[November 21, 2009] The Hawk Eye, Burlington, Iowa, John Van Nostrand column: They're worth it Tweet Nov 21, 2009 (The Hawk Eye - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- My wife and I are off about $14, depending upon where you shop. Earlier this year she inherited an unwanted cell phone from her brother. The phone, which has more bells and whistles than the phone she was using, has the capability to be an mp3 player. That helps you download songs off Web sites and save into an mp3 device to be listened to later at the touch of a button. All she needs is to buy the whatchamacallit accessory to make her phone an mp3 player. "I just don't want to spend $14 for an entire CD for one song," she said while researching mp3 players. Places like iTunes, sell songs for a $1 or so. And at that moment, I turned into a dream weaver. (The Gary Wright song of the same name should be softly playing in the background leading into a dream -- like you see on TV). I daydreamed of several items in my music collection categorized under the "purchased the entire record just for one song" strategy. A sample of those purchases include Bebo Norman's "Pull Me Out," a best-of Men At Work CD for "Overkill" and a best-of 1980s CD for the Miracle Legion song, "The Backyard." Yes, I think some songs are worth the price of the entire record. That's the beauty of art, which music falls under. Some people, like my wife, disagree. Her philosophy is to purchase what you like knowing you have the option of not paying for things you don't want. That is another challenge the music entertainment industry is facing with the growth in technology. A few years ago I met Mark Schultz, who played Burlington two weeks ago, and I asked him how online music has hurt the industry, even Christian music. He told me his record company officials speculated then if it wasn't for online music, music sales could be closer to double. I say take the risk knowing you like at least one song. The rest of the record may grow on you, if you choose to listen to it -- either on a mp3 or CD player. *** Ever notice how after you purchase a certain kind of car, you think you see everybody else drive the same thing? I've noticed that same sentiment since the Iowa Tech and Social Media Interactive Conference, known as Tasmic, held in September in Mount Pleasant. Organizers invited those behind online social sites and business owners to see how they can increase business through those sites. Since then, Sarducci's, the informal, fast-food Italian place on Roosevelt, has a Twitter and Facebook page. Tom's Market and Meat also has a Facebook page. I know there are others in the area. Some of those national franchises have caught on too, as some of my Facebook friends have sent me links to those places' fan pages. Thing is, I'm still waiting for someone to say, "I went to (name of store) and bought (name of item) because I saw it on their (online site) page." Don't forget, The Hawk Eye is also on Facebook and Twitter. *** With Black Friday this week, I've already heard the stories of Black Fridays past where Shopko's parking lot was full and the line to get into the store before it opened wrapped beyond Carlos O'Kelly's. Even though a great deal on whatever item is worth getting up at 3 a.m. for, don't lose your composure. Remember, a New York area Walmart security guard was killed last year by a stampede of people after the doors opened. Christmas is about celebrating birth, not causing death. Let's keep it that way. To see more of The Hawk Eye or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.thehawkeye.com. Copyright (c) 2009, The Hawk Eye, Burlington, Iowa Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]