MUSIC IS THE NEW PLAGUE …and I’m loving it

This is a fantastically fascinating time for music. I can’t think of another time in recent (modern) history when music was so everywhere. I’m not talking about things like the big obtrusive boom boxes of the eighties. Nor does the rise of jazz in the 30s, and 50s or the explosion of rock in the 60s compare to what’s happening now. No, think more on a global scale. Was there ever a time when music played such an intriguing and meaningful part of the lives of so many people?

If you are out and about while reading this stop for a moment and take a look around you. How many people do you see with headphones and earphones? It’s mind boggling when you really stop to see it. It’s as if there is some conspiracy or secret mind altering thing going on. Like a silent plague that’s not so silent and plague being a good thing.

Music is enjoying an emergence on a hugely world wide magnitude. This of course spurred on by the innovation and popularity of the iPod and now iPhone and it’s competitors. Made more global by the adoption of internet radio, iTunes and music streaming. (The RIAA reported huge increases in music shipment and revenue in 2016 Read about It Here)

There is so much music now available and so many ways to access it. But that’s just part of the story. Take a look at where much of the music is coming from. No longer is the music industry moguls the only rightful distributor of music. No longer is the recording studio the only place to record music. No longer does the artist have to be under contract and a part of someone else’s vision.

Anyone (and I mean anyone) can now create, perform, record, distribute, promote, sell and even make money from their music. Ok, the make money part may be a little (a lot) exaggerated given the current saturation of ‘artists’ and their ‘music’ that is out there now. The fact is that it’s becoming more and more evident that the portion of royalties you get from today’s revenue streams are minuscule to previous generations of artists.

But this stops no one. The music still comes and we are all sucking it in like the air we breathe. I’m good with that. Because I love music. It’s entwined in everything I do in my life.

So what do you say we add some more music to the mix. There is a little site called Fandalism that I frequently upload music to and there are some truly amazing artists there. Many are musicians I’ve worked with on tracks and some I’d like to work with in the future. I’d like to feature a few of them here and in future posts. Let’s get to it.

Danny Roffe

HG Schmitz

Kjell Johansson

Hiro Ogawa

SaGoBa

Nobby Conrad

Michael Stark

Clifford Lisette