rantings. and MUSIC.
I'm having a problem. See, I love fandom videos, but I can't watch 95% of the ones that people make because I end up really disliking the music. If it's an artist that I hate, I won't like the video, no matter how well it's done
( Read more... )
One problem I have with mainstream music of TODAY is that it's very, VERY rare that the artists write their own songs. It's the most common with pop artists. Someone else writes the song, and then the person singing the song gets loads of cash and a Grammy, and the credit for 'all their amazing work.' I do say 'kudos' to Norah Jones for actually thanking the person that WROTE THE SONG in her Grammy acceptance speech a few years back. She knows what's up.
Basically, my main issue with mainstream music is that it's becoming less and less about the music itself, and more about the money. I feel like the music industry isn't even trying anymore. They're picking a pretty face, slapping some pretty clothes on them, giving them some fancy lyrics, and sticking a drum machine behind them. You should see the various expressions on my face when I catch 'American Idol' on television.
I don't hate ALL mainstream music - there are a few songs that I've enjoyed, and some I call 'guilty pleasures.' You're right, I can't lump it all into the same category - I hate it when people lump all 'indie' music into one category. Indie does not equal emo.
But I rarely listen to the radio anymore, and when I do, it goes straight to the oldies station. I'm finding that I don't even want to bother anymore. Music I don't like makes me extremely irritated, and I'd rather just stay happy. :)
I have a theory that if Kurt Cobain hadn't died, music today would be WAY different. Now THERE'S a loss that the entertainment industry greatly underestimates. He had a HUGE influence on the turn of music in the 90's, and it's a shame that he couldn't see it all the way through.
Reply
Well, I'm snobbish about absolutely nothing, plus I'm easily entertained, so we're coming at this from different directions. However, I absolutely agree that mainstream music is more and more about the money -- all mainstream entertainment is, really. Just as you cringe at popular music, I cringe at some of the books by various celebrities, politicians and criminals that hit the best seller list, just because the publishing companies pushed what they knew would be instant name recognition. If William Shatner hits the list one more time, I'll put a phaser to my head.
My favorite radio station plays a huge mix of music, mostly classic rock, crossover country and modern pop. Naturally, if I don't like the music I turn it; but it doesn't matter to me what industry shenanigans went into putting the song out -- if I like it I like it, if I don't I don't, and that's it. So if a catchy bubblegum pop song grabs me, I listen without shame.
I'm trying to think of one that has ... "Unwritten" by Natasha Bedingfield is the first one that comes to mind, although I wouldn't call it bubblegum pop.
It occurs to me that there are snobs, for want of a better term, on both sides of the aisle. There are people who would never listen to music that *doesn't* make the top 20! Those are the people who really need to be exposed to the music you've found.
Reply
If Crenshaw can't convert you to the beauty of the perfect pop hook, no one can.
Okay, technically speaking Crenshaw records on an indie label, and technically the major labels had no friggin' clue what to do with him when they actually had him...
On second thought, maybe Crenshaw's not a great example.
Seriously, though, speaking of someone who's notoriously omnivorous when it comes to music, I'm sort of with you, and I'm sort of with ozma914. Musical taste is a very personal thing and people like what they like - whether it's small indie artists or the Weekly Top 40 with Rick Dees.
The problem is that all music is driven (to some extent) by economy, even artists on small, niche labels. Those labels wouldn't exist if they couldn't make a profit and they make a profit because they don't actually invest a lot of money into their stable. For example, Crenshaw often has to do his own publicity and book his own performance dates. Razor and Tie doesn't do it for him, even though he records for their label.
The thing is, I've often been surprised by how much good is out there whenever I've crossed genres to try something new. Granted, there's a lot of crap hitting the airwaves (especially on corporate-owned radio like ClearChanel), but sometimes even the "crap artists" have genuinely good CDs lurking in them thar deep tracks (deep tracks tend to be far better than what hits the airwaves). Then there's always the issue of "my crap" and "your crap" is someone else's good time.
As my dad was fond of saying whenever I told him some song or musical genre sucked, "You may not like a genre of music, you may not like the message that type of music gives, but it speaks to someone. Maybe try listening with that in mind."
He's actually right about that. I can categorically state that I hate gangsta rap. Yet, I can still find individual artists and even individual songs that put lie to the fact that the whole genre is worthless. *shrug*
On the whole, though, I agree with you, vichan. There are a lot of indie artists who certainly need love and there are a lot of indie artists that should be better known than they are. I'm a big proponent of FileSharing as a way to draw attention to artists that aren't well-known or have been cruelly forgotten by the music-loving public. People forget that when Napster was a haven for MP3 pirates, in areas where it was most heavily used, overall CD sales actually increased. The problem was, the CD sales increased for mid-list or independent label artists, not the blockbuster artists the major labels were pushing on the teeny-bopper set like Brittany Spears or Hilary Duff.
