Lyndahere And Snippets From Twitter...

I have been under the impression for a long time Lyndahere (@lyndahere) doesn’t really like Great Big Sea although she clearly likes Alan Doyle. My suspicions where confirmed in a tweet today about her clear preference for Alan Doyle @JackRossAgent @alanthomasdoyle “I especially like that you mentioned both GBS and Alan. More GBS is good: more Alan Doyle Band gigs is best” 24 February 2013. There is further evidence.

There have been numerous examples on her blog and on Twitter that illustrate she may not like Great Big Sea as much as she professes too. I have written about it on previous posts for example blaming Great Big Sea for the comments she gets on her blog when they start selling seats to concerts and the tour ends.

However, it is mainly her actions like not retweeting the CBC Music videos of their concerts on Twitter, and bootlegging the It’s Friday video filmed in St John’s with Great Big Sea and Dean Brody and releasing it before the due date. She did bootleg Great Big Sea’s performance with Blue Rodeo also filmed by CBC Music. But she held off for a bit and then put her own copies up on Youtube after what she considered a suitable amount of time.

If the video is an official Great Big Sea video and not in competition with her own bootlegged live recording videos then she will retweet a link or provide links on Twitter like Heart of Hearts.

There was no acknowledgement or congratulations on the opening of Bob Hallett’s pub in St John’s Newfoundland on her Twitter site and no photos or videos. I would have thought since she was in Newfoundland she would have been there.

Lyndahere sent the following tweet to all the Great Big Sea members Alan Doyle, Sean McCann, Bob Hallett, Murray Foster and Kris MacFarlane “The Koolhaus Toronto Nov 2004, full concert” 24 February 2013. While she did not retweet any links to the videos from the CBC Music or Great Big Sea Twitter site that were up on Youtube or their links she loaded up an entire music pirated video live concert recording from 2004 in Toronto.

So why not put Twitter links to a really brilliant performance that would really sell Great Big Sea. Wikipedia states Great Big Sea's released their first concert DVD and videos collection, the Great Big DVD in Canada and the United States in 2003 and Europe in 2004. In 2006, the band released their second concert DVD, Courage & Patience & Grit, recorded in Belleville, Ontario.

I have seen copies of these DVDs on Youtube and they are excellent so why not provide a Twitter link to copies of these videos even though they are pirated. For example one of the music pirated videos is song The Mermaid from the Courage and Patience and Grit DVD by Sean McCann. It also contains a wonderful brief history of Newfoundland folk music and links to itunes for people to buy the song. But then there is no publicity for her site or her ‘work’ in there.

The concert Lyndahere provided links to was nearly ten years ago. Great Big Sea is not the same band anymore. They have evolved both as individuals and as a group as has their music evolved. Here she is selling a band people will not see and hear and a product that doesn’t exist anymore. Her biases are clearly seen in her videos and her writing and that is her videos and her writing clearly centers around Alan Doyle. There have been lots of old photos sent to his Twitter site but I think that is more to remind him and the band how long she has been stalking them or a fan.

Lyndahere always the opportunist is ready and waiting. When she tweets her videos and photos to Alan Doyle she now includes a full stop and blank space after her name separating it from Alan Doyle. So that she is clearly the author of the material. Always on the look out for some extra publicity.

@lyndahere to @alanthomasdoyle performs a snippet fr. GBS’s “Horatio The Penguin” @WPG Alan Doyle band gig at Youtube….. (See You’re great!!). 21 February 2013. 

Alan Doyle wrote on his official Twitter site “Just learned of the Juno nomination for Testify video. What a thrill. What a thrill. Thanks Margaret M. and the Iceland folks, and esp Russell Crowe”. On Tuesday 19 February 2013 the music video Testify by Alan Doyle and Russell Crowe was nomination for a Canadian music Juno Award. Congratulations. The video was made last year in Iceland with talented Canadian photographer Margaret Malandrucco. It was Margaret’s second nomination for a Juno Awards last year, the second song Fire It Up by Johnny Reid.

Despite all the alternative types of videos being produced including bootlegged live recordings and vidding there is still a place for the traditional musician and artist video in the world of music by fans who love to watch them and by the music establishment who recognise their importance in promoting music. The video is available on Youtube on Alan Doyle’s official site Vevo and in high definition on Vimeo.

It was Lyndahere who provided a tweet for the link to the Alan Doyle official Youtube site for the official video Testify. And it was retweeted by Alan Doyle. A tweet and an eventual retweet by a bootlegger of live concerts who has sent Alan Doyle and Great Big Sea tweets hundreds of tweets to her videos that have never been acknowledged. A bootlegger providing a link to a talented Canadian woman who makes music videos for a living, and is recognised by her peers by being nominated and is paid. One of her videos has had over a million hits. Everything Lyndahere has wanted but never achieved.

Testify is one of Lyndahere most bootlegged songs. There are over 20 copies of this song on Youtube from Alan Doyle's solo tour and with Russell Crowe at the Indoor Garden Party in St Johns and New York. Despite all of her bootlegging here is an official video being nominated for a Canadian Juno award.

Lyndahere And Big Name Fans...

Lyndahere (@lyndahere) Is she a big name fan?

@MichelleGallinger “did you actually get tix? I tried could not. I did email hughs rm for tix and dinner no reply yet?” 13 February 2013

@MichelleGallinger “again thx! Btw if ur wondering who the I am, I intro’d myself to you at danforth in TO in pub next dr prior to gbs XX kick of remem?” 13 February 2013

@lyndahere “Hey there, Michelle – I remember you. Thanks for the name-to-face help. Always appreciated! See you at Hughs.” 13 February 2013

@MichelleGalinger “I hope so..still have to get tix going to London but this one has proven to be a bit more challenging” 13 February 2013

@GirlieStarfish “my phone tells me u tweeted me but I can’t see it?” 25 January 2013

@lyndahere “Yes, sorry deleted. Had 2^nd thoughts about answering your TOGOG question. G-rated explanations to be found by Googling :-)” 26 January 2013

@GirlieStarfish “lol okay will have to keep Googling then :-) 26 January 2013

When researching and reading about fandom I came across another term I had never heard before on Wikipedia a “Big Name Fan”. I asked the question what constitutes a Big Name Fan? There are certain Big Name Fans in the Great Big Sea fan community.

Wikipedia describes a Big Name Fan as one that has achieved a certain amount of fame and respect for their contributions to the fandom. Some fans have made such a contribution to that fandom they sometimes have their own followers and a certain amount of fame. There are many examples on Lyndahere’s Twitter site of fans contacting her for information about Great Big Sea, Alan Doyle and even Russell Crowe. Lyndahere bootlegs live recordings, writes a blog, some fan fiction and takes photos. While there are many fans who like and follow Lyndahere for her videos and blog not everyone does in the Great Big Sea fan community. She is known to the fans of Russell Crowe and Scott Grimes. The other big name fans are people Great Big Sea members regularly Tweet on Twitter and they attend concerts.

