Meeting Topic: Annual film showing and holiday party
Moderator Name: David Bowles
Speaker Name: none
Other business or activities at the meeting: Call for membership; announcement of next presentation topic and location
Meeting Location: San Francisco, CA, USA
On 11 December, the San Francisco section continued its annual tradition of a holiday party and showing of a film dealing with the audio industry, music or (in this case), both. This year, the film was "Before The Music Dies", Andrew Shapter's hard-hitting look at the demise of the traditional methods music is disseminated in this country. Their synopsis:
"Never have so few companies controlled so much of the music played on the radio and for sale at retail stores. At the same time, there are more bands and more ways to discover their music than ever. Music seems to have split in two - the homogenous corporate product that is spoonfed to consumers and the diverse independent music that finds devoted fans online and at clubs across the country."
In the move, clips of television specials from the 1960s and 1970s showed that is was once possible to watch established and up-and-coming artists on network television. People from all parts of the music industry were interviewed, as well as people attending concerts and trying to find recordings in stores. The film ended on a positive note, acknowledging that Internet downloads (once properly charged for and paid to artist(s) and producer(s)) are the hope of the future. 70 people attended this event at the Film Arts Foundation in San Francisco.
- David Bowles
