Numerous rappers have said it before, but "cash rules everything around me." It is no secret that money makes the world go 'round, unfortunately. And, unfortunately that means music too. The music industry is a slave to currency just as much as any other corporation. What happened? Where did the freedom to spread the music and spread the love go? What ever happened to pure, unadulterated freedom of expression? Money happened, that's what.

This sad truth comes out especially over the fight for music rights. Now, I am all for people to have a lock on their intellectual and creative property, but sometimes there is a very fine line between copyright violations and honoring a person through their music. If I were to write a song that achieved commercial success, and then someone was to come to me and say, "I would like to cover your song on my album," I would be honored. I would be honored because I have no money and have never achieved commercial music success, so the mere fact that someone else even likes my music enough to reproduce it is beyond me. However, for people who have achieved commercial success, they could probably care less and would scoff at the idea of someone making money on their talent.

A movie about the life of Jimi Hendrix has been in the works for years now. Even Andre 3000 of Outkast has been cast to play Jimi. Spin.com has an article explaining the excitement of the upcoming film, but the snags they have hit along the way. Mainly that they may be shooting a movie about Jimi Hendrix with no Jimi Hendrix music. How could this be? Well, the Hendrix family, mainly Jimi's father and sister, own the exclusive rights to all Jimi Hendrix music under the title "Hendrix Experience LLC." Yes, they have made Jimi Hendrix a corporate enterprise. Shame, shame.

As of right now, the Hendrix family has not made any official statements as to whether they will license some tracks to the movie production, but they seem to be a stonewall. I read this article, and bring you this story, not to critique it, but to complain about how annoying I find this process. A person wants to make a movie honoring the life of Jimi Hendrix, bringing to light his musical genius for a generation of music lovers that never got to experience him. Still, the Hendrix film won't allow it. That's like telling a city they can't erect a statue of you in the town square, because the statue will never match up to the beauty of the real you. Why not let these great filmmakers use a few Jimi Hendrix songs to highlight his genius? Well, the Hendrix family will tell you it is complicated, and it is what Jimi would have wanted. What they won't tell you is that they don't want someone else making money off of their enterprise.

Good People, let's let music be free. Let creativity reign. Most of all, let us know the difference between stealing, and honoring.

Read the Article Here: http://www.spin.com/articles/andre-3000-may-be-starring-hendrix-biopic-no-jimi-tunes

Remembering Adam Yauch

This past week the world of music lost one of its beloved members. Adam Yauch, also known as MCA, died of cancer at the age of 47. As member of the Beastie Boys, MCA was one of the most influential members of one of the most influential hip-hop groups of all time. The Beastie Boys are definitely not for everyone, but it cannot be denied that they changed the face of hip-hop, punk rock, and even the spin-off genre, rap-metal.

Many articles were published following MCA's death, perhaps one of the most touching written by the managing editor of Consequenceofsound.com, Jeremy D. Larson. Larson artfully crafts a statement concerning the sad loss of Adam Yauch. I encourage everyone to read the brief, yet touching article. Larson comments that he never knew Yauch very well but he really wishes that he had. He writes about the specific moments when he first heard the Beastie Boys' ground breaking albums, like License to Ill and Paul's Boutique. If anything, Larson's article brings about a nostalgia for every reader. I remember the first time I heard The Beastie Boys. It was loud, raw, and uncomfortable, evoking the angst that comes about in every boys life. It was pure freedom. The Beastie Boys were the voice of independence and anarchy for a generation.

Now, I was well acclimated to the Beastie Boys as I awkwardly stumbled into middle school. The Beastie Boys never really had a "height" of their career, rather they reached new heights with each new album. I got to experience a couple in my lifetime. But what about all those kids, about five years younger than I that barely missed the Beastie Boys? As sad as the death of anyone is, sometimes the death of someone famous brings new light to their career. Of course, the world be a better place if it still had one more person in it, but now so many people who never got to experience the Beastie Boys will discover them. There have been many cases of this in recent past. After Michael Jacksons death he suddenly became famous for his music, and no longer his court cases amongst young generations. After the death of Whitney Houston just a few months ago, people who had never even thought to listen to her suddenly became her biggest fan. My hope is that the same will happen for Adam "MCA" Yauch, and the Beastie Boys. His innovations and contributions to the music world are ones that should be recognized and awarded. according to everyone close to him, Yauch was just a great guy. Kind, smart, funny, loving, respectful, and compassionate.

I've never really met anyone famous, but like Larson, I too wish I had known Adam Yauch, or least been a fly on the wall when the Beastie Boys assembled to make their first album. May MCA and all his accomplishments be forever immortalized in his music.

RIP Adam "MCA" Yauch

Read the article here: http://consequenceofsound.net/2012/05/cos-remembers-adam-yauch-mca-of-the-beastie-boys/

Watch "Sabatoge" by The Beastie Boys

Spin's 100 Greatest guitarists Of All Time... really?

Last week Spin Magazine released it's list of the 100 greatest guitarists, according to them. Needless to say, I did not approve of their choices. Numerous "top 100" lists have been created by a variety of publications. Many of them contain similarities and differences, some good, some bad, but Spin is just off of the board completely. Spin is known for being a music publication that is always seeking to be different, which is respectable, but there is such thing as too different. Spins list contained wild cards left and right, and more importantly they failed to include some of the most legendary guitarists of all time. Do not get my wrong, I'm not one to fall prey to the hype of a certain musician, but just because a musician is popular does not mean they aren't incredible. So I ask Spin this question: "How on earth can you compile a list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time and not include the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton, or Chuck Berry? I will give them this, Spin got some things right. For instance, they managed to get Prince, Kurt Cobain, Johnny Ramone, and Jack White on the list. There were some great picks here and there, however there were some picks that I would say were completely wretched. For example, number 100 on the list was Skrillex. Skrillex is a dubstep artist, a music created entirely on a computer. There are no instruments involved what so ever. Dubstep is glorified club music on acid. Skrillex never even touches a guitar when he creates his music, but Spin thought he deserved a spot because he manipulates the sounds of other guitarists.

Furthermore, not even Spin's pick for the number one spot is one that I agree with. The honors actually went to Leo Ranaldo and Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth. All I have to say is, "Seriously? Sonic Youth? Yes, they have given the world of progressive, indie rock much inspiration, and are considered the forefathers of the modern indie music movement, but this countdown is not the 100 most inspiring guitarists of all time. In my humble opinion, Thurston Moore could not even come close to keeping up with Jimmy Page or even Jimi Hendrix. All are pioneers in their own right, but Page could play Thurston Moore under the table any day.

All of this to say, different is not always better. These days it seems like Spin is just trying way too hard to be different. They pick these obscure bands in an effort to be unique. There have been numerous top 100 guitarists lists, so I can understand why Spin would want to do something different. However, you can't beat a classic, and there is simply no justification for their not including the legends that really deserve a spot. So, be different, be unique, have your own opinion, but don't let the effort to be "underground" give you a voice of condescension and a complete ignorance of the truth of music

http://www.spin.com/articles/spins-100-greatest-guitarists-all-time?page=10