“The Neo-Fan Guide” edited by Bob Tucker on the Fanlore site was written to help people understand the science fiction fandom but can be applied across fandoms. He describes a Big Name Fan “BNF or Bnf - The "Big Name Fan," the person who is well-known and who has made a solid reputation for himself. This is usually accomplished by participating in fannish affairs for a long while, or by publishing a superior fanzine, or by consistently writing or illustrating in a manner identified with quality, or by any number of ways which keeps your name before fandom in a responsible manner. The term "Bnf" has to be earned, it can never be appropriated or purchased, nor conferred upon yourself or your friends”. The rest of us are Little Name Fans “LNF - A "Little-name Fan" or "Little-known Fan." You, until you make a respectable reputation for yourself in fandom. It may take only a year or two, or it may take several”.

Fanlore is a wiki that discusses fandom in considerable detail allowing people to contribute research and participate in discussions about fandoms. “Fanlore is a collaborative site by, for, and about fans and fan communities that create and consume fanworks...”. I love these discussions and contributions by fans to a body of knowledge. While they mainly discuss fan fiction a lot of the ideas on Big Name Fans can spread across all kinds of fandom. I hope they help you make up your own ideas about Big Name Fans.

Dracothelizard 2008-01-27 09:38 pm UTC “Well, I'm not surprised if someone who is considered a BNF doesn't want to call themselves that, since BNFs do get associated with being wanky. I think BNFs are known by a large part of fandom, but that a BNF also tries to make themselves be known, by participating actively by creating fanworks and by promoting them.”

carmarthen 2008-01-29 12:42 am UTC “I'd say BNFs may have any or all of the above characteristics:
-Run major website/challenge/other fannish project (may be cross-fandom--you can be a general small-fandom BNF this way)
-Name recognition inside their fandom
-Possible name recognition outside
-Produce popular/frequently-recced fic/art/vids/meta
BNF-dom may or may not translate to a new fandom, depending on the BNF. And yes, I think it's possibly to be a non-wanky BNF.
MNFs are a lot like BNFs, but with less name recognition. They can be wanky or not as well.”

maewin_of_hern 2008-01-29 06:12 am UTC “I think a BNF is a fan who has his/her own fans. Someone who's not just liked by everyone, but loved, worshipped, supported etc. by many. Which is something that's hard for me to understand: They are BNFs just because their own fan-being is so awesome? Because their actions (writing fan-fics, hosting communities, whatever) make them "better" fans than others? I mean, sure, if someone devotes a lot of time and effort into his/her fandom, the other fans should acknowledge that work. But why the worshipping? This is something I've only encountered online, that fans are being divided into the BNFs and all the rest.”

angipen 2008-01-29 11:22 am UTC “I think of a BNF as being defined by influence, someone who's accumulated a lot of the social capital that fandom runs on. They might be a popular writer or artist or vidder, or they might mod popular communities or archives, or run a well-known newsletter or contest or fest or other event, or be known for their thoughtful and interesting meta, or something else, or some combination. But they do something that gains them the respect of other people. Other fans listen to them. They might not agree with them all the time, but to me, a BNF is someone who has enough influence to get something done, whether they use it or not”.

skuf2008-01-29 02:02 pm “I define BNF as someone who is relatively well-known in a relatively large part of a given fandom or fandoms”.

wickedwords 2008-01-29 03:01 pm UTC “There are several kinds of BNFs, not just one. There are mono-fandom BNFs who are well known inside their particular fandom but not really known outside of it. There are multi-fandom BNFs, known across fandoms and are usually people that have been around a longer period of time. Same basic structure applies for the distribution mechanism: livejournal BNFs, mailing list BNFs, web board BNFs, RPG BNFs, etc. Or you can treat types of product as single fandoms and get: Fiction BNFs, Meta BNFs, Vidding BNFs, Art BNFs, etc, etc, etc. There are a bazillion ways to slice and dice this, and not just one method for determining if someone is a BNF”.

Jynx 2008-01-29 03:50 pm UTC “…The potential is there the second we start writing for reasons other than personal enjoyment, fan manipulation. I would say things like posting really short chapters to generate more reviews. That doesn't make a BNF, but it has to start somewhere. Time served in fandom, it seems to me that most of the BNF's I'm aware of, or have labeled as such in my head because they fit the framework I've observed BNFs share in their genetic make-up. [BNF gene, I has new invenshun?] In bandom, it tends to be the ones who saw them at their first gig/have been to most gigs/have met band most often, etc. Those aren't necessarily the same fans who write fic, but it's the attitude of superiority that makes me use the BNF label. That their fan process is somehow better than mine.

Fangirls make the BNF, you can't achieve minor deity status in fandom without fangirls - the BNF fan contribution must maintain the fangirls support and devotion either through manipulative LJing, or constant production of their particular medium, usually a combination. BNF's aren't the best authors in my experience, usually far from it. People who devote their time to becoming famous in a particular fandom to the point they earn BNF status, tend to be writing with an agenda [attract as many fans as possible]. Their fan contribution has shifted from author (or whatever) to BNF, different label and therefore different expected behaviors. They need to present their opinion as if it were fact and get snippy if they're questioned”.

dodge_and_weave 2008-01-29 05:40 pm UTC “So after thinking about this for a bit, I'd have to say I think that BNF is a label other fans give to someone who's become popular or known in a fandom for whatever reason. Maybe they're a good writer or artist or reccer, maybe they're a hack, but they're known. And when they get to that certain point of popularity, where others might start calling them a BNF, it's up to them on how they are going to behave to the label. Do they just carry on and do what they've been doing, without changing? Do they start courting more popularity or courting fanbrats? Do they intentionally start wank because they know their popular status can make waves and gossip? I think some BNF's start believing their own press, per say. They actually do think everything they write is golden or do is golden, and they are above crit status. And their opinions count for more than others for whatever reason- they've been around longer, they've met someone part of the show or the book author, they're actually published in real life- that sort of thing”.

Brick_me 2008-01-30 02:12 pm UTC “I agree mostly with jynx: BNF is more a personality type for me than anything to do with quality or popularity of fandom output. It's probably an unfair labeling, but when I see people who act in certain ways that seems to me as though they are actively trying to get popular and get attention, I label them as "BNF" in my mind. BNFs often name drop; if I check an LJ and see in the top entry that there are more than three usernames mentioned, I'll automatically roll my eyes and think they're doing it to show off how many "friends" they have. They also often pat their friends' back to get their friends to pat their back, e.g. by exaggerated fic recs for someone on their flist which don't tell me so much about the story or content of a given fic as it tells me what a wonderful writer and a sweetie this friend is. They also tend to often mention how they're sorry they haven't been able to reply to all of their feedback (but they'll get to it! Just you wait!), or mention how they can't or won't reply to comments left on their non-fanwork entries (implying that they get so many).

