Leonard Smalls

price-fixing cartel.

It's not like the price is fundamentally linked to scarcity, like v = f λ, or F = ma! The seller makes a conscious decision (or programmes an algorithm) to decide what to sell at. It's not like they'd be prosecuted for not increasing their prices as things get scarce, nor would the universe gasp as one of its laws Of Nature is broken... Basically, a seller decides to increase their price over and above a reasonable margin in order to make even more money. Now I have no problem with the idea of making a living, but taking the piss is a different matter! Frinstance, in my shop we have a set margin; all prices are determined by this margin (we often round up, and sometimes down, to the nearest 99p or 49p). We don't say " ooh, calatheas are selling like hotcakes, let's double the price!". Our prices only change if the cost goes up (then not always), or if we want to get rid and will put it on sale, sometimes as low as cost or less! However, I've seen some of the products we sell at £10 more in big-chain garden centres - they're definitely taking the piddle as they'll buy at less than us as well. Similarly, we have a few petrol stations locally - there's the usual Texacos, Shells and supermarket ones - they all have prices within a penny of each other. However, there's also a small independent. They're around 15p/l less. They made the decision to sell with a lower margin in order to give a better deal to locals and to sell more. As a result they're always busy and the extra revenue has enabled them to refurbish their previously dilapidated premises while the big player's forecourts are largely empty. So I'd say that strict adherence to the "law" of supply and demand is just a wee bit immoral and most certainly doesn't serve the customer at all!

No it doesn't! The selling price is determined by the seller, at least in this case (and retail). The seller chooses the price they want to sell at; they may decide that as lots of folks want something they can make a few extra bucks, rather than selling at ticket price until whateveritis is gone... All they have to do in this situation is to invoke the immutable Law Of Supply And Demand (or Profiteers Charter as it's also known) - as everybody knows this is a fundamental law of physics and cannot be broken. However, as the whole of economics runs on this ridiculous nonsense, what can you do? A friend of mine is Head of Global Equities for a big bank and his take is "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em - if I didn't take the money someone else will. But the whole thing is a House Built On Sand!"

As the old saying goes - a fool and his money are easily parted Folks contemplating paying £sillymoney to see a couple of motionless figures 200m away are the same folks who went out and panic bought bog rolls cos they heard on the telly that other folks were doing it.

Just discovered this lot:

Not us! For our next gig at Worcester Music festival (13th Sept, The Pheasant!) we've been billed as: Choked play original Post-Punk Rock, socially conscious, fierce and funky It probably should have said: Choked play original Post-Punk Rock, they'll give your dog a biscuit then piddle through your letterbox Still don't know what Post-Punk Rock is, apart from we came into collective existence after the (hotly debated!) genesis of punk...

Muscle Museum - Muse

In that case I strongly approve. Size is everything.

Just out of interest, is "post Metal" just like metal, but with a really long and sort-of ambient intro?

I suspect that while people pay the ridiculous prices being asked, ticketmaster and their ilk will continue to charge (and push) them. Just imagine what would have happened if Oasis had announced their tour, the various media types had hyped it all then everyone had shown they're not sheep after all and didn't buy any tickets...

I don't give a folk - Suicidal Tendencies

Air on a G string - JS Bach

Pigswill - Scraping Foetus Off The Wheel

Garbage Man - The Cramps

Suicide-a-go-go - Big in Japan

Stupid Cupid - Connie Francis

Love Gun - Rick James

Had our first rehearsal with "proper" drummer for out new jazz/blues thang last night. Still playing in the local church, which is kind of nice - but still had to wear earplugs. And it was good! Drummer is funky. And he listens, though he does tend toward speeding up a bit - but that could be because he hasn't played for a year. No songs as such yet, but a few good grooves. We'll see how it goes when we introduce the singer next week - not sure what the improvisational skills of a musical theatre graduate will be like but I'm kind of hoping for a bit of widdleyweebop skaddendoobendoo!

Whatever Happens Next? - Swell Maps

Putain Putain - Arno & Stromae

To be fair, people do still go to small venues and watch small bands.... However, many venues still have huge debts after covid - this has caused some to shut. Then there was the recent CossyLivsCrisis - venues couldn't charge much (or anything!) as folks couldn't afford to pay, meaning more venues fell by the wayside. We played a venue in Birmingham last year which had a mini festival with 10 bands playing an all-dayer. It was rammed. At the end of the night the promoter shared the money out (it was "donations on the door") - each band and the promoter got £19... Then there's the ridiculous nonsense of developers building next door to long-established venues, new neighbours complain to the council who revoke the venue's licence.

I've just seen a post from the Music Venue Trust that say less than half of the 34 venues Oasis played in on their first tour still exist. It's a proper shame that folks will throw their money at multi-millionaires playing venues that are so huge they have to wear their coats, instead of supporting the hopefully up and coming ones before all the venues disappear!

I'm not surprised they've reformed, what with £50million on offer! My problem is that folks will pay whatever the ticket price is, plus whatever drink prices are hiked too, plus whatever hotels have bumped up their prices to (heard a hotel in Cardiff was charging £555 for a normally £127 room). And the majority of those people will never go and see a grassroots band... Meanwhile, those little venues that made the likes of Oasis (and everybody else!) are slowly dying.

Git down - Gaye Bykers on Acid

Off The Rails - Choked