Archive for the ‘music’ tag
Bedside Regiments Music Video
My band, Ten and Six, released our debut music video today:
Our new album is also out today. You can download it free, or buy a CD for $4.95.
Popularity: 10% [?]
Orwell’s Britain shakes up London’s music scene
It seems every other day I see another news story about surveillance in the United Kingdom.
Continuing the trend is Form 696, which the London Metropolitan Police are requiring managers of musicians to provide in advance of live shows. It was introduced in response to violent incidents at some larger performances, but the information it collects hardly seems relevant:
The form demands that licensees give police a mass of detail, including the names, aliases, private addresses and phone numbers of all musicians and other performers appearing at their venue, and the ethnic background of the likely audience. Failure to comply could mean the loss of a licence or even a fine and imprisonment.
Clearly, the police are using collective ethnic profiling to forecast expectations of violence at live shows. Because such forms of statistical discrimination are so politically offensive, I suspect this is why the police collect so much seemingly irrelevant data (residential addresses and personal phone numbers of the musicians), perhaps in an attempt to make it less obvious. The original form is not available for critique, having been pulled from the Met’s website following the Independent’s November 21 story.
Another side effect is the disproportionate effect this bureaucratic obstacle poses to independent musicians, much like a similar (but more restrictive) measure proposed in Chicago this year — the Promoters’ Ordinance. The costs of complying with the regulation impose a greater cost on independent musicians and promoters than they do on professional firms.
Popularity: 2% [?]
Economics lessons from pop songs
From ABBA to Zeppelin examines the lyrics of pop songs and often finds them grappling with economic questions. For example, Queen’s Freddie Mercury is aware of the difficulty in evaluating opportunity costs and time preferences:
I’m a man with a one track mind
So much to do in one lifetime (people do you hear me)
Not a man for compromise and where’s and why’s and living lies
So I’m living it all, yes I’m living it all
And I’m giving it all, and I’m giving it all
[…]
I want it all, I want it all, I want it all and I want it now
An essay question follows:
The lyrics above remind us that there is a lot to do in one short lifetime. Freddie Mercury, Queen’s lead singer, asserts that he wants it all and he wants it now. Do you prefer to consume goods in the present or future? With reference to these lyrics, explain why individuals charge interest for deferring consumption.
Audio samples and full lyrics are available for each entry.
Popularity: 1% [?]