In short, in puts me off and I will be biased against this kind of person for the rest of my shared fandom time with them. I think this negative attitude I have about the topic comes from how perfectly useless I think it is to be (or be considered) a BNF. Wow, so a few hundred to a few thousand people in fandom know your name and will recognize it on sight. I can't see how that's something worth striving for; it's so arbitary and, by all real life standards, such a pathetically small thing to want or be proud of. And I certainly find people who fangirl these BNFs pathetic, too. One thing is to like and appreciate someone's writing or art or vids or meta, another thing entirely to be a fan of another fan. I just don't get it. I'm in fandom to be friends, or at least have equal-opportunity conversations about something we all like. There are very few people I consider BNFs in a neutral or positive light. torch is one, because I see her as not (in public, at least) dislay any of the personality traits that I associate with BNFs, but I personally still think she's probably has a fair share of name-recognition. But then, she's been around steadily writing fic for more than a decade”.

Lyndahere And Twitter "Spewage"...

I read Lyndahere’s (@lyndahere) review of the Great Big Sea Danforth Music Hall show in November 2012 to see what she wrote about as the videos from CBC music were put up on Youtube recently. Lyndahere of course was there bootlegging. She then loaded up videos on Youtube including Live This Life, their new single Heart of Hearts, and other old favourites including Old Black Rum, Ordinary Day, Nothing But A Song, and The Night Pat Murphy Died. She recorded and released Live This Life and a debut live version of their single Heart of Hearts prior to Great Big Sea. Lyndahere loaded up debut live performances of songs, presenting the music in the way she wanted and prior to the advertised special. She did the same thing to Alan Doyle on the release of his solo album Boy On Bridge and Live At Revival special.

Lyndahere knew the concert was being filmed for CBC Music. On her blog Between the Rock And A Hardplace “…A New One Begins” dated 14 November 2012 she wrote in a review of the concert “This show was filmed by CBC for future broadcast on the CBC Music site. Be sure to keep an eye out for it: I know I will”. It has been several days since the official CBC Music videos were loaded up onto YouTube and she has not mentioned it on her Twitter site. I found out through other Great Big Sea fans. Thank you Great Big Sea fans. Perhaps the reason for this is because the CBC Music videos are in competition with her own videos and are just well so far superior.

Great Big Sea and CBC Music had entered into an agreement to make a special to advertise and celebrate the Great Big Sea XX tour. They are great quality videos. There was a brief introduction from Alan Doyle and Bob Hallett about the writing of the song, the band and their guests were in fine form musically and vocally, an audience excited to be there and participating and altogether sounded and looked totally brilliant. But in the videos I could see the bootleggers were out in full in the front filming including Lyndahere. I was glad I waited to see the official versions of the concert videos the way the band and CBC Music wanted us to see the concert on YouTube. It doesn’t match being there but it is the next best thing. I really enjoyed it and I am looking forward to seeing them in Canada for Great Big Sea XX.

On the second part of her review I found this very articulate response to the feedback she had been getting from people on her blog throughout November 2012. Surely this should on be a separate post and how is it relevant to the Great Big Sea concert in particular the first concert of Great Big Sea XX? There was no mention of the song Live This Life. But a long winded 1000 word write up about the alleged abuse in her comments section of her blog. I found it interesting she had been getting all of this abuse because I have not had any abuse, not one bad comment or objection to the blog posts I have written posted to my Email account although I have had nearly 100 hits a week from around the world. I have never contacted her (except for one Email which formed the basis of this blog) in any capacity no matter how tempting so the abuse if it did exist didn’t come from me. 

There has not been any abuse appearing on her Twitter site for a very long time. She is quick to blame others including ticket sales of Great Big Sea but not Alan Doyle? You’re kidding right? She takes no responsibility in that her bootlegging and stalking is not wanted by some sections of the Great Big Sea fan community and are illegal. The United States and Canada are democratic countries and people are entitled to and are able to express an opinion that is different than her own in a respectful manner. Perhaps her frustration is increased due to the fact she still has to compete with others to get tickets after all this time and having nothing to look forward to after the tour finishes.

Lyndahere had missed the point to why I write this blog. It is related to her bootlegging activities and not her blog or her photos. I do not believe her bootlegging activities are in the best interests of Alan Doyle and Great Big Sea and music generally. They are a form of music piracy and illegal. She takes opportunities like the one above to record and release a debut song and present Great Big Sea and Alan Doyle’s music to the world in the way she wants and take the credit for it without making any contribution to the creative process. Lyndahere has done this so many times. She doesn’t get a license or ask permission. It’s illegal, rude, and undermining to the band both creatively and financially. All of my posts in most circumstances are referenced. If Lyndahere has a problem with the research I present take it up with the researchers. I hope that she has come to a greater understanding since November. I am also an information junkie and love researching and finding out about new things and most recently fandom. I believe in standing up for and taking action for those I like and for what is right and fair. It is about using her and her activities to educate people to make ethical choices about how they watch music.

In the end the only opinions that count are those of Great Big Sea. So far there is nothing to suggest they support the bootlegging or pirating of their music by Lyndahere or any other fan. If anyone has anything contradicting this I would appreciate a look.

This is what was written on her blog Between The Rock and A Hardplace on her review of the first Great Big Sea XX show in Toronto.

“….One more ETA, and then I will get busy in earnest with the Danforth show and after that, return to Alan's Amazing October. I've gone back and forth and back again about bringing this up, but when in doubt, be honest, I suppose. It's got to be pretty clear that I've backed off substantially from blogging the past month or so. Yes, it's partly because when Alan's having one of his Amazing Months, the travel can get rather hectic, but I've always managed in the past to keep on blogging when things get hectic.

The primary reason for my (relative) reticence has been an incessant and wearying spewage of vituperative abuse I've been getting here via the blog's Comments option. There's almost always some of that shit going on - Maintenance Level Abuse, as I call it - mixed in with the more-welcome comments and messages, but the past month or so has been dramatically worse. It usually does get worse when GBS tours go up on sale, spikes again at the end of tour runs, but rarely does it ever get this bad.

