Thu Nov 25/04
Blue Toady-o (ugh, sorry)

Feature this: "Jim Cuddy, singer with Toronto-based Blue Rodeo, said new Canadian musicians were being hurt most by free digital downloading."

I haven't heard a more ridiculous contention in quite some time. It is, of course, the polar opposite: if anyone is being hurt more than anyone else by "digital downloading" (?), it's established artists — artists that get played on the radio and at the supermarket, whose new albums many more people used to buy on reputation alone than do now. The record companies and established anti-downloading franchises like Metallica always try to frame it in terms of "young artists suffering," but you'll find precious few actual young artists willing to bet their internet-based following on an outside chance at a three percent increase in sales. I don't think you'll see Connor Oberst hitting on his soft 17.

I shouldn't be surprised that Cuddy doesn't understand what the hell is going on. I enjoy Blue Rodeo's best work very much, but that work is many years old. Cuddy is past it enough to have spent last Saturday night over Perriers-and-lime at a very quatragenarian Rosedale pub (yeah, I was there too, but I never had any cred). Past it enough to have concocted this little nugget:

Although it is hard to determine whether downloading has hurt Blue Rodeo, Mr. Cuddy acknowledged in an interview that the band does not sell as many albums as it once did.

"Is that because of downloading? I don't know," he said.

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