On the 20-minute bus ride from the hotel to the Microsoft campus yesterday, I got to sit next to Brad of Brad Sucks, “a one man band from Ottawa, Canada.” Omigod. What a role model.

I assume I’m the last person to find and love his site, at least if there’s any justice in this world. Just in case, this is from his FAQ:

Why would I buy your music when you give it away for free?

Well I don’t know, but people have been doing it and I hope they continue. Maybe they like a CD to hold in their hands, maybe they just want to support artists, maybe it’s just flat-out pity.

I put my music online because I want people to hear it. I’d obviously love to make a living making music, but if the worst-case scenario is becoming a well-heard artist that never gets paid, I can live with that.

So, on his site you can buy his CD for $5 (including shipping!) or download the very same music for free. If you buy the CD, it includes the MP3s to encourage you to share them. You can also buy his music from iTunes, from which he gets 65% of your money, a somewhat better deal than being squeezed like a Tropicana orange by a record label that uses some of its profits to sue your fans. I just bought his CD from Magnatune, who pays him half of what you choose to pay them ($8-$18) because I want to support Magnatune and I don’t like the thought of Brad wasting his time sticking CDs into mailers when he should be recording. That’s why we have middlepeople.

As for his music: What possible good would it do to get a Musical Judgment from someone who lost interest in contemporary music in 1977, The Summer of Eh. All I’ll say I that like Beck and I like Brad. (The line that just played: “I can tell by your middle finger that you’re warming up to me.”)

[Note to our Canadian friends: You don’t have to say “Ottawa, Canada.” It’s your damn capital. You don’t hear us Americans saying “Washington, DC, USA.” Thank you, and keep up the good work.’

Categories: Uncategorized dw