Samc wrote on Fri, 11 February 2005 12:36 |
With all due respect, this is beginning to feel pathetic. A bunch of old folks sitting around eulogizing music, music aint dead! AND IT WILL NEVER DIE! Music is not even sick, there is nothing wrong with music, but just like everything else in life, the business of music is changing for various reasons, and that has affected the way popular music is created, produced, distributed and consummated, that's it. Don't forget also that the taste of the younger generation (which is a big driving force for the business of music) has changed. In the same way that your musical taste changed from that of your parents.
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Sam, your post jumbles, music, the music business, and equipment into one subject, but they each need to be addressed independently. Music is a taste thing - some like today's music, and some don't. Some can't live without a background of constant music - some prefer peace and quiet.
However, the music
business is influenced by forces other than the younger generations' tastes. If a new artist or song can't be heard, they/it can't become popular. The playing field has never been level, but the chances were a little more even before the broadcast industry was allowed to assume such corporate power. The area of distribution has always been riddled with thievery, and it probably hasn't improved much today. I also don't recall hearing of musicians being routinely being shot, or attacked during televised ceremonies. Now
that's pathetic.
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And since most if not all who post here are a part of that creation, production, distribution and consummation process, guess what...............we all play a part in the continuing evolution. I find it really lame that some of the biggest CURRENT players in this game are constantly discussing how great everything was 50 years ago and how bad things are today, and how worst it will get. To top it off there is also now a mad, (almost obscene) rush to see who can post up the latest industry bad news first, leaving the rest something to "wax rhetoric" about who is to be blamed.
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You can't deny that some of these closings are news, even though the bubble was bound to pop at some point. Unfortunately, studios are run by humans, and we're all subject to spending more than we should. When you sink a few million into a business that can charge hourly about what a decent therapist can charge, the arithmetic is against you.
By the way, I've rubbed a few folks the wrong way by trying to keep the blame away from home studios - perhaps a relatively 'new' phenomenon (though not for me).
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It doesn't do any justice if we make comparisons between the best of yesteryear and worst of today, If we choose to look beyond the Billboard charts, and the radio station playlist, if we choose to look beyond pop an rock, we will see that great music is still being made, good music played by good musicians and recorded and mixed by good engineers with good results.
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There were good musicians before recording was ever invented, and there are good ones today. My point is, it's hard to look beyond the charts and playlists, because they're being manipulated by people who see ledger sheets only.
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And if we want to be honest we will also admit that a lot of lousy shit was made in the past era too, and a lot of it sounded bad, even some of the stuff that have become poster examples of greatness don't exactly have stellar sound. While we're at it lets clear up another myth, not all the equipment that was being used back then always had this aura of romance that surrounds them now. - <snip for brevity> -
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I don't think anyone is going to argue with you on that, but, even with all the magic wands we have now, shitty performers still sound shitty. A lot glossier maybe, but still shitty.
I think you're missing the point on the gear, even though some might claim everything old is good (it isn't). What we've come to call 'classic' gear was made in a time when the manufacturer assumed that the gear was to be maintained by competent engineers, and used by trained professionals. Service manuals and schematics were part of the package when you bought the equipment, and the staff techs were expected to do repair and maintenance. Fifty year old Ampexes can still pull tape up to original specs today (if you can find the tape), while fingers are crossed everyday, hoping that this is not the day the computer's primary hard drive crashes - even though it's only a month old. Say what you will, the older equipment was built to last - today's gear is built to sell. Some old gear sounds great - some doesn't. The very same applies to new gear.
If you like the way things are now, then fine. Just remember the old saying about those who ignore history being fated to repeat the mistakes of history. Lord knows, there's a ton of mistakes to learn from in the music biz.
Phil