Let’s jump off from where Daniel's comment from the previous post left off: The Internet.
I agree with him, music is alive and well today. There is a ton of great music being produced every day and we all know that just because it’s popular, it doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s good. So what role as the internet played in this decade lacking a musical voice?
The internet, and the ability that every Tom, Dick and Harry have to download music and seek out alternative forms of music that aren’t on the radio is playing a huge role for today’s music lover. How else would they come to know bands that aren’t being force fed to them by the mainstream media?
Music fans and artists alike have to be thrilled about the internet’s capability to make any sound, any artist and any song available world wide. But as good as it is for the exposure of new music, what harm is it doing to our identity?
The internet to the music industry is what expansion is to the NHL. Sure, you get a lot more players involved in the game and open yourself up to potential revenues from un-tapped markets, but you also water down your product. No?
Did artists like Elvis, the Beatles and Michael Jackson benefit from a pre-internet era, or were they just that special? I would argue the latter.
Even in my own life, the internet has exposed me to bands that I would not know of otherwise, Daniel alluded to Animal Collective – they are one. The Avett Brothers, Dr. Dog, TV On The Radio, Vampire Weekend, and Citizen Cope have all taken up space on my iPod with thanks to the internet.
I like that internet is allowing us to seek out and enjoy more diverse and eclectic music, but shouldn’t such a mass communicator like the internet produce more global artists that we all know? We all seem to be living in our own little musical worlds, enjoying what we want to enjoy, isolated and not interested in what everyone else is listening to – and that that may be all well and good, but it doesn’t answer the initial question: Where is our unifier? What is our legacy?
Or did I already answer my question?
Is our legacy just that – that we have no one or two artists to define us? Is this generation simply defined by our own personal musical tastes? Time magazine dubbed “YOU” the person of the year a few years back. At first they were mocked by readers and pop culture critics for proclaiming that we were all the person of the year for doing just what we are talking about: seeking out and enjoying what we like individually, and not what is being fed to us by the media. Maybe they were right.
I still like to believe that somewhere out there is an artist or personality that will rise up above the rest and make the world take notice, someone who will be remembered and revered for the next 50 years... there has to be. Who knows, maybe they might just use the internet to reach that global fame and respect.
To be continued...
May 31, 2009
Voice Of A Generation
Let us first define some parameters of this ongoing discussion. We’re focusing specifically on the 2000’s. If music was created on or within January 1, 2000 – present day, it’s welcome in this platform. That’s pretty much where the limit ends. There’s no need to restrict ourselves to any other rules or guidelines because I feel (and hope) that this debate will rage on and branch into territories that weren’t even considered at first.
In initial conversations with friends and music lovers, sub-topics like the media, the internet, changing social trends, world events and money have all come into play, so let’s start simple and see where this goes…
I like to think of myself as the average music fan. I have no one distinguishable style of music that I lean towards. I just enjoy music with prejudice. Rap, rock, country, techno, pop, and metal – if it’s good, it’s good!
I’ve only been around for two and a half decades, so I cannot consider myself the foremost authority when it comes to the history of music and how it represented generations past, but I have done my research, and I have spoken to a lot of people who have lived longer than I have.
It takes a very special artist to make the entire world sit up and take notice. These artists don’t necessarily have everyone rushing out to buy their albums or purchase tickets to their shows. But they do something so remarkable, so unique and so special that you can’t help but know who they are and what they do.
Generally speaking, when you think of music from the 1950’s, you would think of artists like Elvis Presley. Elvis tore on to the music scene in 1956 like a bat out of hell and very quickly became the reason for living for most young girls, the envy of young boys and the devil to most uptight American parents. Whether Elvis was “a hack” and a thief, as proclaimed by some is not the debate. It doesn’t matter if you like Elvis or not - you know him, recognize his music and can categorize him to a very specific decade musical sound.
The 60’s had the British Invasion, led by the Beatles. The 70’s left us Led Zeppelin, Jim Hendrix, The Rolling Stones and Disco. The 80’s had Run DMC, Madonna, Michael Jackson and Hair Bands. The 90’s: Nirvana and Pearl Jam led the grunge fad and manufactured pop bands like the Backstreet Boys and the Spice Girls drew world-wide attention. (I know that I’m over-simplifying these decades, but I hope you get my point)
What legacy will the 2000’s leave behind?
There has been a ton of great music produced in the past ten years, but who – or what – has been big enough to make the mass population stand up and take notice? What will this era be remembered for in 20 years for now? What will we tell our kids we listened to? Will there be radio stations devoted entirely to today’s music? Or is it too early to tell?
All the biggest bands, artists and music personalities of today were not products of the 2000’s. Green Day, The Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Eminem, Britney Spears and Coldplay (for a lack of a better list) were all exposed to us in the 1990’s or earlier and have lived on until now.
