shiny dot bulletin

What is Shiny Dot Bulletin?

Shiny Dot Bulletin is a place to document and explore the complex goings on in one of the most misguided, ego-infested, myth-laden, fun and exciting businesses in the world.

Maybe a metaphor will offer more insight: you know the Hunter S. Thompson epigram that music-biz folks love to quote? You know, this one (or a variation thereof):

The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench. A long plastic hallway where pimps and thieves run free and good men die like dogs. There is also a negative side.

Well guess what? Gonzo-man never ever said that, it’s a myth! In “Generation of Swine: Tales of Shame and Degradation in the ’80s” on page 43 he says:

The TV business is uglier than most things. It is normally perceived as some kind of cruel and shallow money trench through the heart of the journalism industry, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free and good men die like dogs, for no good reason.

Source: http://urbanlegends.about.com

Together, the willful adoption and blatant misuse of this quote make up the perfect metaphor to inform a new path: a) let’s stop celebrating the fact that the music industry attracts rotten ego-heads; b) let’s try to find some truth and common ground, and; c) most most importantly, let’s get back to the music and figure out how to make it all work for everyone with a stake, especially for the music lovers of the world.

So… let’s break it down, shall we?

Danielle Holke