New groove for 2009

At the dawn of each new year, many of us resolve to let go of bad habits and adopt good ones. This is easier said than done, of course, which is why we decided to make our resolutions for others instead of ourselves. And who could use new direction more than the music industry? Below, nine suggestions for a better-sounding 2009.

A moratorium on Auto-Tune Unless you're an artist, you know, actually tweaking your pitch (imperceptibly, please), we don't want to hear any more of this overused warble enhancer.

Flesh it out, please Britney, repeat after us: "I will not make another insanely infectious song with a chorus that keeps repeating the same word like a short-circuited robot." OK, good to see we're on the same page. And by the way, there's an "r" at the end of the word "womanizer."

If you show up, play This means you, Lil Wayne, who left an arena full of fans in the lurch when he refused to enter the TD Banknorth Garden for the Monster Jam concert in October.

If you kiss a girl. . . And you happen to be a girl, Katy Perry, good for you. You do not need to make a vapid pop song about it. Jill Sobule did it already - and better - in 1995.

Enough with the ticket convenience fees Unless ticket operations (cough, Ticketmaster) can explain what's convenient about them, how about a break on the surcharges?

Embrace self-reliance We like a good hip-hop soul song starring one artist and featuring another as much as the next person, but things are getting cluttered up in here. How about solo albums with solo performances?

Be yourself 2008 was the year Beyonc?? decided she needed an alter ego to get her freak on. Sasha Fierce, her good girl gone bad, ruled the airwaves with "Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)" and inspired countless dance videos on YouTube. But a hit's a hit; it has nothing to do with doppelgangers. This year let's let Rihanna be Rihanna, Kanye be Kanye.

Hey, arena bands, give your openers a decent sound system Several newbies fell prey to this old trick in 2008; Santogold opening for Coldplay comes to mind. If you've hired an artist to warm up your crowd, let them be heard.

Fans, think civility in 2009 There's no avoiding being packed into tight clubs, jostling on open fields, and standing shoulder to shoulder at arenas and sheds carrying beverages. If collectively we remember to say "excuse me, please" and "thank you," keep large cardboard signs declaring undying devotion out of other people's sightlines, and limit the volume of singalongs, we may see our collective concert moods improve.