another quick maribyrnong trip

So today was a quick trip to the Maribyrnong, but only because I wanted to go to Poynton's (I've never been there before) to get some potting mix and a big pot, but crikey, the big pots were ugly and expensive, so I didn't get a big pot I just made do. Now I have way too much potting mix but whatever. Maybe I should get some more plants. I also went to this:

A record fair at Northcote Theatre which to be honest got me riled up a bit, sorry, I know what a cliche I am but there was just way too much Pink Floyd and Fleetwood Mac for sale and I cbf. I wanted to get Laura a copy of Abba's album The Visitors but I couldn't find any and I also wasn't sure whether Abba counted as '70s pop' or '80s pop' or 'Female', presumably they are not 'Male'. There was one stall which was totally random about whether it categorised solo artists by first or last name, maybe they had their reasons but that bugged me, let's be honest, the whole thing bugged me. One positive was that I sold my copy of Hex Enduction Hour at Eddy's stall, apparently for way cheaper than I might conceivably have sold it but as I said to Eddy and Guy, I should have taken it into the street and smashed it I feel so much better not having that racist bullshit in the house. I know what you're going to say - I still have my copy of Don Juan's Reckless Daughter in the original sleeve but, well, perhaps there's a difference between a song about how much someone hates seeing black people on tv and a picture of someone pretending to be a black person because they like black people. But I admit both positions are entitled and it's troublesome and I'm going to work on how I feel about it. 

Have you been to this place? It's the Uniting Church op shop in High Street Northcote and it's freakin' amazing. 

Go!!! 

 

new scheme

I had a great idea walking back from Rocksteady this evening which I will put to you succinctly. It will really work. 

You know how there is a scheme where artists whose work is resold (by a public entity, not between private individuals) over the value of $1000 get 5%? Well that should totally be the case for musicians too. 

I was listening to a podcast recently it was an interview with the guy(s?) who started Discogs and I thought gosh - it'd be piss easy for them to incorporate a small percentage payment to the original artist anytime someone buys a record. Of course, the big winners would be shit like Pink Floyd (in fact, PF's Dark Side of the Moon was the example given of an album that probably has more pressings than any other). But, and not to make this about me, I have been involved in some records that are now selling in the $300-$400 range on Discogs, or at least they're priced at that rate I don't know if they're actually selling but that's not the point. 

The tipping point needs to be lower for records because there are more of them, they're not unique art works so let's say - $100. Every time someone sells a record to someone on discogs for more than a hundred dollars, the people who made it - assuming they're registered with the appropriate official arbiter - should get 5%. It's only fair. It will also recompense all those people who put in all the work all that time ago and then didn't really have that career in music they possibly deserved and they wasted their lives and are bitter and a drain on resources. Also, people like me who don't really need the money but, you know, it's only fair. 

Spotify should use its excessive wealth to make this happen and then maybe less people would hate Spotify. Think about it, Spotify! Because you are quite hated! 

Record collectors are not quite the scum of Spotify but they're on the scale. They also deserve to pay extra for being allowed to continue living on Earth. I hate them too. I mean Pink Floyd are the worst of the bunch.