well, this radio threat is a topic which burns under my fingernails (and in
my throat) for a while. While Elison thinks that the radio here in the US
is biased against foreign Black artists, I think it is biased against
*every* music which doesn't fit into the good selling bowl of Babyface,
Puffy etc. (or, when it comes to rock, Oasis and all that).
That is the point. The commercial radio stations here in the US are nothing
but marionettes of the big record companies. And the big labels dictate
what is on the air or not. Now lets go one step further.
*Why* is the boring sound of Babyface, Puffy etc. so successful now? That
is the question! Because it is made for the masses. Most of the people in
America are not educated or interested in music like we are. When they
listen to music, they are not interested in progression, new ideas or
instrumental skills. They take the music like it enters their right ear and
leaves their left ear. Between this nanoseconds, the music only touches the
party center (or sex center or one of the basic centers, e.g. violence and
aggression) in their brains. Puffy said it: His music is inspired by the
70s and 80s party music, and he is doing this kinda music right now. To get
a reaction from an uneducated party crowd, you have to play simple music,
nothing too sophisticated, or older successful tracks/samples.
So, after all this blablabla, I think that American people have to seek the
reasons for the bad music on the air between themselves. Radio and TV
channels are only a mirror of the society!
Of course, radio or TV channels could try to educate people about music.
But unfortunately, America as the motherland of capitalism, isn't doing
this at all, because it would risk an already successful concept. In other
countries, like in the UK, it is different. I remember Lisa L'Ansons soul
show on British MTV, which was excellent and very informative. But that is
Europe, and not America.
In the meantime, we can listen to all the great radio shows on
non-commercial radio stations. They are independent and therefore play the
right stuff, because it *is* good. Therefore I support community radio, and
you should do that too.
Peace, Gilbert
(djmg@earthlink.net)