Is Jack White our savior? Will the Kings Of Leon be a valid representation of us in 2020? Does Lil’ Wayne have the longevity to sustain well into the next decade?
A lot of questions are being asked of me, I know, but a lot of hesitation and concern is also swirling about my head.
So how about you, who do you think is the “voice” of our decade? Who stands out to you as being the global standard of who we are and what we listen to?
We are not baby boomers, we're not hippies or stoners, we aren't generation x'ers. Are we nothing more than Generation... meh?
In initial conversations with friends and music lovers, sub-topics like the media, the internet, changing social trends, world events and money have all come into play, so let’s start simple and see where this goes…
I like to think of myself as the average music fan. I have no one distinguishable style of music that I lean towards. I just enjoy music with prejudice. Rap, rock, country, techno, pop, and metal – if it’s good, it’s good!
I’ve only been around for two and a half decades, so I cannot consider myself the foremost authority when it comes to the history of music and how it represented generations past, but I have done my research, and I have spoken to a lot of people who have lived longer than I have.
It takes a very special artist to make the entire world sit up and take notice. These artists don’t necessarily have everyone rushing out to buy their albums or purchase tickets to their shows. But they do something so remarkable, so unique and so special that you can’t help but know who they are and what they do.
Generally speaking, when you think of music from the 1950’s, you would think of artists like Elvis Presley. Elvis tore on to the music scene in 1956 like a bat out of hell and very quickly became the reason for living for most young girls, the envy of young boys and the devil to most uptight American parents. Whether Elvis was “a hack” and a thief, as proclaimed by some is not the debate. It doesn’t matter if you like Elvis or not - you know him, recognize his music and can categorize him to a very specific decade musical sound.
The 60’s had the British Invasion, led by the Beatles. The 70’s left us Led Zeppelin, Jim Hendrix, The Rolling Stones and Disco. The 80’s had Run DMC, Madonna, Michael Jackson and Hair Bands. The 90’s: Nirvana and Pearl Jam led the grunge fad and manufactured pop bands like the Backstreet Boys and the Spice Girls drew world-wide attention. (I know that I’m over-simplifying these decades, but I hope you get my point)
What legacy will the 2000’s leave behind?
There has been a ton of great music produced in the past ten years, but who – or what – has been big enough to make the mass population stand up and take notice? What will this era be remembered for in 20 years for now? What will we tell our kids we listened to? Will there be radio stations devoted entirely to today’s music? Or is it too early to tell?
All the biggest bands, artists and music personalities of today were not products of the 2000’s. Green Day, The Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Eminem, Britney Spears and Coldplay (for a lack of a better list) were all exposed to us in the 1990’s or earlier and have lived on until now.
Is Jack White our savior? Will the Kings Of Leon be a valid representation of us in 2020? Does Lil’ Wayne have the longevity to sustain well into the next decade?
A lot of questions are being asked of me, I know, but a lot of hesitation and concern is also swirling about my head.
So how about you, who do you think is the “voice” of our decade? Who stands out to you as being the global standard of who we are and what we listen to?
We are not baby boomers, we're not hippies or stoners, we aren't generation x'ers. Are we nothing more than Generation... meh?
May 30, 2009
Prologue
Welcome to Generation Meh! Here will focus solely on today's music scene and what it represents. Not just to music fans, but what it says about who we are and how we will be remembered.
Topics will be posted as frequently as possible and the discussion will not work without your participation. I'm only one man, and represent only one man's opinion.
Music is universal. It speaks to us in ways that other forms of communication cannot. It can be beautiful and ugly. Smart and stupid. Meaningful and useless. Forgettable and memorable. Music can be life changing, motivating, arousing, inspiring, embarrassing and educating.
Through the years, there has always been a documented style of music that has been prevalent. Whether it was Swing in 20's, Rock N Roll in the 50's, Disco in the 70's Pop in the 80's or Grunge in the 90's. But what have we now? What sound is defining our generation? Who are our collective musical influences? Do we have (or even need) a defining voice or personality today? Or are we simply defined by our diversity?
These topics and more will be explored in depth, here at Generation Meh.
Stay tuned and stay involved.
Dan
Topics will be posted as frequently as possible and the discussion will not work without your participation. I'm only one man, and represent only one man's opinion.
Music is universal. It speaks to us in ways that other forms of communication cannot. It can be beautiful and ugly. Smart and stupid. Meaningful and useless. Forgettable and memorable. Music can be life changing, motivating, arousing, inspiring, embarrassing and educating.
Through the years, there has always been a documented style of music that has been prevalent. Whether it was Swing in 20's, Rock N Roll in the 50's, Disco in the 70's Pop in the 80's or Grunge in the 90's. But what have we now? What sound is defining our generation? Who are our collective musical influences? Do we have (or even need) a defining voice or personality today? Or are we simply defined by our diversity?
These topics and more will be explored in depth, here at Generation Meh.
Stay tuned and stay involved.
Dan
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