What is “bad music”? Have you heard anything interesting in music from 2000 and on? What happens in the music industry of the 21st century? In order to examine how the music industry works today we will compare it with the music of the 60s, 70s and 80s after reviewing the modern society of the Western World. Music is the art of harmonic sounds as a way of expression.
Music, as a cultural achievement shows a huge development in the human history to date, therefore it could be considered as one of the most important methods of social communication. To people in many cultures, music is a part of their way of life.
Evolution as an inevitable phenomenon causes changes in the society, and that greatly affects the musical inspiration. The 20th century music is one of the richest eras, where for the first time the musical influences vary so much. During the 20th century new great composers appear like George Gershwin, Philip Glass, and also songwriters that have inspired the whole world like David Bowie or Prince. In total it seems that evolution is running faster than before, causing huge changes in the musical approach.
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-Who do you think is the best artist this year? -This year…. I don’t think there is a good artist… they all sound exactly the same as last year…” |
The role of globalization, new world order and multiculturalism: Despite the positive description it receives from other music analysts, I would support that the way that globalization has worked up to now, had a negative effect on music. It works as a cultural imperialism by hypnotizing the human societies. As far as Europe is concerned, the immigration rate from Eastern countries has been increased dramatically, enriching the Western societies and bringing new influences. We often hear people talking about a “multicultural society” but from a musical point of view our communities are dangerously monocultural and that because the media do everything possible to overshadow all the positive aspects of multiculturalism, by promoting a one-way, cheap culture, easily acceptable by the mass. As a result 1) the famous new bands just copy and repeat the sound of older generation musicians and most of the times not even properly, producing thus cheap music, easily acceptable by the public and 2) the musicians who try to expand their composition skills stay in the underground scene as cannot find support due to the lack of musical education. There are a few exceptions of musicians who mixed their music with ethnic sounds and became famous; very distinguished is the example of the New Metal band “System of a Down” which proves that there is a subliminal thirst for more musical discoveries and sources. As a music analyst I have been asked a couple of times: “Who do you think is the best artist this year?” My answer was very straightforward: “This year…. I don’t think there is a good artist… they all sound exactly the same as last year…”
This brainwashing campaign worked well the past few years as countries like China try to become more modernized based on the Western model, and the new wave of immigrants do not claim their own achievements neither seem to integrate themselves in the Western civilization, but they mainly accept the mass media culture which became the basic lifestyle for everyone. My recent research in a Far Eastern country, Mongolia, shows that even there, despite the years of isolation and protectionism the “fast food” culture prevails; I came across a group of girls who were singing a Britney Spears song in their local language. Of course this is not something unacceptable but there are thousands of artists under promotion today that should not be famous and are making millions by producing low quality music. What happens when those artists become worldwide super idols? On the other hand, if the Eastern countries know so much about the Western Music why our knowledge of Chinese music e.g. is so limited? It seems acceptable for a group of girls in Mongolia to sing a Western pop song, but for a group of girls in New York singing a Mongolian song it would sound strange! Thus we see how dangerous phenomenon globalization is when it works negatively. Some can blame individuals for not acquiring the appropriate education to resist the mass culture without thinking “is education sufficient in order to resist this world of profit and mass media production”?
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“If we choose, we can live in a world of comforting illusion”
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Globalization has harmed the originality and authenticity of the traditional culture (not to be confused with conservatism, traditionalism, nationalism or patriotism) including the folk music which has been rooted in the hearts of people for years and years and its possibilities to blend with other cultures, which is one the best ways for cultural development. However what is hiding behind globalization that the Mass Media promote? Of course to weaken our resistance, increase the gap between poor and rich, allow the society to become more and more conservative and intolerant towards everything diferent, everything new. Globalization is a bomb against the freedom of speech, it is one of the worst form of authority that destroys progressiveness and cultural evolution and thanks to the fast technological development it is spread everywhere.
Software revolution and mass production:
New music idioms appear during the 80s, the evolution of the old sounds mixed with influences reflecting the contemporary cultural changes and different individual approaches. Differentiations can be found even between the same types of music due to the technological booming (electro pop, rap, heavy metal). New synthesizers can produce more sounds giving thus to the songwriters more opportunities to experiment. The amplifiers, the guitars, the microphones don’t sound the same anymore. Using recording software (like Cubase, Logic pro) the studios can make miracles. Even a non privileged instrument player or singer can sound great taking advantage of the software revolution.
In the 60s most of the artists were using analogue studio devices. The band should be fully prepared and every mistake or deftone costs money, time and energy. Today the songwriter can have a home studio and, in the confidence of the home environment, can record the song over and over. Consequently we have mass music production and if the technology is used with a negative way most of the works are mediocre.
Mass production makes the music market absurdly competitive which is negative for most of the bands. Usually the good songwriters are good performers and find it hard to be heard in this ocean of music.
There are decent bands, no one doubts about this but how many times did we turn on the radio and find ourselves singing melodies that sound all the same, without interest at all! Does this happen because of the mass production or because we simply lose our inspiration? Probably both. It’s not only the technology which makes things easier. Music is a way of expression and it affects our personal behavior, beliefs, perspectives? If people have no stimuli to compose then the technology is the last thing we have to blame. Living in an apathetic world, where rotten dreams are taking over the seeking of ideals nothing is more important than the financial success and profit.
Finally it takes time until our community is compromised with the huge changes we have to live through due to the technological productivity and the globalization agenda but as a musician I hope we can stick on the positive side holding on to a cultural richness. We must realize what is unwanted: An impersonal world, poor spirited that harms our vital components of our well being and music is one of those.
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May 25th, 2009 at 2:41 pm
Yes but what increases the demand to sell and therefore mass production?
1)Software booming –> That gives access to almost everything
2)Globalization –> Cultural imperialism, a small minority that promotes what is easy and accessible to almost everyone worldwide.
3)Lack of musical and general education –> No musical education in the schools, ultra conservative ideas (as a result of an old fashioned education system) lead to the lack of respect for the artists leaving thus clean floor for the easy listening trash.
May 25th, 2009 at 1:23 pm
I think it is the demand to sell that’s why creativity and artistry in music is set aside in most cases.
February 4th, 2009 at 4:02 pm
You said “For some reason these new bands have nothing to say but they are promoted by the labels”, that’s what I mentioned. The labels promote not good bands cause the people like them. It’s not like the 60’s and 70’s. Today we live in a plastic world, plastic civilization thanks to the productivity which made everything easier.
February 3rd, 2009 at 11:22 am
It’s not only the mass production of songs the reason why they are all so identical and dull. For some reason these new bands have nothing to say but they are promoted by the labels. I think you can’t always have good bands around, in certain periods in time music gets crapy and then all of a sudden something really good emerges. It might be a metter of time.