Am I Coming In Clear?
Rant. Hail. Spit. Do what you want, but do you want other controlling your actions? Controlling what you listen to? Controlling how you perceive things? Entirely brain-washing you to a predictable consumer? We’re all targets from this clandestine “enemy.”
The Shortlist Awards was held in Los Angeles, California on October 5, where the likes of Bright Eyes and Cat Power were scheduled to perform. Conor Oberst of Bright Eyes took the opportunity onstage to rant about Clear Channel Communication’s control over the entertainment industry. I wouldn’t really call it ranting because he was informing the audience of the overwhelming presence of Clear Channel. A youth jumped onstage to bow down in front of Conor, while another youth climbed onstage to spit at Conor’s shoes during the final number of “To Love and Be Loved.” That’s kind of silly when Conor has his huge orchestra to beat that guy to a bloody pulp. What a bizarre night.
Several years ago, my middle school had career day where different people would come in and talk to us about their jobs. We were asked to list our most desired careers; as a joke, I put down DJ as my top choice. Fortunately or unfortunately my wish was granted and sure enough DJ was on my schedule. The lecture droned on while I took notes for an article and a paper I had to write. After the DJ finished, he asked us questions about his lecture; he asked what company supports the station. I glanced at my notes; I had Clear Channel on my paper and raised my hand. I got the answer right and received a nice t-shirt with the station’s gaudy logo. Also, about 2 years ago a radio station owned by Clear Channel was going to host an event at my school. People were excited, because at least they knew there was going to be good music (note: their opinions do not reflect everyone in school, including me). Eventually, the dance turned out to be flop, because nobody was into going to the dance. They even showed up at our pep rally to hand out stickers and t-shirts. Everything is so nice and fluffy. Awww…they’re so nice, giving back to schools and everything.
If they’re nice, then they must be the nicest big bad wolf out there. Ever wonder why tickets that come from Ticketmaster are so ridiculously expensive? A couple years ago, Clear Channel merged with Ticketmaster, allowing CC to raise prices. I bought a ticket through Ticketmaster and the service charge ended up being almost as much as the ticket price. Where does all this money go? To charity? Does it take that much money to print a couple words on a piece of paper? It’s one thing to have a business and to make a profit, but it’s another thing of robbing people of their money, almost charging the price of a ticket for the “service charge” that does a disservice to the customer.
I feel that the quality of radio is disintegrating, and who or what may contribute to this? If you guessed Clear Channel, you’ve been reading the article, or you’re just scanning this piece and seeing that Clear Channel is the most common phrase that is used. The Telecom Act of 1996 freed up the radio market by allowing companies to own an almost unlimited amount of radio stations. Clear Channel seized the opportunity and began building their terrifying empire and they now own numerous popular radio stations across the nation. Even two of their radio stations have the same website design, and they play two different genres of music. Are they that lazy? Is it a template for all their radio stations? Come on, they have enough money to pay website designers to make flashy websites that are different. Maybe they think “Hmm, maybe nobody will notice.” Maybe…not.
Their playlists are strict and rigid; music played on different coasts are the same, and that creates a slight problem. Why aren’t their stations supporting local bands? If you tried calling the radio station and asking them to play a song by Q and Not U, or The Dismemberment Plan they would either tell you a flat no, or politely tell you a lie by saying they will play it for you, but never do because they have a pre-planned playlist. Similarly, the Billboard charts are based on how well the radio stations are doing their job, and indeed they are doing their job because the playlists correlate to album sales. What does that mean for indie bands? No exposure means rarely any sales, and thus music progression is static.
Censorship is powerful and using it to force your opinion on your audience is plain wrong. After the attack on September 11, Clear Channel sent out notes to radio stations and “suggested” that they remove anti-war and war songs off their playlists. Even songs that hinted at peace were taken off the already restricted playlists. It doesn’t stop there; they “suggested” the removal of openly anti-war artists songs even if their songs were about their dog named Fido. As hard as they tried to stay neutral they still have a leaning towards pro-war sentiment. Also, all of their radio stations have the same news feeds, which means some information is left out all over the country.
I admit I am a huge Bright Eyes fan. I am such a big fan that if you say they suck I will cover my ears and scream “la la la” at the top of my lungs and insist you don’t understand them at all. However, just because Conor believes Clear Channel is corrupt isn’t even considered a reason why I hold my stance on the Clear Channel issue. If I agreed with every band I like on every topic I would not be the same person as I am today. I am not asking you to stop listening to your favorite station or discourage you from going to a venue owned by Clear Channel. I am just simply asking you to be aware of their influence over you. When you recognize their influence, it’s your choice what you want to do with the information.
Note: Too bad they didn’t show the rant on TV, but you can see it on Saddle Creek’s website under the movies section.