Mongshoua Xiong
Prof. Sheila Allard
Written Communication- 10:15 A.M.
11 May 2010

Disappearing CDs…

While typing for a blog entry and listening to my Ipod, I noticed my collection of music CDs. On the CD organizer, I must have over 100 music CDs and albums. Out of a little curiosity, I remembered that in the closet, I have a shoe box stuffed full of music cassettes. Back when I was a kid, the thing to have was a cassette and radio walkman. I remember saving up just so I could walk around with my walkman jamming to the tunes. Anyways, the times have change since I was a kid and still changing as I speak. The next big thing was the music CD. I have always thought that music CDs was going to be around for a long, long time. Remember when our favorite musicians and artists come out with their music CD albums? Within the first few weeks of release into the stores, millions and millions of CD albums are sold. Some CD album sales even reach record numbers. According to the Forrester Research, total revenue from U.S. music sales and licensing plunged to $6.3 billion in 2009. In 1999, that revenue figure topped $14.6 billion. (Cited in Goldman, David para 2) Now days when I go to a store, I notice that CD albums are one-quarter of the price that they were back then ten years ago. According to Billboard charts director Geoff Mayfield, he says that there has been “a decline in sales in six of the last seven years.” (Qtd in Barnes, Ken para 5) But as technology evolves into something else greater, the older favorites that we have come to love begin to disappear and fade with time. As I examine each part of the music media evolution, I do notice that the technology allows it to be more efficient, user friendly, and attractive.

As time goes on, technology always finds a way to replace and reintroduce itself as more efficient. For example, from my childhood, I started out listening to music cassette tapes. For others, their experiences might even go back as far as the older and bigger music records. Then I eventually moved on to music CDs. Now, I am currently surfing in the world of mp3 players and Ipods. Take for example the music CD to the Ipod. Instead of having about twenty songs on a music CD, users could have hundreds, even thousands of music on the Ipod or mp3 player. It depends on the size of the memory that is on the unit. Instead of having stacks of music CDs, an Ipod is all that a user would need for all their favorite music and artist. To add on the list, users can upload and view videos, games, and applications. The options that are available to add are endless. Also, most mp3 and Ipods units run off built in rechargeable batteries. Not only is it more efficient, but also greener because it saves replacing disposable batteries.

The internet; that about sums it all up. The internet has really put up a huge a wall against the music media industry. This phenomenon has taken away from the music CD profits and increases the downloading digital music media profits instead. “Last year the industry saw about $2 billion in revenues from online music sales” states Ken Fisher. (para 5) The internet era made downloading and purchasing music more user friendly. For example, users don’t have to buy the full Britney Spears music album just because I want one song out of the whole album. Oops I Did It Again can be downloaded on the internet. Users don’t have to listen to all the other songs on an album just so they can hear that one song that they want. Both legally and illegally, users can find songs and albums online. Many online programs offer many mixes from oldies to more recently release music. For the average price of $0.99, users can purchase whatever songs and music that they want. This makes it possible to purchase just the music that the user wants. From that point, users can create a musical mix that they want to listen to. With other online p2p (peer to peer) programs, users can browse and find a whole mix of music to all liking and taste. So for a price of $0.99 or free in some cases, what more can a user ask for than their favorite hits and music for less than a dollar each?

Who wants to be stuck with a bunch of old, large records? Boxes of tape cassettes? Or even stacks of music CDs? That is not a scene that someone wants to see first when they first walk into a room. Now, the music media has gotten smaller and more attractive. Let’s compare a music CD to an mp3 player. A music CD is round and needs a media player to play the media. An mp3 player, on the other hand, is already the media player and storage unit in one. Also, most of the mp3 and Ipod units are pretty slick in design. They are eye catching and fancy. Some units are offered in a wide variety of colors. Most mp3 players are about the size of a credit card or smaller. Not only is an mp3 player smaller in design, but the overall appearance is also an added incentive to users.

As I examine each part of the music media evolution, I notice that music technology allows itself to be more efficient, user friendly, and attractive. Because of the decline in the popularity of music CDs, many in the business world use CDs as a tool. “I look at a CD as part of the marketing of an artist, more than as an income stream” says Mr. Rabhan. (Qtd in Smith, Ethan para 6) Instead, the technology today offers users many options. Instead of hauling a bunch of equipment to play a music CD, users now can just pocket an Ipod or mp3 player. Most are small and personal enough that the units can hide in a pocket or sleeve unnoticed. Along with smaller, more efficient options, comes afforded music media. Users can select what kind of music they want from many online internet sources. In most cases, many of the options for music are very affordable or in some cases, free. The design and looks of the Ipods and mp3 players are very stylish. There are many unique and slick units offered in the market. With these great options musical technology advances, no wonder why music CDs are a fading trend as time goes by.



