Scorecard for Control of the Media and Arts

[Tom Hendricks]

Thanks to all who responded to the post about Zinesters the Beat Up Generation. It had a lot of good responses. This is my weekly message to my zine readers. I think it in some ways is a good follow up. Comments welcome.


The scorecard for control of the arts and media is:
CORPORATIONS everything,
INDIES, less than ever.
Let's go category by category and see who controls it - Corporate art or Indy art.

Media - Corporate Art. Corporate owns the bulk of tv, and radio. They have way too much influence on the FCC, and NPR, with revenue sharing won't give a tough review. Indies can't get coverage or reviews; and have little coverage on any tv or radio. Indies can rarely even get a radio station on the internet let alone on the air.

Newspapers - Corporate Art. They own all the chains and will only review art by their corporate art advertisers. Hardly any indy art is ever mentioned let alone reviewed. Local art coverage is small to non existent while Hollywood press releases fill the entertainment and business sections.

Film - Corporate Art. They own the theater chains and the movie companies. Indies can make films but they can't get them in theaters, or on tv.

Broadway - Corporate Art. Broadway is strictly for tourists and filled with large safe corporate productions. Same with touring companies. Indy theater is off off Broadway, at best.

Music - Corporate Art. Four companies control 80% of the business. They've kept most indies off the radio so they can't get sales. They also control ticket services, so its hard for Indie musicians to make more than minimum wage touring.

Publishing - Corporate Art. Bad novels rule, and bookstores demand indies jump through all kinds of hoops to even get on the back rows (example the ISBN number). Seldom do any major bookstores carry any Indy books.

Magazine and Zine Publishing. Corporate Art. The most creative new writing is zines. It best reflects the current generation. It is also blocked from fair reviews, and coverage, and distribution from most magazine distributors. Go to magazine stands and its pure corporate.

Internet - Corporate Art. Indies had the early advantage with every website being equal.That began the only golden age of art of this time. Then corporate art bought up the major spaces like myspace, youtube, search engines etc.; shut down web radio, sued downloaders etc. Indies can be found on search engines, but they are way down the list beyond the paid ad entries. Indies are being squeezed out year by year.

Government - Corporate Art. Conglomerates bypasses pesky interfering governments by setting up World Trade Agreements, WTO, that supports big business over countries rights, world wide.

The scorecard is not good. Time to bring fairness to the arts for all. Corporate control has ruined not only quality in the arts, but fairness. They have turned our culture into a box of soap. And it's just as bland. Support a change.


Tom Hendricks
(editor of the 17 year old zine Musea)

[Tom Hendricks]

Does anyone else see a solution that I'm not?
Well most people think that because it is this way now, it has been this way always. Not so. This is a relatively recent development (last 3 decades). It is not standard, or status quo, it is totally different from history. Never have so few controlled all the arts and media.

Here's another point. You suggest that the mainstream is propped up by most people. It is not. They don't have any choice. How can most people get outside the corporate offerings? That was part of my point. When they have a choice they do choose better art. When a movie on average spends 80 million dollars on promotion of a blockbuster, no indie can compete.

Time for fair trade - its the law. That will end the monopoly of the few - too big to fail.

[ciaraxyerra]

here's another thought: WHO CARES? what the hell does this have to do with zines? how is this not just a pathetic rehash of the 100+ comments in the ridiculous, irrelevant "beat up generation" thread? *dies*

[ciaraxyerra]

..."ace ventura"? i think you have succeeded in cocooning yourself from mainstream media. i do believe the most recent "ace ventura" movie was released over ten years ago. ditto on "jurassic park".

i don't doubt for a minute that a small hardcore group of people will NEVER stop complaining about the lack of "consumer choice" in media, no matter how many options are available. i continue to fail to see what this has to do with zines or, more importantly, how this differs from other threads on the EXACT SAME TOPIC. & with that, i won't post here anymore, because i don't want to be responsible for topping inanity.

[W. Alan Fare]

Well said, ciaraxyerra. Zines are not mainstream, nor will they ever be! And I have a lot more respect for someone just starting out and making something they enjoy to share with fellow zinesters far more than someone who has been griping about the same old problems for years.

Let the public-at-large read, watch, and listen to whatever they want! If someone finds out about zines from one of us, good for them. But we can't make people decide what they have to read, see, hear, anymore than the corporations.

ciaraxyerra said:

here's another thought: WHO CARES? what the hell does this have to do with zines? how is this not just a pathetic rehash of the 100+ comments in the ridiculous, irrelevant "beat up generation" thread? *dies*

[tim scannell]

zzzzzzzzzzZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzz
ZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzZZZZZZZ

ciaraxyerra said:

..."ace ventura"? i think you have succeeded in cocooning yourself from mainstream media. i do believe the most recent "ace ventura" movie was released over ten years ago. ditto on "jurassic park".

i don't doubt for a minute that a small hardcore group of people will NEVER stop complaining about the lack of "consumer choice" in media, no matter how many options are available. i continue to fail to see what this has to do with zines or, more importantly, how this differs from other threads on the EXACT SAME TOPIC. & with that, i won't post here anymore, because i don't want to be responsible for topping inanity.

[Tom Hendricks]

Lots of people don't care. But some of us do, I do and I'm a zinester. I see the control of all the arts and media by a handful of corporations as something that hurts all and is probably illegal under fair trade.
This is a bigger problem than just zinesters, or writers. It affects musicians, painters, filmmakers, actors, etc. I think we should care about all artists.

What can we do. It requires little effort. Just tell someone you are AGAINST the arts and media being controlled by so few, and for fairness for all artists. Surely everyone cares enough to do that.

ciaraxyerra said:

here's another thought: WHO CARES? what the hell does this have to do with zines? how is this not just a pathetic rehash of the 100+ comments in the ridiculous, irrelevant "beat up generation" thread? *dies*

[tim scannell]

80% Leftists...and over 90% obamabots...
abc/nbc/cbs...GE in Russia w/ the KGB's Putin...guess
U
R
not a reader...........!

ain't
corporations ol' pal...as you will see
getting
socialism shoved down yr throat...sooo passé.

'capitalist' FAV word of............yup MARX (1869)
hahaha









Tom Hendricks said:

Lots of people don't care. But some of us do, I do and I'm a zinester. I see the control of all the arts and media by a handful of corporations as something that hurts all and is probably illegal under fair trade.
This is a bigger problem than just zinesters, or writers. It affects musicians, painters, filmmakers, actors, etc. I think we should care about all artists.

What can we do. It requires little effort. Just tell someone you are AGAINST the arts and media being controlled by so few, and for fairness for all artists. Surely everyone cares enough to do that.

ciaraxyerra said:

here's another thought: WHO CARES? what the hell does this have to do with zines? how is this not just a pathetic rehash of the 100+ comments in the ridiculous, irrelevant "beat up generation" thread? *dies*

[tim scannell]

ooooooooooooh...,

I love this wee poem i wrote...published in
many places


HEAD START

Thank God
I learned to read
Before the 60's.


Not tooooooooooooo hard a TEXT...i trust!!! :):)






Paper Planes Aflame said:

Your posts are worse than text speak. I can never make out what the hell you're talking about.

tim scannell said:

80% Leftists...and over 90% obamabots...
abc/nbc/cbs...GE in Russia w/ the KGB's Putin...guess
U
R
not a reader...........!

ain't
corporations ol' pal...as you will see
getting
socialism shoved down yr throat...sooo passé.

'capitalist' FAV word of............yup MARX (1869)
hahaha