So I thought perhaps being quieter here than usual might result in less shit. Silly optimist me. Nothing has changed here and I've now noticed more spewage happening in other places, certainly not all of it directed at me. These seem to be unsettled times, for reasons I personally suspect are fundamentally of economic origin. Along with not being fond of being the recipient of persistent abuse, I also don't want to further trouble the turbulent waters, no matter how unintentionally or tangentially, and was therefore seriously considering putting the blog officially on hiatus for as long as seemed prudent. But, as a wise friend pointed out to me, that sounds a lot like what bullies and harassers might want, or at least one of the things such unhappy people might like to see happen - something they might like to feel they made happen. 
 

I say "unhappy people" because that's my own opinion about people who relentlessly attack those they do not know and against whom they have no legitimate grievance, accusing total strangers of wildly improbable actions, some of those accusations outright and deliberate lies, and "bogeyfying" them by blaming them for anything and everything they don't like, apparently never even considering the possibility that they could be completely wrong about what they assume - and thus another lie becomes "true" to those who want to believe something, anything, negative. The only explanation for such behaviour that has ever made any sense to me is that these folks must be seriously unhappy in their own lives to expend so much time and energy this way. Or perhaps it's more a matter of those who take cynically manipulative pleasure in creating conflict and causing pain. I don't know. I no longer expect ever to have an answer to this for sure, though I strongly suspect that the trouble such people cause is far disproportionate to their actual numbers. 
 

And I do know what is genuinely true here, what is true and what truly matters. That Simple and Straightforward Truth is that GBS has just put out an awesome Box Set/Double Album and that their recent extremely impressive Danforth First XX Tour Show makes it abundantly clear that there are going to be wonderful live shows coming soon, these first two legs of the XX Tour that are already on sale and all the rest of the dates that are yet to be announced.

Alan is still working hard and with brilliant success on his treasure-trove of solo projects, including acting roles and AD-band efforts, not to mention his greatly anticipated second solo album. Sean is on tour right now with Joel Plaskett, playing shows all across Newfoundland, performing some of the songs likely to wind up on his third solo album. I'm never quite sure exactly what Bob is up to at any given moment, only that he's likely busier than Alan and Sean put together with writing, producing, managing, and recording projects. Pub-owning now, too. Kris has multiple drumming gigs and is getting himself deeper and deeper into the producing/managerial end of the business. Murray just had a short film show at the Hamilton Film Festival and in not too much longer will be shooting his own Cocksure Lads feature film.

That's a huge pile of Simple and Straightforward Truth, and it still doesn't come close to describing all the great news and exciting events taking place in GBS Land - Extended Version (the Greater GBS Metro Area - GGBSMA - if you will). These really are Grand Times for the GBS men - Grand and Celebratory Times - and Grand Times as well for each and every person who wishes the best and the most for them. 

Because this Simple and Straightforward Truth is so ineffably (and effably) sweet that everyone who desires to and is able to should get to see the way it feels, what I've decided is that these people - that far larger group of people who really do wish the best and the most for these men - are the ones for whom I am going to keep right on blogging, choosing to keep my own focus steadily and determinedly, and gladly, on that Sweet Truth.

Because that's what we're supposed to do during Grand and Celebratory Times...and it is surely what these men and their music deserve."

Lyndahere And Fangirling Part 1...Fangirl.

I was researching on the Internet yesterday when I came across two new words, two I had never seen before “fangirl” and “fangirling”. This is why I write this blog. It just takes one word I haven’t seen before and I am off on a new adventure in cyberspace. I am trying to create an understanding from the established authorities and fangirls themselves on what makes a fangirl, to the actual behaviours that constitute fangirling. It was nice to have some fun with the quizzes and read the posts on fan sites (a lot of it teenagers) that engage in meaningful relevant dialogue to construct meaning in a public space. Then there were the fanlistings.

Sure enough when I Googled fangirl lots of definitions came up and hundreds of sites dedicated to various topics. The Google search of the word fangirl is “a fan, sometimes also called aficionado or supporter, is a person with a like and enthusiasm for something. Fans of a particular thing…” The online Oxford Dictionary even have a definition “a female fan, especially one who is obsessive about comics, film, music or science fiction : your average fangirl despite the implication is a grown up”. The Urban Dictionary online dictionary that describes slang words and phrases states a fangirl or fanboy is “A person who has a compulsive dedication to a videogame series, anime series, and/or music artist”. Fanboys are male equivalent of fangirls. The Merriam online Dictionary defines a fanboy as a “boy who is an enthusiastic devotee (as of comics and movies)”. It is different from fan behaviour in that their interests are gender specific. A fangirl is therefore generally derogatory, gender specific, may or may not be an adult but generally an under aged teenage girl or boy, who is obsessed with certain aspects of fandom including people.

Self-identification is important too. Fangirlism is an online blog written by several educated women on games and books. They wrote about themselves within the context of established definitions. “We aren’t fangirls in the derogatory sense (“a female fan, obsessed with something (or someone) to a frightening or sickening degree. Often considered ditzy, annoying and shallow” –Urban Dictionary): we believe that this other definition that Urban Dictionary provides is more suitable: “Less extreme, a female fan who can laugh at their own passion for their particular interest (or even obsession).” Yes we know that fanlistings are pointless. Yes we know that getting too obsessive about fandom is dangerous. And yes, we’re aware that of the guys we find to be attractive are fictional. It’s all in good fun”. They highlight the positive aspects including having fun and being able to poke fun at themselves.

The interests that create fangirl and fanboy communities are endless. These fangirl communities range across a variety of age groups, attract men and women from different educational, economic and cultural backgrounds. If you have access to the Internet and have a particular interest there is a community for you. thefanlistings.org has over 17 350 listings of groups in everything you could possibly imagine. They define a fanlisting “A fanlistings is simply an online listing of fans of a subject, such as a TV show, actor, or musician, that is created by an individual and open for fans from around the world to join. There are no costs, and the only requirements to join a fanlisting are your name and country. Fanlistings do not have to be large sites (although some are) - they are just a place where you can have your name listed along with other fans of the same subject. TheFanlistings.org is the original (but not only) web directory for fanlistings, dedicated to uniting fans across the globe”. There are particular rules for joining the site such as not stealing a fansite’s membership list, advertising your site as official, falsifying comments and tutorials for beginners in participating fanlisted sites.

This description of a fan girl comes from Wikipedia. Although unreferenced many of these ideas about fangirls can be found in various discussions on other Internet sits. “A fangirl is a female member of a fandom community (counterpart to the masculine "fanboy"). Fangirls may be more devoted to emotional and romantic aspects of their, fandom especially (relation-)shipping . However, it is commonly used in a derogatory  sense to denote a girl's obsession with something, most commonly a male teen idol or an aspect of  Japanese pop culture. Fangirl behavior can vary in intensity. On one end of the scale are those that, while harboring a crush on a particular actor or character, are perfectly capable of understanding that the fulfilment of the crush is never going to happen. On the other end are the girls who are said to be obsessive in their claims on a fictional character, even fighting with other fangirls over who 'owns' the character in question. Fangirl behavior can fall anywhere in this spectrum, but the closer someone is believed to be towards the obsessive end, the more derogatory the use of the term fangirl is perceived to be. Fangirls of all persuasions are believed to be the largest contributors to fanfiction websites, sometimes disregarding the canon storyline of their fandom or altering it to fit either their own favored romantic pairings; or themselves into the continuity (termed self-insertions or Mary Sues). A popular culture gag is that celebrities would use their fans as an army to take over the world”.

