The Music Biz

First of all, let me be clear that I don’t have a problem with anyone making money off of music. From the sidewalk busker with the guitar case open and the homemade CDs for sale to the merch table at a punk show, to the web sites where you can buy jackets with the band’s logo—hey, musicians need to eat, and they are offering something for the money. I’m pragmatic about that. (I do think Ticketmaster’s cut is ridiculous, but that’s a separate story.)
 

I don’t automatically have a problem with studio-created bands either. My CD collection contains C+C Music Factory, Technotronic, No Mercy, and the Monkees, and if they don’t necessarily have the staying power of the Clash, well, not all bands that start as a bunch of friends playing in a garage have that staying power either. Some things work out, and some don’t, and it’s not always a matter of worthiness.

Sometimes when I am working on a topic things that would appear to be only tangentially related pop up that enrich the whole experience. So one interesting piece that I found was this:

http://www.salon.com/2012/04/09/thomas_kinkade_the_george_w_bush_of_art/

Without spending time on Kinkade, or even the article, the main thing that was interesting is kitsch is not necessarily harmless, and it is most harmful to those who do not see it as kitsch. So, back to that “pop” music.

I realize that there are people who are down on pop music in general, some because they consider it to be too shallow, and some specifically for the popularity from which it derives its name. That’s not me. First of all, there is a wide range in the level of depth and seriousness, and if a song about dancing makes you feel like dancing, well at least it’s accomplished something.

Also, I am not one to hate something for being popular. I deleted someone on Facebook once for using the term “sheeple”. Okay, there had been irritation leading up to it, but it all revolved around that attitude of superiority.  Lots of people liking something is not an automatic indictment, and the art needs to be judged on its own merit.  I do get irritated by hype, but that is more of an issue of the item not deserving it. I don’t hate “Twilight” because it’s popular—I hate it because it’s crap, and because it is crap, I hate that it is popular. There may still be some snobbery in my attitude, but I can’t just dismiss people or their taste in general. They need to be judged on their own merits too.

I suppose that is why I felt like I had to subject myself to listening to so much contemporary music, as opposed to just assuming I would hate it. Now I have listened to songs and watched videos (or parts of videos) by Justin Bieber, One Direction, Backstreet Boys, N’Sync, 98 Degrees, (I felt like I already had enough familiarity with the New Kids on the Block), Jonas Brothers, Naked Brothers, Britney Spears, Jessica Simpson, Ashlee Simpson, Vanessa Hudgens, Selena Gomez, Demi Lovato, Hilary Duff, Aly & AJ, Miley Cyrus, and Lindsey Lohan.

First point, and this is absolutely essential, my disdain has been vindicated. I realize my education may not be complete until I also watch a few episodes of American Idol, and if that is the case I am taking some time off from school, but yes, this is a ton of garbage, and I am lucky that my mind scrubs out stuff like this so none of it is stuck in my head. I can recall little phrases if I try, and I certainly got a few laughs along the way (especially Jonas Brothers “Bounce”; it’s their attempt at hip hop, and it’s funny and sad).

This is where I start rambling and having a hard time with organization though, and I’m not quite sure where to go with it. Actually, that’s not right. It goes in multiple directions, so the question is what order to hit things in, and also staying coherent, especially as we reach the point where I get mad. (Seriously, I have eleven pages of notes, and I am still neither done nor coherent.)

Really, in some ways I think I have done very well with this. I mean, I have been posting consistently, none of the posts are too long, and most of them have been pretty focused until the last two days, I guess, so that is going well. If you are not interested in music, or in my thoughts on music, it’s probably been pretty annoying.

What comes ahead is why this “music” is not merely not good, but potentially harmful, socially aware commentary, and parenting advice from someone who doesn’t have any nieces or nephews. Sometimes it’s hard to take the excitement.