We all look up lyrics from time to time but pretty soon we may not be able to, without paying for it that is. There's a story in this morning's New York Post about "music publishers quietly stepping up their efforts to shut down popular websites that publish lyrics to songs without their permission." They're even appealing to Ma Google and Yahoo! to remove all references to them in search results. Not yet. I was able to get lyrics to "Louie, Louie" this morning, 6 different sets of lyrics from my Yahoo! search starting with the "suggestive" lyrics captured by the FBI in 1964 and as the website advises is the version often sung by Iggy Pop (http://www.xs4all.nl/~tdg/lyrics.html). These lyrics apparently did not come from the pen of Richard Berry who wrote the tune...
The National Music Publishers Association, representing over 800 songwriters and publishers has launched this attack on both illegal-song lyric sites and search engines who get you to the lyrics. A similar front was launched on websites that publish guitar notes from popular songs last summer, apparently to no avail. Why now? Because publishers are putting out their official lyrics on Yahoo! Music, Real Networks' Rhapsody, Gracenote and LyricFind. And what's the publishers cut? In exchange for the "official" lyrics, the publishers get a cut of ad revenues from the websites. Aha. Now it all adds up or they hope it does, anyway...
Look, I'm for anyone making a buck for something they own that's being found for free but for looking up lyrics? Are you kidding me? Yeah, I can see it now. I have the lyrics for "Louie, Louie" so I think I'll travel down to my favorite watering hole and win top prize on karaoke night. That should threaten music publishers...
10 Timeline Memories:
- 1948] Walking in Memphis: 13-year old Elvis Presley moves with his parents from Tupelo (MS) to Memphis (TN)...1980] ABC-TV's "20/20" presents an in-depth report on the death of Elvis, raising unanswered questions about his death connected to drug use. The official case is re-opened...
- 1953] A hardball clincher: Carl ("Oisk") Erskine defeats the Boston Braves as the Brooklyn Dodgers clinch the pennant earlier than any other team in baseball history...
- 1953] Wedding Bells: Jacqueline Bouvier and Massachusetts Senator John F. Kennedy walk down the aisle at Hammersmith Farm in Newport (RI)...
- 1954] Premiered on this date: "Lassie" comes to the rescue each week for 17 years on CBS-TV and then in syndication...1959] "Bonanza" debuts on NBC-TV. The Ponderosa rocks until January, 1973. Here's the shows open: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTWB_ByQD4w ...1966] "Family Affair" debuts on CBS-TV and will run until September, 1971...1966] "The Monkees" debuts on NBC-TV and runs for two years before airing reruns. "Hey, Hey We're The Monkees": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DyWouqg-WBA&mode=related&search= ...
- 1963] Curtains: The final episode of "Leave It To Beaver" airs on ABC-TV after 6 seasons and here's the shows open: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtqQyW0XOLo ...
- 1964] The Beatles in Beantown: The Beatles sell out the Boston Garden in their first appearance in Boston...
- 1964] Oh Shea can you see?: The 1st football game is played in Flushing Meadows at Shea with the J-E-T-S beating Denver 30-6...
- 1979] Yaz-a-matazz: Future Hall of Famer Carl Yastrzemski collects his 3,000th hit off of Yankees pitcher Jim ('spit the bit') Beattie during a 9-2 Red Sox win. Yaz becomes the 1st American League player to reach 3,000 hits and 400 home runs in his career...
- 1984] Oh Doctor: Dwight "Doc" Gooden of the M-E-T-S sets a rookie and MLB season strikeout record with K number 251...
- 1992] "Happy Trails": Anthony Perkins succumbs to complications from AIDS at 60...2003] The legendary Johnny Cash is the victim of complications from diabetes at 71...
Music Memories:
- 1966] Gold Standard: "Yellow Submarine" - Beatles (sing along time): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdeHYlfnd_g&mode=related&search= ...
- 1970] Released on this date: "Fire and Rain" - James Taylor...[To ensure accuracy of dates and content, multiple reference sources are used in each timeline]...
Commentary...
While Hollywood does age you, it doesn't give you 20 additional years. As those of you have noted, Kristy McNichol is not 65. Kristy is 45...A Hollywood legend passed away on Monday - Jane Wyman who won an Oscar for "Johnny Belinda" and starred in "Falcon Crest". Jane, 93, was also Ronald Reagan's first wife and mother of Maureen and adopted son, Michael. R.I.P. Jane Wyman...L'Shanah Tovah. Rosh Hashanah begins at sundown tonight. The new Hebrew year is 5768 if you happen to feel older...
"Happy Birthday...happy birthday":
Jennifer Hudson (26), Yao (Yo) Ming (27), Ruben Studdard (29), Amy Yasbeck (45), Rachel Ward (50), Gerry (America) Beckley (55), Mark Knopfler (58), Maria Muldaur (64), Linda Gray (67), George Jones (76) and 'Our Gang's" Dickie Moore (82)...
Timeline Countdown: 11 days until autumn in New York, 21 days until the MLB playoffs and 42 days until the World Series...
