Thinking about the house were buying really brightens my day. It signifies some kind of new era for us, for me. I’m blessed to be where I am in life and thankful. Middle Class. 🙂 Here goes a NYTimes pictorial on the middle of the middle class. It’s real important to remember where you come from in life. To not lose perspective on reality. To realize that others may not have the wealth, or the freedom to act as you do. There is a huge difference between owning a company and working for one for example. Between owning a house and struggling to pay rent. Or worst. Between paying rent and living in a shelter. As always, it’s important to walk in other’s shoes. Some people simply refuse to do that. Some people only do it for tactics. Some people don’t know how or were never forced to because they had to. Some people forget how. I hope I never get that way.

Slashdot covers this week’s NYTimes magazine. It’s hard out there.

Pink Houses by John Mellencamp

There’s a black man with a black cat livin’ in a black neighborhood
He’s got an interstate runnin’ through his front yard
You know he thinks that he’s got it so good
And there’s a woman in the kitchen cleanin’ up the evenin’ slop
And he looks at her and says, “Hey darlin’, I can remember when
you could stop a clock.”

CHORUS:
Oh but ain’t that America for you and me
Ain’t that America somethin’ to see baby
Ain’t that America home of the free
Little pink houses for you and me

There’s a young man in a t-shirt
Listenin’ to a rockin’ rollin’ station
He’s got greasy hair, greasy smile
He says, “Lord this must be my destination.”
‘Cause they told me when I was younger
“Boy you’re gonna be president.”
But just like everything else those old crazy dreams
Just kinda came and went

:|| CHORUS

Well there’s people and more people
What do they know know know
Go to work in some high rise
And vacation down at the Gulf of Mexico
Ooh yeah
And ther’s winners and there’s losers
But they ain’t no big deal
‘Cause the simple man baby pays for the thrills, the bills,
the pills that kill

:|| CHORUS

CNET – How to beat the record labels on the Web

The answer lies in controlling the rights to recordings. It’s only after start-ups get into the game of signing artists that they will truly be able to control the destiny of downstream distribution. This is no easy task. Record companies have spent decades building up a sourcing system, and have a huge competitive advantage when it comes to expertise in promotion and marketing.

But the majors have huge vulnerabilities when it comes to their cost structures, and the amount of units they need to sell to break even on a title. And, as in all instances where sleeping giants get unseated, it will happen first at the fringes.

There is a long history of small labels making inroads into overlooked genres, and while these independent efforts have historically grown up to be fodder for major acquisitions, it won’t be long before a burgeoning independent makes better strategic use of distribution technology. Often, one loose brick can bring down the whole wall.

So my advice to the plethora of music start-ups focused on distribution? Give it up.

If ya can’t beat ’em… join ’em

Shannon points to an article that covers the sad state of affairs in radio.