Xiong 1

Work Cited

Barnes, Ken. "Album sales decline, but is the slump slowing?." USA Today 04 APR 2008, Web.

Fisher, Ken. "Accounting for the big plunge in "music sales": the digital singles effect." Business News. ARS Technica, 22 Mar 2007. Web. 09 May 2010.

Goldman, David. "Music's lost decade: Sales cut in half." CNN Money. Cable News Network. A Time Warner Company, 03 Feb 2010. Web. 7 May 2010.

Smith, Ethan. "Sales of Music, Long in Decline, Plunge Sharply." Wall Street Journal 21 Mar 2007: Business. Web.

Earth Day...

Yes- Earth Day has become a tool. Not only does it celebrate the awareness of our planet and its resources, it has become a major business and revenue income. To some, it is the way of life. To others, it may change the meaning of the special occasion. “This ridiculous perverted marketing has cheapened the concept of what is really green. It is tragic.” (Hayes qtd. in Kaufman) But as times rolls along, many occasions are used as a marketing tool. For example, the new years celebrations. A few hundred of years ago, I do not think that there would have been major sales at almost any store. I might have been a relaxing occasion for people back then. There probably were not as many stores back then. Most people were probably still farming to feed their families and money was probably still scarce. But as times rolls on, people start to evolve on how each occasions are handled.

Forty years ago when Earth Day first took off, it probably was meant to celebrate the awareness of our planet. But as time and technology changes, people probably wanted to celebrate this occasion with other things in mind. I remember back in elementary school, during earth day, we would help clean up around the school. I remember seeing earth day shirts and candy. To whatever the target population, items and marketing tools will be available. For children, does it not seem appropriate to have Earth Day candy available? Or color and cool t-shirts that the children would want to wear; or maybe convince mommy and daddy to buy them this item because it was Earth Day?

Because of the time that we live in and ideology of money, there will always be greed and opportunities that arise with each celebration. There is always a way to make money, no matter what the situation is, for good or for bad.

Hopefully everyone had a chance to enjoy the weather that we are having right now. I know I did. I had spent my past weekend walleye fishing on the mighty Mississippi River. I was having a blast catching fish of all kind and of all sizes. That was until I was interrupted by another fisherman.

First off, I was keeping some smaller saugers on my stringer for my supper fish fry. Saugers look almost like walleyes but differ slightly in their color and they have spotted spiny dorsal fins. Anyways, saugers average anywhere from 12-17 inches compared to the walleyes saugers are much smaller. On the Mississippi River, saugers have no size limit and walleyes have a 15 inches size limit. For both species of fish, you can keep 6 in total. Anyways, I was not catching much walleyes at all. Most of the fish that I was catching were saugers. So I decided to keep a few for dinner. The ones that I was keeping were 12-14 inches. They were indeed smaller but still legal to keep. When I was catching and stringing my fish, another fisherman was insulting me with his side commens to himself. He was an older, Caucasian male. He make remarks from “stupid chinks shooting everything that moves and that is why there are less deer to killing a Hmong, save a deer.” Yes, we shoot deer too and yes, we keep fish also. What is new? If the DNR does not think there are deer out there, why would they sell extra deer tags for $2 each? If I want to shoot and eat an extra deer and I do it legally, buying all the extra and correct tags, what is wrong? Don’t complain about how one race of people is the cause of the decline of deer population. Complain to the DNR about the over estimation of the deer population. But to insult me about the deer population and about keeping the smaller saugers, what can I say? Saugers do not get much bigger than the ones that I was keeping. I am a sportsman too, but I also like to enjoy my game for supper once in a while. After hearing him whine and complain to himself, I did not argue with the guy. I just told him, “Sir, if you have an issue, call up a warden and we can chat with him about it.” He then just mocked me “Sir, call a warden…” I was already pretty upset about the comment that he had made about the killing the Hmong, save a deer. He was referring to the incident that happened up in Rice Lake, WI during the 2004 deer hunting season. Just because one person of my race was bad, we are all bad? What if I stereotyped him as child molester because the other day, a white male was found guily of molesting a 12 year old girl? What if it was another Hmong fisherman and he did not understand English like I did? His actions might have been different than mine.



