There is a nice thread going right now about the first recorded songs we remember hearing and its bringing back a lot of good memories. It made me wonder if our generation(s) love of the classics, which now includes the 80s and 90s, contributed to the phenomenon described in this article.
No paywall Is Old Music Killing New Music?
I love new music. I go (er, went..for these long, quiet two years past) to live shows, listen to new artists, check out Bandcamp and even, gasp, buy new music when it is available as a three dimensional product. But being some weirdo who loves owning a little disc surrounded by plastic or cardboard with a full album on it, I know I'm not the target audience anymore. But for the life of me, I can't figure out who is.
As the article details, the powers that be seem perfectly content to mine older music and current consumers, seemingly, are just as content to be led around by their wallets and buying Genesis LPs (nothing against Genesis, y'all!). All the while the record companies and tons of consumers decry the state of new music, "there's no good new music coming out! where are the new artists, like back in my day?" I guess not everybody wants to listen to Amyl and the Sniffers or Ty Segall and the Freedom Band; God bless their scruffy, blissed out hearts.
There has never been a time with so many tools available to make music. Where it feels like there so many avenues to get that music out. When there are so many listeners who are so open to being an audience for all these weird, new tunes. How so many weird, new tunes can get tons of exposure and even enter the vernacular. But "show me the money!"
Except for the precious few, it looks utterly devoid of opportunity for creators to earn a living. The other day I heard a radio announcer describe Olivia Rodrigo, without any sense of irony, as "three years ago, just a little known Disney artist." Gah, I feel like I'm taking crazy pills! Half the music on today's ads already sounds like it was spat out by an AI algorithm (gimme a track that sounds like Steve Miller Band plus ABBA mixed with Blue Oyster Cult! That'll get those dad bods in a Chevy!) I fear the next Pile or nascent Billie Eilish, that fogged out wannabe Flying Lotus, shy of being some industry plant, will just give up and become a tax preparer like Aunt Annie said was good for them anyway.
One of the best ways to support musicians is to go see them live, it's good for me too and I miss it dearly. Live music is slowly starting to gain traction again in my corner of the world and perhaps that will help things. I know they'll get some cash from this geezer and his buddies (Superchunk and Torres, here we come! February 25th !!!!). We'll be buying up tickets and ridiculous tour shirts but, for real, we're yesterday's puddle. Maybe, in this brave new world everyone goes on about, every family will have a turntable and 100 LPs again, maybe not. One thing is certain for this music consumer, as much as I love music and support it anyway I can, I'm not going back to vinyl. Nope. Won't do it.
Somebody's gonna have to fill a pretty big void:
No paywall Is Old Music Killing New Music?
I love new music. I go (er, went..for these long, quiet two years past) to live shows, listen to new artists, check out Bandcamp and even, gasp, buy new music when it is available as a three dimensional product. But being some weirdo who loves owning a little disc surrounded by plastic or cardboard with a full album on it, I know I'm not the target audience anymore. But for the life of me, I can't figure out who is.
As the article details, the powers that be seem perfectly content to mine older music and current consumers, seemingly, are just as content to be led around by their wallets and buying Genesis LPs (nothing against Genesis, y'all!). All the while the record companies and tons of consumers decry the state of new music, "there's no good new music coming out! where are the new artists, like back in my day?" I guess not everybody wants to listen to Amyl and the Sniffers or Ty Segall and the Freedom Band; God bless their scruffy, blissed out hearts.
There has never been a time with so many tools available to make music. Where it feels like there so many avenues to get that music out. When there are so many listeners who are so open to being an audience for all these weird, new tunes. How so many weird, new tunes can get tons of exposure and even enter the vernacular. But "show me the money!"
Except for the precious few, it looks utterly devoid of opportunity for creators to earn a living. The other day I heard a radio announcer describe Olivia Rodrigo, without any sense of irony, as "three years ago, just a little known Disney artist." Gah, I feel like I'm taking crazy pills! Half the music on today's ads already sounds like it was spat out by an AI algorithm (gimme a track that sounds like Steve Miller Band plus ABBA mixed with Blue Oyster Cult! That'll get those dad bods in a Chevy!) I fear the next Pile or nascent Billie Eilish, that fogged out wannabe Flying Lotus, shy of being some industry plant, will just give up and become a tax preparer like Aunt Annie said was good for them anyway.
One of the best ways to support musicians is to go see them live, it's good for me too and I miss it dearly. Live music is slowly starting to gain traction again in my corner of the world and perhaps that will help things. I know they'll get some cash from this geezer and his buddies (Superchunk and Torres, here we come! February 25th !!!!). We'll be buying up tickets and ridiculous tour shirts but, for real, we're yesterday's puddle. Maybe, in this brave new world everyone goes on about, every family will have a turntable and 100 LPs again, maybe not. One thing is certain for this music consumer, as much as I love music and support it anyway I can, I'm not going back to vinyl. Nope. Won't do it.
Somebody's gonna have to fill a pretty big void:
