Give Me Credit

I want to talk to you about an injustice. I know there are probably bigger problems facing our nation: gas prices, the mortgage crisis, the war, and... Andy Dick's arrest (for urinating in public and pulling down a girl's tank top). But there is one thing that has been bugging me big time, and I suspect some of you too.

I pay for music. I use iTunes...a lot. It's just too easy, and I can do it from the iPhone. But you would think that for $0.99 along with the song you could also get information on, not only who the composer of the particular song is, but also on the musicians, producer, and yes, being the geek I am, the engineer. Oh... and I want the lyrics. I love to read them as I hear a song for the first time.

Am I the only one that misses looking in the booklet of a CD to find out who the drummer is? When I was preparing for my up and coming next record, the name Jim Keltner came up as a potential drummer. I jumped at the chance, as he played on some of my favorite records growing up (like those post-Beatles solo albums). I knew his name from studying the inside of album covers.

Maybe I'm old. Maybe, in an era of manufactured pop, no one cares who the programmer or session musicians are. But dang, I knew who played on the Monkee's records (The Wreaking Crew). And I would like to know, for instance, who Mark Ronson (Amy Winehouse's producer) hires to play on his records. Who is on the latest Beck record? And, on a personal note, who did Katy Perry write her "I Kissed a Girl" with?

Am I alone in this?

I played guitar on a couple of friends' recent records. No one will probably ever know what a good semi-shredder I am (damn it), since most will either download them for free or iTunes the music.

And let's not forget the "thank you"s! You can name drop famous people who may help you in the future, and please relatives and unmusical friends.

Trying to succeed as a musician or a songwriter -- meaning, being able to pay rent -- is hard enough. Let's at least give credit where credit is due.

Who do I talk to at Apple?

Comments

[eggman]

When I used to (rarely) buy singles on vinyl they did not come with lyrics or liner notes. Songs were $1 or more in the 1970s (not counting b sides), just like today, only now I can get lyrics and other info online.

Not all albums "back in the day" had lyrics anyway, but they paid a lot more attention to cover art before CDs came along. When was the last time you saw a really cool piece of cover art?

Anyway, you can still buy CDs for not much more $$ than when they came out 20 years ago, and they tend to be longer too. You can generally buy them on iTunes for considerably less. If you really want the written stuff, bite the bullet and buy the CD.

[jillpixy]

slideguy, The song you mentioned was placed by my old record company (Atlantic). So...I still can complain. That saying, it is something that we as artist, whether with label or not, need to apply. Thanks for that.

[Atreece]

I have been agruing with friends about this exact point for years.
I love reading the covers of CD's and continue to purchase CD's just for the pleasure of knowing everything i can about my favorite songs.
Long gone are the days of appreciating who wrote the song and played various instruments.
Maybe it is because these days songs are manufactured through a computer.

[KCFreedom]

Jill, knowing what you're listening to is so "old-fashioned". Younger listeners don't have the attention span to care about any of that.

[LC5]

Brava! I'm with you all the way. I am surprised that Apple, wonderful Apple, would leave out all of the writers and contributors to creative work. Also, on a personal note, a song of mine is on ITunes and only the performers name is listed. I tried calling ASCAP but was passed around to people who seemed to know little and cared even less! What are we to do?

[Housewife]

I agree. More info and Lyrics would be great. I tend to look up whatever it is I want, but it would be nice to get it all in one package with the song purchase.

[alguien]

speaking from the point of view of someone who has completely bought into the online/download/streaming experience (and i'm OLD too having been around long enough to experience vinyl, reel to reel, cassette, 8-track, cd and everything else in between) i can only say that my experience hasn't lost its richness-it's just changed dramatically.

i too am frustrated at times with the lack of information included with mp3 downloads, but i've generally done a good deal of information gathering on the music prior to downloading anyhow. if i hear something i think i'll like, i'll do a bit of research on that artist-believe me, google is a good thing!-, i'll probably have listened to some of their stuff on myspace because the itunes samples are downright pathetic at 30 seconds each, i may hear a cut or two over at rhapsody and by then i'll have boned up so much on this artist i'll probably be able cite several other projects he/she is working on beyond my original search, and no who's produced and who's performed.

i miss the interaction with the guys behind the counters at record stores, but i'm generally finding out everything i need to know about someone anyhow. so it kind of all works out-at least for me it does.

