There is something to be said about the quality of today’s music. I don’t mean the quality of your headphones; I mean the sounds that play through them. Lately I have found myself reflecting on the older content of my music library. I have found it more and more difficult to listen to the radio, aside from morning talk shows. I find myself constantly changing radio stations and hitting next on shuffle. For some reason I just cant find the satisfaction I once had in popular cultures music. Maybe this is why I listen to the so-called “classics” more often.
Sure I love a lot of today’s music, and listen to it often, but nowadays you don’t listen to full albums. People only purchase singles on iTunes or illegally download a few choice songs here and there. Talented as she is, I don’t think that I could ever listen to Beyonce’s record from start to finish; and I know that I wont necessarily get a lot of support on that statement from her more passionate fans. Many who consider themselves music enthusiasts will argue that they know everything there is to know about their favorite artists, while that’s all good and fine what can you tell me about their writing? What do you know about their composing process? How does their sound, melody and poetry evolve into these works we so cherish? We don’t experience our music the way it was once appreciated.
I have always said that I wish I could have been this age in 1969; I would have without a doubt been at Woodstock. Now there’s a generation of appreciated music. Say it’s a cliché choosing that era, but there’s no denying the true artistry of that time. Masters of their instruments, these were the musicians that created an art that will last lifetimes to come. While my cousins and friends bought the new Usher album, I went out and bought Jim Croce’s Photographs and Memories. I am in no way saying there is anything wrong with that, and I am certainly not claiming to be superior for making those choices, I am simply saying I am grateful to have been exposed to a timeless era at such a young age. I love having that one solid connection with my parents, knowing that music can always be a great conversation topic. I mostly enjoy going for drives with my dad and having him sing along with me to music we both love; meanwhile some of my friends have their parents sitting in silence while they would listen to the 50 Cent album.
Even as I sit writing this I find myself listening to Sweet Baby James, one of my all time favorite records. James Taylor, Jim Croce, Gordon Lightfoot, Crosby Stills Nash and Young, these are the musicians to idolize and to aspire to write like. They didn’t have to put on an outrageous show to capture the audience’s attention; just some regular guys with acoustic guitars. When I try to write my own material I have a hard time finding satisfaction in what I’ve written. I hold myself to a much higher standard knowing that this is how I want my music to be enjoyed. I’m still trying to find that perfect sound to capture what I hear in my head. Ill tell you this much, it isn’t easy.
It’s difficult for me to accept the steady decline in the music industry. Streaming services are killing record sales, and are slowly dying out one by one themselves. With that, they are slowing dragging down the entire music business. Not a lot of people realize the realities of what goes into putting out a hit record. It’s sad to say that in 2014 not a single artist has produced a platinum album. The closest was the soundtrack to Frozen. That’s upsetting to me. The business is changing, and with it so is the content of our cultures art, and not necessarily for the better.
Technology is a great thing, but with it’s growth comes a tremendous responsibility in seeing that we grow with it. With everything a click away artists struggle more and more to get by. The chances of becoming the next big thing are slim to none; and so the individual productions have begun. With every Mac coming equipped with Garageband and programs alike, people have begun to take things into their own hands. Now don’t get me wrong, as a musician myself this is quite a wonderful thing. I can write and produce my own music pretty easily if I wanted to. But these steps forward have come with the costs of a declining job market in the music industry. Studios have slowly closed down as more and more individuals take it upon themselves to produce their own work. The thousands and thousands of dollars in studio equipment have become virtually available for a couple hundred dollars in a computer program. This is great for a lot of people, myself included, but once the album is produced how we handle the business side is where things have become opaque.
Once the record is produced marketing becomes the next daunting task. For some people they have figured out how to manipulate societies perceptions and twisted their careers to appeal to the public. Others have just had incredible luck with being at the right place at the right time. My music business professor has always said “people only work with people they like, and people they know.” The truth in that statement is exactly why some people have found their success. There is nothing wrong with making those connections and using them to get ahead. If I were presented with similar opportunities I would seize them as well. Everyone is trying to make his or her dreams a reality, unfortunately a lot of people fall into that first method of getting ahead with their career. This is why today’s music will not stand the test of time. Miley has changed from Hannah Montana, to her wholesome longhaired self, to this wild child. While she has put out a few singles that I find some enjoyment in, the reality is her career will never last, and soon enough it will fade like so many other artists.
While some may ask who do I think I am making these statements, I say this: I am a student learning more and more about this business each day, and while I sure as hell don’t claim to know it all, far from it actually, I do know that I find myself fearful of what I will embark on upon graduation. I know that everyone is fearful of their future in some way, the uncertainty of where it will take you; but you can only live and let life happen to you. Find those opportunities and seize them. I just hope that with all the chaos in the music industry right now, and that by the time I am fully immersed in the business as a livelihood, that someone has emerged who can yet again make their music timeless.
(P.S. South Park really hits the nail on the head with this one.)
