Solution Needed ASAP

This is going to be a short post considering the point is to say I have no answer for the problem. File sharing continues to rain down its misery on the music industry. We need a solution. The solution will not be more laws against it. All that is left is to embrace it. Keith Urban has realized this and voiced his support of such activities in getting the music into the hands of fans. I will admit that I buy less for two reasons: iTunes price increase and lack of what I would deem $1.29 worthy music. It is also true that I still love the idea of having a CD to read the liner notes, see the artwork, and to add to the growing stack on top of my record player which I must move everyday. The point is there is still value in CD production, but where is the value in digital music? Sure it makes millions, but what part of that goes to the industry: artists, musicians, producers? The question remains: how do you satisfy the customers and keep the industry alive.

How Many Grammys Can You Hold? Then That's As Many As You Can Have

As horrible as it sounds, I laughed a little inside when I heard Taylor Swift dropped one of her Grammys. Needless to say, a large percentage of the music industry finds it ridiculous that she was awarded "Album of the Year" among other honors. She has reached the tween generation. I get that. She should get an MTV or VH1 award. Not Grammys. A Grammy should not be given due to popularity or notoriety. A Grammy should be given on genuine musical ability. I can honestly say that if I was an artist I would want to be recognized on ability. If you are playing music for the wrong reasons that Grammy will only make you happy as long as your fame lasts. After that, you are in need of a new catch phrase and beat. Sing. Win. Repeat.
The winners in less publicized categories are always more talented because they are awarded on ability, not popularity. With an exploding Top 40 revolution, is there hope for ability-based awards? Or has that ship sailed?