Randy Remote wrote: > > This is fascinating. Do you think he is right? > In a recent NYTimes article, David Bowie said: > > > "The absolute transformation of everything that we ever thought > > about music will take place within 10 years, and nothing is going to be > > able to stop it. I see absolutely no point in pretending that it's not > > going to happen. I'm fully confident that copyright, for instance, will > > no longer exist in 10 years, and authorship and intellectual property is > > in for such a bashing." > > > > "Music itself is going to become like running water or electricity," he > > added. "So it's like, just take advantage of these last few years > > because none of this is ever going to happen again. You'd better be > > prepared for doing a lot of touring because that's really the only > > unique situation that's going to be left.
I'm not sure about having no copyrights anymore, but intellectual property is already being bashed. Who's created what, and how they'll get paid for it, is just going to get even more complicated. Everything on the net seems up for grabs, for free, not just music but information and visuals, too. Music in tv ads seems the way a lot of artists are going, but ads as we've known them won't exist much longer either now that they can be bypassed with the latest technology. So it's all ajumble and I'm sure highly anxiety provoking for many people. The big record store nearby that's preparing to close its doors is influencing my thoughts, but I imagine that within five years there won't be any such store anywhere. There may be specialty stores selling cds similar to the ones that sell vinyl now, although if most people are just downloading music, how many cds will be made to sell at those stores? Cds might be mere souvenirs for the die-hard fans, maybe just something to be bought at a concert. I'm already missing the way it has been, that when someone talks about Blue, for example, I know what it looks like, how it sounds, the order of the songs, the "feel" of the album. So, supposing Joni's next 10 songs are only available by downloading, do we have to pay for (or take) all 10? or can we pick and choose and put them in whatever order pleases us? And maybe not even bother with downloading the artwork Joni created, but come up with our own cover. In an environment where the artist's vision and efforts are so underappreciated, it's no wonder Joni's not writing anymore. Her individual songs might be appreciated and listened to, but I think she wants to get across more than just a snappy tune or two. Of course, making personal collections has been done for a long time, and I've enjoyed putting together some compilations myself. But these days the "core" material that we can all share and talk about and buy still exists, so the personal collections are an enjoyable offshoot, not the only thing. I may not be making any sense with this, and perhaps just enjoying and sharing individual songs will be enough once I get used to the idea. Last night I listened to a new cd on my portable player and had the cover open, the booklet spread out and was reading the lyrics as I listened, the same routine I had when listening to a new album, trying to get to know not only the music but the artist, too. My co-worker listened to songs on a little mp3 player, no visuals at all, and he seemed quite content. I felt very behind the times. Anyway, back to Bowie... since artists won't have much say in how their recorded work is taken in, I do agree with him when he says that live concerts will be the only unique situation for an artist. And there will always be live performances since people have always gathered to share storytelling, whether it's in music or plays or comedy or poetry reading or even speeches. There's something compelling about sharing that "of the momentness", not only between performer and audience, but among the audience too, so, yes, touring is going to be extremely important, not only because the artist can control the presentation of their art, but also because it may be the only way they get paid (to some extent that's the case now). None of this bodes well for Joni. It'll be interesting to see how she maneuvers through this. Anyone else have any musings about the musical future? And especially of how artists will fare? Debra Shea NP: "Hard on Me" (12 minutes of wow-ness!) from Richard Thompson's new, fantastic, live, sold-only-on-his-website cd, Semi-Detached Mock Tudor.
