Musical Observations

We live in such an advanced technological era that it's easier than ever to make your own music and distribute it. Why isn't any of it very good?

The internet, blogs, Twitter, Tumblr, Facebook and any other social media make it easier than ever for artists, especially musicians, to produce and distribute their work. At face value, this should mean a lot to self professed audiophiles. The problem, however, is that without a filter, it's only so much noise in an avalanche of media bombardments. You wouldn't know this from looking at any recent issue of Rolling Stone or websites like Pitchfork. According to these tastemakers, albums of five star or 8.0-10.0 ratings are routinely released. Either standards have fallen, or, really, we are enjoying a renaissance in terms of musical quality that's never been seen in the history of music, except for maybe the late '60s and early '70s. This is problematic.

Indie bands that produce albums that are even remotely competent are hailed as innovators and are featured on weekly playlists far and wide.  It seems like all you have to do is sprinkle in some references to Springsteen and other rock icons in your music and interviews, and, presto, you have some immediate cache that lends relevance to your music that it might not otherwise have.  This isn't the fault of the artists involved; there is a formula that garners immediate respect, and it's hard to blame anyone from following it.  Imitation may be the most sincerest form of flattery, but it's also easier to produce than something fresh and original.

On top of the assorted acts that seem to be shaped from the same mold, you also have many others that really have no business producing albums worth of material, and it's more than likely due to the fact that there is no barrier between production and distribution.  Labels, while still important, aren't the pinnacle of a career that acts strive for.  Why sign away your soul to distribute your material when you can either do it yourself very cheaply or find any number of lower rung indie labels, of which there seem to be too many to count, and have your music still reach a fair number of people?  If you have an album out, chances are someone can find it easily, on Amazon for example, and not have to search far and wide for some independent record store.  However, perhaps it shouldn't be that easy.

Getting signed to a label used to be hard.  One only needs to look back at the history of the Seattle scene to see how difficult it was for bands to get signed, even in the face of a scene which seemed to be flourishing only due to the fact that everyone was trying to sign any one who had even a slight claim to being from that area.  Ever hear of the U-Men?  Probably not, even though they were one of the first influential acts on the scene.  Obviously, labels signed a lot of acts that never panned out in order to cash in on a fad.  Why I think this matters is because there was at least the semblance of someone looking at the bigger picture.  Sure, profits were important, probably the most important aspect, but there's also the idea of producing a legacy and a back catalog filled with worthy acts.  The music mattered, and its quality was important, regardless of what the corporate suits at the top of the chain were concerned about.

Nowadays, it seems like anything and everything is released, regardless of quality.  Why is that a good thing?  Do you really believe that the newest album by those indie sweethearts will stand the test of time and rank up there with the icons of the industry?  I've done my fair share of griping about the fact that the top albums and acts of all time seems to be frozen in some sort of stasis, but there's something to be said about a discography that stands the test of time and doesn't lose any of its relevance.  There are newer, or at least more recent, acts that are producing some tremendous material, Radiohead and Wilco to name two, that will be around for a long time and influence a generation to come.  I just don't see the need to drown that influence out with a ton of music that won't be around that long.  Sometimes more isn't better.