Personally, I think it's just Jeep/Wascal with a new name just trying to have a laugh at y'all's expense.
The best response when someone comes up with a totally laughable premise is just laugh. Like Abbie Hoffman used to say, when the KKK plans a march down your city street, if everyone just points at them and laughs, throws pies, moons them, etc., they won't come back.
You know, I hate to break it to anyone who might think otherwise, but there is NOTHING sacred about recording. It's not a higher calling, it's not a sacred trust, it's not an exclusive club open to only those who prove themselves in battle to be pure of heart and spirit... it's a fucking job to some of us, and a fun hobby to others.
I suppose no one should be allowed to play football unless they are in the NFL? No one should be allowed to fool around with graphic design on their computer because the pro graphic designers are threatened? (You think recording engineers are bitter, just talk to a graphic designer...) We shouldn't be able to buy photoshop unless you can prove direct lineage to Ansell Adams? Desktop publishing without having magazine or newspaper experience? Shooting videos and doing video editing on your PC without being in the director or cinematographer's union? Maybe there shouldn't be any web sites where you can do medical, legal, nutritional, etc. research because all the doctors, lawyers, and nutritionists want to be the sole dispenser of that kind of information?
It all comes down to one thing: adapt or die. The by-product of ever more affordable technology is that once exclusive tools are now in the hands of the great unwashed. The world is changing - almost anything is accessible and affordable. Gnashing your teeth and pining for the good old days when ANY multitrack studio meant a six figure investment is a wonderful exercise in futility.
I'm sure there were plenty of people at the dawn of the industrial revolution who had good reason to claim that all those machine manufactured textiles were total crap compared to the stuff off of Aunt Nellie's loom. It doesn't matter. It's too late. We're not selling all our cars and buying horses.
I'm a musician. All I ever hear from other musicians is how DJs are killing the business. How Napster is killing the business. Well, musicians have been bemoaning the death of the industry since there was an industry. Remember when radio stations had in-house orchestras that were eventually replaced by recorded music? Remember when movie theatres had piano players? Remember when Broadway shows used real players and not synths? Remember when strip clubs had bands? (Remember when a trombone player could get a gig? And how do think "real" musicians feel about sequencers, samplers, and drum machines?) Each time there was n historical change, there were those who said it was the death of the music industry.
Yet, somehow, someway, music survives. And will continue to survive. Maybe not in it's present form, and maybe not distributed through the traditional channels. But those that find a way to adapt survive. The rest sell insurance or learn programming.
Like i said, complain all you want, buddy, but...
Adapt or die. You can't stuff everything back in Pandora's box no matter how hard you try or cry.
(P.S. I agree with you 100% about mastering. I've been saying the same thing since I got here.)
