SPONGEBOB’S GOT BIG BALLS
Friday, October 10th, 2008 at 12:00pm by Axl RosenbergA couple of weeks back I wrote about music biz guru Bob Lefsetz’s anger over the fact that AC/DC’s new album, Back in Black Part Nine Black Ice, is being released as a Wal-Mart exclusive. At that time, Lefsetz wrote “The joke is illegal acquisition will dwarf CD sales. Whatever is sold legitimately will be distributed online INSTANTLY… The only difference is, THEY’RE NOT GOING TO GET PAID!”
And Lefsetz was right, of course. The album leaked this past Monday, a full two weeks prior to its official release.
But I knew I wasn’t excited about this album when I decided not to download it. Let me repeat that: I literally care so little about a new AC/DC album that I don’t even want a free copy. I mean, c’mon: I already know how each and every song sounds. The band hasn’t had any new tricks up its collective sleeve since no one even knew who Metallica were. It doesn’t mean I hate AC/DC or I’m not excited that they’re touring again; it just means I don’t give a fuck about the record that provides the band with an excuse to embark upon said tour.
SO, since there was a time when a new AC/DC album was actually cause for excitement, this seemed like a good time to post this video of “Big Balls,” an song which used to make Vince and I giggle endlessly during our junior high school years (And, truth be told, still makes us giggle today.). It makes a good companion piece to the Job for a Cowboy Spongebob video, but mostly, I just hope it reminds us of a time when AC/DC were more than just a legacy act.
-AR
I could not disagree more. AC/DC’s target demo is 40-somethings who think AC/DC is a “current” band and couldn’t name anything by any band whose first album was released one day later than 1992. And that’s being generous.
How do I know this? Because I’m in that target demo, age-wise. Most people my age actually look their age and go to bars to hear cover bands play the same 40 songs that every other cover band plays. I hate these people. I made a pact with my best friend about 20 years ago (okay, 25) that we wouldn’t be “that” guy. We wouldn’t be the guy who stopped buying “new” music at age 25 and then reminisce about when “music used to be good”.
And to our credit, we haven’t. Maybe that’s why I’m routinely mistaken for someone who’s 28 (that or good genetics).
The point of this diatribe: AC/DC’s target demographic doesn’t do the illegal download thing. And even if this album is illegally downloaded by 3 million people, the 3 million who would’ve bought it anyway will still buy it. It will just mean that 6 million people have it now. The 3 million illegal downloaders just wouldn’t own it if not for the illegal downloads.