an article I find disturbing

[uncloned]

http://2010.newsweek.com/essay/the-end-of-selling-out.html


My daughter treats this "quality music" as if it were chewing gum.

[bvanoudtshoorn]

An interesting read, Clones. It's true -- nowadays, people are apathetic about commercialising music. :/

[Louigi Verona]

What exactly do you find disturbing about it?

In my opinion, people did not loose interest to commercialization - perhaps they lost interest to the "show business" segment of music, just like TV is nowadays a lot less important. I may be wrong though. The fact that I do not own (and watch) TV does not mean same is happening to everyone.

[uncloned]

"But popular music will always be at its best when it's forced to respond to the marketplace and find artful, innovative ways of not only expressing its creator's vision, but connecting with an actual audience. That's why it's popular music."

"Nowadays, our attitude is healthier: for better or worse, it's the quality of the music that matters, not the label it's on or the ad it has or hasn't appeared in. And while fans should still be wary of weak-kneed artists who compromise their sound in search of chart success, overall, more quality music is being made now than at any time since the 1960s."


This article to me sounds like anti-art major label propaganda

[Louigi Verona]

Yeah. I do not think it is music's function to "respond to the marketplace". I find it absolutely weird that music should be in some marketplace. I mean, it is not food or silk or whatever. Art is not part of the market.

I also doubt that the musician should necessarily have fans to be considered successful. With so much attention to the personality of the performer I think a lot of modern "show business" is about personalities, not music.

A successful musician is not a musician who has fans, but a musicians whose music has fans.

Actually, if you take the personality factor away, I think the modern music "culture" will loose like 70-80% of people who are there just for the stars and such. Not a lot of people really care for music itself. To a lot of people music is a way to dump out emotional baggage. Like boxing. Or like soccer matches. I can be wrong, but this is my impression.

[PabloLuna]

I can tell you something.
There is nothing as cool as having a musician playing at weddings or graduation ceremonies.
It so cool to bring a CD player and play a CD.

Even if CDs stopped being sold, musicians would always make money with live perfomances.  Who should fear?  Record executives make more money thatn musicians with the work of mmusicians.  Artist's life on tour becomes performing, signing autographs, sleeping and taking the bus, and on top paparazzis will be annoying them.  Record company executives instead make more money and have a peaceful life.

What do I advise?  Become activist of climate change.  Organize concerts and tell an embassy of a country that supports fight on climate change.  

You would not make too much money, but you'd be free and famous among a distinguished circle of people.  Copenhagen is around the corner.  You still can do it.