Wikipedia explains“A fanboy is a male who is highly devoted and biased in opinion towards a single subject or hobby within a given field. Fanboy-ism is often prevalent in a field of products, brands or universe of characters where very few competitors (or enemies in fiction, such as comics) exist. An example…an "Intel fanboy" prefers CPUs made by Intel, and might aggressively defend their supposed superiority compared to the other brand(s), be skeptical or in denial about negative reviews of the product, and exert a high level of brand loyals…The term originated in comic book circles, to refer to someone who was socially insecure and used comics as a shield from interaction, hence the disparaging connotations. Fanboys are often experts on minor details regarding their hobbies, such as continuity in fictional, and they take these details extremely seriously. The term has also been applied to criticize perceived fan elitism…The term itself is often used in a derogatory manner by less serious fans of the same material. Nevertheless, self-labeling usages of the term have been noted; in the songs of the fannish parody musician Luk Ski, many characters proudly consider themselves fanboys….The term is usually used by and applied to people in their teens or 20s; an age group that is typically found pursuing geeky hobbies obsessively. Within this group, common objects of deference for fanboys are TV shows, movies anime, cars, video game consoles, video games, music, operating systems, trains and home computers (in earlier decades), MMORPGs, ISPs,, software, and computer hardware companies.”

References

Definition of fangirl (British and World English) at www.oxforddictionaries.com viewed 8 February 2013.

Definition of fanboy (Merrian Online Dictionary) at www.merriam-webster.com/...fanboy viewed 9 February 2013

Urban Dictionary Fanboy/Fangirl at www.urbandictionary.com viewed 8 Februrary 2013

Lyndahere And Fangirling Part 2...How to identify a fangirl.

Lyndahere (@lyndahere) and how to identify a fangirl.

It was good fun to read the posts of people who describe themselves as fangirls or fanboys, discussing their behaviour and developing appropriate behaviour and guidelines. There are many elements that can be related to by all fans regardless of what they are into or the stage of fangirling one is at. But there are even limits to fangirl behaviour when it turns from fun then into obsession and abuse. And yes there is a little bit of fangirl in all of us. But how do you identify a fangirl. “How to Identify a Fangirl (Part 1. Beginner/Intermediate)” was posted on a Twilight movie fan site. It is just a bit of fun.

Lyndahere is engaged in many of the fangirl activities outlined below with Alan Doyle and Great Big Sea excluding the first two as she is quite literate. She has proven to have a dark side, OMG I must have that (merchandise), I must be there (including watching Republic of Doyle episodes, listening to interviews and concerts) and idolising (following him around). And yes she has the first comment syndrome, has to be the first to put comments up on Alan Doyle’s blog posts, be the first to respond to his tweets and be one of the first tweets he is likely to see when he wakes up in the morning and checks his Twitter site. These include sending him photos and videos she took at his concerts.

“How to Identify a Fangirl (Part 1. Beginner/Intermediate)”

This article is not meant to offend. It is mostly comedy and uses examples from more fandoms then just Twilight. There will also be examples that tak lyke dis and capslock. So be careful when reading.

I'm sure we are all familiar with a fangirl. (Or fanboy, but they are different and we will not be discussing them today.) Put simply, fangirls are very, very, VERY big fans of something. Twilight fangirls are obsessed with Twilight and will probably have as much Twilight merchandise as possible. A Bangel fangirl may eat you in your sleep if you are a hardcore Spuffy shipper, and a fanpop fangirl just can't leave the computer.

'How do you identify a fangirl?!' you ask. Well, this article will tell you how.

1. EEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!! (The squeal.)
You have probably heard this before. The first and most identifying characteristic of a fangirl is the squeal. It is high-pitched, loud, and also accompanied by grinning insanely, jumping up and down, and excessive hyperactiveness. This is used to show the ultimate love for their fandom.
Example: EEEEEE!!!! HOUSE AND CUDDY ARE SOO GONNA GET TOGETHER NEXT SEASON!!!!! EEEEEEEE!!!!

2. ch@tsp34k
Some (I REPEAT: SOME.) fangirls type or speak in a non-literate way. I'm not sure why they do this. It seems they have no reason. (While most fangirls do actually type so you can understand them, there is always the chatspeak group.)
Example: omg dont u jst luvv harry and herminie 2gethr???? its lyke ttlly teh best ship evr!!!

3. The.... dark side.
A fraction of fangirls have a bad side. Well, the majority of fangirls have a bad side. this bad side is likely to show if somebody disagrees with them. Usually it just involves glaring or excessive exclamation points, but there have been violent cases before.
Example: What do you MEAN you ship Booth/Angela?? EVERYONE knows Booth and Brennan are meant to be! I can't believe you! That is utter insanity!!!1! *ebulglare*

4. OMG I MUST HAVE THAT!!! (the Merchandise)
One of the best known fangirl traits is excessive merchandise. Some fangirls go out of their way to have everything- the coffee mug, the light up pen, the lipgloss, the book bag.
Example: Don't you just LOOOOVE my Edward Cullen body glitter? I keep it in my edard and bella twilight bag! I also have my Cullen crest bracelet, and I keep my Alice Cullen keychain in the pocket of my Bella Swan jacket!

5. I must be there! Syndrome
Fangirls will probably do almost anything to do something related to their fandom. This means leaving sports practice early to watch that beloved episode, staying up late for the midnight book release, or cancelling plans for a special event. They don't usually care about the consequences. (Note: The writer of this article does not encourage you to do what is in the example.)
Example: OH NOO! My cousin's wedding is on the same day of the Shanshu Awards! Oh, what shall I do? I joined Fanpop for the sole reason of participating in this!! Ah well. It's just a wedding. There will be more in my life. Besides, the Shanshu awards are WAYYY more important!

6. Idolizing
These fangirls go to the limit with that actor(ress). They may write them long love letters, photoshop a picture of the two together, follow them around...
Example: OH MY GOD! Robert McDreamy Pattinson is coming to East Cupcake, Illinois! I must go see him, for we shall be married and fall in love!!!

