Maximum Rock N Roll Vs. Alternative Press: Letters To The Editor (January/February 2006)

Alex lets Tom know just what he thinks of him and his corporate crony backers in Maximum Rock N Roll #273 February 2006, P9.

Hey MRR and readers –
Over the past few months a lot of punk, punk bands andpunk zines have joined the internet site known as myspace.com. I joined it myself until I realized how lame it was. Now it seems that more than 50% of the DIY punk scene has a page on this corporate site, how lame is that? Do I really need to explain why it is so lame? Every corporate asshole and his mom is on this site. It is financed by some shitty advertisements. The shittiest bands on earth have their page. It supports everything we’re against. It sucks, plain and simple. It’s like the whole DIY punk scene has turned into an internet version of the Warped Tour all of a sudden. Seeing all my favorite bands go on this site I feel really bad for what the punk scene has become. What happened to saying, “fuck you” to corporations?

I don’t blame anyone, this shit is addictive, and is a very good and quite genius marketing plan.

Now please read this. This part of the “Myspace.com Terms of Use and Agreement”. You can see it on their site, even before being a member.

“Proprietary Rights in Content on Myspac.com. Myspace.com owns and retains all proprietary rights in the Website and the Service.”

Do I need to write that bigger for you?? “MYSPACE.COM OWNS AND RETAINS ALL PROPRIETARY RIGHTS IN THE WEBSITE AND THE SERVICE.”

If you still don’t get it, it means that everything that is on the website legally belongs to MySpace, and to become a member, you’re giving them the right to do whatever the fuck they want with your bands (sic) songs and pictures.

I don’t know about but for me it feels really shitty to know some corporate website owns songs by some of my favorite DIY, so-called “political” punk bands.
Thanx for reading.
-Alex
Ratcharge fanzine
France

Hmmm thanks for the legal advice Alex.

On the other hand, Matthew via the internet lets it be known just how much the feature on Fall Out Boy affected him in Alternative Press #210 January 2006, p.21.

Oh, AP, thank you so much for allowing all of your readers to finally understand how difficult it can be, being part of such a groundbreaking band who are changing music forever. Uncovering the trauma behind Fall Out Boy is something we’ve been salivating over for years now. I don’t think these kids today know the pain of playing music for a living; the pain of having someone post a nasty blog about you on the web; the pain of selling millions of records. It hurt like a papercut in the armpit. Is FOB looking to add a violin player in the mix? I’ll play for Peter Wentz day and night, to let him know that one of us really cares. Oh, yeah, the exterminator costumes were so sexy; plus they really captured the experience of having your heart exterminated and sprayed with chemicals, as I know the FOB gang have felt all too often.
Matthew Ball
Via Internet

Sounds like Fall Out Boy lead a tragic existence. Also makes me feel guilty about making snide remarks on my blog. Really makes you think.