Respecting the King

It was disrespectful of journalists to jump of the bandwagon as quickly as they did following the death of the King of Pop.

Just hours after it was announced that he had died there were news reporters diving into controversial areas of his private life. With billions of Michael Jackson fans around the world grieving, this was highly inappropriate in my view. I do believe in the essence of objective reporting, but sometimes I feel reporters hide behind this to stir controversy.

What do you think? Should the press have backed off for at least a few days whilst billions were mourning?

A Tribute to the King of Pop:



Click here to read an interesting article on Michael Jackson

Will MySpace get you signed?

This is a follow up on the article "The Myth of Myspace" from:
Click here to read the article.

A Music industry expert says MySpace is a good shop window for bands but not much more.

Simon Warner, Senior Teaching Fellow in Popular Music, Leeds University said:

"There are so many acts out there that it's very hard to raise your profile...I can't see it being an economically viable model for young bands to come through and exploit."

Listen to the interview here:


With 2.5 million hip hop artists and 1.8 million rock acts on MySpace alone, is this social network phenomenon really a route to stardom? Is MySpace the best way to get signed? Or do bands need to get out there and tour?

No CD shops no cry?

This is a follow up on the article "No CD shops by 2020?" from:





Recently on 'Music in the digital era' Simon Warner, Senior Teaching Fellow in Popular Music, Leeds University, was interviewed about the future of music retail. He said: “I feel as if the high street retailer is in a no win situation. I can't see in 2020 there being too many of those shops left. There may be none left.”

But what will it be like without CD shops? Will this not be a sorry day? Well in some respects I would say yes. Music shops have served a purpose in society for a long time; it's not always been about buying and selling CD's. They have been places where people can meet up hang out, and chat about music. People go to browse through music stores as something to do during their lunch breaks.

It has to be said though that record labels, and distributors and retails have been guilty of charging too much for CD's for far too long, with usually only around 8% going back to the artist.

As HMV diversify they seem the most likely to survive, but maybe they will become more of a merchandise store than a music store. Either way I think it is important that they do survive. Online shopping can be great, but buying everything online or in a supermarket does not greatly appeal to me in the future. What do you think?

'Music in the Digital Era'

Music in the Digital Era is a new site created by myself for the final production project of my MA in Multimedia journalism at Bournemouth University. It is a news site about the digitalization of music. The 'cost of free music' and how the digital era is changing the face of the music industry are investigated. The website contains audio, video and several written articles. Below is an introduction to the website and a link so you can visit the site and get updated on the latest news:

The Digital Revolution

The digital revolution is well underway; the possibilities for growth and change are endless. Yet we are currently in what is widely referred to as 'the era of free music', with illegal downloads and file sharing becoming common practise.

Many artists, retailers and industry insiders are worried about how to monetize the digital space. This site uncovers the truth about what is really happening in the music industry and what is set to happen in the future.

The impact of digitalization on artists, the fans and the industry are discussed here by the people directly involved. To read more click here to and you will be directed to the site. There will be follow up articles posted here on my blog, please feel free to leave comments about articles and suggestions for improving the site.

B.E.A.U.T.Y. You see...

Ba nanananana nanana na nanananana

Ba nanananana nanana na nanananana.......

She says she’s got a thousand pairs of shoes,
Seems like an awful lot
Well she can have a thousand more if she walks round looking that hot.
but it’s ok by me,
To look so damn lovely
It’s more than fine by me,
Coz you’re a b e a u t y you see.

She’s got three hundred bags,
but she’s probably buying more right now,
the more she spends, the more she says
she’s feels more beautiful some how
but it’s ok by me,
To look so damn lovely
It’s more than fine by me,
Coz you’re a b e a u t y you see.

Ba nanananana nanana na nanananana

Ba nanananana nanana na nanananana....

Personality is very important,
But so is physical attraction.
And when she is looking this hot,
It can be such a distraction
But it’s ok by me,
To look so damn lovely
It’s more than fine by me,
Coz you’re a b e a u t y you see.

Ba nanananana nanana na nanananana
Ba nanananana nanana na nanananana.....

She seems to wear a different scent when she goes out at night,
Somehow whatever she wear always seems to get it right,
but it’s ok by me,
To look so damn lovely
It’s more than fine by me,
Coz you’re a b e a u t y you see.

Such a lovely lass, so much class,
and a stunning ass.

Such a lovely lass, so much class and a stunning, ass and a stunning....

But it’s ok by me,

To look so damn lovely,

It’s more than fine by me,

Coz you’re a b e a u t y you see.

All sports and no drama

The Equity general secretary Christine Payne has launched an attack on satellite broadcaster Sky, for not producing enough UK dramas, according to Stage Newspaper. Channels which rely on repeating programmes made by other broadcasters are threatening both the acting and writing industries.

But do Sky have a responsibilty to invest in new UK drama? Well, for years Sky has marketed itself on it's exclusive sports coverage and extensive movie packages. Sky has not been traditionally seen as a broadcaster of drama. Yet several channels such as UK Gold only broadcast repeats of shows, bought at cheaper rates because they have already been shown before on other channels. The public openly see huge amounts of money invested by Sky in it's sports but are they investing in drama? Sky claim they made an eight-figure commitment to drama just last year, claiming this was one of the largest from any UK broadcaster.

It would certainly be a sad state of affairs if the BBC and ITV began showing mainly repeated programmes, but thankfully this looks unlikely to happen at present. I don't think it would be fair to say that Sky are fully responsible for their so called lack of UK drama. It is surely much harder for them to compete with the BBC and ITV in this area who are such long standing respected providers of UK drama. Also they are broadcast on terrestrial TV, whereas many Sky channels cost extra. Most people who feel the need to pay for Sky do so because of the Sports. Would the public really want to pay more for UK drama on top of the TV license we already have to pay?

In my opinion it would be a positive move for Sky to commision more UK drama, thus providing more opportunitoes for actors and writers. Yet it is unlikely that Sky will place drama on the same level as movies and sports as that is what they set out to gain the market in. What do you think?

Chilling in Paradise

New song....not sure about the title yet, see what you think..

Nietzsche – said all the interesting people,
Are missing in heaven.
Well I beg to differ coz I went there in as dream, I met Martin Luther King and the Queen,
Who ruled the waves,
Ok nobody misbehaves,
But I feel as free as a bird, it’s totally absurd but I see angels pole dancing in heaven
Haven’t had this much fun since I was seven,
I’m drinking whiskey at the bar, feel like I’m a film star,
Ooh what a dream, I’m in heaven.

I went once in a dream, I flew through outer space,
Through the gates of heaven and to this crazy place.
There were angels pole dancing there was beer for free
I played pool with st Peter he said this is to me:

"It’s like a holiday, the girls wear in bikinis,
And the waiter serves free vodkas martinis,
Every fruit you can think of is there and it's all ripe,
parties on the beach day and night".
I was chilling with Mother Teresa,
telling me how winning the Nobel peace prize pleased her.
She said good works are links that form a chain of love.
I said I hope that my hand fits the glove.

I went once in a dream, I flew through outer space, Through the gates of heaven to this crazy place. There were angels pole dancing there was beer for free, I played pool with st Peter he said this is to me:

"I was thinking, how the hell did I get in here,
drinking cream team with the virgin maria.
I must be the luckiest sinner alive....or maybe I’m dead, just like she said".
Either way I know this place is for me,
A million miles of beach sun and sea.
And if it’s just a dream at least it’s put a smile on my face,
And I hope that I return to this crazy place,

I went once in a dream, I flew through outer space, Through the gates of heaven to this crazy place. There were angels pole dancing there was beer for free, I played many games, this is the place to be.