[unitron]

I thought I read at the time that the studio musicians on the first couple of Mokees' albums (which they were too busy being in the TV show to do all the playing on themselves) were Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart's Candy Store Prophets?

(Boyce and Hart wrote a lot of the early Monkees' material, but were smart enough to save "You're Still My Favorite Girlfriend, Alice Long" for themselves.)

[grapesofmath]

I like when artists publish booklets that download with the albums on itunes. That is helpful, when it includes real info. Plus, artists can publish lyrics, artist info and so much more to download with the songs too, but dont probably to save money.
I used to read and re-read the liner notes of my records and cds for fun and for an education because knowing who does what can lead you to some artists you would have never heard of or bought otherwise.
In that frame, you can look at it as a good marketing tool also.

[eggman]

To get the booklets, you have to buy the whole album. Jill wants the info to come with individual songs--pining for a past that never existed.

[Slideguy]

Jill, I just examined the iTunes file for "I Just Kissed a Girl". I highlighted the filename and pressed command-i. The only fields that were filled in were the ones for the title, the album, and the artist. The composer field and the note field (where you could post liner notes, musican credits and the like, were blank. If you'd added credits before you, or your label, uploaded it, they would be there for everybody who downloaded your song to read.

You're complaining about a non-existant problem

[jillpixy]

slide guy, the song in question was put in to itunes by my old label. I have no rights to it. So...I can still cpmplain!

[Slideguy]

And you're adorable when you do. I am a fan.

[grailknight]

Here's a suggestion: the artists should put all that neat information on a page of their websites.

[NoSillyName]

grail, the latest Elvis Costello CD does say to go to his website for lyrics. Of course, when ya print them off, the paper doesn't fit in the case.

[hammer109]

You are old. As am I. I recently purchased an ipod and realized that none of the music I downloaded is later than about 1986. Old.

[abrxas]

I'm with you on this one, Jill. Oh, and your "I Kissed A Girl" is waaaaaaaay better than the new one.

[NoSillyName]

I'm with you, Jill. I'm also an ex-Denverite. I miss the vinyl album cover art and information. CD packaging doesn't cut it, but at least it offers some info. MP3s aren't of interest to me, not having an iPod or whatever.

I thought of you when I started hearing the title of the current song. Wondered if it was your song or only the same title, not knowing the lyrics.

But, yes, we're old.... chronologically.

[RedDogBear]

You know you don't need an iPod to take advantage of online music. You can do it right from your computer and its easy to hook your computer into your stereo. You should try it. I was a luddite about this for a long time until my girl friend guilted me into it by saying it was silly for a technical person like me to be so behind the times with my music.

[NoSillyName]

Thanks, RedDogBear. It just doesn't seem worth it. I have most all of the music I'm interested in.... vinyl from the '60s, '70s, '80s, hundreds of CDs (many duplicates of the vinyl.) I don't listen to music as much as I used to (constantly), but when I want to hear something, I have my collection of rock, jazz & classical. I always buy new releases from artists I like. Anything new from Jeff Beck is always at the top of the list. Robert Plant with Strange Sensation.The new Elvis Costello & The Imposters is great, now that he's rockin' again (at least for this album). Like Winehouse, which is out of the norm for me, but I think she's interesting & jazzy (really need the lyrics for her!). Sometimes I'll buy CDs of old stuff I never had, to complete a collection or if the vinyl disappeared over the years. Lately, I've bought a few DVDs of artists I know I'll enjoy watching... Hendrix at Monterey, SRV & Double Trouble at Montreux '82 & '85 (after seeing that on PBS), Concert for Bangledesh.

I'm probably missing out on some new rock bands, but I don't really care anymore. My brother, who is 10 years younger than I am, will frequently burn copies of whatever he wants me to hear. He's sent White Stripes, Wolfmother, Artic Monkeys, latest Who, or other artists.

Guess I'm just gettin' old and set in my ways. Oh, dear.

[abrxas]

I'm totally with you on this one, Jill. Oh, and your "I Kissed A Girl" is waaaaaaaay better than the new one.