Various Artists “netBloc Vol. 40: AAIR Attack”

If you didn’t pick up on the not so subtle hint of repurposing the RIAA logo for the cover art and the title “AAIR Attack”, I still have something to say about the sad state of the music industry.

It’s now going on 14 years since Napster was launched and the mainstream music industry is still struggling with how to deal with “file-sharing”. It seems that with every new innovation that helps artists/labels promote music online, the mainstream industry goes out of its way to shut it down or co-opt it for it’s own purposes, screwing it up in the process. Instead of “getting” it, the industry throws incredible sums of money at lobbyists and lawyers upon lawyers upon lawyers. The industry continues to either ignore or purposely delude the public into thinking that file-sharing’s the root of all their woes. However, it’s definitely not file-sharing that’s hurting their industry. There are many reasons… the lack of quality and formulaic output, an incredible surplus of music coming from all parts of the world via a wide array of sources and an ever-growing competing gaming industry. Meanwhile, the rest of the music world moves forward and adapts. Quite frankly, I wonder if the mainstream’s real influence on future musicians and fans has been irreparably damaged. For me, it’s come to the point where now, if it’s mainstream, I’m not interested.

In the nearly six years since I’ve launched blocSonic, I’ve noticed the netlabel/netaudio/copyleft movement grow incredibly. Not only in the amount of artists and labels embracing Creative Commons licenses, but also in the production quality of the music being released. This is one portion of the global music culture that’s on the rise. The music has something significant to offer… it’s ALIVE… it’s GROWING… it’s INNOVATING. That’s my word.

So, please enjoy this collection of eleven incredible tracks coming to you from all over the world. I hope that these fine artists are eventually able to enjoy an honored place among your favorites. If you can support them in any way, please do so. Check out the booklet for suggestions on ways that you can.

Thanks again for visiting, listening & downloading. It’s a pleasure to bring this series to you. Remember… everything we release is cool to share! Always keep the music moving… share it… blog it… podcast it! If you’re in radio… support independent music and broadcast it!

Peace
Mike Gregoire
Founder/Curator blocSonic.com