Why I'm not sad about HMV...

I started this blog a while ago, but didn't finish it, I had the title of "Why I'll no longer be shopping at HMV" - so I've now rewritten it.

People who know me should be surprised by this, given just how much I'm an advocate of owning the physical version of things (i.e. CD's rather than downloading music).  I wrote a blog post on the issue back in 2011 when it was rumoured record companies would stop issuing CD's.  So the news that HMV has appointed an administrator should sadden me... however I haven't shopped there for a few months and had no plans to go back.

You see, as a white, heterosexual  middle class male, I don't face discrimination often... however I do in one issue, I admit it's no where near as extreme as other people face discrimination but it is discrimination none the less.  You see, I'm a metal head.  I like metal music and like many people who listen to metal music I like to fit with a particular image.  I'm not the most extreme, I can comfortably fit into most social scenarios and wear a suit to work, wear fairly trendy clothes when I'm out with certain people, but also baggy jeans and band shirts or even cyber goth attire for industrial nights out.  The main point though is, like many of my friends and social peers I have long hair.  Even though my job is a professional one I've had long hair for about 11 or 12 years and it's never been a problem - I just tie it back.  

How does this relate to HMV?  Well they banned it.  Very rock and roll.  The country's major music shop banning long hair and extreme tattoos and piercings.  In response to criticism a spokesperson said:

"It goes without saying that we want our work colleagues to feel valued as individuals who can express their personalities, but it's also important that we balance this against the needs and expectations of our customers, who, ultimately, have to be at the heart of everything we do."

Well, as a customer my expectation was that they would hire the best person for the job, which at HMV is the person who's most knowledgeable about their area (films, music, games etc) whilst being comfortable talking to the customer.  I don't know about anyone else, but if I see someone and it looks like they eats, sleeps and breathes music/a lifestyle similar to that then I'd be more likely to listen to their opinion on music in comparison with someone who was just a well turned out sales person.

To sell me music that I wasn't going to buy anyway you have to live music!

Anyway, I know it may sound petty and it's probably shooting myself in the foot but I wont be shedding a tear for HMV's problems, even if that means it'll be harder for me to buy music in person at least when I do see a shop selling music I wont be offended by the fact I'd know that they wouldn't employ me.

Should there be morality in pricing?

Last week saw the sad news of Whitney Houston's passing, it is always sad when anyone passes away at such a young age, not just because they are famous.  In the wake of this Sony made, what can best be described as a PR error, their crime was to follow the laws of economics and increased the price of her music to a new optimal level given an increase in demand.


I didn't actually hear about this at the time (to be honest, Whitney isn't exactly my thing so didn't follow any of the coverage) but it did appear as the weekend debate over on the Lib Dem Voice.  I was intrigued by some of the responses that followed.

First the simple economics - quite clearly it is a matter of fact that the optimum price for Sony to charge to maximise their profits (where Marginal Revenue meets Marginal Cost) had risen - there had been a shift in the demand curve to the right meaning that people were willing to pay more to obtain the produce, or were more willing to pay a higher price.  Whitney's career wasn't exactly at a high, so in order to encourage people to buy it (most dedicated fans would already have bought it) Sony had to sell it at a lower price than they'd have liked to optimise their profits.  Now they were faced with the situation of a growth in demand, so they can charge a higher price and make even more profit.  

The problem comes, as far as the fans are concerned, they feel that Sony could have kept their prices the same and sold an even greater amount (Q3) of her music.  In most industries this could be explained by the fact that the point for this lies to the right of the supply curve, i.e. the area where they aren't prepared to go, where it is is not cost effective to supply goods (the marginal cost is greater than the marginal revenue).  In general terms there are always surplus' for parties when the equilibrium is found, however if the Quantity/Price point obtained was at point (Q3,P1) on the above diagram then there would also be a producer deficit. 


So in general terms you would say that they are justified in raising their prices, otherwise they lose out.  The problem for Sony however, where downloads are concerned at least, the marginal cost is pretty low, so much so that you'd expect the supply curve to plateau, they'd reach a price that was equal to their marginal cost (or a fraction above it) and they'd be happy to accept as many downloads as possible as their fixed costs wouldn't change - particularly as most of their items are actually sold through third party websites such as iTunes.


