How mainstream is killing music |
Music It began with one note, no plan or confusion or conclusion an innocent manifestation of ideas and emotion portrayed from the heart. But today has grown in to a commercial enterprise dominated for popularity, the almighty hit radio songs and an evil greed for money. If you ever attended college or gone to a school in your life music is listed under art. What is the definition of art? The conscious production or arrangement of sounds, colors, forms, movements, or other elements in a manner that affects the sense of beauty, specifically the production of the beautiful in a graphic or plastic medium. Calling them selfs “artists” they only copy what has been done before, for so many years their coached by corporate producers on what to do, what to say what to write and how to be. They define them selfs as artists but the true definition is: A person whose work shows exceptional creative ability or skill,who is able by virtue of imagination and talent or skill to create works of aesthetic value, especially in the fine arts. Taking what has been done over and over, time and time again with every Brittany Spears and Justin Timberlake that performs a Hillary Duff or Kelly Clarkson copies a plagiarized sound that fits in with a crowd. Engineered to appeal to the masses, the destruction of any art or imaginative or creativeness is traded in for acceptance within a controlled medium. No subject matter that is unexpected is discussed within a controlled medium, stuck on a path that is short and narrow with no room to grow. The usual popular subjects that mainstream music appeals to is sex, drugs, violence, love an almost hypnotic rut we have found ourselves only expecting that every song is about. Although the underground music follows similar rules on using repeated subject matter, the underground does not follow the rules of society but breaks them. The all too popular love song appeals to every person and no matter the song. Every Genre of music that exist in the mainstream media, tends to follow the typical stereo types with its style and at most times will never break out of this conforming shell. With every Pop song comes another cheesy love song, sexual journey or about nothing at all. With every Country song comes another cheesy love song and is at most times the ONLY topic but may surround country lifestyle or American pride or religious beliefs most likely only pertaining to the Christian or Catholic beliefs. With Rap the topic never strays from but may include life in the ghetto, another cheesy love song and as always drugs, violence and the all too popular sex and degrading of women on an every song basis. When venturing in to the Rock, Punk and Alternative genre we find a more open book of topics but none never daring to violate the format that has been set forth since rocks first foundation laid in the 50's and so on. Such topics as love, politics, violence, drugs and religious beliefs have been expressed but the song structure, vocal uses and time length on songs in the mainstream rock/alternative all tend to sit in the same boat. At many times within any mainstream genre songs are cut short on the radio and on tv to fit the tight schedule American media has given its “Artists”. These requirements that have been set down century after century limit any musician from creating art within music but only to create copied, acceptable music that will get play and will not be censored. And last but not least, the genre of heavy metal, one of the most rebellious of all music category's still exists in the mainstream and flourished with the rest of the offenders, especially during the 80s. In the underground world Heavy Metal tends to be the most risky and experimental calling back to the days of The Beatles and The Beach Boys. Underground music may never get any radio play due to sporadic language, spontaneous time structures, experimental and dramatic vocals, and outrageous length of songs may invade up to 8-10mins long. The subject matter ranging from history, to myths and fairy tales, poetry, love, religion and anything in between. At many times a genre is even broken in the underground with critics unable to pin point a finger to point at what the music is or should be. The American culture and community tends not to search for its music, or the answers to life's questions but be handed to them by Television, Radio and Newspapers that have been paid for by those above them who are as well delivering their message in to your homes everyday. For every Ad, for every song and for every book comes a price and a path that is paved by super conglomerates to get the word out and make an artist a mega star...as long as you do as they say of course. Many popular record labels will lay down specific instructions that an artist must follow for it to be signed by its company. The reason this agreement is constructed is to counter any negative or offensive things an artist may write about and prevent pressure from activist or lobbying groups who protest the albums. This has happened to such artists as Eminem, Beenyman and Madonna ,who signed to the label run by the Pepsi corporation, (who is also on with the unforgettable Brittany Spears) had written or acted on stage offensively and was dropped from the label because of heat from groups. But as the world changed, and the popularity strengthened by being out spoken on beliefs or overly dirty or corrupt labels began a new agreement that encouraged artist to overstep the boundary on what the world excepted and what it didn’t. In the end, either way, by following the trend of being overly dirty or conformed and moral shows no control over ones career. We have seen Mrs Brittany Spears or Christina Agulera become even more sexual and provocative for a reason that it is what makes the money in today’s world. If at any point these artists wanted to change direction their popularity would decrease causing them to make decisions on what is “in”. Trends in the world have always been an influence on music making what is popular and what is not popular strictly based on the “needs” and “wants” lyrically and beat wise. Within trends exist a medium or distributor of the product or message in this case television and radio. Before television and radio existed the only means of becoming known and mainstream with the world was a simple and known method of touring. This method gave a fair and accurate process to give the viewer a choice whether to accept or reject the musical act. But in the new age, a new and unfair voice exists, the voice of television and radio. Hand picked artist, strained for your pleasure, caught in a monotonous cycle of the same nonsense, hypnotically broad casted in every home and in every ear. The radio giant Clear Channel had once existed as a multi-network of many local stations run by local managers and many different and diverse play lists. In a request made to congress to consolidate stations within the network and a new bill to cut down on ad time to 15 minutes an hour, many changes were being made without a second glance. Less ad times sounds good right? Wrong. By consolidating local stations from hundreds to double digits a new sound began playing at an almost mind numbing amount. The local stations play list were thrown away and a homogenized and “supreme” list of artists took over the time cut from ads. In such a big world as this, the smallest of voices, of artists are no match for Clear Channel and a Neilson rating system that is ignorant to the diversity of music. Starving an unheard artist that are given no room to become popular on the new playing field that is a consuming market found a new place to call home, a place looking for anyone willing to listen, the internet. Free of corporate pressure or censorship of thoughts and ideas, the list of freedoms given was endless, the choice became the viewers not the broadcasters. Imagine if you will that the only way to listen to music was in a room of your house, no specific room in particular. As you entered this room you noticed a chair in the middle labeled Television and Radio and the three doors labeled Internet, satellite and free choice. Would you take your seat as usual and see what television and radio had in store for you or get out of the chair and exercise your freedom to search the unsearchable, to dream of music that not only lives but breaths a fresh air of originality and difference from the typical cliche. The choice is given to you, make it with caution. (Quote from Eman Learton www.youhavebadtasteinmusic.com) For their willingness to take an active role in created sound that perfectly fits the uncreative sound of today’s radio. For their ability to never progress thereby never challenging the audience, and giving the dumb downed masses pseudo art that they can easily grasp and digest. For being exactly what Mega-corporation clear channel needs, a cliche, homogenized hip sound that will receive acceptance in all markets of the country. Perfect music for today’s corporate dominated climate. Beloved by advertisers we have become the modern day version of Life Cereals “Mikey” you consume everything put in front of you its soul validity established by Television and Radio. |