Music Isn't Dead........

She’s not dead, but she isn’t well.  I don’t want to be like any one of the other Nine Million Music blog posters out there and write about a day gone by like it was perfect, or even that great for music herself.  Long ago, music lived in the air, for free, no matter where, no matter what. The only way you could hear instruments being played, is by proximity to a performer, or do it yourself.  This is not the time so many seem to sing the praises of.  They sing praises of a funnel system, that advocated control of music, and mechanical rights licensing and other dirty words..  They sing of the 50s or 60’s or 70’s or God forbid the 80’s as the hey day for music.  I strongly disagree…

Now is the time for us to participate with Music again.  To be given to the air, to the cavernous abyss that the Internet has become, to the kids, to the people, to the world.  Given.  Wait. Listen, really.  GIVEN.  Good for you, you “wrote” a song.  Here’s a cookie, go play a gig.  We cannot afford the luxury of the pointed spoils of an archaic system built on distrust and, some may say, a clearly defined goal to stamp out self expression and music all together.  The time is now to stand up for Music, for all the things she’s done for you, and all the things she’s done for others.  To show respect to a natural phenomenon so big, so amazingly complex, that its taken us the better part of our existence  to circle back to the beginning and try again.
What is happening now, is what’s happening now.  You don’t need any ONE source telling you whats real and whats not.  We have all that you could imagine at your fingertips.  You can see our entire culture, for all of its clicks, niches, sub cultures, religions, cults, soccer mom groups, AA groups, SAA groups, piss drinkers magazine, and good housekeeping forums, and discover your own opinion, post it, and move on.  The “music industry” is dead. If you want to be a part of the Death Rattle of a business model going down like the titanic, go ahead.  Join the rest of them playing their sad songs on the way to the icy cold ocean bottom.  The industry isn’t working, because there is no need for an industry.  I’m not talking anarchy, or doing it all by your lonesome, but you don’t have to rely on a big corporation handling the management of Celine Dion, and having creative decisions on the latest Afro beat record,to be heard.
With all of the social media being used, over used, under appreciated, or politically biased, or whatever your excuse is, the ability to assemble has never been more accessible.  Have some like minded musicians around?  Maybe gig with em?   Got a cell phone?
Do the math yourself, and make it tasteful, and real.  But be damn good at it.  Be your own Quality Control.  Don’t put on a show, just show me who you are.  Not as easy as you would think.  But its happening…now!  All over the web there’s a site a day that goes up with new music journalism video blogs, or “in the studio with blah blah blah”.  Many of them are trying to recreate the things that they loved from recent times, and are straying from the REAL, the NOW.  So what if the light fell over during your take…finish it, play with it, and put it some where I can find it when I find you.

Educate yourself.  There are so many sites out there with so much information.  Some good some bad.  Be your own judge, and decide for yourself what is real for you…
Colin McDonald 5 19