7. FIRSTCOMMENTYAYYY! Syndrome
A movie preview is released. A promotional is shown. A sneak peak is revealed. This fangirl will be the first to know.
Example: Yay! the New Moon special preview was released on youtube! I MUST have first comment or I will die!

Hopefully now you are more versed in the subtle and dangerous art of identifying fangirls. When you have mastered these beginner/intermediate techniques, you will be able to move on to the Advanced/Masters portion of the guide.

Lyndahere And Fangirling Part 3...What kind of fan am I?

Lyndahere (@lyndahere) and what kind of fan am I?

I have talked a lot about what kind of fan @lyndahere is. But what kind of Great Big Sea and Alan Doyle fan am I? I took the following fun quiz from a site to find out. It doesn’t say what the qualifications of the person who made it up were or what research it was based on. I was honest about my fangirling. Over 3850 people have taken this quiz.

From reading the comments I see there are a couple different results for types of fangirls including an intellectual, pinning, group or ordinary fangirl. The results say I am an ordinary fangirl. An ordinary fan girl is…“You are an ordinary fangirl. You have a well balanced life and are perfectly capable of focusing on things other than the object of your fangirlism. You lead a healthy lifestyle and although occasionally you may find yourself overcome with screaming fits and overactive giggling when confronted with your object, you are otherwise a normal and socially adept member of society”. This is true. My Great Big Sea and Alan Doyle fangirling are only one of many interests. Talking to other fans about them and attending the occasional concert is fun but to be honest I would get really bored following them around. Days go by when they don’t perform and are off doing other things. I would like to do something more with my life than filling in time, something rewarding and challenging.

The quiz by Quibblo Online Quizzes.

On average, how many objects (objects of fangirlism) have you had?

• 1-3
• 4-6
• 7-10
• 10-15
• 15+
• Only 1

Answer

I only have a couple of CDs. I don’t have any merchandise although if I lived in Canada I probably would.

In what ways do you tend to indulge in fangirlism?

• Reading fan fiction, looking at fan art and watching fanvids
• Discussing your object on message boards
• Looking at pictures of your object
• Talking about your object with your friends
• Talking about your object
• You don’t, it seems your object is there with you where ever you are.

Answer

This one was hard as I only talk about Great Big Sea and Alan Doyle on social media and like looking at nice photos on the Internet. I don’t have any friends where I live who are into them so I don’t talk about them at all. You can only pick one.

When confronted with a picture of your object, what do you do?

• Say “awww” and give it a hug
• Smile to yourself and think “Hey Object…’
• Sigh and wish your object was with you
• Become excited and say “OMG LOOK! It’s object!!!”
• Start giggling manically
• Stare silently…and keep staring.

Answer

Smile to yourself and think “Hey Object” when I see them on Twitter. The only objects I look at are videos, photographs, tweets, official blogs, emails and articles.

Where do your objects usually come from?

• Characters in books
• Characters in TV
• Bands and musicians
• Actors and Actresses
• Anyone
• Anyone who is hot

Answer

Great Big Sea and Alan Doyle are musicians.

What sort of people are your objects.

• Tall, athletic and blonde. Captain of the rugby team or head cheerleader types. Romantic and popular, everyone has a crush on them but they totally like you.
• Dark, brooding and a mysterious past. They might live in a dungeon somewhere, or perhaps a dark lonely house in a rundown town. Dark hair and pale, generally unfriendly, but you know that’s because they’re scared to show their feelings.
• A different species. Perhaps faerie, or vampire or even werewolf. Their species invokes mystery and part of their appeal is the fun of discovering what they are. They’re beautiful rather than hot and usually, wise and composed. Sometimes they act almost like a mentor to you. Their love is passionate and never ending.
• They are extremely unusual. Definitely weird, not classically attractive but have strange appeal. Possibly androgynous. They often have strange hairstyles and clothing and when you look at them, the first thing you think is “Where on earth did they get the idea for that from?”
• They’re talented and charismatic. They can do everything, from skateboarding to playing the violin. They have an exciting dangerous lifestyle and incredibly friendly and treat their lovers well.
• They can be absolutely anything, ranging from Jack Skellington to Zac Efron.

Answer

This was a hard one. There was no answer that covered gorgeous talented middle age married men who play great music. It was a toss up between They are extremely unusual. Definitely weird, not classically attractive but have strange appeal…They often have strange hairstyles and clothing and when you look at them, the first thing you think is “Where on earth did they get the idea for that from?” coming from Newfoundland to “They’re talented and charismatic. They can do everything, from skateboarding to paying the violin. They have an exciting dangerous lifestyle and incredibly friendly and treat their lovers well.”. They are talented and charismatic and do play the violin. They are friendly to friends and fans and I guess treat their lovers well as they are married. I picked the second one.

What is it you most love about your object?

• Their looks, plain and simple, they're amazingly hot and you could stare at them all day
• A combination of their looks, character and mannerisms. There's just something about them
• Their intelligence. They seem to know everything and can sometimes be intimidating, with their sarcasm and genius and all that
• The fact that they are the only person you can identify with. They understand you when no one else does.
• They're interesting and not like everyone else. They stand out as individuals and you love them for it
• You love everything about them and always will

Answer

They’re interesting and not like everyone else. They stand out as individuals and I love them for it.

If you were going on a date with your object, where would you take them and what would you do?

• You'd go for the traditional dinner and a movie. Take them to a nice restaurant and then go to see the film they've mentioned they'd like to see. Then while your in the cinema, do the whole "pretend to stretch and put your arm around them" thing, because it works in all the movies
• You know them better than anyone and they know you. You don't need to go anywhere. They come to your house, you pretend your going to cook them dinner but then (as you planned) you end up sitting together on the sofa spilling out your deepest secrets and consoling each other, because your both alone in the world and no one knows your pain
• You go somewhere exciting like a theme park. You have great fun on all the rides and you eat chips with way too much tomato sauce and candyfloss and lose on all the games
• You organise a romantic picnic, somewhere nice like the park or the beach. The two of you spend some time together, get to know each other and what not, content with each other's company
• Kidnap them. It's the only way to get what you want. Tie them up in your room and when they wake up...gets out whip
• You're so in love and unable to comprehend going on a date with your object that when they appear at your door you have a heart attack and die

Answer

From my experience reading Twitter and if I ever got to go out with Alan Doyle it would have to be something involving food and drink. The way to that man’s heart is through his stomach definitely. I pick the picnic answer, somewhere nice like the park or the beach with all his favourite foods. I would leave it at that.

Someone on the internet is on a forum slagging off your object! What do you do?

