Today there are many factors that hurt the music industry. One factor involves
the way we push musicians into allowing the industry to popularize one good song thus
forgetting the rest of the album. We the consumers have somehow been satisfied with just
one good song from one mediocre band. Perhaps there is a simple formula for disaster.
First the song is played on the radio and then the video is constantly on MTV, thus
causing us to get tired of the music. It's as easy as that!
We sit and whine about not hearing enough from our favorite band, but once they
come out with new music we smother ourselves in it. We then get sick of it and are left
looking for something new to fulfill our cravings. This is when we, the monster
consumers of music, decide to take our interest to the next hit song. It's not all our
fault. You have to put at least some blame on the bands themselves. They feel that it
is part of their job to indulge our wants. We as lovers of what these songwriters do are
appalled and disgusted by hearing anything but the best from our favorite bands. Once we
have what we want it's not long before we want more. This is because we consume the
musicians' talents like a fast food happy meal. We open the box, take out the toy, throw
away the contents, and then bitch about being hungry. When we do this we always say,
"It's a cool song, but they are a one hit wonder." We the hungry consumer do not give
the bands a chance to show their true musical talents. One example involves the group
Verve Pipe and their hit song "The Freshman." This songs LP was out in December. No one
noticed it until halfway through the month of March. "The Freshman" was played every
thirty minutes on the radio and fifteen times a day on MTV. This in my opinion results
in the complete overplay of one bands hit song. Now we consider them a "One hit wonder."
The Verve Pipe has more good music, but who is to say that anyone will ever hear it?
Another thing that hurts the industry is the reliance on gimmicks. Finding
talent in a band that relies on gimmicks is as easy as lifting a three-hundred pound man
above you head. Sure for some it is easy, but for others it's damn near impossible. A
few bands that rely on gimmicks are Marilyn Manson and basically any rapper you can think
of off the top of your head. Sure there are a few rappers that have produced good songs,
but many rappers rely very heavily on gangster mentality and vulgar language. These
gimmicks make rap music liked by those who see their music as a way of breaking social
norms. It's the attitude of these rappers that say, "I don't care if my music is
offensive because that's what I grew up with." Is this really true? Is it really their
momma's fault that every song they write relies on vulgar language and gang-banging
situations? It's simply a way to keep their music popular because that's what kids want
to hear. If the kids keep pumping out the cash, then the music industry will keep
producing the vulgar and obscene records. This causes the industry to be run by bad
mouthed money makers.
Another band that relies heavily on gimmicks is Marilyn Manson. Marilyn Mansons
small band of social screwups owe it to themselves to perhaps step back and see that he
is not a heroic leader, but more like a ringleader at a circus. I truly don't believe
that he is a leader of the Satanic Brotherhood, but that he could possibly travel with a
circus and perform in his own side-show. This is something that I personally believe is
not worth following. This just shows how crazy one man can pretend to be. He creates
some crazy satanic album and then he just sits back and watches as the money and fans
roll in.
Marilyn Mansons music is however very potent. Even I have been pulled in by a
small portion of his music. I love his remake of "Sweet Dreams," and I also think that
his song "Beautiful People" is awesome. I am just one of many prime examples of how one
person who is disgusted by all of the gimmicks can easily be pulled in by creating or
even recreating catchy tunes.
It's gimmicks and consumer consumption that I feel make up relatively ninety-five
percent of all that is bad with the music industry today. Sure you still have the bands
like Beck that try to show how to break those gimmicks by poking fun at the very heart of
all that they stand for, but there are also bands that are strictly about making music.
It doesn't matter if you like their music or not. This decision is up to you. It seems
to me that these are the types of bands that are much happier making music and not just
making money. Gimmicks stand for failure within music and disaster for any decent and
talented musician whose dreams were shattered by some gimmick reliant one hit wonder.
Maybe one reason that kids follow gimmicks is that since time began they have always
wanted something there to grab hold of and to call their own. I think that some bands
that I consider gimmick bands try to give the kids something to take a hold of. Even
though in my opinion only one or two out of twenty of these bands will be around for a
sophomore record release.
Today we are all fixed on ourselves. We say things like, "I want to hear a new
single" and "I want to see new videos." The problem is that when we finally do hear
these songs we are quick to make opinions on them. We still listen to music but we no
longer hear it. All bands are seeing is dollar signs and all the consumers are seeing is
a group of lyrics and some catchy tunes.
I feel that new bands are not taken as seriously now as they were in the past.
When we get hungry we eat. Perhaps the same food over and over again. How often do we
try something new though? This relates very well to the music industry. We are quick to
spin the same records, but how often do we try out a new band? We very rarely give the
new guys a fair chance. I feel that everything in the music industry has been going down
hill for quite some time. We have to change our ways. The next time you take a crap
don't flush right away. Just stand up and look in the bowl because what you see is
exactly where the music industry is heading in the future. All that it's going to take
to ruin it is a simple flush.
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