Joni said:
> It is evident by all of the commercial trk id posts that AJ, dnb,
> ect is out
> there all around us. It's in the intro's and outros's of tv/radio shows,
> but the same radio/tv stations never put anything of AJ, underground, dnb
> substance on as the feature. So I guess the question is: Why hasen't the
> rest of the world caught on? Or better yet do we even want them
> to? Do the
> big labels look for junk to push on the masses or do they turn what might
> have had potential to be good in to junk? And furthermore would
> the masses
> REALLY be interested and appreciative of all the artists that keep us
> moovin' ? I'm not sure how much credit to give or not to give to the
> people.
For what it's worth, here's my somewhat cynical perspective. When any
musical style becomes popular enough that major record labels think they can
make some money off of it, that is the beginning of the end. Major labels
simply can't keep up with new musical trends, and are often left behind,
pushing "copycat" artists who really don't have a creative bone in their
bodies. Meanwhile, they're glutting the market with their major-label
product, so that curious listeners who might be willing to invest in a (fill
in the genre) album can't tell the good from the bad. And if they buy the
bad, or simply mediocre product, they're not apt to come back for more.
But the "average" music listener is equally to blame. Time and again, we
have seen that people are more interested in "personality" artists than
musical quality. Just look at the popularity of artists like Moby or
Jamiroquai, who are on NOBODY'S list for musical innovation. Yet they have
a marketable image, and major-label dollars behind them, so they become
successful above and beyond what any musical merit could justify. Meanwhile
the image-less artists remain invisible to the masses.
This weekend I went to see the new film "Better Living Through Circuitry," a
documentary on the rave generation. The film is entertaining and very
well-made, though it's pretty disheartening from a musical perspective.
It's clear that most of the ravers interviewed aren't really interested in
music at all, but are simply there to take drugs and behave like children.
Don't get me wrong; I have nothing against ravers, OR taking drugs! As a
"scene," it's certainly more positive than many scenes that have gone
before. But the film did put things in perspective for me with regard to
music vs. lifestyle. Most people are simply not as passionate about music
as those of us on this list; they use music as a soundtrack to their lives
and nothing more. And for that purpose, it's not really relevant to them
how "innovative" the music is. For ravers, flashing lights and repetitive
beats are all they really need at a party.
Please forgive my sweeping generalizations and realise this is just ONE
perspective. :-)
______________________________________________
Mark Turner nugroove@pacbell.net
Hear "Jazzadelica" with Rocky Rococo on KFJC
Sundays 10pm-2am, 89.7 FM, Los Altos Hills, CA
Web: http://home.pacbell.net/nugroove/
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