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I'm supposed to be writing, but...

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Jesus, there are some miserable bastards in this fandom.

Two nights running I've had people try to start shit in comments on truefobinglove. Yesterday, mcsheplovers got herself banned and tonight evil_authoress is getting in a tizzy because I made a joke about the differences in responses between Pete's latest Hey Monday post on TFL and ICH.

I had this exchange in the middle of a thread:

sharpestarmy: Also agreed. Hey Monday just makes me sick. Cassadee doesn't have an original voice nor is it a good one and to make it worse, the music sounds like any other band's. At least Paramore's music and Hayley's voice is different (not by a whole lot, but it's something) from this crap band.

And to be honest, I'm getting tired of Pete mentioning his Supras in a lot of his posts just because a friend is wearing them.

icedmaple: It's kind of hilarious that on this blog, people are saying how they can't stand Hey Monday, and on the same post on icecreamhdaches everyone is flailing about how amazing they are...

I'm not sure whether than means we're cynical old bints over here or whether it's just that people will speak their minds more when they don't think they're going to get flamed for it.

Also: Pete's birthday Supras didn't look great quality to me. They looked like they'd come apart after a few weeks' wear. I'd rather just have the Converse version.

In wades evil_authoress: Or maybe people just have different opinions and aren't monoliths based on the comms they're in?

Nah. That's just silly.

Whut? She went on to say my post was "grudgewanky". Because I called the people at TFL, of which I was one, cynical bints? Huh? WTF?

*sighs* Sometimes, this fandom boggles my brain. You can't even make jokes without people getting all pissy about it. Completely unnecessary. It's like people go out of their way to read negativity into everything. Chill out, people. Don't take things so seriously. Sometimes, people are just trying to be funny, even if you don't get the joke.

It takes way too much energy to be offended by everything. Let it go - you'll be much happier.

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Does anyone else miss bands releasing real singles?

You remember the kind: you'd get all excited waiting for the release day, then you'd head down to the local record shop on your lunchbreak or after school/work, then you'd get home and actually put it in a CD player to listen.

And there would be B-sides! Actual B-sides! Other songs, not related to the album - not just remixes or cover versions - real, additional tracks from your favourite band. Bonus music for being dedicated enough to go and buy the singles.

Now, you get shitty, lower-quality versions on iTunes, no B-sides and you can't use it on more than a couple of formats. Yeah, they might be cheaper, but they're not tangible. When I buy something, I want to be able to hold it in my hand, y'know?

And what especially pisses me off is now Fall Out Boy are releasing their new album on iTunes track by track. Sure, there will be a CD on November 4th, but for those of us who prefer to do the ritual - the going to the shop, the peeling off the plastic and the reading the inlay booklet during that first listen; hearing the whole album in order, as it was planned to be heard - are fucked. Sure, we can wait for the new album to come out in the shops, but this is the internet age. This is the blog age, where people will be posting reviews within minutes of the tracks being made available. For anyone who doesn't want to be spoiled and want to discover the tracks in context by ourselves, it means avoiding the internet, or the comms where it would be likely to be discussed.

Yes, leaks happen; but with leaks, there is generally a divide between those who will wait for the official version, and those who will go ahead and download the music. If the music is made legally available ahead of time, presumably in an attempt to curb the leaks and promote interest, many more people will have access to it and will be discussing it openly, assuming everyone has heard it.

This may even be detrimental to the album sales (the single didn't even make the top twenty in Billboard's Hot 100, and in the Canadian chart has already dropped to #89 in its second week), because as soon as it is made available on iTunes, it can be decoded and leaked to the general public - which may result in lower album sales. Infinity on High was leaked a few days before it was due for release, but a strong moral section of the fanbase refused to download illegally and casual fans were unlikely to know with any great certainty where to access the leak. If more people have early access to the songs, they can be reposted more widely.

In a nutshell, I think this iTunes thing is a stupid idea and the more I see Pete promoting it, the more I want to shake him. People aren't buying the single because they already have it and there is no incentive to spend money on something they can get for free behind closed doors. To the best of my knowledge, the single doesn't have a CD release date (if it does, please tell me so I can go and buy it), and if that is a case there is nothing for fans who will have accessed the track already (almost all illegally, I'm fairly certain) to gain from spending money through Apple (who I dislike intensely anyway).

In fact, I resent being forced to give money to a company I dislike, just so I can hear music from my favourite band. I don't own an iPod, or an iPhone, I didn't even have iTunes installed until I wrote a review on it for HRE - I hadn't actually opened the programme since.

Why should I be dictated to about where to spend my money?

The more I think about this, the angrier I get.

Tweets for Today

• 22:44 @GabrielSaporta you dance, we'll sing. Team work, yo. #

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