Greetings!

I am very late writing for this issue, but it's with a sigh of relief that I see April 15th dawn. My "other" job is tax consulting and preparation, and this was an exceptionally busy year. Thus, I've been buried in other people's receipts and forms and the other good stuff that goes with a tax return, while I filed an extension for myself. The old saying absolutely applies, no matter what your profession, the things at home never get done on time - including writing my editorial and a couple very late articles edited.

Since I'm a bit burned out from my annual encounter with the IRS and the new rules and regs they keep incorporating (although some of them are actually helpul for a change - at least if you have a child), I'm not really in ranting mode. However, I've had the opportunity in the last couple weeks to talk to a few bands about a variety of things, two of which have left the major label they were signed to, and a few others who haven't been signed yet, but are working on it. This is a subject I've commented on before, but I'm finding that it's happening more often than even a year ago, and the news is disturbing. I get a Press Kit or a Press Release about a new album coming out for an existing band, or I get information on a new band, and before I even get a chance to publish the CD review or concert or interview, they've been dropped by their label, or have left their label, or the release date has been changed to TBA. No, these are not the top of the charts, multi-platinum best-selling bands, but they're none to sneeze at either.

The trend in the music business of corporations taking over radio stations, and owning and operating more and more stations by a single corporation, continues to make inroads into what you hear on the radio. I live in a large city. There have been at least 10 radio stations that have changed hands and formats in the past 8 mos. or so. There's also a lot of label dropping and label hopping going on - mostly the dropping. If a band can't bust out of the gate and come up with a number one single PDQ, their days are numbered. Sometimes it's because of the major labels, who are quite content to create numerous one-hit-wonders and then pulling any support from the band the minute they're not topping the charts.

I've also run into independant labels that make a big deal out of signing bands, and then they don't support the band in any way so the band tries to leave. Whatever the situation, it's ALWAYS the band that gets screwed and loses money that should go to them and rights to songs that they wrote. For anyone who thinks the music business is glamorous and exciting, it's not like that at all - from the lowly bands at the bottom of the food chain to the multi-record selling ones. This business has become so cutthroat in the 2 1/2 years I've been publishing this magazine I shouldn't be surprised any more about what I hear. But, I still always have a hard time believing what happens to talented bands that make good music who get left out in the cold. I know any business that involves entertainment is cutthroat, but to me it appears that we, the listening and watching public, are being led around by the nose way too much.

We do our best at AMZ to give our readers a wide variety of music reviews from a lot of genres and a lot of levels of "the food chain" if you will. I know we review a lot of obscure, or regional, or self-produced bands, in addition to the mega-stars that just have to drop an album and that immediately starts selling like hot-cakes. We also publish information about the OPENING bands at concerts we attend, not just the Headliners. There is a reason we do this. Because SOMEBODY has to give these bands a forum where people can find out about them. Radio is no help. The programming is so controlled that rather than letting you hear new and exciting music, they will play the same Alanis or Everlast song 2 times per hour. Most major music magazines won't give these bands the time of day either. They have to be famous first. But how are they going to get famous if nobody knows who they are? How will you know what you're missing if there isn't an outlet somewhere that lets you know about these bands. Their albums are in music stores, but unless the music store you frequent plays those albums in THEIR rotation, you're not gonna hear them. The best we can do is write about them, and hopefully give you enough information to take a chance on a name you're not familiar with.

I realize that CDs are expensive, and they don't put albums by relatively unknown bands on sale as a rule at most record stores. So, sometimes you have to trust what you read and give something new a shot. I know there is one music chain where I live that allows you to return opened CDs for store credit if you don't like what you bought. I'm sure there are other chains in other cities that will do the same. And there's always the used music stores to prowl as well. Please, don't let radio conglomerates, record labels and national music store chains keep you from hearing the good stuff that is usually by-passed. I heard about a plan that's growing throughout the country to not buy gas for one day - April 30th. If even 3,000,000 people don't purchase gas for one day, it will drive gas prices down just because OPEC will suffer big losses and have to rethink their recent decision to cut back on production. If the market is glutted, they can't sell. I've also been hearing over and over and over again that people are tired of hearing the same song on the radio every time they turn it on. If you want things to change, YOU, the music buying public, are the ones that are going to have to do something. Call your local stations and request the songs from the bands you like that aren't played. Organize a "Boycott All Radio" day in your town as a protest. Don't buy albums from labels who appear to be creating one-hit-wonders incessantly. Things will only change when the public forces the change. As always, the The opinions expressed in the editorial are mine alone as Editor of this magazine. If you agree or disagree with anything, please send your comments, keep tuning in, and keep those letters coming. Without you, we wouldn't be the fastest growing Music E-zine on the Net!

E-mail AMZ at: ACCESS to the MUSIC ZONE at marellg@music-reviewer.com