I find it amusing that two remixes by two independent artists of an old Boy Meets Girl song, called Waiting for a Star to Fall are at positions two and three on the current ARIA Dance Chart (as of 04/04/2005).

At position two is Falling Star by the Sunset Strippers and at position three is Star2Fall by Cabin Crew. This all is a bit weird because the actual difference between these two remixes is small. Sure there are lots of subtle differences, and an avid fan could easily discern each version from the other, but for most people, who might only hear it played on the radio while driving to work, or in a shopping centre while buying a new pair for sunglasses, they are essentially the same song.

To stop the potential confusion and lost record sales such an event causes I think an international agency for coordinating the release of remixes and covers should be created. Basically when someone decides they want to cover/remix a song they must be authorized if they want to release a single/album with that cover/remix. Authorization will only be given if one of two criteria are met:

  1. There have been no covers/remixes of that song for at least 3 months
  2. The cover/remix is noticeably distinct from any cover/remix released in the last 3 months

This means that recording companies get to make a bit more money than they normally would, because all the people who bought the first will now buy the second cause it sounds better. It will also stop water cooler confusion and make life all that much simpler and easier to live (colours more vivid and that sort of junk).

Oh and in case you’re wondering: I prefer the original.