Conrad Keely, of Austin’s …And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead, makes a compelling (and graphic) argument against the dilution of music appreciation in our iTunes-enabled culture :
"The association of music with a recording rather than a live performance, along with the loss of the average listener to be capable of playing the music they want to listen to and the absence of a piano in every average middle-class household, is probably the most defining aspect of our less-than-definitive musical age… It is the demise of our need to work for music, to have a certain affinity to it, whether it be seeing it performed for us by apt musicians or listening to a family member reading it out of a song book, which makes us the consummate insatiable consumer and gives way to our need for more and more choice and diversity. Like a glutton who has overstuffed themselves past the point which their stomach-linings have bloated outward, so our musical-ears are overstuffed with variations without ever paying attention to theme, obsessed with consumption without any focus on merit. And we will continue to break off chunks of the pure form and dilute it with any whim available simply because it is available, for there is no longer any actual activity associated with our ability to appreciate."
Amen! Musical genre aside, I have songs – entire bands – on my iTunes that I have not yet heard and will only hear in passing. Good music usually requires a good amount of focus to truly “get”. And that’s what’s great about a live performance… no (or few) distractions getting in the way.
In other news, I can’t keep up with all of these posts! Spread it out man, or you’ll burn out – or run out of material – in a few months! Plus, your audience (Hi!) needs time to digest these nuggets.
LOL – I guess you could say I’m making up for lost time, but I’ll heed your advice.
LOL? LOL?!? What do you think this is, the internet?
Oh and one more thing, since we’re on a subject I can actually comment on instead of just making snarky comments at you…
Live performances – not recordings – are where musicians of all genres make their money. (Well, merchandise sales are a big, big contributor but those are sold at shows and let’s not get lost in the details here). My point is not that Mr. Keely is being self-serving in emphasizing performance. But showing up in person really is the best way to show your support, in more ways than one.
Amen! Musical genre aside, I have songs – entire bands – on my iTunes that I have not yet heard and will only hear in passing. Good music usually requires a good amount of focus to truly “get”. And that’s what’s great about a live performance… no (or few) distractions getting in the way.
In other news, I can’t keep up with all of these posts! Spread it out man, or you’ll burn out – or run out of material – in a few months! Plus, your audience (Hi!) needs time to digest these nuggets.
Amen! Musical genre aside, I have songs – entire bands – on my iTunes that I have not yet heard and will only hear in passing. Good music usually requires a good amount of focus to truly “get”. And that’s what’s great about a live performance… no (or few) distractions getting in the way.
In other news, I can’t keep up with all of these posts! Spread it out man, or you’ll burn out – or run out of material – in a few months! Plus, your audience (Hi!) needs time to digest these nuggets.
Amen! Musical genre aside, I have songs – entire bands – on my iTunes that I have not yet heard and will only hear in passing. Good music usually requires a good amount of focus to truly “get”. And that’s what’s great about a live performance… no (or few) distractions getting in the way.
In other news, I can’t keep up with all of these posts! Spread it out man, or you’ll burn out – or run out of material – in a few months! Plus, your audience (Hi!) needs time to digest these nuggets.
Amen! Musical genre aside, I have songs – entire bands – on my iTunes that I have not yet heard and will only hear in passing. Good music usually requires a good amount of focus to truly “get”. And that’s what’s great about a live performance… no (or few) distractions getting in the way.
In other news, I can’t keep up with all of these posts! Spread it out man, or you’ll burn out – or run out of material – in a few months! Plus, your audience (Hi!) needs time to digest these nuggets.
Amen! Musical genre aside, I have songs – entire bands – on my iTunes that I have not yet heard and will only hear in passing. Good music usually requires a good amount of focus to truly “get”. And that’s what’s great about a live performance… no (or few) distractions getting in the way.
In other news, I can’t keep up with all of these posts! Spread it out man, or you’ll burn out – or run out of material – in a few months! Plus, your audience (Hi!) needs time to digest these nuggets.
LOL – I guess you could say I’m making up for lost time, but I’ll heed your advice.
LOL – I guess you could say I’m making up for lost time, but I’ll heed your advice.
LOL – I guess you could say I’m making up for lost time, but I’ll heed your advice.
LOL – I guess you could say I’m making up for lost time, but I’ll heed your advice.
LOL – I guess you could say I’m making up for lost time, but I’ll heed your advice.
LOL? LOL?!? What do you think this is, the internet?
Oh and one more thing, since we’re on a subject I can actually comment on instead of just making snarky comments at you…
Live performances – not recordings – are where musicians of all genres make their money. (Well, merchandise sales are a big, big contributor but those are sold at shows and let’s not get lost in the details here). My point is not that Mr. Keely is being self-serving in emphasizing performance. But showing up in person really is the best way to show your support, in more ways than one.
LOL? LOL?!? What do you think this is, the internet?
Oh and one more thing, since we’re on a subject I can actually comment on instead of just making snarky comments at you…
Live performances – not recordings – are where musicians of all genres make their money. (Well, merchandise sales are a big, big contributor but those are sold at shows and let’s not get lost in the details here). My point is not that Mr. Keely is being self-serving in emphasizing performance. But showing up in person really is the best way to show your support, in more ways than one.
LOL? LOL?!? What do you think this is, the internet?
Oh and one more thing, since we’re on a subject I can actually comment on instead of just making snarky comments at you…
Live performances – not recordings – are where musicians of all genres make their money. (Well, merchandise sales are a big, big contributor but those are sold at shows and let’s not get lost in the details here). My point is not that Mr. Keely is being self-serving in emphasizing performance. But showing up in person really is the best way to show your support, in more ways than one.
LOL? LOL?!? What do you think this is, the internet?
Oh and one more thing, since we’re on a subject I can actually comment on instead of just making snarky comments at you…
Live performances – not recordings – are where musicians of all genres make their money. (Well, merchandise sales are a big, big contributor but those are sold at shows and let’s not get lost in the details here). My point is not that Mr. Keely is being self-serving in emphasizing performance. But showing up in person really is the best way to show your support, in more ways than one.
LOL? LOL?!? What do you think this is, the internet?
Oh and one more thing, since we’re on a subject I can actually comment on instead of just making snarky comments at you…
Live performances – not recordings – are where musicians of all genres make their money. (Well, merchandise sales are a big, big contributor but those are sold at shows and let’s not get lost in the details here). My point is not that Mr. Keely is being self-serving in emphasizing performance. But showing up in person really is the best way to show your support, in more ways than one.