Music's Importance (and the hole we're stuck in)
The state of the music industry today is deplorable. Music is the thing that said the things that we couldn’t say. It spoke to the places in us that were empty and hurting. We identified with it and the people that made it. Now what does it say? “Dance, dance, baby?” “I got the benjamins all rolled up tight?” “Blah, blah, blah, blah”? Where is the artistic integrity of days gone by? It’s out there, but you really have to look hard. The record companies aren’t pushing it. They’re more concerned with pushing the small-minded tripe of Fergie, Gwen Stephani, or Mims. Where are songs like U2’s “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For”, Elton John’s “Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters”, or Counting Crows “Omaha”? King’s X is still making songs like “Sooner or Later” off of their most recent release. But they are not selling gold or platinum. Yet, they seem to be happy with what they are doing. Sevendust writes heart wrenchingly honest songs. Yet, they are on their own label, and not getting a huge push. They are a band that has a strong connection with their fans.
I remember going to concerts as a teen, and standing in the pit, with hundreds of other hot, sweaty, sticky people. It was a bonding experience. I don’t like being around huge throngs of people. I stay away from malls and avoid grocery stores. But I was always early to a concert, waiting to get in the middle of that mess of people, trying to get close to the music. (Except when the idiots started showing up, and thought that pushing each other with no regard for other people around them who were trying to pay attention to what was happening on stage instead of the idiots next to them was a good time.) I always dreamed of doing an arena-type tour, with all of the crazy kids up front who just wanted to be close to the front, close to the music. Now everybody has an assigned seat. The front is reserved for people that can afford to be there. When is the last time you saw a millionaire crowd surfing or for that matter, jumping around and pumping his fist? Acts like this have abandoned their fans. The front shouldn’t be reserved for the wealthy, but for whoever wants it the most. That person’s energy and enthusiasm will transfer to the performer and, in effect, produce a better show. Concert tickets should be beween $25 and $35, and that’s including Ticketmaster’s exorbitant fees.
Music should be for the people. Unfortunately, it’s for the record company execs to turn a quick profit on, for Ticketmaster, and for the rich who want to sit up front like they’re at a movie. The real music, the music that touches us, is out there. It’s just not very available. You have to hunt for it. Someday, there will be a vehicle for this music to reach the masses, but it won’t look like it did in the past. We won’t hear it on traditional radio and go find it in music stores. However, the want and the need for this music is out there. As popular and accessible as movies, television, and video games are, they can’t take the place of music. In fact, these things all use music because they are not sufficient means of entertainment on their own. There is something about music that can not be substituted by anything else. Music speaks to the soul. People want to do more than dance. They want to feel. They want to know that someone else understands what they are going through. Music is deep, but we can’t wait for the music industry sharks to go away before we leave the shallows. We’ve got to drive them out now.
posted by Jason at 9:35 AM
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