Much has been said and written lately about the “demise” of the music industry. I read an interesting essay recently in which the author offered up his ten reasons for the decline in the music industry (you can read it at http://rdstreets.hubpages.com/hub/Top-10-Reasons-Why-the-Music-Industry-is-Failing).
But is the music industry really failing, or is it just changing? Some have argued that the music industry is in decline due to a perceived lack of musicianship on the part of recording artists, songwriters and producers. Certainly, there does appear to be a diminished emphasis on mastering the craft of traditional music making, whether it is training on a musical instrument, vocal training or composition. However, there also is a new breed of musicians who make their music in a different way: manipulating sampled sounds using computers and specialized software. To be fair, “electronic music,” in the purest sense, is not “new,” as it has been around since the 1950s when musicians and recording engineers first began to experiment with using electronics to edit and alter recorded sounds. However, electronic music has taken a prominent place in the pop music scene unlike ever before. While electronic musicians may not have the same musical “chops” as those who spent years studying and practicing to master instruments, they have developed a new set of compositional and performance tools that are creating unique electronic music.
Like many other working musicians today, I began my musical studies at a young age, practiced until I got to the point where I felt comfortable playing gigs, and then continued to learn by working with and listening to other musicians whom I admired. Many musicians still see this journey of “paying your dues” as a necessary step to learn how to become a professional musician.
But is it really? Many of the electronic musicians recording and performing in clubs today have a skill set that eludes most “traditional” musicians. They have the ability and talent to identify sounds and beats that will work best together, to electronically manipulate those sounds using computer-based tools, and to create music that people want to hear. Is it my favorite music? No, I continue to enjoy jazz and R&B, but that doesn’t mean that the music being made by these folks is not worthy of being labeled as music.
Remember, just over a hundred years ago, a new musical form was invented in America: Jazz. At the time, the use of unusual and non-traditional harmonies and rhythms was viewed by many classical musicians and purists as “noise” and not worthy of being considered as real “music.” As a jazz musician, I certainly am glad that attitude changed over the next decades. Perhaps a hundred years from now, music historians will look back on this time and wonder why so many people did not consider electronic music as real “music.”
