Before The Music Dies

August 8, 2008 – 5:05 am by Jonathan Grand

This is not new, but it’s important to talk about and make sure everyone watches it. It’s about the narrowing fine line between music as art and as product.

Continuing the point I tried to make with The Most Discussed Article on Moozek Yet, back in February, I believe this is something a lot more important to us as music professionals, than CDs mastered at -5 dB with 6% of sample clipping. Amen? Read on…(trailer included)

We’ve been witnessing a somewhat concerning situation for a while now, and it’s important to at least let people be aware, specially if you’re young and you think Paris Hilton is super hot, and her album just shows how talented she is.

Nothing wrong with buying albums and being a fan of whoever you want to be (for now), as long as you are truly aware, and don’t mix what you should like as a product with what you should admire as art (whatever the meaning of art is anymore – I think even I am guilty of forgetting it a little bit, and I’m a musician too!)

I admit I have only watched parts of the movie, I’m still going to order it.

It seems to contain valuable ideas. Not for us to panic, like Dave Matthews said, but to gain awareness and education. Although the title sounds aggressive, and the problem itself is annoying and noticeable in our society, I believe we’re really dealing with normal side effects of a market culture applied to what used to be simply music. And make no mistake, we need that market culture. As professionals, we need to be aware of that. But this is not an issue of capitalism or advertising. It’s an issue of ignorance or education.

Feel free to make this post a message board for discussion, if there is anything you’d like to say.