Now I get to the morality of it all.  One poster said that another "know(s) the price of everything and the value of nothing" for pointing out the economic argument, however, surely by Whitney passing her music is now more valuable.  As I said, any true fan would already have owned her music, her death has for some reason made it more desirable to own, nobody is forced to pay the price that Sony wants to charge and as it's a free market they should be able to charge what they like.  I couldn't help but notice, when hunting for the first image I used in this post that the CD was out of stock on most websites.  If pressure hadn't forced prices down then those who would derive more utility and therefore pay a higher price for her music would have had a greater opportunity to buy it rather than those who are considering it a casual purchase - for them to be out of stock it was quite clearly under priced.


As Simon McGrath says:

"No-one was forced to buy her music they could have brought something else. Under this scenario everyone gains. People purchasing her music are willing to do so at a higher price and will buy up to the price where they would rather keep the money than but the music. Sony gains (and depending on the details of her contract) her family gains."

So assuming there is something in the contract where her estate receives a share of the proceeds then surely the moral thing is not to force a reduction in the price when those she left behind could have gained more from her talent. 


At the end of the day, being priced out of buying her music does not stop anyone listening to it, I'd imagine that a fair amount had been on the radio and anyone who wants to listen digitally but doesn't want to pay the price that the owners of the music want to charge, they can just use Spotify!

Top 10 (alternative) Albums of 2011

After what was a very disappointing 2010 alternative music seems to have hit back with a vengeance in 2011, in particular September, which saw 3 of my favourite 7 bands release albums, the lead singer of another release a solo album and my favourite release a documentary celebrating 20 years of them being together - here's hoping for 20 more years from Pearl Jam!  Overall it's difficult for me to chose between them as there are so many quality offerings, but here goes (in reverse order this time):

10. Sylosis - Edge of Earth
Not a band I've listened a lot to in the past, however I saw them live a while back I was very impressed.  Probably the heaviest band on this list and not what I'd normally listen to in my free time, there aren't exactly many breakdowns with clean sung chorus's but as far as their genre goes it's really bloody good!  A total of 14 tracks and 72 minutes means it's definitely value for money and really doesn't let up, it's strong all the way through - although not good for your neck with the amount of headbanging that you end up doing!  Although I wouldn't recommend it for anyone wanting a bit of easy listening!

 9. Alkaline Trio - Damnesia
Complete contrast to Sylosis - much easier to listen to.  I would normally scoff at putting a best of on this sort of list but Damnesia isn't your usual best of, 12 tracks have been reworked into semi acoustic format with the addition of 3 new songs.  With a back catalogue of 7 studio albums it's fair enough to be releasing such a thing but massive respect to them for not just lazily lumping a few together and hoping it sells.  Particularly love "Every Thug Needs A Lady" and ""Clavicle" - two of their classics beautifully reworked.

8. Skindred - Union Black
Skindred are really unique, I don't think there is anyone around like them.  The review linked to above says "You’ll read a lot about this album not living up to the Skindred live show, which is a fair point to make, but only true simply because Skindred are one of THE best live acts you’ll ever see", this is so true.  Benji's rastafarian rock vocals are just so unique and honestly I can't wait for their gig with Therapy? Next year.  For me this album is up with their Babylon album for quality.  

7. Bright Eyes - People's Key
Conor Oberst has one of those voices where when I hear it I just want to stop and listen.  As far as The People's Key goes it doesn't quite catch me as much as "I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning" or "Fevers & Mirrors" and it doesn't quite reach the heights of the critically acclaimed "Lifted or The Story Is in the Soil, Keep Your Ear to the Ground" but that's just because these albums all set the bar so high.  His song writing is just as good really, if not better, he also manages not to be pigeon-holed whilst being everything at once.  It really is quite a gift.

6. Staind - Staind
Staind are my fourth favourite band of all time, so it would have been a massive surprise if they didn't make this list with an album - especially when it goes right back to what they do best and produced a really great album in the theme of their first two Tormented and Dysfunction.  There is only one reason why it isn't higher on my list and that is track 4: "Wannabe" (featuring Snoop Dog).  I really dislike this song.  However if you take that away it is a really awesome album that reminds me just why I like them so much 10/11 years on from when I purchased Break the Cycle.  

