Pablo Picasso-Musicians in Masks
This article is related to the Shooting stars post (the first entry in our blog section) which was focused more on the technological booming, 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. Nevertheless, punk music is mainly connected with the low-middle class people while the pop is more widespread among the middle class.
...........Caravaggio-Musicians
What is the result when music follows the marketing rules (labeling a product makes it more accessible to a specific class of people)? The black community will buy rap, the working class will buy heavy metal (the example of divide and conquer). 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, there is, and there will always be a percentage of worthy artists available in the music market but during the last ten years as commercialization takes everything over, 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. Music should not be used to divide people. Freedom should lead the music creation and choice. Music should be free of stereotypes. Both “The Clash” and “Madonna” spoke about taboos and injustice.
The folk music:
The worst kind of extremists in music is when some very conservative people (they are unfortunately many) 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. A really shocking example is that of the anti-fascists Germans who, after WWII, avoided folk music as it had been connected with the Nazi movement.
Indeed this is nothing more than a great misconception.Folk music should not be associated with bigotry. In Britain and USA it was used between working class movements in order to create solidarity. Prominent lyrics and simple melodies, often it romanticizes the simple but hard life of the workers and farmers. Similarly during the Spanish Civil War it was mainly connected with the resistance of the Left wingers, Anarchists and other Marxists against the cruel enemy, the Fascist Francisco Franco. Despite that Franco’s regime was promoting flamenco as the most representative music of the Spanish nation, only after his death it reached its golden age, when nationalism collapsed and democracy re-established with notable performers dominating the Spanish music scene like Ketama ,Pata Negra and the Gypsy Kings. Of course we cannot deny that music was used for political purposes as it carries ideological messages but promoting solidarity and justice is something more considerable than bigotry and hate.
The myth of purity: Before the music market booming came around, before musicians started selling records, music as a whole was more authentic, not because there were no cultural mixes but because money was never the purpose of music creation. For those 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 but the corrupted music industry system.
Generally conservatism has nothing to do with “protecting one’s culture“. It is isolationism and the only thing that does is freeze the evolution which is the result of cultural interactions. A black and white picture sometimes is perfect but it does not stop here. Things can go further, new ideas new expressions can enrich that picture making it more interesting. Indeed with conservatism and cultural isolationism we would have no rock and roll, no jazz, no blues, not even romantic music, no classical, no baroque, going towards the absolute nothing.
The final outcome:
We should distinguish the difference between internationalism and globalization. The first serves the people, the second those with power, those who control the banking system and the media. They create idols only to destroy them later. They spread hatred and bigotry to the people; they hypnotize them with nonsense ideas like patriotism, because without patriotism we have no wars thus the gun industry which is a very important source of incomes, would go bankrupt. And as they control the media they have control over our cultural achievements. Using the divide and conquer tactics as it is mentioned above they can easier impose their power to whole way of our lives and the general body of arts.
We all have to work together to improve our lives. This is what civilization means.”United we stand, Divided we fall“. Basic education is available for almost everyone, and it is not acceptable to find so much narrow-minded people, without dreams, no illusions and ability to discriminate things. There is still plenty of good art. Why we don’t support the independent musicians? There are so many good musicians who know how to create good music but they cannot survive through the unfair and corrupt label system. We have the power to change the establishments and let’s face it, music is one of the most important contexts in our life. As Vladimir Lenin used to say “if you want to destroy the society, give to the people bad music”. It is common sense we need, nothing more.
….Use Paypal
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.