Welcome
to issue number two of this quarterly dedicated to
the fine arts of songwriting, writing and wasting
time, money and effort on ART.
Art
is the new religion. We erect cathedrals in Malls to
its sparkling power and in increasing numbers buy it,
sell it, make it and play it. Today I heard there
were something like 8 million pages on the internet
and I'd guess 4 million of those were dedicated to
music. Your chances of finding your way to this page
then are 8 million to one I'd say unless you were
guided here by a friend or a site you have come to
regard as a friend.
Herein
lies the beauty and the problem of webzines. I have
no longer to worry about the mechanics of paper
production but unless I put one of those inaccurate
and silly counters on my page how do I know I'm not
just another tree falling in the forest? This is
where 'interaction' comes into play.The reason why so
many web pages ( especially the corporate ones) are
'interactive' is not only because they're being
friendly -they're also marketing - every time you
sign a guestbook or enquire these days via this
technology chances are you're being logged.
Which
brings me to the crux of this little rant. Flyin
Shoes is brought to you courtesy of The
University of Oxford, Bodleian Library and as part of
an academic network I can neither sell things or
directly link to institutions that do. At first I
thought this may be a problem -I was offered cent
deals for traffic directed from these pages to places
-that's the reason you see so many links/ banners to
CDNOW/ Amazon Com etc. It's business. Now though I
see it as a blessing in disguise for where can you
draw the line between criticism and advertising any
more?
The
artists I feature in this mag are chosen by me and
the contributors because we respect their work
-simple as that - there's no hidden agenda/
favouritism or special pleading and I feel it an
honour to bring someone like Duke Bardwell to the
fore -that's the pleasure of working for yourself
even if it is working for nothing. The other mags I
write for Hearsay and Bucketfull
of Brains are similar labours of love
and that some of the artists we feature are releasing
or touring is only due to creative accountancy and
understanding partners. What FS
lacks in corporate zing I hope it makes up for in
straightforward honesty and good writing.
This
issue has an article on MP3 by groovy Scots bard Tom
McEwen which tackles the similar web explosion of
music provision. Again what you're handed so easily
with one hand is being taken away with the other -
Tom reveals the hidden costs of MP3 financially and
spiritually.
Finally
let's hope you enjoy this summer issue despite this
barage of opinion and come back for more in October
but remember FS doesn't
archive -it's here and then it's gone so enjoy it
while it lasts. If you insist on nicking things or
using bits of the text here please acknowledge the
source -it's free -all it's cost is my time -it's
cost some of these artists a whole lot more.
all
the best
Shaun
B.
honorary
custodian of the Flyin Shoes