5. DevilDriver - Beast
It's as if they realised that their 2009 offering Pray For Villains wasn't their greatest album so they had to come back fairly quickly with a better offering and that they certainly did.  This album is just typical DevilDriver fair with their opening song "Dead To Rights" setting the pace from the word go.  Although I have to say Johnathan Boecklin on drums is the lynchpin of the band and Dez Fafara's lyrics are often lacking, however he makes up for this with pure anger!

4. Steven Wilson - Grace For Drowning
I may have been a little influenced here because I met him when he launched the album in Bristol (which means I own a lovely signed copy) but Steven Wilson is amazing at making beautiful music.  I have become a big fan of Porcupine Tree over the last couple of years and really like Blackfield too, so was a little disappointed by his first offering Insurgentes which, whilst good didn't capture me - it felt like the build up to something else.  Grace For Drowning however I had on repeat for about a month.  The album is all about loss, after being dedicated to his late father and you can feel it throughout the double disc edition.  My particular favourite is "Postcard" but the album is just so full of awesome tracks that you could argue for any.  There has been a lot of talk about Storm Corrosion releasing something in April next year, and I for one can't wait as this album from Steven and the latest offering from Mikael Åkerfeldt's Opeth have both blown me away... which leads me nicely into:

3. Opeth - Heritage
As embarrassing as this is to admit - this was the first Opeth album I have purchased.  After one listen through I knew it wouldn't be the last!  There is an awesome melodic structure to all of their riffs whilst Åkerfeldt's vocals are hauntingly good.  From the sounds of things this is not a typical Opeth fan's favourite album - too prog, however I am a prog fan so maybe this is why I love it!

2. Dream Theater - A Dramatic Turn Of Events
If you've heard one Dream Theater album you've pretty much heard them all.  You know exactly what you're getting as soon as you select play, exactly the same as their other albums.  But when their other albums are so good what's the problem?  There was the obvious worry that Mike Mangini wouldn't have settled in behind the drums and there would have been a gaping hole left behind by Mike Portnoy's surprising exit, however this is not the case.  The album is none stop awesome songs performed brilliantly.  "Build Me up, Break Me Down" is almost industrial in places and a refreshing change to have another Dream Theater song that I'd happily play at an Industrial/Metal night.  The stand out song though is the ballad at the very end "Beneath The Surface", when I heard this first I swear a tear formed.  This has become one of my favourite albums already, along with their previous offering of Black Clouds and Silver Linings.  It had to be something good to pip it for me...

1. Machine Head - Unto the Locust

How do you follow possibly the greatest metal album of all time in the form of The Blackening? Well if you're Machine Head you do this by making sure your next album blows any other album released that year out of the water.  The first 30 minutes or so are just pure blistering metal, there is hardly room to pause for breath.  Fortunately the chance to pause comes as the 5th song - "Darkness Within" starts.  On first listening this is not a Machine Head song, it doesn't seem to fit, however the more you listen the more you realise just how epic it is.  Their performance of it at Wembley Arena at the start of this month is something I'll remember for a long time. The song itself really resonates with me about how music can be there for you when you need it most.  The only disappointment for me is the use of the children's vocals in "Who We Are", however, as they are the band member's children I shall let them off this minor misdemeanor and thank them for what was a brilliant album. 




In short it has been an awesome year from my perspective for music, I hope it has from everyone else's point of view.  The only sadness for me was the passing of Amy Winehouse.  I know she was often criticised for her private life and often the butt of jokes but I thought she was wonderfully talented.  In addition to this the memory that will stay with me most from 2011 was the tribute to Slipknot bassist Paul Grey, RIP both.  Here's hoping 2012 will be just as good but without the need for any sadness.  

The Death of the CD?

Apparently by the end of 2012 (or earlier) the major record labels are planning on replacing CD releases with just download/streaming offerings, except for certain special editions. 

It is clear why they would want to do this as it massively reduces costs and therefore increases the margins that they can make on any one song.  They don't even have to have an artist churn out an album, just record a song and start marketing it if they like.  As soon as it's recorded and mastered then it can be ready to go - just a few clicks, contracts with suppliers etc and you're making money.  Selling CDs however requires stock, shipping and storage, all of which cost a lot of money - irrespective of whether or not they sell.


