Mary McCaslin's Roundup

Dec 18, 2003

GIFTS FOR THIS HOLIDAY SEASON

This evening two of the local TV channels were hosting their annual Holiday food drives and I marveled at how short the years have become over the last decades. It seemed like just a couple months ago that these same TV newscasters were asking for non-perishable food contributions in the name of the Holiday Spirit.

It's especially cruel to be poor during what should be the most festive time of year and in recent years the ranks of the poor have increased drastically. By all reports donations to food banks and other organizations whose missions are to assist the needy have dropped to record lows.

Much has been written about the "working poor". I suspect that many of those who have managed to make their way into a comfortable and secure financial situation really do not give a thought to what this term means - or they've chosen to forget what it can be like to struggle from paycheck to paycheck to keep a roof overhead and food on the table.

A lot has also been written about the widening gap between the "haves" and "have nots". I'm continually astounded at the proliferation of ads on TV and radio for luxury cars, like Jaguar and Mercedes. They are being advertised because there is a market for them. There are more rich people in this country today, but there are also many, many more poor.

I think a lot of people feel overwhelmed by all the pleas for donations and believe that the small amount they can afford to give will not make even a dent. This is simply not true. Most of us can only give a little at a time, but most of us can give more than once. When the big food drives start up I make a point of buying a couple of inexpensive items to place in the food barrel every time I go grocery shopping. It's amazing how much one person or household can donate in a few days or weeks by giving each time.

My favorite things to put in the food barrels are chicken noodle soup, canned fruit, ramen noodles or boxed macaroni and cheese dinners. These are not expensive and can be eaten and enjoyed by people of all ages, especially children. An adult may enjoy a can of oysters or kipper snacks that has been languishing in someone's pantry until being deposited in a food barrel, but even the most hungry child may not be able to stand more than a bite of this type of delicacy.

In my experience, donating to the Second Harvest or Valley Churches United food barrels makes all the difference in my Holiday outlook, which has been known to be pretty dismal. People are not hungry just this one time of year and it helps to know that the more we give now, the more folks will have to eat all year round.

THE GIFT OF MUSIC

In October and November I did a four week tour of the midwest and northeast. While in Cambridge, MA I visited Harvard Square, planning to stop in at the HMV record store. HMV is a chain store that has a massive selection of every kind of music. These kinds of stores can be dangerous places for people like me.

As I rounded the corner I was dismayed to discover that the building that housed this large store is now empty. I was greatly saddened, but not really surprised. The music business is in a slump and this is just one more sign of these times.

About a month before I left on my trip a friend offered to burn me some CDs of music that a mutual friend was burning onto CD for him. I thanked him politely and attempted to explain why I was declining his seemingly generous offer. Frankly, I'm not sure my explanation made any real impression. Even close friends do not understand that downloading music onto home computers without making some sort of payment is doing harm to the very artists those doing the downloading profess to admire. Others, like the friend who offered to burn the CDs for me, are equally clueless to the havoc this sort of wholescale piracy is bringing about. These two practices, coupled with the terrible economy have had a strong negative impact on the recording industry.

I have never been a supporter of the strong arm tactics employed by ASCAP or BMI. They have helped to close many small venues, which gave musicians work, because these places could not afford to pay exhorbitant performance royalty fees. The people who work for ASCAP and BMI, and who enforce these collection policies are not making a living playing or even writing music. They are attempting to make sure that the songwriters whose publishers are affiliated with either or both of these organizations receive a royalty payment for each time their song is played on radio, television, a juke box, club sound system or on stage. They are paid to do this, of course. The money taken in is pro-rated, the largest portions going to people like Bob Dylan, the Beatles, the Stones, etc. The endeavors of these people do very little to increase the income of the great majority of songwriters in this country.

Burning CDs and downloading without payment is not the same thing. Sales are not affected by whether or not ASCAP or BMI gets their royalty. They demand a royalty no matter who sings that Bob Dylan song on stage, or for it simply being played on a club's sound system during breaks. The person singing that song live is not selling anything other than his or her performance at that moment. Bob Dylan loses out only when his latest recording is either downloaded for free onto a home computer or one person buys his latest CD and then burns copies for several friends. Lesser known artists lose even more.

It is amazing to me that there are people who truly believe that once an artist records a song that they have no right to complain about un-authorized duplication of that recording. "You put it out there, so you take that chance" is their attitude. The other cop-out is that I should be flattered that someone likes my music enough to make copies of my recordings for others.

Many years ago, when music fans made cassettes of their favorite albums, the occasional audience member would come up to me at a concert and gleefully inform me that a friend had taped my recordings for them. This person would be perplexed by my not so pleasant expression of disbelief.

So, this Holiday season, if you want to give the gift of music, go to the music store and buy the CDs of the artists you like. This way you are giving a gift to the artists who make the music as well as to those who listen to it.

That's it for now. Happy trails.

Mary McCaslin will be playing the Brookdale Bluegrass Festival at the Brookdale Lodge on Sunday, Dec. 7 and at 1st Night Santa Cruz. E-mail her at roundup@marymccaslin.com