A True Golden Age of Music
June 22nd 2008 00:09
As much as I like to be cynical, I have to admit that this a bona fide Golden Age for music. And we have technology (and GenX) to thank. For without the Napster Digital Music Revolution, we all would be stuck with clunky CDs that are such a buzzkill.
Let me explain…
Because we can lug our entire musical collection along with us (and efficient use of the “Shuffle” mode of our iPod), we get to re-visit great music that normally we would never stick in our CD wallet just to drive to work.
For example, yesterday I was driving home from work with the iPod shuffling and Joni Mitchell’s “California” came up. Wow. I hadn’t heard that song in a long time and it is just about perfect. Great sparse arrangement; fantastic stereo mix; inspired lyrics; … the song has it all.
This is my theory in a nutshell: great music that has long been ignored due to physical inconvenience has now been awoken from a long slumber.
There are other digital music advantages, of course:
• Garage bands can post their bad Blink covers directly to My Space, by passing the A&R man’s derision.
• Lyrics, tabs and chords are plentiful on the internets.
• Supplemental material is also abundant on the web (live shows, b-sides, etc.).
• Let’s not forget about the brilliant marketing of Radiohead’s online “pay-what-you-want” release of In Rainbows. I am sure we will look back on that as a milestone.
Now this is a golden age for the FAN, of course. The digital revolution is kicking corporate arse. Their stranglehold on content and diffusion of music is at an end. I see no negative to this. Music is, after all, art first and business second, no? (Debatable, I suppose)
Let me explain…
Because we can lug our entire musical collection along with us (and efficient use of the “Shuffle” mode of our iPod), we get to re-visit great music that normally we would never stick in our CD wallet just to drive to work.
For example, yesterday I was driving home from work with the iPod shuffling and Joni Mitchell’s “California” came up. Wow. I hadn’t heard that song in a long time and it is just about perfect. Great sparse arrangement; fantastic stereo mix; inspired lyrics; … the song has it all.
Joni in Classical Position
This is my theory in a nutshell: great music that has long been ignored due to physical inconvenience has now been awoken from a long slumber.
There are other digital music advantages, of course:
• Garage bands can post their bad Blink covers directly to My Space, by passing the A&R man’s derision.
• Lyrics, tabs and chords are plentiful on the internets.
• Supplemental material is also abundant on the web (live shows, b-sides, etc.).
• Let’s not forget about the brilliant marketing of Radiohead’s online “pay-what-you-want” release of In Rainbows. I am sure we will look back on that as a milestone.
Terrible Cover / Perfect Cost
Now this is a golden age for the FAN, of course. The digital revolution is kicking corporate arse. Their stranglehold on content and diffusion of music is at an end. I see no negative to this. Music is, after all, art first and business second, no? (Debatable, I suppose)
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Comment by James Rickard
unlucky_ fishermen.com
Angling Fish
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Comment by ACE
Soundr
I assume you are joking, right?
Beach Boys didn't make it out of the 60's with imploding and begining the neverending greatest hits tour.
Beatles obviously didnt "last"
The Who hasn't put out a good LP since Keith whent over the moon.
And the Stones are the poster children for recylced baby-boomer nostaglia and egoism.
No, I am referring to this as a golden age precisely because those dinosaurs no longer have the influence over the culture like the used to. Technology has opened the doors of perception (to borrow another out-dated phrase of a dead generation).