On Tue, 5 Dec 2000, atomly wrote: [...] > I'd say the problem with the mainstream media picking up subgenres is > that they burn fast and die quickly... If techno (true, underground, > techno) were to get big tomorrow, a lot of people that we know would > probably become superstars overnight and in a year or two it would be > completely dead (a la grunge).
I don't think this would happen. The question to ask is this: what is mainstream music, what makes it mainstream? Answers typically cover a range but seem to revolve around the fact that there is massive appeal so they can sell the millions of CDs and videos. But do you think this would happen is someone who really enjoys Brittany Spears listened to a Juan Atkins track? Would NSync fans get down to the latest offerings of tech-house? They would if said music was marketed the same way as NSync and Miss. Brittany. The problem is there is little to hang a hat on with techno. No lyrics? Aww, come on. Get real! I think the same arguement can be made about any music living on the margins of society. If it doesn't have mass appeal there is little chance of it being glommed onto (yes, that's a highly used, technical marketing term) by the masses. Although, there is always the arguement of those who attended DEMF and saw people who had never heard techno go nuts. And I'll always remember a gig I played at one of the annual festivals in Milwaukee. It was an event called Maritime Days and the local college station had a tent and had bands playing during the day and at night. A friend of mine who has a Saturday night techno show on the station brought in a few friends to play records during his show at this festival. About half an hours after my friend's show started the Jerry Lee Lewis concert let out on the other side of the festival grounds. As people were filing out on their way home they were hypnotically pulled into our tent and were held rapt by the dance music playing out our sound system. I don't think I've ever seen a more diverse crowd of humans enjoying something together. My point? The mainstream media outlets who market music to the masses don't know the first thing about how they would market techno. What we know and what they miss is so simple: all that has to happen is for people to here the music with an open mind. Steven White steve at barking cat dot org aytch tee tee pea colon slash slash barking cat dot org slash
