Response to music critic Scott Harrell's cover story "ePlay" and kudos for his great local music coverage.
e-Games People Play
Re: "ePlay" by Scott Harrell (May 8-14)
Thanks for the great article about independent musicians using the Internet to promote their music. Scott Harrell's information was dead-on accurate while still remaining understandable to the not-so-computer-savvy readers.
Three days after the issue came out (with my face on the cover no less!) hundreds of artist pages on MP3.com were put "on hold." E-mails from MP3.com followed, informing us that they were conducting an investigation into illegal "gamers." My MP3.com page was pulled, and my earnings were taken away — four months of hard work and promotion, all for nothing. Anybody who read the story and actually went online to check out my music found my page unavailable.
Mike Meengs/a.k.a Sonic Turtle Bend
Via e-mail
More Props for Scott
Re: Music column by Scott Harrell
I just wanted to say how much cooler the Planet has been since Scott Harrell has been contributing. The music articles are interesting and relevant, without being too far out there. They are conversational and make you feel a part of the subject as opposed to an outsider looking in. I don't think it's only because I'm a musician or that he's in my (sorta) age bracket. It just seems to be stuff I want to know about. Plus, he's been giving props to the local scene but not catering to crap. I think the local scene is better as a result.
The Summer Guide has some cool and funny shit in it too. This e-mail is not being sent because I want something or am kissing media ass for an impending request. It's just that I've been enjoying reading the Planet again and I thought you'd like to know.
Martin Rice
St. Petersburg
Clarification
The photos of kayaks in the Summer Guide (May 15-21) were taken at Captain Mark's Watersports, 401 Eastshore Drive, Clearwater (727-688-6275). Other stores were mentioned in the story but the location of the photo was not identified.
This article appears in May 22-28, 2002.