Taking Down the Bullshit

Figured I'd address this issue since it's so topical and relevant.

With so many blogs and links being taken down these days, it's tough to keep providing you guys with awesome links. I don't personally upload anything as you can tell by the fact I link to random downloads that I find via search engines or other blogs (like the killer Equivoke and a longtime favorite of mine The Living Doorway). Sadly this results in me not being able to find links to certain releases, so I apologize in advance for both the lack of available material and the pseudo-political rant which is going to follow this paragraph.

SOPA/PIPA/ACTA/etc. They're all bullshit. Everyone knows this by now thanks to that video with the old guy that went viral on Youtube. There's plenty of bills (a joke, but there really are more than just the ones you hear about) currently on the table that tell the United States' constitution to go fuck itself with misguided attempts at "stopping piracy." What people don't understand is the other implications of those bills, which allow corporations and other legal entities to censor whatever the hell they wish. It infringes on civil and digital liberties that we've all enjoyed for quite awhile. I don't want this to turn into a stupid anarcho-punk anti-capitalism rant, and I'm not saying pirating is a good thing either. However most of the time, at least when it comes to music, you're better off supporting your artist of choice through the purchasing of merch or show tickets. Labels need support too though. If they're a good label then they understand the intellectual process behind creating music, avoid messing with the artists' creative visions, and support the artist in getting those visions out there. These labels are worth supporting.

Remember kids: Oligarchies are bad!

ACTA is currently on the table and the United States signed it awhile ago. Perhaps the most frightening of all the prospects contained within the bill is that random searches could be conducted on unsuspecting citizens' electronic devices, such as laptops, iPods, phones, etc. It's pretty backwards and feasts off of the fear-mongering mentality which has pervaded our culture since the inception of unconstitutional organizations like the TSA. ACTA also infringes on communication privacy and its lack of transparency makes the bill difficult to stop from a public perspective. In fact  there is little to no public input on this garbage. It's all being monitored and pushed for by big media corporations who think that they'll make their money back through copyright infringement laws. The reality is the exact opposite.

Another issue is the very claims to copyright that they supposedly hold. Take for example the fact Universal's claim to copyright outweighed the artists' on Youtube, despite the artist owning the rights to the music (I know some of you guys will hate this, but sometimes I watch this NPR hipster dude talk about music, even if I don't agree with him most of the time). It raises a lot of issues about your freedoms and mine, as well as those of the artists' themselves.

Just replace riot police with corporate buffoons and corrupt politicians.

Okay. I'll stop ranting, but I won't stop posting. I'll try to find links when I can, and I'll keep the reviews flowing. I have a massive back catalog to work with considering I just started this blog last year (and I recently ordered a few more albums which should arrive at my door soon). So to you other bloggers out there - keep fighting the good fight and fuck the swines atop the corporate ladder and the corrupt politicians who take their bribes.