That said the thought of this makes me very depressed.  I still buy CDs, in fact I'd say I'll have spent hundreds of pounds on CDs this year.  It's not that I'd resent CDs being replaced, the move from Vinyl to Tape to CD has generally been progressive, ease of storage, longevity and improved quality are potentially some of the benefits of these moves.  Downloads however never seem to be the same quality as CDs.  Yes as soon as I buy a CD I rip it so I can have it on my iPod - so I can listen to it on the go, however when I'm at home I always have a CD on as the quality is much better than playing anything that's come from my laptop, or my parents PC when I lived at home.  


If the physical format of purchasing music was removed then the industry would lose so much money from me.  I find it hard to go into a shop that sells CDs and walk out without purchasing one.  Yes I'd get the albums I wanted as soon as they came out, (grudgingly) downloading them if that's the only option (yes Smashing Pumpkins I am currently looking at you - though hopefully you'll redeem yourself in Birmingham next week - although since their's are free I should let them off), but that's not much different from me now where I'd pre-order them if I wanted.   Where they make money from me is two fold:

• I walk into a store, browse through all of the albums in my genres, study the artwork, the track lists and think about what I know about the bands, and then I take great pleasure in making my purchases - especially if I think I've found something fairly rare or a bargain (i.e. when I bought Temple of the Dog for £10 from a back street shop in Bristol).  I have been known to spend hours in them.
  
• Birthdays and Christmas.  My mother asks me what I want, I give her a list of CDs.  Someone I know's birthday, or I'm buying a Christmas present, my first instinct is to think of their musical tastes and if there's anything there I can purchase for them.  Yes people buy vouchers, I've had them bought for me and they are a great gesture, but it's not the same as someone choosing something for you, when time and thought has gone into it.  I have no idea which CDs my mother will buy for me this year as my list has over 500 that I'm currently thinking of purchasing/will purchase if I see them for the right price.  Giving downloading tokens is much less personal.  

Can you sign a download?

Maybe I am just being sentimental.  Well I am almost certainly being sentimental, I don't do brilliantly with change.  But why shouldn't I be?  I like CDs, I like looking round my room and seeing the fact that I have hundreds!  With downloads you are totally reliant on a few bits of software and hardware, I'm sure you could have a problem, that could cause you to lose everything (my digital music is all on an external hard drive, so if my laptop dies I don't have to rip it again - however if that dies I've got hours of work ahead of me). However, with a CD, if you have computer problems, well my CD player and CDs still work - you just have more options.  I just always prefer a physical item rather than something electronic, it makes it feel more real and therefore in my head it feels more valuable.  Currently one of my favourite possessions is my Steven Wilson "Grace For Drowning" special edition CD, because the man himself signed it, I'd like to see him do that if I'd have downloaded it!

Also, the day bands stop releasing albums will be a sad day for music.  If every song has to be a hit (if record companies are releasing them individually only then they'll be trying to make sure each one is) then they will stop experimenting so much, you'll only see their most popular sides and you wont get a feel for what the artist is really about.  I'd say that on most albums my favourite songs are not the singles that get released, the songs that get promoted, but one of the other songs that they have written which may be less commercial but still has every reason why they are good.  You will either have this, or the complete opposite where bands take a scatter gun approach, record enough songs and hope that enough of them are hits, decreasing the overall standard of their product as they take less time to really work on their art. 


I know the day will come when I wont be able to buy any more CDs, however I'll be one of those customers still buying them until the very last day.

Sonisphere & Slipknot - a beautiful tribute...

I have just returned (yesterday) from Sonisphere music festival, (metal and rock music), it was a good weekend but it also included one of the most eerie and beautiful moments I have been involved in.  One of the headline acts Slipknot lost one of their band members last year Paul Gray (known as #2) from an 'accidental overdose'.  As such the festival organisers agreed to a two minutes silence on the Sunday afternoon.  Here's a video of it, the song playing before that is their own 'Vermilion Part 2':

I know from personal experience that Slipknot have often been criticized/looked down on, I know even in alternative circles, especially early on, there has been known to be a bit of a stigma about being a Slipknot fan.  It was because of this that I took longer than I should have done/lots of my current friends did to get into them - in fact I didn't really acknowledge that I liked them until I met my current friends (every song I had heard I'd liked but for some reason that wasn't enough to get into them).  The stigma is probably just from their outfits, matched with metal music.  I can see why the masks might put people off and I understand that not everyone likes metal as well as their use of language, however once you look past this there is a band that really care about each other and the fans care too.  They are different, they may have wanted to upset the established order but for me metal represents a voice for people who don't feel that they are understood by the mainstream and gives them the opportunity to just be themselves without being judged.  For me Slipknot, irrespective of their 'hidden' identities, help to provide that voice and show that you can be who you want to be.


