Skip to main content

The Evolution of Music Performance (Post 9)


Music has always been a principle part of culture. Whether it accompanied religious rituals, served as motivation in times of battle, stylistically divided rich and poor culture, or otherwise, music has played a role in every culture we know today. Music was a reflection of the people and their values, and music culture served as a stage on which the art of those cultures could be displayed. In Western and westernized cultures today, the world in which music existed for the sake of music is known only by band kids and nostalgic, decaying old people. It has evolved into a platform where trends are born and corporate profits are determined.

Today, the quality of music is determined by the quality of performance. Success is defined by the quality of the music videos that accompany the music itself. When people attend concerts, they ask, "Is it instagramable?" Brands partner with musicians to generate profits for themselves and link their product with a specific niche of music culture.

Starting in the 80s, with the rise of spandex and fashion excess, bands became more focused on their visual appeal than the sounds vibrating from their instruments. Mötley Crüe and Kiss had a very distinct performance look, and were popular because of their image and reputation for notorious insanity. Madonna was popular for her costumes and dancing and was noted as being a mediocre singer, which didn't hinder her career in the slightest because she "looked good." Gang rap also rose in popularity and a culture was built around the rivalries that accompanied the music. In the 90s, grunge and heroin-chic took center stage and an entire genre of style was conceived by the bands comprised of children from the 70s and 80s. Death brought certain figures more fame than their music did - because the people had become the heart of the performance rather than the art.

Today, things like MTV and Youtube and Social Media have changed the way that music is perceived. It is all about the performance. Musical artists either strive to conform and produce music that people are guaranteed to like or they strive to create music so profane and ridiculous that people are forced to pay attention. Styles popularized by media, like "Billie Eilish hair" and new-wave feminism wherein women "sexualize themselves by choice for the sake of empowerment,"are now a part of culture.

There are niches that alternative culture has carved for itself where popular music is purposefully rejected and alternative styles are appreciated. But even these can be monetized - as exemplified by the cult following of Tool.

In my opinion, media has ruined music. Music should exist as a reflection of what the people want - not as a reflection of what corporate titans have told the people they want. However, maybe this is what the people want, and I'm simply unable to see it.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Si Perfume - Giorgio Armani (Post 2)

Perfume campaigns are notoriously vague, and they often portray sexualized famous people trying to convince the commoners (us) that we will be beautiful once we smell good. This campaign, "Si by Giorgio Armani," takes a different approach. Its main message is that women should take control of their lives and just say, "SÌ." By using their perfume as a symbol of power rather than sex, they are riding the wave of feminism in popular culture and telling their viewers that women will finally have the autonomy and control we deserve the moment we walk through a cloud of their smell-fluid. Shockingly, I think this is absolute bullshit. First, the character in the commercial is very far removed from reality. The idea of freedom she embodies involves sky-diving, wearing couture in a shopping market, and stealing a man's jacket. Few sane people who would buy this perfume, i.e. their target demographic, have the money to go sky-diving, sport couture simply because the...
2 comments
Read more

The Internet: The Factual Candy Store (Post 6)

The standard of truth held dear by news media organizations and American culture has been diminished and often disregarded because of the rise of the internet. That is not to say that we were ever entirely truthful. While our version of democracy has always required a certain degree of transparency and communication, we have never shied away from propaganda and smear campaigns and rose-colored depictions of our own society (except when it was inconvenient). However, the internet has given way to a whole new form of communication and unprecedented access to information. People are free to choose whose writing they read and whose version of truth they listen to because there is an overwhelming variety of options and no time to listen to all of them. And this is bad. It opens new markets. Because we want to hear what we already believe, we seem to have reached the consensus that there is no longer a need for local papers and truthful news, ...
1 comment
Read more

"Loyalty beyond reason is where the profits lie." (Post 3)

Many of the ideas presented in  The Persuaders , a documentary on the advertising industry by Frontline PBS, both shocked me and rang alarmingly true. The line that struck me most was, "Loyalty beyond reason is where the profits lie." As sickening as this concept is, I think we can all accept that there's truth to it. Humans feel the need to be accepted, and when they're not receiving the validation they want from the people around them, they turn to something with which they can affiliate. This is where advertising is successful. Cults require social sacrifice and the worship of an immediately visible leader. Brands are simply more convenient. They require monetary sacrifice of a certain, specified amount, and you don't ever have to see the faces of the people whose pockets you're lining. And all the while, your affiliation with that brand gets you the social acceptance you have always longed for. When an individual becomes affiliated with a brand to t...
1 comment
Read more