Things Smackie Thinks You Need to Know...

[Venerable Bede]

Originally posted by vansmack:
   

Originally posted by Venerable Bede:
  btw, what is england doing with it???

The usual.
 
 The Torries want a referendum (because they're not in power), Labor says there's no need (because they are in power), the general population says they'd like to vote for it but it doesn't rank very high on their priority list.  Fixing the National Team ranks higher.
 
 If England were smart (and by smart I mean do they really want Tony Blair to be the first President of Europe?), Parliament would vote on it and not put it up for referendum.  That's the only way Blair has a shot, seeing as how they already snubbed the currency.
 
 After seeing what Ireland did, I doubt you see a referendum. [/b]

i agree, after all, labour is gonna lose the next election anyway, so what do they have to lose?  plus, labour knows that if it's put up for a vote, it's not going to pass.

[godsshoeshine]

Originally posted by vansmack:
  [and by smart I mean do they really want Tony Blair to be the first President of Europe?

worlds most famous toon supporter? they should make him president of earth. sting for veep

[vansmack]

Originally posted by Venerable Bede:
  after all, labour is gonna lose the next election anyway, so what do they have to lose?  plus, labour knows that if it's put up for a vote, it's not going to pass.

I disagree with both of your contentions, which is nothing new for us.
 
 While Labour has to deal with Gordon Brown's image problem, David Cameron is not doing that much to make himself stand out.  After all, Labour gets to call the next election and can time it right.
 
 As to point 2, it won't go to a vote but if it did, the English would like nothing better than to show how intellectually superior they are to the Irish, whether they are or not.  It would pass, and they would say that did because they were capable of understanding it.

[vansmack]

I don't usually pimp my friends like this, but Melissa had me laughing on this one.
 
 And so, I give you my "Top 10 Things Overheard At The City Hall Gay Marriage Gathering":
 
 10. On the (rather attractive) SFPD minding the event: "I can't tell if those are real cops or gay men dressed as police."  
 
 9. To the middle-aged woman yelling, "God hates homosexuals!!": "Ugh, you need a fag hairdresser."
 
 8. To same woman: "Get some moisturizer."
 
 7. From the man holding the "Homo Sex is Sin" sign to a young lady engaging him in conversation: "You don't know the first thing about respect!!!"
 
 6. "His name is Hater Smith." To a reporter who had just asked for the name of #7 (above).  
 
 5. "Gavin, will you marry me?" on a sign. Love the play on words, pal. But you'll have to get in line behind Beth.
 
 4. To the anti-gay protesters: A rousing sing-along of "We Are The Champions."
 
 3. To the woman holding a small rainbow-sweater-clad Chihuahua: "That may be the gayest  thing here."  
 
 2. Brian Devine on the anti-gay protesters wearing hard hats with the words "Trust Jesus" on them: "If they trust Jesus, why do they need hard hats?"
 
 1.  "You need to amend your sign."  Woman to  protester  holding a "Gays Can't Marry" sign.
 
 --Melissa

[sweetcell]

Originally posted by vansmack:
 "Top 10 Things Overheard At The City Hall Gay Marriage Gathering"

how could she have missed this one: Takai, after applying for the license: "may equality live long and prosper"

[vansmack]

Not to point out the obvious, but she was in San Francisco and George was in West Hollywood.  But I do like George's quote.

[sweetcell]

uhm... yeah.  convenient change of topic: smacks, any thoughts on the development of competition in the digital music biz?  i'm sure some here will poo-poo the choice of band to kick this off, but looks like the push for variable pricing is gaining steam.  gotta love those one-day specials    
 
 Amazon cuts Coldplay album prices to bring in the crowds

[vansmack]

Originally posted by sweetcell:
  uhm... yeah.  convenient change of topic: smacks, any thoughts on the development of competition in the digital music biz?  

Well, first off, I'm going to get me the Brothers and Sister EP for $.99!  Thanks for the link.
 
 Yes, competition like this is good, but as usual, despite an inferior product (DRM and lower quality), Apple already won by having far superior marketing (I think they've had a commercial or two on about the new album).  Count me in as one of the millions that pre-ordered Viva La Vida on iTunes to get the single.
 
 Two things specifically about this move: It's the wrong marketing ploy for Amazon and ill timed.
 
 They should have lowered the price before the album went on sale.  Most Coldplay fans bought the album off of iTunes when you could get the early release single.  That now famous Coldplay commercial advertised the album, and the single being exclusively released on iTunes (clever play of words there, it was just the single).
 
 Amazon should have run their own series of adds countering iTunes and touting two things:
 
 (1) It's cheaper, and
 (2) It's DRM free.
 
 What Amazon should do in the future, is adopt a policy that all new releases will be $8.99 and that the top 50 albums will also be $8.99.  If nothing else, that will force Apple to lower there price and competition like that is good for the marketplace.

[kosmo vinyl]

that brother & sister ep is over at emusic
 
 http://www.emusic.com/album/Brothers-And-Sisters-Brothers-And-Sisters-MP3-Download/10834267.html
 
 and lala.com is selling the new coldplay for $7.49 256VBR mp3s

[godsshoeshine]

you'll dig this more than anyone: http://euro2008girls.com/

[vansmack]

Originally posted by kosmo:
  that brother & sister ep is over at emusic
 
  http://www.emusic.com/album/Brothers-And-Sisters-Brothers-And-Sisters-MP3-Download/10834267.html
 
 and lala.com is selling the new coldplay for $7.49 256VBR mp3s

Thanks for the ehads up on Lala.  They, too, need a better marketing plan.
 
 As for eMusic, it's just a point of frustration for me.  I put my account on hold back in Dec or Jan when I had accumulated over a hundred download credits (even on the $10 a month plan).  I have yet to find 100+ downloads to justify turning it back on just to simply turn it off when I've completed the downloads.  They didn't grow quite as quickly as I thought they would.

[vansmack]

Kid Rock Boycotts iTunes, Champions P2P
 
 The digital music revolution has been compromised, according to Kid Rock, because digital music stores and record labels still manage to hoard the lion's share of music revenue.
 
 He advises fans to download his music for free from P2P services, although he himself doesn't have to. "I don't steal things," he told the BBC. "I'm rich." As for everyone else, he says, "Download it illegally, I don't care. I want you to hear my music so I can play live."
 
 His tirade was apparently precipitated by a request from his record label, Warner Music Group's Atlantic Records, that he publicly denounce file sharing. His response: "Wait a second, you've been stealing from the artists for years. Now you want me to stand up for you?"Ouch..

[kosmo vinyl]

what i find so amusing about these rants is that the likes of Kid Rock, NIN and Radiohead wouldn't be where they are today were it not for Record Companies...  
 
 this only fuels the fire for those that say all music should be given away free and artists should expect to make all their money from performing live, merchandise sales and licensing.  however, this model wont work for all genres of music, wont work for the artists that can't afford their own PR folks, doesn't help songwriters, etc, etc...
 
 how is an artist going to gain any income from a fan who lives in North Dakota who isn't likely to be getting the chance to see his favorite band live anytime soon...
 
 and you can tell me that a band schlepping around the country playing to crowds of less than 100 people on any given night is going to making much more than gas money at any given gig.
 
 and of course as artists start to only depend on concert revenues for income, then ticket prices start going up, meaning fans may have to cut back on the number of bands they see live...

[sweetcell]

Originally posted by god's shoeshine:
  you'll dig this more than anyone:   http://euro2008girls.com/  

even better? Streaking to victory in topless match
 
 gotta love that euro DIY spirit  

[godsshoeshine]

nwop