It seems like without thinking about it, I’ve got a theme going with this column. It has served me well so far, but it is time to finish this arc. In my previous entries, I’ve outlined how musicians aren’t getting compensated for the music that they are making and how record labels aren’t doing anything to protect them. That's the bad news. Here is the good news: we have entered a golden age in music.
Openness is the answer. Nowadays, if you have a decent idea, good execution, and an Internet connection, you can get your music heard. There is more music being made --and heard-- right now than at any other time in history. Sure, this means that there will be more unlistenable music than ever before; however, there will also be brilliant gems. As I have said before, it is all about the money. Music has never been cheaper to make. With practically no overhead, anyone can be known worldwide. Gone is the day that an oligarchy of CEOs decide what should be distributed. Never before has there been a more direct connection between the musician and the audience.
The middleman has been cut. I for one welcome our new technophile overlords. This isn’t just an extension of the DIY movement. This isn’t about garage bands using Garage Band. This is working for the some of the most popular acts on the planet. Bands like Radiohead, OK Go, Pretty Lights and Girl Talk are achieving world renown on their own accord. Kids in Dubai are cruising the vista to Fleet Foxes. Middle-aged Maconites are getting pumped to Eurodance.
Music has a bright future as long as it remains free to share, make and hear. Movements in technology happen so fast that it makes your head spin. To quote a friend of mine, Dubstep is already old. It’s a thing of beauty. It harkens back to the days in which minstrels would roam around the countryside singing freely about whatever they wanted. The only thing that remains consistent is change. Certainly, the times are a-changing.
I bet they would have loved to have had Last.fm back in the day. Imagine if the Beatles had Twitter. “All access show on the roof!” from @PaulJohnGeorgenRingo.
Music is about birth. This is rebirth. Music is rising like a phoenix from the ashes of pre-fabricated 90's pop in a blaze as glorious and awesome as a second sunrise. It is true, brothers and sisters, the boy bands are dead.
Boy bands are dead; LogicPro killed them.
Rejoice, my friends! Rejoice!
Popham Culture: A golden age for music
