What world are you living in? It's not because the masses have more collective monetary power (they don't), it's economics of scale. You can only sell so many $500,000 cars, and there's very little chance of repeat business in any short time frame.

It's about selling in volume. That's what made Wal-Mart.

In 2004, the top 5% of the economic bracket controlled over 58% of the wealth. That was a long time ago, now the figure is skewed even more in favor of the rich.

Sorry, but you're wrong.

>>corporations don't have the power to suck money from my wallet against my will,

Compulsory tax on blank media, passed by the gov't at the behest of corporations

>>throw me in jail for years,

RIAA/MPAA exploiting the laws they paid politicians to write to fine/jail people "guilty" of downloading copyrighted material.

>>send out goons to give me a Rodney King-style beating,

Foreclosure procedures often include using police to do the dirty work of corrupt banking establishments.

>>or execute me on the electric chair

Not yet, but they can certainly have you "silenced" or "suicided" as it were.

So, while the force is directly applied by government entities, if the government is just another branch of the corporations (it's a shared resource they like to use/abuse), then the corporations are the ones actually exercising that force, even if there's a badge or a robe that indicates government affiliation.

"I'm an overly literal nitpicking asshole"

FTFY

Or, to use rap as an example, 50 Cent has about as much relation to militant black activism as Norman Rockwell. Chuck D still puts out albums, but is he getting airtime?

We're talking about the current state of music, not some glorified past.

Ummmmm... Elvis Presley?

Look, MOST music movements start out in the way you describe, and it isn't until they are co-opted that they turn into little manufactured bits of distraction.

Case in point: Just because US hardcore punk started out with bands like Black Flag, Minor Threat, etc., doesn't mean that acts like Green Day have any relation whatsoever to that original spark of creativity, regardless of whether or not the music is similar.

That's no dog, it's Keanu Reeves in heavy makeup.

Let's assume that your unsupported claim that rap acts earn less than rock acts is true.

One reason could be that, as rock was back in the day, rap is a producer-led game with various interchangeable personalities marketed as the "artist" towards certain demographics. However, their artistic contribution is minimal and they rely on the producer for the beats, the melody, the technical skills, etc. In most rap, the PRODUCER is the one making the music, and the "artist" is just a face they use to sell the product. Rock was like that for a while too.

The Problem with Music by Steve Albini

Looks like Courtney Love pilfered a lot of her article from Mr. Albini (that doesn't surprise me one bit), which really adds a nice rich chocolatey irony sauce to the whole thing.

Something that deserves no more than a fine and CERTAINLY doesn't warrant collecting DNA.

*slow clap*

You're thinking of Rob Reiner.

You're damn right. That movie is a documentary.

Oh my god they've actually done it. Quick, call the number stenciled on the side of the tank!

Um, $99 for the iPhone Dev Kit is hardly all that pricey. And you can download and use it for free. That's the exact opposite of pricey.

Empire EFI

YMMV, check hardware compatibility first, blah blah blah.