A new article by Arthur Magazine editor Jay Babcock insists that the digital age is not only killing the music industry, but is killing music itself. Since time immemorial — before Thomas Edison recorded “Mary Had Little Lamb,” of course — three things were necessary and sufficient for music to exist: a performer, a listener, and peace.
“If this sounds too abstract,” writes Babcock, “try this thought experiment. Imagine if machinery suddenly stopped working–the grid goes down, batteries don’t work, oil’s stopped up. We’re back in the Paleolithic. Where and when would you hear music? You’d only hear it in-person. That is the way we humans have successfully lived for 99% of our history on this planet. It turns out you really did have to be there. You wouldn’t encounter music otherwise.” Read the rest of the article here.
Roy,
I don’t quite get the problem with music going back to its roots in terms of how it is made and delivered. Yes if *if* we lost the machines and electricity we would of course not be able to play any music except on instruments as before. We always manage to make music.
I left this for Jay on his post –
Jay, your article seems a bit negative especially when you resort to calling Radiohead selfish. I believe we are moving toward a time when people will enjoy live music, and the gathering that entails, much more than ever before. The mp3 has reduced music to a commodity in certain areas but that doesn’t mean that music’s value is any less than it was before. As Thom Yorke and David Byrne discuss in Byrne’s Wired mag article, music has value beyond the way it is delivered. Radiohead wanted to stop music companies valuing the delivery system over the relationship that we as homo sap have to the music. As for music being different, for better or worse, in times of peace I’d say maybe but given we are not in a time of peace currently who amongst the musicians is currently speaking out?
December 27th, 2007 at 6:29 pmI agree with you, Dave, but I also find it interesting to take the extreme view in the midst of the changes that are afoot. As a thought experiment, it’s fun. As a jab at Radiohead, it’s ludicrous.
December 28th, 2007 at 10:33 am[...] A través del blog de Dave Allen, me topo con un interesantÃsimo artÃculo de Jay Babcock, editor de Arthur, una de las mejores revistas culturales de la actualidad. [...]
December 30th, 2007 at 3:28 am