The Neo-Market Report

By stereolab

Yet again it's time to drop in on Neopia's foremost financial forecasters. Joining our hosts this week will be Crikke the Korbat, music critic for Shaking Codestone Magazine. Crikke will be here to discuss some of the bands making noise in Tyrannia's emerging music scene. And now, here are Neil and Maria…

KAUVUTO: Hello and thank you for joining us as we present this week's edition of The Neo-Market Report. I am your host Neil Kauvuto, Financial Editor of The Neopian Times, and as always I am joined by my lovely co-host Maria Blumaroono, who is at The News Desk with the latest word from the floor. Maria, take it away…

BLUMAROONO: Thank you, Neil. This week the market has been generally down, as the Neodaq has slumped eleven points this week to a measly 94. For the most part, just about everybody took a loss this week. Unis Beauty Salon led the way with a two-hundred and five point drop, this just one week after last week's 174 point jump. Others taking major losses included Chia Steel, which plummeted seventy points a share, and Jacko and Sons, whose 124 point decline marked the fifth straight week that their stock has gone down. After peaking at 932 on March 2nd, shares of Jacko and Sons are now worth a mere 99 NPs.

KAUVUTO: However, there were two stocks that showed significant gains this week. Proving that Tech Stocks may be down but not out, Techrobatics rocketed to a 181 point jump, while Cybun Electromatics scored an impressive thirty-eight point leap of its own. Despite the fall of Yippee! to a miserable 41 NPs a share, there are some analysts who see the recent resurgence of Techrobatics and Cybun as a possible indicator that the Tech Stock purge might be coming to a close.

BLUMAROONO: Well, one company that is making money is the Tyrannian Concert Hall. Thanks to Tyrannia's budding music scene, the Hall has been able to make piles of NP by presenting top notch acts like Sticks N' Stones and Two Gallon Hats, as well as hot young artists such as M*YNCI and Yes Boy Ice-Cream. Joining us today to discuss the Tyrannian scene is music critic Crikke the Korbat. Crikke, thanks for joining us today…

CRIKKE: Good to be here, guys.

KAUVUTO: Now, these Tyrannian bands seem to be taking Neopia by storm. Shops have been unable to keep M*YNCI's album, "You're the One," in stock. Meanwhile, each of the shows on Sticks N' Stones' "Bad Habits" tour has sold out in a matter of minutes. What do you make of this Tyrannian music explosion?

CRIKKE: I think the important think to keep in mind is the versatility of the Tyrannian music scene. It's not like these groups are cookie-cutter rip-offs of each other. Personally, I feel it's refreshing to see Tyrannians embrace many styles. On the one hand, you have a pop group like M*YNCI, who are more of a packaged entertainment product, and then there's someone like 2 Gallon Hatz, who are more about musicianship and craft than flash and presentation. The whole situation, to me, is good because it seems like there's something for just about everybody.

BLUMAROONO: Now, you've mentioned the sudden rush of fame experienced by pop sensations like M*YNCI and Yes Boy Ice-Cream. In your opinion, are these Tyrannian groups just flashes in the pan, or do you think that some of them might actually have talent and sustainable appeal?

CRIKKE: I would say that of the Tyrannian groups I've seen, probably the one with the best shot at longevity would be The Blue Kacheek Group, whose latest CD "Reflections in a Refracted Roadway," has been named as "Album of the Year" by a number of top critics, myself included. Their willingness to experiment in the studio has marked them as an influential force within the world of music.

KAUVUTO: Is it possible that The Blue Kacheek Group's music might be a little too experimental? I mean, they don't really sell that many albums…

CRIKKE: Well, at this point they're still trying to build a fan base... but once word-of-mouth starts to spread and people begin to make some sense of what it is that they're actually doing up there, I think they'll be all right…

BLUMAROONO: Now, what about Sticks N' Stones? Even though their last album flopped, the fans still love to see them play live. How do you see their future?

CRIKKE: I think that's just it… Sticks N' Stones will always be able to sell out shows by satisfying die-hard fans who want to see them play the old material. But as far as recording new stuff, I seriously doubt it. I think the road has really taken its toll on the band, and the quality that went into classic albums like "Whirlwind of Extinction" is long gone.

KAUVUTO: Well, that's going to do it for us this week. For Maria Blumaroono and Crikke the Korbat, this is Neil Kauvuto saying thank you and so long…