I think there's a real hunger among music-lovers to find new and interesting artists, and I don't think they're necessarily interested in staying within their safe zones when sampling MP3. I've also found that if people like what they hear, they do tend to throw financial love to the artist.
Anyway, I look forward to seeing your project in action. I'm sure I'll enjoy sampling whatever you want to offer.
Reply
This is something I DO get, although I may not sound like it. Music speaks to people, regardless of where it came from. (Although I will never understand my mother's obsession with Manheim Steamroller.)
The problem is that all music is driven (to some extent) by economy, even artists on small, niche labels. Those labels wouldn't exist if they couldn't make a profit and they make a profit because they don't actually invest a lot of money into their stable.
There are non-profit labels out there. They're hard to find, but they're out there. A friend of mine runs one, and I honestly don't know how he does it because he doesn't even take donations.
And actually, the band I was in a few years back didn't sell CDs. We gave them away, and the only money we made was from playing shows. (The trick is to find a place that give you a chunk of the bar sales, not the door sales.) It was a great time, and when we wound up getting played on the radio in Quebec, we knew it was worth it. (There's some slight sarcasm there on the radio bit, mostly because I still find that hilarious.)
As my dad was fond of saying whenever I told him some song or musical genre sucked, "You may not like a genre of music, you may not like the message that type of music gives, but it speaks to someone. Maybe try listening with that in mind."
He's actually right about that. I can categorically state that I hate gangsta rap. Yet, I can still find individual artists and even individual songs that put lie to the fact that the whole genre is worthless. *shrug*
Also with you on this one. I'm not a fan of country, but I do enjoy the occasional Dixie Chick's song. ('Earl's in the trunk' is just funny to me.) I try all genres, and if someone recommends an artist to me, I will check them out. I think my downfall is that I give my honest opinion. If I like it, I explain why. If I don't, I explain (in great detail) why. I don't just say 'it sucks' or 'it rules.'
I'm a musician. I went to college for music. That doesn't make my opinion any more valid than anyone else's, but I like to think that I know what I'm talking about. There's 'indie' artists that all of my friends LOVE and ADORE, but I can't stand them because they make my hair stand on end. (US Maple comes to mind, if you've ever heard of them. Also Guided By Voices.) I've explained why I don't like them, but it's always just summed up by 'it's just not my thing.'
Tangent translation: Completely get the fact that 'my thing' and 'other people's things' are likely to be different, and it's okay. :)
I'm a big proponent of FileSharing as a way to draw attention to artists that aren't well-known or have been cruelly forgotten by the music-loving public.
One of the artists I shared on my MP3 post, Arcade Fire, publically encourages file sharing. That's how they got started - they're called the 'Internet Phenomenon.' One of the reasons why I love them as people and not just as musicians.
And hey - let me know what you like and don't like! I've got a huge collection that gets bigger every day. (Literally.)
Reply
You make some excellent points, especially that music is a personal thing and that even the indies need to make money. Everything in life is geared toward someone making a living, after all. I've often wondered how many small, indie artists would get labeled mainstream and looked down on if they were huge money-making successes. Although the major labels do often push profit over talent, whether an entertainment artist in any field succeeds often depends on luck and their ability to sell themselves, rather than degree of talent. Which is kind of sad.
In any case, the lesson we should take from this: Get out of your comfort zone and try something new and different.
Reply
*ducks* I actually enjoyed the album he did with Ben Folds - for the entertainment factor. Shatner is kind of becoming a parody of himself, and he's finally getting that. If yer talking books, though - I know nothing of his books. O_o
There are people who would never listen to music that *doesn't* make the top 20! Those are the people who really need to be exposed to the music you've found.
If I had the money and the skills, I would start a radio station specifically for my music. No one would listen to it, of course, but it's a start. :-D
(Random, funny story: There's a local station around where I used to live that's run by high school students. Once, when they were raising money so they could stay on the air, they said, "We're going to keep playing Britney Spears until you send us money!!" It was HILARIOUS.)
Reply
He "wrote" a science fiction novel series some years ago -- ghost written, of course. But then, apparently letting his egotism get away with him, he actually penned one himself. My ex-wife bought it for me, and it was so horribly written that I wanted to go demand her money back ... he's an awful, awful writer. And yet, under his name, several novels have hit the best seller list. And here I am struggling to be a *good* writer, and getting nowhere!
Don't be so sure you wouldn't find listeners for your radio station -- many people are dissatisfied with the modern radio scene. Even if they do like the music, having the same half dozen songs repeated over and over again is insane. There are tens of thousands of songs that have charted, let's have some variety!
(I liked a Britney Spears song. Just one. Or maybe it was the skirt.)
Reply
Reply
Leave a comment