kid with a mohawk, asked if he could buy a smoke off me. I politely said no, but said I would give him some. I pulled out several smokes from my pack and handed them over. He thanked me and I was on my way.

The Monthly Mix for June has been posted. Get to downloading some fine music. Upcoming releases that we think you should know about can now be found on this page as well. Please enjoy and don’t forget to purchase the stuff you like.

I find it a little ironic that days after posting the fact that I placed an online personal, I get the following email: From: Send A Crush To: Brad Barrish Subject: Someone you know has a crush on you!

Click here to find out who likes you!

Who are you? I’m not guessing. I’m sure I already just invited more spam into my inbox by clicking the link. They’re so tricky these days. They pray on whores. You assholes.

No Sleep Till…

When asked about what I would wish for, if I was given a single semi-realistic wish, my answer has been the same for as long as I can remember. I would wish that I never felt the sensation of being tired. It’s not that I mind sleeping. I actually enjoy it, especially when I have amazing dreams or nightmares, but the ability to decide when I sleep would be nothing short of a dream come true.

The possibilities of reading a book in one sitting, driving cross-country or writing a novel are now just a pill away. I would venture to guess that despite it’s good intentions for keeping pilots awake, helping narcoleptics and other people with sleeping disorders and enabling terminally ill patients to enjoy their last few moments awake, Modafinil certainly has the danger of becoming the next party drug. I certainly would try it out, though I can’t help but be a bit skeptical about the damage it could do. I mean we are talking about messing with nature here.

I’m conflicted when it comes to biotechnology. Part of me would want to be the first in line to get implants that would adjust the climate control of a room when I walked in, allowed me to see clearly in pitch-black darkness or gave me other super-human abilities. The other part of me says, ‘don’t fuck with mother nature.‘I’m quite certain all of those abilities will become reality during my lifetime, question is, will I be a specimen?

Oh My God

As a child I never thought about the words I was reciting when, with the rest of the classroom, I mumbled, sometimes stumbled, over the words of the Pledge of Allegiance. If you’ve read the news today (oh boy), you’ll have most certainly read about the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals overturned a 1954 decision that put “under God” into the pledge. It went on to say that it violated the separation of church and state, and was, therefore, unconstitutional.

I don’t recite the Pledge of Allegiance. It’s not because I’m ashamed to be American, or anything of the sort. I just don’t feel that my God likes to have his name attached to much of anything, especially something that would alienate people that don’t believe in the Judeo-Christian idea of her. I don’t preach to people about my spiritual beliefs unless prompted to do so. I don’t try and convert people to the Temple of Brad, which is actually the Temple of Everyone. I do, however, have a problem with people using God’s name to hurt other people, and that includes feeling alienated.

I suppose that it’s ultimately up to the individual that may feel alienated to take responsibility for their own emotions. In other words, if you feel alienated by the Pledge of Allegiance, don’t feel alienated. Just because you don’t believe in the God that President Eisenhower or Congress had in mind when they added the words, doesn’t mean you are any less American that someone who does. They are just words. Change the words or keep them the same, but I think there are far more important issues to deal with.

You can argue that the pledge is as American as apple pie, but so what? It’s also American to stuff your face at McDonald’s or drive SUVs in major metropolitan areas. Does it make it right? Not in my book, but again, I do my best not to judge. What is right for me is not right for everyone and that’s fine. The problem lies in people being unaccepting of beliefs that are different from their own, which also happens to be a common American trait.

Truth be told, I kind of hope that I live to see our own demise. If I don’t, perhaps your children will. I’m of the opinion that we’re doomed, and I’m not talking about us all going to pearly gates or the fiery depths. I’m talking about the fact that people do not, and it seems, will not, change to better our time on this planet. For that reason, we will be responsible for our own extinction. Until people wake up, and it’s going to take more than a couple of airplanes flying into buildings and killing three thousand people to do it, we will continue in a downward spiral. It’s not about nationalism, it’s about humanism.

I still have hope that humans can change, but not much. None of it really matters anyway. We’re just a drop in the bucket. We don’t matter as much as we would like to think. Life will go on without us. Perhaps the next time around we will not repeat the mistakes. We will not be so self-centered, ignorant, intolerant and hateful to people with different ideas, skin color, sexual preference, etc. Perhaps the next time around we can embrace diversity, for the world would be a better place. Have a nice day.

While the novelty of the show has worn thin, I was incredibly amused by the wonderful South Park Studio. Look at me, I’m a bastard!

And so are you. A few months back I got curious about what would happen if I placed an online personal. My first thought was, “Really lame, you fucking loser. Get out of your apartment.” But then it made sense. I don’t meet people when I go out because I’m usually too busy paying attention to the band. Besides, I don’t know many people that meet a quality person at a bar or club, though there are usually plenty to look at.

So, I’m a whore. I placed an online personal and got responses. I even dated someone for a couple of months. See, the cool thing about online personals is you don’t have to meet anyone and there’s no pressure. You have absolutly nothing to lose. If you don’t like someone, you don’t write back. Admittedly, I take a somewhat passive approach to it all, so there’s not really much effort involved either.

There are a few qualifications for interested parties (this is not a pitch for you to email me, btw):

1. No cat people. When I say cat people, that means people with cats. I’m allergic to them, I don’t like them and most of the people that own cats are freaks, and not in a good way.

2. Have a photo. How long does it take to have someone snap a photo of you? I read a headline that pretty much summed it up, 22 + no photo = fat and ugly. I’d lay down money there’s a reason people don’t post photos, and it’s not because they’re afraid of being recognized walking down Rodeo Drive.

3. No headshots. People that use headshots usually have gained a few since they went to Glamor Shots at the mall or were the subject of some “art project” in high school. Again, just snap a photo an put it up. There’s not much effort involved.

So, there you have it. My rules for the world of online personals. Many won’t admit they do it, but if nothing else, it’s fodder for some interesting stories.