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Weird Al: Don't download this song
You know weird Al Yankovic right? I suppose you blocked that out from several years ago right? He has a new song out untitled "Don't Download this Song." He is trying desperately to get people to buy the CD, "like you know that you should" and extols young thugs and hooligans NOT to download his new song, because "cause you start out stealing songs, then you're robbin' liquor stores, and sellin' crack and runnin' over school-kids with your car." We all know the evils of downloading, that's why we all go to meetings to help with our downloading addiction. My concern here is that Weird Al is sending a very mixed message, because not a few hundred pixels from his music video for the song is a "Download this song" button. This is the entire problem with the music business, they are two-faced. Don't download the song, but here it is if you want it. It's horrible and entrapping to many younger computer users. Someday we'll put a stop to this. Until then, I hope you realize that I am just kidding about the mixed message thing. I laughed my butt off twice. The music video is priceless. His song is pretty good too. Get a truly free music download for once, go download Weird Al's latest song, "Don't download this song."
Comments
8
Subscribe to commentsjohnnyg0Sep 21st 2006 8:45AM
Isn't this Weird Al's take on the music industry?.. didn't he got screwed by his label once?
zeletSep 21st 2006 9:27AM
I bought the album like a whore. Mainly because he put two pretty decent songs out for free download. Plus he just seems like a pretty decent guy.
Eagle117Sep 21st 2006 9:28AM
I preordered the CD just because I like his stuff. I don't care for the video, but the song is great.
C.G.Sep 21st 2006 10:02AM
I think I remember reading that Al got screwed by his record label before. I know he's said that he gets less money on songs/albums bought on iTunes than he does from sales of CDs. The CD is going to be a dual format - DVD audio and CD audio and I remember reading on his website that it will include a bunch of extras like music videos and behind the scenes footage of them. So with all those extras and the CDs making him more money, you can tell than he is sending a mixed message.
To me, he is saying by the CD - and here's what you get for buying it (all this extra stuff). But he is also making a statement about the record companies' tactics.
I don't know what to do. I don't want to support a dying format but I do want to support Al because I like his work and he's had some bad luck as of late with this new CD. They canceled his video premiere on AOL and Atlantic Records objected to the 'Your Pitiful' song so Al's label decided not to include it on this new CD.
Sources:
http://www.weirdal.com/aaarchive.htm (See Date:April 27, 2006)
http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=90827837&blogID=169566305&MyToken=65d8d2d5-73b0-450a-afaa-4eefcaa72318
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5482774
Not that that I'm a huge fan or anything...
KarlSep 21st 2006 11:14AM
What a boring song and a boring try to promote this boring record. There are thousands of this kind of songs around. Whatever happened to that weird Weird Al we used to know?
Ryan CarterSep 21st 2006 11:19AM
In a more classic Weird Al style, check out his video "White and Nerdy" here: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6566230463793540146&q=white+and+nerdy&hl=en
Ron ScottSep 21st 2006 6:33PM
Man I came this close to excoriating you in my comment. I'm so glad you were kidding.
StuOct 5th 2006 1:17PM
From reading your article... I honestly couldn't tell if you were joking or not.
Weird Al DOES NOT THINK PEOPLE SHOULD BE SUED FOR DOWNLOADING SONGS!!!! He might PREFER that you buy his CD, but I think he's more interested in having people listen to his songs in the first place.
It's as simple as that, and I should hope that, among those who watched the vid/listened to the song, most of you got the fact that he was juxtaposing filesharing with violent crimes ("you start out stealing songs, then you're robbing liquor stores, and selling crack and running over schoolkids with your car!"), and pointing out that it's out of greed that anyone objects to the practice (e.g.: "How else can I afford another solid gold Humvee? And diamond studded swimming pools, these things don't grow on trees!").
Anyway, this vid AND song get a 10/10 from me!
Oh, and to those saying "this video sucks, but the song's cool.", I have to ask you this: do you think they could get away with HALF of the imagery they used in this cartoon in a live-action vid?