• Leave it. Although you disagree, you respect that people have different opinions
• Go on the forum and present your opinions. Don't aggravate them, just say what you think and don't be offended
• Don't argue, because your so upset that all your energy has drained away. You go to bed and spend a sleepless night thinking about what that person said
• Call all your friends and tell them to get on the internet! Prepare for a massive fight!
• Get on their page and have the biggest ever spaz at them! "OMFG! How can you even SAY that?! It's so totally not true! Object is the best person in the universe!! You're obviously just stupid and don't understand...." and it goes on and on and on!
• Feel nauseous at the knowledge that someone could think like that towards you object

Answer

From personal experience I think the best thing to do is leave it as the abuser soon gives up and moves on. They are great at ignoring things that bother them. I think sticking up for someone you like just pisses them off and they end up siding with abuser. The abuser just gets rewarded for it and the person who sticks up for them gets ostracised and ignored. So the moral of the story is don’t get involved in online fights.

Your object dies. What happens to you?

• You're sad, but it's okay. It doesn't affect you too much. They were famous/fictional after all and you would never ever get to be with them, so you can move on easily
• You are majorly pissed off! At life, at the author, at the speeding driver, the poisonous snake, whoever it was that killed them! You and your friends spent the rest of the month ranting about it, but by the end of your month long rant, you feel much better and move on to a different object
• NO! How could this have happened?! It's horrible! You are distraught! You need the love and attention of all your friends and internet buddies to get your through this difficult time. Life has cheated you, but eventually you move on
• You're dead upset (hehe, dead upset). You loved this person and had spent so much time and energy on them, then they've gone and died. Especially if it's someone in a book, which it probably is with you, you'll be majorly annoying at the author for killing off your favourite. But you must accept it, you can't disregard cannon
• This is the worst thing that has ever happened to you. But no matter what, you will always love then. You're broken and feel like a piece of you has been ripped away. You think about them every day, going over their death in your mind and wishing you could have been there to save them. You move on, but you never stop loving them
• You die in the same instant

Answer

No comment. Death is a tragedy for any person.

Lyndahere And The Pros And Cons Of YouTube...

The video is ready….there are two gorgeous Canadian men standing on a rocky outcrop on the edge of St John’s overlooking the ocean on a sunny Newfoundland day. The man wearing a cowboy hat is Dean Brody and the other sporting a full on beard is Alan Doyle from Great Big Sea. There is a collection of other musicians ready to rock including Bob Hallett and Sean McCann from Great Big Sea. It’s Dean Brody “There’s a place in town where we all hang out, Where the country girls go and the boys get loud. Yeah when the whistle blows we make quite the crowd, When the sun sets low on Friday. Then Alan Doyle “From the pubs in Ireland to Tennessee, From the west coast down to Myrtle Beach, And every little town in between, We know how to party on Friday”.

The other musicians join in “And the band plays on and the taps they flow, The boss man’s yelling but we’ve all gone home, A come a Monday morning I will come atone, but tonight ain’t Monday it’s Friday”… The camera moves back and forth from the two men singing, playing guitars and having a bit of fun to the group of musicians playing a range of instruments from guitars, banjo, fiddle, flute, and accordions and singing. A range of locals have gathered to watch in the distance. The video has something unique in that it looks spectacular with the ocean, the rocks, the unique St. Johns architecture, while there is something familiar in the words for those who work nine to five and the arrival of Friday that spans across any nation in the western world. I am one happy camper every time I play it on Youtube. And so are others as the video has approximately 141 000 hits.

Bootlegged videos of live concerts such as those loaded up by Lyndahere (@lyndahere) are a different story. I have described my feelings about them on this blog before. There is the anticipation about whether the video will load up and break down, the quality of the sound, the extras from the crowd around and the poor quality camera work focusing mostly on Alan Doyle with the camera occasionally moving to something else happening on stage. A very biased view of what is happening indeed. I only watch Lyndahere’s videos in connection with writing this blog. Occasionally I see a good bootlegged video shot by someone else but not very often. Other people like them, who for whatever reason can’t attend fulfilling a need of some sort, but personally I would rather watch something else. Viewing illegal material on Youtube is often made of inferior quality in particular bootlegging. The sound or the video doesn’t work. The user is unable to exchange it and therefore stuck with a dud product. When users see inferior products the reputations of the artists and musicians and those involved are damaged.

Brian Sheil a music producer in an article titled “The biggest culprit today of music piracy today? YouTube” discusses how Youtube is contributing to music piracy. He discusses the role of Vevo that now appears on Youtube after the participating artist’s name and how the record labels are attempting to license their music videos. “Vevo in return pockets a small portion of advertising revenue that you see from ads placed on the music”. I have seen Vevo on a lot of artists and musician’s sites. I don’t like advertising of any kind and unlike Brian Sheil I can’t be bothered with it. Through daily life there is enough unwanted visual and noise advertising. But on Youtube I have just as much chance of getting a video with an ad on it from a music pirate. And if I have to watch a video with advertising I would prefer one in which the profits go to the record labels rather than someone engaged in music piracy.

While I agree with Brian Sheil’ ideas about the contribution of Youtube to music piracy I don’t agree with the solutions he puts forward. Firstly, he and others state Youtube is free. To get music whenever a user wants wherever a user wants a user has to pay for an Internet connection so the Internet is not free. The only place it is free is a public library. Then there conditions on use. One solution to combat music piracy Sheil describes is to established services that allow music lovers to pay for subscriptions and be able to download as much music as they like. “You pay 99 pounds and you can download and watch as much as you want from itunes and Youtube…and that will stop the downslide of music sales”. The only problem with this idea is of course one account can be accessed by any number of users from a number of places. The only thing in my opinion that will put a dent in music piracy is education. Users need to be educated in what they are watching and the impact of what they are choosing on others and the long term consequences. Ethical choices need to be made to create a sustainable future for the music industry. Another solution is for Youtube to change it’s music piracy reporting strategies and take some action rather than leaving it up to others and for users to take an active role in reporting music pirates.

Other research shows Youtube and Vevo have contributed to the fall of music piracy. Sam Price in his article “Music Piracy Study Reveals Drop in Illegal Downloads But Remains Skeptical” in 2012 describes the fall in music piracy based on American research. “Musicmetric has conducted a study which is being regarded as “one of the most comprehensive studies of unauthorized music downloads to date,” which reveals the astonishing numbers of illegal activity being conducted through the use of online file sharing software, such as BitTorrent. The study revealed that in the first half of 2012 Americans downloaded nearly 760 million songs using illegal download software with most of those downloads happened in cities and towns near universities…Perhaps another reason why illegal downloads have seen a slight decline is the increase of traffic being churned through online video services such as Youtube and Vevo which allow people to watch videos online for free. Another entity that, like the streaming services allow people to hear almost any song they like, anywhere, anytime…

The beauty of Youtube is anyone can use it without having to commit to a membership unlike other music sharing sites that users pay membership fees to access. Anyone can create, upload and access videos anytime. Many artists and musicians just want their music to be heard. Users of Youtube argue viewing music for free helps promote the artists and musicians and get their music heard and as a consequence they will become fans. If users like what they hear and they are on a legal site that has access to itunes and have an itunes account they can purchase the single or the album immediately. Or the users will go to concerts and buy merchandise and the artist and musicians will recoup their loses. However, for the artists and musicians to recoup their loses this way they have to come to a city near the user.

