Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

Sound and vision

Most CDs don’t provide much for the consumer to look at. Cover art is a dying craft, according to Dr. Mike Alleyne, recording industry. “The 21st century won’t be like the ‘70s, which introduced some of the most iconic cover designs in the history of popular music,” Alleyne writes. “There are now more electronic distractions than ever, and the idea of playing an entire album while scrutinizing cover art and reading liner notes is becoming more archaic by the day. That hurts bands in a very real way. While neither Aerosmith nor AC/DC are known for the subtlety of their music or album covers, their iconic logos probably help account for their popularity their brand recognition and ultimately their lucrative ‘Guitar Hero’ and ‘Rock Band’ games. And the creative identities of record labels like ECM, Fania and Factory were so well communicated visually that they remain part of our collective subconscious.”

Contact Alleyne at 615-904-8336.
dr.mike.alleyne@gmail.com

Caught with their hands in the cookie jar

Wal-Mart has begun selling cookies that have a certain similarity to some brands of Girl Scout cookies. While some have criticized the corporate giant for this, Dr. Don Roy, management and marketing, sees it as reasonable. “Girl Scout cookies are sold for one to two months out of the year, leaving a void of 11 to 12 months,” Roy says. “If Wal-Mart’s products are intended to be like Girl Scout cookies, is Wal-Mart perhaps filling an unmet need? Quality is also an issue. If the knock-off versions of the cookies do not pass the taste test with consumers, the products will not be successful. Most importantly, a stark contrast exists between the mission of Wal-Mart and the Girl Scouts. People will continue to buy cookies to support the Girl Scout cause. Cookie sales are a Girl Scout tradition, and no imitation product can match the Girl Scout marketing combination of great taste, worthy cause and massive sales network.”

Contact Roy at 615-904-8564.
droy@mtsu.edu

Arabian angst

Dr. Sean Foley, history professor and author of the forthcoming book The Arab Gulf States: When Oil is Not Enough, writes for the spring 2009 Rutgers Law Record that Saudi Arabia is antsy about the continuing presence of American soldiers in the region. “Throughout the 1990s, Osama bin Laden manipulated Saudi unease by insisting that the presence of U.S. soldiers in Saudi Arabia justified terrorist attacks within the Saudi kingdom,” writes Foley. “He argued that the troops who were originally opposed to leave Saudi Arabia shortly after the Gulf War in 1991, but actually stayed for many years, threatened the kingdom’s sovereignty. Bin Laden also argued that the U.S. soldiers’ proximity to the Saudi cities of Mecca and Medina, Islam’s two holiest cities, threatened the security of all Muslims.”

Contact Foley at 615-904-8294.
sfoley@mtsu.edu

TR EXTRA

SOLID AS A ROCK BLOK—Registration is open now for this fall’s Rock Blok workshop at MTSU. Young musicians ages 10-17 can learn music, make friends and form a band at the workshop, which is slated to begin September 5th. “When a student signs up, he or she is assigned to a band with other students,” says Ryan York, executive leader of Youth Empowerment through Arts and Humanities (YEAH!) and workshop leader. “Each band has two professional musicians as volunteer teachers. The students then spend two hours each Saturday learning music, working up a set list, making merchandise for their band, recording an album and writing music.” At the conclusion of the workshop, the bands will perform in concert. The fee is $40 a month ($120 total). For more information, go to www.YEAHintheBoro.org, send an e-mail to info@YEAHintheBoro.org, or call 615-849-8140.

PRESSING ON--The legacy of MTSU’s working replica of an 18th century printing press will be explained through photos and prints as part of an exhibit at the main branch of the Nashville Public Library, 615 Church St., through Sept. 27. The exhibit is titled “Telling the Story: Letterpress Printing and Community.” The university’s segment will include the story of letterpress printing at MTSU. The works of current MTSU art students; alumni; visiting artists; faculty; elementary, middle- and high-school teachers and students who printed on the James E. Walker Library’s unique device will be highlighted. A reproduction of the English common press used by Benjamin Franklin in the early 1700s, the printing press was handcrafted in 2004 and 2005 out of chestnut and white oak wood from a 100-year-old house in Virginia. Contact Kristen Keene at 615-898-5376 or kkeene@mtsu.edu.