Other than this incident, fishing for the weekend was great. I still enjoyed being out the on the mighty old river.

Decline of Music CD’s

1-
Reasons for decline
- Don’t have to purchase the whole cd, only the songs that you like
- Takes up space
- Newer technology makes playing music simpler and smaller (ipods and mp3players)
- Easier to add music to media
- Internet offers faster and easier access to music
- Cheaper (in some cases, free)
- More universal
- Less equipment and items to purchase (cd burner, blank cd’s, etc.)

2-
A) Newer technology makes playing music simpler and smaller (ipods and mp3 players)
- Portable players are getting smaller but yet, they can still hold large amounts of data and music
- Portable mp3 players are not just personal, but now, car audio systems have an adapter to plug in your Ipods and mp3 players. There is no need for burning cd’s and worrying about scratching the cd’s. There are also speakers available so that stereos are a thing of the past.
- Most of the devices are rechargeable. This makes the newer music technology greener by not wasting resources such as batteries.

B) Internet offers faster and easier access to music
- With the internet, purchasing music has not been any easier. Sites like Itunes.com offer a wide variety of music for purchase and downloading.
- It is cheaper. You do not have to purchase the whole cd and listen to a bunch of songs that have no interest. You can choose your own music and have a nice mix to listen to.
- Sometimes, you can get the music for free. There are non-legal ways to obtain music off the internet.

As for myself, I have turned away from music cd’s and turned towards the other alternative, portable music players and devices. You will not find a cd in my car anymore but rather, an Aux input port for my Ipod. It is easier to use. I can select the music that I want and have a more random and appealing taste that I can enjoy. It not only takes up less space, but it is also cheaper.

TED 2

“If you’re not prepared to be wrong, you’ll never come up with anything original.” Sir Ken Robinson is absolutely correct when he stated that. How many countless times did Thomas Edison work on the electric light bulb to get it working correctly? Growing up, creative learning was just a little part of elementary and middle school. The arts and music were available but were not stressed on as much as the other core school subjects. The only time that I can recall that art and music were required for school was during elementary school and middle school for one year. In high school, the following were the high school graduating requirements.

-English (4 credits)
-Health (.5 credit)
-Mathematics (2 credits)
-Physical Education (1.5 credits)
-Science (2 credits)
-Social Studies (3 credits)
-Electives (8.5 credits)

As you can see, my high school did not require art and music classes. It was offered as an elective but they were not required. The creative learning and participation that came with these classes were lost during the teenage years. Only the core subjects were focused on. As a result, a lot of kids lost interest in the art and music subjects. Sir Ken did have a point that creativity is lost as you are growing up. Partly, it is because the creative subjects were lost as kids started to grow. Kids lose interest in high school because it was core subjects that will get you into college. It is the core subjects that will make you more successful in life. That is not always true though.

Monetary measurements are a part of success, but a larger part of success is your own happiness. For example, what if I was the richest man alive? I draw and play a guitar for recreation. What if I never learned how to draw or play a guitar? How do I keep myself happy? How do I express myself out on a sheet of paper? Playing instruments to satisfy the ears? Nothing is more rewarding than expressing you creatively.

March Madness:

It is that time again. March Madness is finally here! Not just the college basketball madness, but everything else from warmer weather to the singing song birds. Spring is a wonderful season. With the change in season, spring brings new life and beauty into the scenery. Spring also brings in the patiently, awaiting activities. During winter, there are so many things to do that cannot be done until the weather is warmer and nicer. Spring also brings in a phase in the sporting world. College teams play all winter, long and hard, to reach the month of March. The March Madness tournament is when riches are won, dreams come true, and the unimaginable come to play.

I know spring is here when I wake up early in the morning and I hear nothing but the birds chirping and singing. I am just as happy that spring is here too. It is a nice change when you see the birds and not your breath outside. Spring is also a time for new colors. The trees start to bud and the plants are starting to turn from brown to green. As a matter of a few weeks, most of the trees and plants will be green again. Spring also brings back times of my youth. My favorite movie was Bambi. Remember the spring season? Spring is also the celebration of new life for a lot of animals. Baby birds will be chirping when their parents come back with bugs and treats. Baby rabbits will be chewing on the new spring grass. Young Bambi and his white dots can be seen on the edges of fields with his mother nearby. With the spring showers, new life will be growing and young animals will be running around enjoying the warmer spring days.

