Roundup
TRUST THE ARTISTS
And ain’t it fascinating that Interscope is run by Jimmy Iovine, the supposed protector of the artists…
Of course, the story is more complicated than it appears…hell, look at the song title involved. But we will not have a flourishing music scene until the execs trust the artists. I’m not saying you can’t give feedback, but if the artist doesn’t have final cut, we’ve got no art, we’ve got Hollywood movies, and we all know even television is better than that…
Art is about risk. Anathema to not only major labels, but those spending a lot of money. If you’re doing it different, expect to go it alone.
TWEAKERS
The facts are available to everybody. It’s what you do with them that counts.
You can skip the entire first section of this story, it’s a recitation of well-known facts, but once Gladwell starts talking about the industrial revolution in the part that begins with the big "O", your brain will start to percolate.
Big ideas are rare. But it’s those who modify them for modern consumption, for use, who are not only called tweakers, but end up with all the money, power and prestige.
Did you read the story in yesterday’s "New York Times Magazine" about the hip-hop producer who creates beats in a matter of minutes using Fruity Loops?
Check out a tiny bit, to be both horrified if you’re a rap hater and to see that that’s what Lex Luger is doing, he’s tweaking what came before. That was the essence of classic rock, digesting all the influences and coming up with something new. Whether it be Eric Clapton devouring the American bluesmeisters or Yes synthesizing classical music and rock to come up with a brand new sound, they were all pushing it forward. They’re still pushing it forward in hip-hop. They’re not pushing it forward anywhere else.
People think if you look good and can sing and play, that’s enough. I’m inundated with me-too YouTube clips from parents and wannabes. That’s just not enough. Maybe enough to win a TV game show, but not to truly make it in music. You must push the envelope, you must take what came before and create something new. Which is why Sarah McLachlan will be forgotten, if she hasn’t been already, and Joni Mitchell is forever. So you sing about your internal pain, with pedestrian lyrics to boot! Joni had unique tunings, didn’t solely use a guitar, she plumbed her personal depths. A true artist is rarely sui generis, but usually the result of what came before. But a true artist creates breakthroughs that fascinate us, and continue to do so. Whether it be Picasso or the Beatles.
The music industry thought killing Napster would solve its problems. But the tweakers created KaZaA, which eluded the fundamental flaw that killed Napster, the centralized index. And rather than understand the change in the game, the industry continues to argue for a return to the past when that is impossible, because like moles, the public has tools which they’re using to innovate and push the game forward. It’s fascinating to watch, the oldsters think they can stop it with money and law, but you can never stop passion, and that’s what it is, the passion to create something useful and cool. The major labels want nothing new, useful and cool, as per the Die Antwoord story above. That’s too dangerous, they’ve got to kill that. And how’s that working out for them?
Just look at their numbers, they’re horrible.
NEW
I love "Achtung Baby", and Brian Wilson too for that matter. And there’s some great stuff on "Some Girls". But this endless recitation of the past, the release of calcified Dead Sea Scrolls, while interesting, just points out how lame these artists and the scene are today.
Watch this YouTube clip:
Sure the sound is bad and for two and a half minutes, you won’t get it, but when Steve Winwood starts singing the Steely Dan classic "Pretzel Logic", with the band, you start to tingle.
That’s how you know you’ve got something, when it makes people tingle.
Are you a musician or a jukebox? Sure, there’s a business in playing your hits to the masses, but if I had to do that every day, I’d shoot myself. To stay vibrant and alive you’ve got to take chances.
The music business will be revitalized by musicians, not the labels or Live Nation. When the musicians decide to put music first, instead of money, the public will flock to the fruits and the scene will be healthy again.
