Summer of Music

It's summer timeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!! Time to pull out the bikinis and sunglasses but when you hear the word summer whats it mean to you??? When I hear the word summer I picutre people chilling on the porch, fanning yourself trying to keep cool, while listening to the raido waiting for your next jam to come on. Oh and CONCERTS lots and lots of concerts from country to hip-hop there are endless names that come through your town. During the summer there's plenty of events held that invovle the celebration of muisc. Somtimes they are hosted outside at the beach or inside in an arena. So make this summer your summer. The summmer of music. So my question is are you planning to go to any concerts this summer, if so who and wheres it at so I can stop through????

Old School vs. New School

Have you ever had a moment when you were listening to the radio and heard a new song, but for some reason it still sounds familiar??? Then you realize that it is from an older song, typically something that is now considered old school.
I have experience this feeling countless times. New age artist are constantly looking forefathers of music for inspiration, but my question is do they take it to far is by stealing their beats. I always thought of music as a form of free expression, but when you take someone Else's lyrics or beats then the cause just becomes lost. You don't even understand the purpose of the song anymore.
Since I came to this conclusion I also think that they should have to pay the originator of the beat in order to use their music for their songs.

So my question for you is do you think it is right for new age artists to take the beats from their forefathers before them or should they create their own sound???

Chrography+Lyrics+ A Great Beat=what???

So the other night I was thinking about all the good music artists that are out right now, from Lil' Wayne, to All American Rejects. I tried to figure out what exactly they have in common...NOTHING. I couldn't think of one quality that they shared, not one. While some specialized in the art of the base guitar, and others have the skill of choreography, they were all different in some way.
So my question is what makes a successful musician. Is it their music, their dance moves, or their "bad ass" reputation. I then took a moment and thought about it. The one thing that I found that all the artists shared was their love for music. That is where it all started. They have faith in their individual sound and loves it enough to share with the world. When musicians have confidence in their music then their fans Begin to as well and that to me is what makes a true musician.
So my question is What do you think makes a true music artist???