popular thinking

ROLLING STONE MAGAZINE GATHERS MORE MOSS: Pity the aging music tabloid. Please, someone, somewhere, show pity for this sagging mag. The holidays presented much free time to reflect, spend time with the fam, then spend time escaping the relatives and cozying up with that pile of unread magazines and newspapers. Which brings me to Rolling Stone. In the 20th century, this magazine was must-read material, not only for its coverage of rock 'n' roll but also for its bold, brash journalism (bringing us fresh reads from mad minds like that of Hunter S. Thompson). But in the 21st century? Rolling Stone cannot go cover to cover without resorting to stale copy. Its front of book wit makes Maxim seem clever, if you can believe that. Its "people of the year" interviews? Insipid, at best. Eminem is among the "records of the year." The Rolling Stones, too (figures). And in the movie wrapup, Peter Travers manages to go from boxing image in his paragraph to describe his #2 movie, "watch out -- it sneaks up on you and knocks you flat," all the way to boxing image in his paragraph for his #3 movie, "the film hits your like a surprise left hook." Watch out! Surprise! Hello! Is there a copy editor in the house? Then wait, because Travers begins his paragraphs for both the #5 and #6 movies with the phrase "Red-staters." Argh.

Then it hit me. I'm not the target audience for Rolling Stone magazine; old and hermit-like musicians are. That's the sense I got in turning the pages to find advertisement after advertisment asking me if I'm missing out on music royalties:
"Could you be missing royalties?" Warner Music Group asks on a full-page 99,
"Could you be missing royalties?" Sony/BMG asks on a full-page 133,
"Attention songwriters, could you be missing royalties?" asks Sony/ATV Music publishing on a quarter-page 163.
Well, am I missing out? I know I've hummed more than my fair share of hit melodies. Perhaps one of them got coopted by The Matrix (and I'm talking about those "pop music hitmaker" machine songwriters, not the Keanu Reaves movie trilogy). Perhaps they're getting me confused with McCartney. Happens all the time.

I wondered more after seeing a full-page ad toward the back of the mag for Ringtopia, with all of the latest, greatest ringtones for your mobile phone. Are any of the musicians seeing any money out of this jackpot?

Well, yes. Sort of. Turns out the ringtone recordings are part of the reason (along with the expansion of Internet and satellite radio airplay) that music companies are trying to track down musicians for royalties. This story in the New York Times describes how these new forms of music broadcasting are spreading the wealth, so to speak, to more and more performers. If only Rolling Stone had devoted some space in its year-in-review to report on the changing landscape of broadcasting. Then again, that would require Rolling Stone to be relevant. One can dream. Maybe in 2005, folks?