On the cold, winter days, I would look out the window and day dream about spring. When the snow and ice melts, I know that are many things to do. One task is yard work. It is time to get the rakes back out and finish cleaning the leaves that were missed because of the first snow storms. After the lawn is completed, then it is on to trim the trees and bushes around the perimeter. Who wants an over grown shrub or tree? Another thing I like to do right after the snow melts is to go antler shed searching. I would go into the woods and look for deer antler sheds. I get to see what deer and how big of a deer is still living on the property. I get an idea of which big bucks made it though the hunting season last fall. If I find a big shed, oh, how exciting it is. When the fall comes, I will be hunting hard again for that bruiser, trophy white-tailed deer. I also get a chance to see the new younger deer. The small and young deer are easily noticed by their white dots. It is unique seeing how they react to humans at this stage of life. During the time spend in the woods, I also prepare for the spring turkey hunt. I get an idea of where the turkey toms roost and spend their days. When April rolls around the corner, I will be back in the woods hunting again.

When March hits, college basketball gets crazy. All the games played during the winter, nothing is more intense than in March. Each team plays in their conference tournament. If the teams played well during the season or wins their conference tournament, they might be selected as one of the 64 teams for the March Madness tournament. Who will win it all and be the best college basketball team? Who knows, we will see which teams get hot and make a big run. My pick, I say Kansas University. They are a good and well balanced team. But we will see; there are many lower seeds and underrated teams that can be a real cinderella team and pull really big upsets.

Spring is not all warmth and rain, but rather a change for new life and growth. We see it with the plants and animals that live around us. Trees grow leaves and start to green again. I like spring in that it brings the colors back to life again. Instead of seeing dirty snow on the street curbs and the white landscape of winter, spring brings the colors back to life again. It is time to enjoy the nice weather until fall rolls back on in again.

My Ted Wishes…

If I had three wishes to make the world a better place, I would wish for more wishes so I can accomplish them all. Just three will not come close to completing it. But there are three wishes that can make life a little better. First, I see a need for everyone to have access to a computer. Second, I would like to bring more awareness into supporting non-profit youth agencies. Lastly, I would like to generate more youth interest into the outdoors sports and recreations.

Having access to computer technology is very important today. Still, too many families are without them. Now days, everything is online. From recipes to bills to headline news and even classes, one can connect to the world without even leaving the country or the house. Not only is having a computer important, but also the skills that can be learned with it. Typing a letter is now easier and faster than before. Mistakes, typos, and grammatical errors are ok for a computer user. After a document is saved, it can be corrected into the right format and be error free. If you were still using a typewriter, you would have to retype the whole thing. Many good skills will be developed while you are typing. It will help you type faster and more efficiently. Not only is it a good skill, but it may be a plus for the job. Every time someone buys a new computer, their old ones can be donated to be refurbished to give away. Every time a company upgrades, what will they do with their old computers? Donate it to be refurbished. It will save a lot of landfill space and disposal fees.

I have worked at a local non-profit youth agency, the Boys & Girls Clubs, for the past eight years. While there, I noticed that many of the kids that come there do really need the help and hospitality that is offered. Many kids that come there will experience positive life turning moments and times. Many of the adults there act as role models, friends, and or a like an older big brother or sister. I know that being there for the kids is also a positive life changing experience in that it makes me understand and appreciate what life has to offer. Many of them have nothing or no one else to turn to so being that person is most rewarding. I would encourage everyone to come and spend a day at the club. Interact with a child that comes there. The experience will be a positive, moving, and life changing moment.

I am really into the outdoors and what it has to offer. I worship hunting and fishing and enjoy the outdoors like crazy. But as I go on with the activities, I notice that the youth population in participation is declining. I see it true even in my own family. In my deer hunting party, most of the participants are the parents. There are ten of us. Eight of them include my father and uncles. The other two are myself and my younger cousin. Not only do I see it in my family, but I also see publications noticing a decline in the younger participants. Hunting and fishing, a traditional pastime, is declining in many parts of America. For example, today, the average age of a hunter is 42 years old. That age increases every year. Some people even think that the number of hunters will decrease by 50% over the next decade or two. I want to introduce younger generations into the sports. It can be done by offering outdoor sports camps to kids and their parents. There has to be something done to spark the interest again. Doing so will bring back the outdoor pastime lost to the video games and televisions generation. It will also help keeps kids out of trouble and off the streets and television screens. What more than to spend the pastime with the family again?