Sometimes I get the impression that much of the progress made in the sixties has largely been lost. Granted, America is more tolerant of racial minorities and people with "alternative lifestyles," but I have this knawing sense that much of the changes made has slid back into an Eisenhower-age acceptance of a universal capitalist goal for the country.
I think part of the trend hinges on the fact that in American society it is not a question of whether you sell out, but when sell out. And of course, I actually find this quite reasonable. Cultural revolutionaries who have rejected the opportunity to eventually go commercial and make money have died pennyless and tragic deaths, often overdosing on nasty varieties of illegal narcotics, which most of us in fact do not find that attractive. If you are Bob Dylan, eventually you need to appear in moisturizing soap commercials, because afterall you are getting on in years and you need to put some cash away to pay for depends and nicorette.
The problem as I see it though, is that there are very few of these cultural innovaters any more-- in the first place. Instead, the music industry pre-fabricates stars who have all the trappings of rebellion and innovation, but in fact offer no societal message except that you should purchase their rebel-esque clothing at the Nordstrom nearest you.
In some ways this is why I believe the recording industry is so opposed to the file sharing networks and free music exchanges going on over the internet. I think the true fear is not a loss of record sales, as in fact there has not been a drop in record sales since the inception of the MP3 format and the proliferation of file sharing networks rather a rise, but instead a faced with a nearly unlimited choice of artists of which to be fans music listeners will no longer be interested in the highly contrived music being pumped out of the traditional music labels. The history of the culture of "cool" or "hip" in America is the story of the little guy, the underground artists, the renegade music labels putting out something new and becoming immensely popular because it is different. All of these stories end with the eventual absorption of these new trends like, jazz, hip hop, rock and roll, into the main stream. Eventually everyone needs to sell out or go hungry. The problem for the existing music industry though is that the internet offers an almost infinitessimal number of possible new artists-- too many for them to buy out.
Here goes your Uncle again…………..
I find it interesting that my sons (your cousins) have found interest in "Classic Rock".
I believe they are looking for music that has music .
They are down loading music that they can find on the many of the old cassette tapes that I have. I used to record straight off the rock station after 10:00 pm when they would play albums (big black flat CD looking thing) in their entirety without a commercial break. The radio stations new everybody was recording they would tell you when get your tape rolling!
Anyway - today’s music - has no music.
Imagine a Cadillac commercial 20 years from now playing anything that is on any top 10 chart today as back ground music in one of their commercials. There is no music to get you pumped up and excited. Hey – I’m a button pusher when I drive every day - I’ll listen to anything! I like the Hip-Hop music with the Casio keyboard in the back ground playing one of those built in rhythms that they give you with the keyboard.
The recording industry is repeating itself though. In the 60's there were hundreds of bands (garage bands) coping the Beatles and trying to get on the Rock & Roll band wagon. There were a lot of “one hit wonders” (check out the movie: "That thing you do" Tom Hank’s first shot at directing) that fizzled shortly after the state fair circuit. Some did succeed and some of the one-hit-wonders have re-appeared on the oldies circuit (thanks to casinos). I think I see the same thing going on now. Keep the artist down, let them have a hit or 2 and bring in the next act before they get too big for there britches (this goes for country music too).
Can you imagine PBS doing a fundraiser in 25 years trying to sell DVD’s (downloads or whatever media we will be using) with all your old favorite musician’s from the 00 years! Back to the car commercials - who ever owns the rights to the old songs they use for back-up music made more money selling the rights to the ad agency then when the song was originally a hit.
Interesting insight – we used to listen to music back in the 60’s on small transistor radios.
A sea shell probably had better sound quality – if you listen to this music today with a good set of speakers (a good set now comes with your computer that equal the quality of those built in the 70’s that were 3 feet tall!) the music is pretty incredible - I mean the background music guitar rifts & chords etc. Listen to some Tommy James & the Shondells today - never mind you already have – on a Mitsubishi commercial .
Hey – get on Down here to Memphis (where it all began – and we won’t let you forget it) we have never taken you on the Graceland tour and Stax* opened a museum on the site of the original recording studio.
* www.soulsvilleusa.com
Posted by: Uncle Rick | March 06, 2005 at 02:05 AM