Hey Masses! Don't You Dare Watch "Mad Men"

New on Medialoper: Hey Masses! Don't You Dare Watch "Mad Men"

I’ve always wanted a pop culture world where “I Will Dare” by The Replacements was the first of their many top ten singles. A world where “Sequestered In Memphis” by The Hold Steady is played on radio stations across the country and a world where everybody is into Mad Men, and not American Idol.

My Favorite Album For Every Year I've Been Alive

On Medialoper: My Favorite Album For Every Year I've Been Alive

Most frustrating was a year like 1975, where epochal records like Physical Graffiti or Born to Run — absolute all-time classics which I still love — get edged out when they would have stomped )either the year before or the year prior.

Why Kanye West is Such An Asshole

New on Medialoper: Why Kanye West is Such An Asshole

And it ain’t because he’s a genius. I mean, he may very well be a genius, and the fact that everybody takes it for granted that he is a genius because he says he is a genius makes him — at the very least — a genius at making people think that he’s a genius.

Is Playing Music on the Radio A Form of Piracy?

New on Medialoper: Is Playing Music on the Radio A Form of Piracy?

The reality is that for decades and decades, pop musicians have mythologized their songs being played on the radio. They love it. It’s always a huge deal: a moment where they felt validated or legit. I mean, have you ever heard an artist ever say, even once, “When I first heard my song on the radio, I called my lawyer, and said, ’sue those bastards, they’re ripping me off.’

Why Gene Simmons Hates You

New on Medialoper: Why Gene Simmons Hates You

By killing the music industry, you made Gene Simmons slightly less rich than he otherwise would have been.

What The Music Industry Could Learn From Lil Wayne's Success

New on Medialoper: What The Music Industry Could Learn From Lil Wayne's Success

Because file sharing is promotion.

Like the radio, like iPod ads, like mixtapes and mix CDs and clubs and parties, file sharing is all about the human impulse to say “hey, have you heard this? Because you totally need to hear it right now.”

I Want My Firefox 3.0!!

New on Medialoper: I Want My Firefox 3.0!!

By explicitly asking for the record, they’ve now set off a chain of events that might actually ensure that they don’t get the number of downloads they were originally shooting for.

Perhaps they can instead set the record for the most frustrated web users in a single day.