Music medium of manipulation?
Posted by: Michael R. Willow in .mrw, 2009, Blog, Music industry overview
Pablo Picasso-Musicians in Masks
This article is related to the Shooting stars post (the first entry in our blog page) which was focused more on the technological boom, how this has affected the mass media production and the role of globalization in music (click here for related posts). Today I will try to outline how the record label system targets its audience based on the marketing rules and how music is used by the mass media instead being an independent medium of free expression.
The last century was crucial for the evolution of music. Several styles and sub-styles were created (pop, rock, metal, rap) however is this healthy for music today? Perhaps we have gone too far with all the labels we give to the different music styles. They are certainly useful in order to categorize the different sounds and name the different ways of expression but sticking to that is unacceptable, and as I will try to show, it is one of the ways the labels use to sell as much as possible.
Music is often associated with specific social classes, cultures, religions etc and most of the times it reflects the whole lifestyle. For example, it is rare to find a child from a wealthy family listening to rap music but more likely to favor pop songs or even classical music. Somebody for example who is racially intolerant would not to listen to rap or jazz music if he/she is white or a black person who sticks to a conservative community could find it hard to listen to classical music.
The most common example is those who are very much dedicated to “revolutionary” music like punk, metal and rap, and tend to blame the pop listeners, and vice versa. Punk for example is fundamentally revolutionary but this doesn’t stop other kinds like pop, classical or folk being equally revolutionary and anti-establishment but punk music is mainly connected with the low-middle class people and pop is more widespread among the middle-high class. A working class person is not always in friendship with a rich one and as those different styles of music are adopted by those different battlegrounds we understand that there is a subliminal reason why pop and metal fans express their disagreement aggressively.
Who is to be blamed for that? Labeling a product makes it more accessible to a specific class of people. A small car for example could be useful for those who live in a big city and do not own a big space, the same with music.
What is the result when music follows the marketing
rules? The black community will buy rap, the working class will buy heavy metal? We have profit dictating music creation while music is a free medium of expression and survives only when there is freedom of expression. Consequently we have profit dictating freedom, which is very unhealthy for the entire society. Nevertheless, that does not mean we have only bad music. There is, and there will always be a percentage of worthy artists available in the music market but during the last ten years we see a massive decline in the quality versus quantity.
What is the way to escape from that?
Q: “If the rock bands, the rap musicians are against the rich people and I am one of those, why should I listen to them while they turn against me?, A: They are talking about individual rich people who cause troubles. Sometimes people believe they are rich because this is what the establishment wants to make them think like in order to be enslaved from the “buy, consume, die” system.Another very obvious question “Why should I support those who pretend to be revolutionary but they’re making millions from music”? and the answer is“Some famous musicians are multimillionaires indeed. However this does not mean they are free. Most of their money and privacy is controlled by the record labels. Money without freedom is the worst form of slavery in the modern society. This is perhaps the main reason most of the good musicians try to get out of the label system looking for more independence. Apart from that, most of the “revolutionary” bands are not the richest people in the music industry”
Respect for any kind of music should be important for every true music fan. Freedom, the key word, should lead the music creation and choice. Music should be free of stereotypes. Both “The Clash” and “Madonna” spoke about injustice and freedom, therefore the fans should try to be friendly towards each other and if they find it hard to adopt another style it would be better not to fight but simply avoid listening to it.
The worst kind of extremists in music is the very conservative people (they are unfortunately many) that tend to associate folk music with patriotism and nationalism pretending that this music is authentic and inspired by the original national identity, against cultural mixes. Before the music market booming came around, before musicians started selling music, the music as a whole was indeed more authentic, not because there were no cultural mixes but because money was never the purpose of music creation. However that does not mean that a commercial artist is necessarily inferior in quality.
...........Caravaggio-Musicians
There are actually a lot of mixes in folk music but those people they have to find something in order to promote their stupid propaganda. Folk music should not be associated with bigotry. It is a marvelous thing as it has survived time. A really shocking example is that of the Germans who, after WWII, avoided folk music as it had been connected with the Nazis.
Indeed, this is something that needs to be balanced and the people have to understand that nationalism has nothing to do with the arts. What if the folk composer learnt that his/her music is used as a hymn for bigots? For the people who think there is no folk music today and all the uniqueness and creativity has gone, well that has nothing to do with the lack of patriotism. That has to do with corrupted music industry policies.
Another example is the military Junta in Greece that used folk music in order to brainwash the people and make them feel proud of their nation. In Hungary during the years of the red terrorism (as is described the communist dictatorship) it was strictly forbidden to listen to jazz music and most of the east European musicians I came across, have strictly classical music education.
Of course there is also music that serves a certain purpose. Songs that are written for a political party or for religious purposes, they don’t keep neutral and force the listener to believe. Thomas Talis in the middle ages did the same but the listener now knows that this was hundreds of years ago and is not proselytized. Another example is the song “Into my Arms” by Nick Cave who wrote it with a mild religious spirit but does not end up provocative.
The final outcome:
All the types of music can be revolutionary, emotional etc… the problem is not if it is pop, rock or jazz but the way the establishment promotes music today. In a few words what we call cheap globalization. I would like to summarize here parts of a previous article just to make it clear that I am not against globalization in itself but only deeply concerned about the way it works. The small elite forcing the masses to a cheap lifestyle, this is what globalization is all about right now and it affects almost everything. We have to oppose to that without being nationalists, pawns for the elites, but using common sense. Basic education is available for almost everyone, and it is not acceptable to find people with savage ideas, without dreams, people narrow-minded without ability to communicate. It is common sense we need, nothing more…
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August 25th, 2009 at 3:18 pm
Nice blog.
July 23rd, 2009 at 3:22 pm
Honestly, I do not think there would be anyone else as great as Michael Jackson. Bands from the 80s is hard to be found today, not because they don’t exist but it is difficult to get noticed. The music industry today is a great rip off as an impact of the massive decline of the social culture.
MJ, Twisted sisters… all these stuff were really groundbreaking then, today it seems like we stuck. The 80’s was a great season, a lot of social changes made, but then people gave up. Greed, greed, bigotry on the rise, people are getting closed to themselves more and more… It definitely looks that something is going wrong. We do need a change of culture don’t we?
July 23rd, 2009 at 3:12 pm
When I read this it makes me wonder what the next music revolution might be and who the next King or Queen of Pop and Rock will be after the death of MJ!
July 10th, 2009 at 4:23 pm
Nice work
July 5th, 2009 at 10:13 pm
I like both the two replies. Creating divisions does not help at all. Music is music, whatever it sounds like, wherever it comes from, black, white, yellow, Irish, German, working class, middle east… it is just sounds expressed from a different point of view. Narrow mindness has never achieved anything.
July 5th, 2009 at 4:30 pm
yeah i really agree with you bro. i think categorizing different genres is just creating divisions not just with the patrons but even amongst the musicians. it is nothing but a publicity thing encouraged by the record companies depending on what type of style is in for the money and what’s not. it actually compels the fans to support their idols all the more. I’ve seen a lot of fights against the headbangers and the hip-hoppers.
July 5th, 2009 at 1:58 pm
I agree that music should be free of stereotypes and accepted on the merit of it’s true expression. I try to expand peoples realm of involvement in music by finding talent that I enjoy from all differnt genres and posting on my facebook page or sending to friends in emails. There is so much independent talent that has not been homogenized into the pigeon hole. It will help if more people seek to share with others. Global commercialization should not stop the undercurrent of expressive movement & passion. Keep on keepin on.