I was one of those in that crowd with my arm aloft, devil horns to the air in total silence for the full 2 minutes.  The devil horns may seem weird from the outside but it was a mark of respect which I'm sure he would have appreciated.  There was hardly a noise to be heard, quite a feat considering there was around 60,000 fans, five stages of music, a fun fair, bars and numerous stores.  I know not everyone was thinking about Paul Gray, metal has lost a lot of it's most influential people recently (for example Ronnie James Dio and for many 'Dimebag Darell's death is still fresh in the mind) but on top of that it was a time to think about other people who have touched our lives and been lost.  In their show later Slipknot did refer to everyone as their family and strange as it may seem they in so many ways are right.  Their set was incredible and I had an awesome weekend all round - got to see 29 (mostly) awesome bands and spent plenty of quality time with friends but long after those memories fade I am certain I'll remember those two minutes of silence and how it felt to be there.  


Rest in piece Paul and everyone else who has been taken too soon.

"Do you have a soul?" "That all depends"

A couple of musically themed articles/pieces I've read today.  One writes off "rock" as a genre, and the other writes off the record shop due to the recent announcement of HMV closing.

I guess the second is more nostalgia for record shops of the past, like the one in High Fidelity.  The author yearns for the old days of spending hours in a record shop surrounded by other music fanatics and thinks that these are disappearing just because HMV is closing 60 stores.  Whilst I admit there is increased competition due to the internet and as a result the industry of a high street music store is definitely in decline I don't think this has particularly effected HMV.  I don't know their revenue split between high-street and online but it increased by 3% in 2010 and profit after tax rose by 11% and nothing in their financials gives me cause for concern, so people should stop digging their grave.  It would be foolish for them to withdraw from the high-street all together because it would reduce their exposure and the public would probably assume that it went the way of Woolworths.

That said, although the author specifically mentions HMV he is obviously not talking about the soulless corporate giant that it now is.  I do still go there but they are over priced and hardly offer that High Fidelity experience.  These places do exist though, they are just much harder to find.  I share Mr Manzoor's desire for this and I could not imagine a better job than working in a situation like High Fidelity.  So I hope Sarfraz doesn't give up on hitting 40 and resorting to just online orders.  It may be that in the long term the internet takes over from the shop but there is still the thrill of leafing through albums to make the spur of the moment purchase or get your hands on something the day it comes out.  It's also just nice to have something tangible in your hands when you've bought it.  There will also be people like me who obsessively collect, so I think CDs and the CD stores will be in fine health for a while yet, especially ones who have workers who really care about music.

The other piece is in the Independent and seems to think that rock music is dying because there are only 3 rock acts in the top 100 songs of the year.  On the opposite foot I would argue that this is no indication what so ever, alternative music has always been an "alternative" to the charts - rebellion to what the music industry machine wants you to listen to.  I will cede the point however that there are less young acts coming through.  This is something my friends and I have discussed on many occassions.  We were trying to think of bands that we listen to who were formed after the year 2000 and we really struggled.  Not a single one of the acts I own were formed after 2005 without having come from a previous band.  However, as long as those many acts I do like keep going is this anything to worry about?

Top 10 albums of 2010

This year has been as average as last year was brilliant for new music.  Very few of the bands I love have released new stuff in 2010 so it has been disappointing.  However, the best in a bad year for me are as follows:

1) Iron Maiden - The Final Frontier

2) Alkaline Trio - This Addiction

3) KoЯn - KoЯn III - Remember Who You Are

4) Stone Sour - Audio Secrecy

5) Hole - Nobody's Daughter

6) Drowning Pool - Drowning Pool

7) Stone Temple Pilots - Self titled

8) Soulfly - Omen

9) Rob Zombie - HellBilly Deluxe 2

10) BuckCherry - All Night Long (also most disappointing album of the year, after how good their previous two albums have been this was a major letdown)

Hopefully 2011 will be better!