So. On my way to work this morning I was listening to music on my MP3 player (which is painstakingly not an IPod). When I was walking into work, the song "Sledgehammer" by Peter Gabriel came on. I thought that this was a very good way to start off the work day, though I wasn't expecting it to be an easy one. Here and now, 14:50, I can barely keep my eyes open.

Peter Gabriel is one of those musicians which we will never see the likes of again. I was trying to think of why... is it because all of the music out there now is so uninspiring and uninspired? Is it because record labels won't get behind music that is unique, revolutionary, inventive, a little weird, or different? That one is a definite yes... but it's still not the whole reason. Maybe it's both, with many other little reasons why as well... if the lead singer isn't hot, or is impossible to make look hot, then the labels won't invest on a facade they can't market. After all... how awkward would watching their music videos be. "Man that dudes ugly! And his music sucks... well, no it doesn't, but... man is he ugly."

My friend was in A&R with a major label, but is now the ____________ of a semi-independent label. I took him to see my best friend's (now temporarily defunct) band, Ownership of the Head (Lost in the Mirror ; In Your Dreams ). I remember asking him what he thought of them... he briefly mentioned the music but was mostly concerned with who the 'star' would be and how you would market it. This, naturally, bothered me. What I am waiting for is a label with klout to realize that there are other ways to capitalize on good music. Instead of being bitter about file-transfer programs like Kazaa allowing people to listen to music for free, they should think about how to earn cash other ways like with live shows. Or, better yet, if they want people to buy CDs still, they have to make them unique and come with things that you can't download like cool artwork and tangilble things. The drastic reduction in CD sales could be remedied with only a little intuition and creativity, but I guess that lack of creativity is the reason why they are signing and marketing bands and not in one. Oh. Zing.