Savage Distortion

MICHAEL BALZARY Vs BOB LEFSETZ (OR THIS IS THE DEBATE)

No this isn't about boxing, but I wish it was because I know Flea would kick this asshole's ass but good, and that's what Lefsetz needs, a punishing beating that nearly kills him. I'd like to do it myself, but I'm a peacenick after all, I have to maintain my profile.

So what are we talking about? Let's start with Miacheal Balzary, or, Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, as he is more widely known.

Flea: When I woke up this morning I was was confronted with the news that our record has been leaked to the internet. It does not come out til May 9, but now it has leaked, and not that I know alot about this kind of thing, but I guess now it is possible to download it for free if you want. Well, that's not very nice.

Certainly not.

Flea: If you down load it now off one of these file sharing sites you will be getting a pale imitation of the record. It will be of the poor sound quality of the technique they used to get it on there, and that will break my heart. It will break John Frusciante's heart, it will break Anthony Kiedis's heart, and it will break the heart of Chad Smith.

I can only imagine.

Flea goes on to explain just how awful something like this is to an artist, and make no mistake, Flea is an artist, very much so. You can read the entire missive here.

Now for Bob Lefsetz's response. Bob is a music business pundit, and an asshole.

Lefsetz:
"Doesn't this sound suspiciously like the Oscar campaign telling us thata movie is only good if you see it in a THEATRE?

Decades after Burger King made major inroads into McDonald's market share by announcing to consumers they could have it "their way", backward record companies and artists STILL believe they dictate how people should acquire and play music. God, if they could, they'd have everybody playing CDs in their homes only. So they could hear the "warm", pristine sound.

Well, CDs are pristine. But the sound is so brittle, so unlike music,that I truly believe whole GENRES of music have fallen by the wayside because when listened to on the disc format they LACK said warmth, they hurt your ear and DON'T touch your heart. Ever notice that the only thing that SOUNDS good on CD is hip-hop?

But what blows my mind about Flea's e-mail is two things:

1. The fact he sent it.
So, I'm sitting here at home, eagerly awaiting May 9th to buy the album
of my favorite artists, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and its BASSIST, its
CORE MEMBER, tells me the album is available all over the NET? Shit,
I've got to file up the P2P app. I've got to go to AltaVista. I've got to GET IT!

People were ignorant, out of the loop, and Flea informed them. They
call this ADVERTISING! And Flea just advertised in the greatest word of
mouth forum of all time. The word is going to spread like wildfire.
Couldn't ANYBODY stop him? Get him to shut his mouth?

Which brings us to number 2:

2. What a fucking Luddite.
"it will be of the poor sound quality of the technique they used to get it on there"

What the FUCK does THIS mean?

I've heard of rehearsal tapes being leaked. Of it not being the final
version. But Flea doesn't say this.

What exactly is this technique? Did they invent some new way to convert music to files while I was sleeping? Other than ripping? And getting it on there? Like there's a central server that hosts ALL the pirate files, that they're not on individuals' hard drives, available to others.

How could it be that everybody under twenty knows what the fuck is going on with computer music, and MANY OLDER THAN THAT, and the guy making the music is completely fucking ignorant? Flea, do you own an iPod? Is there anything on it? How did the music get on there?

Meanwhile, the Red Hot Chili Peppers are selling their album on iTunes. The difference between MP3s on the Net ripped at 128 and the M4A files sold at the iTMS is like the difference between a BMW 325 and a BMW 330. If you don't know the difference, that proves the point. Because there almost IS no difference. Furthermore, if the leaked files are ripped at 160, or 192, as advance copies so often are, they'll sound BETTER THAN
THE FILES YOU BUY! What business is Flea in? The career business, or the DISC business?

The disc business is dying. All you've got is your name. And you want to do NOTHING to tarnish it. So people will give you money in the future. For live performances. For merchandise. AND music, when all this P2P trading is monetized.

Shit, it's as if Flea accused his fans of getting the files on the INTERNETS, in the style of our beloved President. And who is getting these files? Certainly not fans of Mariah Carey. No, rabid RHCP fans. Who are going to buy the album ANYWAY!! Unless they believe it sucks. Can you blame them for wanting to hear it first,before they buy it? But they really want to hear it because that's just how much they love the RHCP. And Flea has now pissed on them. By saying he doesn't understand them. Shit, if Flea were smart, he would have told these people to GO ONLINE AND CHECK THE NEW ALBUM OUT! It's SO fucking good it'll blow their minds. He could have been WITH them as opposed to AGAINST them. I haven't seen such ridiculous bullshit since Lars equated stealing a file with stealing a couch. Showing he had no comprehension of bits and bytes. Sure, they're both right. People should pay for music. But the companies they're signed to won't let consumers acquire music the way THEY want to. The street date is no longer inviolate. Marketing campaigns are bullshit. The dike is leaking and is about to break."



Now, Bob may have a point or two, but the bottom line is that the digital medium has made us all into thieves, with no respect for the soul of the artist who creates the music we feel we can do whatever we want with. I feel for Flea, and the Chili Peppers, and not because of any financila loss, hell, they don't really need the money at this point. It's the cost to the soul and spirit of the artist. The Chili's are about soul and spirit, that's what has kept them vital through a carrer frought with turmoil. To Flea, I say I'm with you, man - I feel you, and I look forward to hearing the record the way you intended. To Bob I say Fuck You.

What if somebody managed to make a shitty low resolution jpeg of Picasso's La Guernica, and published it prior to his unvieling? What if plastic minutures of Micaelangelo's David were put on the market before he presented his masterpiece?

What will it take? Will a hugely popular artist have to cease recording altogether in order to show the world the damage being done?