Christpuncher

As a society we have been conditioned to consume without questioning, like cattle on a corporate farm. We've been bullied into believing that one voice can't make a difference; that one opinion won't change the world. Everyday millions of sheep are set out to graze in the aisles of Wal-Mart, Best Buy and Hot Topic; blindly forking over their under-paid salaries for music they've been coerced into liking by record labels that can afford to pay music television channels to play their aesthetically-correct artist's videos 15 times a day; they're bombarded with the same 35 to 45 cookie-cutter songs that are around four minutes long with a catchy chorus that kicks in around the 45 to 55 second mark. The Telecommunications Act of 1996 enabled a corporate radio oligopoly, allowing complete domination of commercial radio broadcasting by three companies: Clear Channel, Chancellor Media and Infinity Broadcasting. With Clear Channel owning over 1,200 radio stations, they represent over 10% of all US outlets (around 60% of rock radio outlets) while generating more than 20% of all radio industry revenues (There's a plethora of information available at your fingertips if you actively search for it, as opposed to sitting on your ass eating Hot Pockets and letting Fox "News" mold your opinions).



YOU HAVE THE POWER TO CHANGE THIS.



Quit watching MTV and stop listening to corporate radio. Find an independently owned record store in your vicinity and search out independent bands and independent labels that create your style of music (metal, hardcore, blues, hip hop.every genre of music has an underground D.I.Y. scene, you just have to look for it). While you're there, peruse the entrance for flyers; find a band you've never heard of playing at a venue you've never been to and be adventurous! When you're watching the band, pay attention to how they play their music. Notice if they perform with their heart and soul, doing their damnedest to make their music make you feel as good as it does them; or are they thinking with their wallets and genitals, only concerning themselves with getting paid and getting laid? That makes a difference in the amount of respect and credibility someone deserves; it's what separates the artists from the musicians. If you don't like the band, after their set just politely nod to them in passing. However, if you dig the band, FUCKING TELL THEM - DON'T BE SHY! While we create music for our own gratification, we wouldn't leave the basement if we didn't want others to enjoy what we do. If you're really feeling on a band, fund them with whatever you can spare - buy a shirt, a CD, or even just a beer. Give us the tools to survive and overcome the corporate behemoth.



Your mind and your voice are beautiful, powerful weapons - use them before it's too late.