Torrent Freak in 2011 wrote in an article titled “Is Youtube killing Music Piracy” state “Half a penny may not sound much, but with billions of views it adds up quickly. If we look at David Guetta, one of EMI’s top artists, we see that his YouTube uploads were viewed 308,000,000 times over the past 12 months. That means $1,540,000 in revenue, for only one artist. Just as a comparison, Guetta and EMI have to sell more than 2 million singles to earn that much from ‘paid’ music”. But this rare.

Then there is the story of Gangnam Style an original video. Schroeder in “Gangnam Style Hits 1 Billion Views on Youtube wrote how “Gangnam Style” was the first video on Youtube to reach a billion views. It was loaded up on July 15 2012. He was a success in Korea and then quickly spread around the world. The Telegraph in the United Kingdom states his video made over 150 000 pounds from Youtube views alone, and 5 million pounds from CD sales, downloads and live concerts. Money was also made through advertising ($8.1 million and 2.9 million downloads). It also is the most liked video in history and now the most viewed video on Youtube of all time. Youtube trends manager Kevin Allocca said in a blog post “In the past, music distribution was mostly regional. It was more difficult to learn about great artists from around the world. But with a global platform at their fingertip, people are discovering and sharing the most amazing music from all over the world”.

Youtube users view a range of music and other information about their favourite artists and musicians some of it legal and some of it illegal. They can be legal videos illegally downloaded and put up under a fan’s name, a video made from images, words and music and bootlegging or live recordings from concerts as those made from Lyndahere. There are also those music videos copied from television and public appearances. A considerable amount of material loaded up onto Youtube comes from music piracy as those who load up ignore the conditions outlined in the agreement. The only way infringement notices can be issued is for users to make a complaint to the legal copyright holder and they can take action.

There are a lot of examples of users with Youtube accounts containing pirated music who are making large amounts of money collecting thousands and thousands of dollars from music videos they had no part in creating. Some having so many hits they have attracted advertising. Music videos can be watched over and over without ever having to buy a song or CD. The money doesn’t go the rightful owners and creators of the music. The RIAA reports music piracy costs the US music industry millions of dollars in lost revenue. The RIAA sites one study by the Institute for Policy Innovation to be around 12.5 billion dollars. The loss of revenue ultimately will drive up the cost of legitimate products. The loss of revenue from music piracy cuts into funding for the development of new products and other less commercially success full types of music.

Torrent Freak writes “The big question is of course whether the revenue from YouTube can match these alleged losses or not. Not an easy question to answer, but these are crucial factors that define how the major record labels will fare in the coming years, probably even more so than piracy….This leaves us with the conclusion that, unlike many record label execs have argued in the past, you can compete with free. You can even compete with piracy. Whether the net result is going to be a positive one has yet to be seen, but YouTube is taking up a larger chunk of the record label revenues each year”.

Using Youtube can expose a user to the risk of viruses, spyware, pornography and violent images. Placing too much information can increase unwanted attention from people. It could compromise the security of your computer and privacy by sharing what is stored on their. “This is most especially true when parents and kids remain responsible and alert; leaving no room for exposure to violence, sex and other unhealthy dynamics that can do nothing but harm teens and kids who happen to be the active market of YouTube” (Pros and Cons of Youtube).

In the article “The Pros and Cons of Youtube” write “Copyright infringements issues are common. You have to be careful in reposting videos in your own sites as these may be protected with a copyright, thus, reposting without the permission of the owner is prohibited and can result to unwanted involvement in legal issues”. A various times the law has been enforced by prosecuting people involved in music piracy. No one wants to be the next test cast for music piracy on Youtube. Users load their creative work up onto Youtube and exposing it to the risk of being stolen by someone else. Stealing can be defined as “taking and claiming any item without the permission of the rightful owner”.

The author of the article "The Recording Industry is Dead; Part 5: What Music is Worth" writes “The question is not one of “can” or “should,” but one of “must.” The rules of the game have been disintegrating since the game began and are now in shambles. The onus falls on us both as artists and as consumers, independent of corporate entities, to instate a system that not only embraces the realities of piracy and technology but also takes advantage of them instead of fighting them. A musical artist’s ability to make a living depends entirely on flexibility. If artists cannot adapt to change, they face inevitable financial failure. If consumers refuse to find a better system, the current system will soon become the instrument of its own destruction. The music industry will collapse; the initiative we must take as artists and consumers is to have an alternative ready to take its place when it does”.

I love listening to and watching videos my favourite artists and musicians on Youtube like Great Big Sea on their official site. I love watching quality videos that sound and look visually spectacular like It’s Friday offered by Dean Brody and Great Big Sea. It is exciting to listen to music I have never heard before and discover new artists and musicians like Dean Brody and rocking to Canadian Girls and Dirt Road Scholar. I love sitting with my girlfriends around a computer and listening to and watching old favourites from my teenage years with a glass of wine. However, what am I watching and at what cost to the artists and musicians I love. Since I started to write this blog I have learnt a lot about music piracy in all its different shades. For every search I make there are a number of choices I need to make that will contribute to a sustainable music future.

References

Bilton, N. 2012 “Internet Pirates will always win” at www.nytimes viewed 4 February 2013

Fitzgerald, B. 2012 “Music Piracy: Moochers Are Also Big Spenders Within The Record Industry, Study Finds” at www.Huffington Post viewed 4 February 2013

Price, S. 2012 “Music Piracy Study Reveals Drop in Illegal Downloads But Remains Skeptical” at Home of Australian Music viewed 4 February 2013

Sheil, B. 2011 “The biggest culprit in music piracy. Youtube” viewed 4 February 2013

Schroeder, S. 2012 “Gangnam Style hits 1 Billion Views on Youtube at www.mashable.com viewed 4 February 2013.

Zelliot 2008 “The Pros and Cons of Youtube” at www.webupon viewed 4 February 2013

“Is Youtube killing music piracy” June 5 2011 at Torrent Freak viewed 4 February 2013

“Illegal downloaders ‘spend the most’ on music says poll” at www.theindependent viewed 4 February 2013

“Gangnam Style reaches one billion views on Youtube” 21 December 2012 at www.telegraph.co.uk viewed on 4 February 2013

“The Recording Industry is Dead; Part 5: What Music is Worth” on Octavebox