JOHNNY HATES JAZZ: What About Electronic Music?
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.”
READ ALL ABOUT IT: The Black and White in the Red
The newspaper industry in the US is suffering from enormous losses in revenue. Fewer reporters are employed by these papers, and a greater reliance on content from wire services is more commonplace. This means that newspapers are no longer focusing on investigative reporting on a local level as they once did. Sports reporting is one of the rare exceptions in which newspapers continue to invest because of intense local interest in such news. Many daily newspapers, most recently The Cleveland Plain Dealer, have cut back on the number of days they are offering their newspapers in print format. The economic pressures are hitting every major newspaper in America.
How did this happen? While it did not occur overnight, the Internet and other alternative sources of news have caused a sea change in the industry. Newspapers have continued to suffer reduced readership and losses, largely as a result of a failure to adapt to the challenges posed by the Internet. Daily newspapers, which have always relied on a revenue stream comprised of subscriptions and advertising, have seen substantial losses in both areas. Particularly acute have been the losses in revenue from classified advertising (which has been significantly impacted by sites such as Craig’s List and eBay) and print subscriptions (which have been impacted by readily available and constantly updated news on the Internet).
Some newspapers have reacted by making their websites and special digital content not in the print versions of their papers accessible only to those who pay a subscription fee. There are three ways of doing so that are in common practice. The first is a “hard paywall” that restricts all access to all parts of a site unless a person has a subscription. This is rarely done. A more common form of the hard paywall allows access only to the front page or a select few articles with access to other content limited to subscribers. The third and most commonly implemented way is the “metered paywall” that allows a website visitor to access a limited number of articles for free each month, with a subscription required for access beyond that set limit.
Adopting a subscription model, however, can be problematic. Advertising rates for websites are based on the number of visitors to a website, calculated on a CPM–or cost per thousand impressions –basis. Impressions are the number of times an advertisement is served (i.e., appears) on a website. When newspapers charge for access to the electronic versions of their publications, they may generate revenue from subscriptions, but they also tend to lose site visitors, especially when a hard paywall is implemented. As a result, the advertising rates that they can charge to advertisers on the site drop as a result of reduced site traffic. Newspapers are struggling with this delicate balancing act as they seek to create new revenue streams and to reinvent themselves as format-neutral content providers.
How bad are things in the industry right now? The New York Times Company, owner of both The New York Times and The Boston Globe recently sold the Globe to hedge fund manager and Boston Red Sox owner, John Henry, for the paltry sum of $70 million. They paid $1.1 billion for the paper 20 years ago.
This week, it was announced that Jeff Bezos, the billionaire founder of Amazon.com, agreed to purchase The Washington Post newspaper, the flagship publication of The Washington Post Company, for the sum of $250 million. The Graham family, which had owned the newspaper for generations, had seen enough losses and felt it was time to sell. It is ironic that the founder of Amazon, which has had a leading role in the creation of and advocacy for electronic books and publications, will now try to improve the financial fortunes of The Washington Post.
Other major papers are up for sale. Several are owned by The Tribune Company, which recently emerged from bankruptcy protection. While The Tribune Company has stated that it wants to retain its valuable television station properties, it has indicated that it wants to sell its newspapers. Among them are some of the largest daily newspapers in America: The Los Angeles Times, The Chicago Tribune and The Baltimore Sun. Given the recent sale prices for The Washington Post and especially The Boston Globe, the sale prices of the Tribune papers are likely to be quite low.
More and more, major American newspapers are being sold to “non-newspaper” people. Only time will tell what impact all of this will have on daily newspapers and on journalism as we know it.
ALBUM REVIEW: David Gurwin’s …From the Fourth Room
The following is a review of my album, …From the Fourth Room. Click here to download and listen to it.
Having spent the entire decade of the 70’s in the entertainment industry as a record producer, radio programmer and contributor to Billboard Magazine I have listened to lots of “performers”. I have always felt that there is a distinct difference between those who perform and those who express through a gift of giving.
Jazz pianist and composer David Gurwin’s album “…From the Fourth Room” clearly falls under the latter. As I listen to each track I feel as though I’m being drawn into a place that is not unlike a guided visualization in meditation. In a very subtle way his music draws you into his psyche and embraces you.
As I journey from track to track listening to such classics as Smile, which I did not know was written by Charlie Chaplin (shame on me), You taught My Heart to Sing by Sammy Cahn and McCoy Tyner, My Foolish Heart by Victor Young and Ned Washington and The Look of Love by Burt Bacharach and Hal David, I pause as I listen to David Gurwin’s romantic heartfelt arrangements that continue the legacy of the original artists while making each song his unique expression of love.
David plays tribute to one of my all-time favorite composers Antonio Carlos Jobim with his own interpretations of Agua de Beber and Wave capturing succinctly the recognizable rhythm and carefree phrasings that are Jobim with a soft but noticeable touch that is Gurwin.
I was immediately drawn to the Burton Lane/Alan Jay Lerner hit On a Clear Day You Can See Forever. David’s version of this sacred Streisand classic is indeed a worthy offering in his distinctive styling. Images of Barbra singing it danced through my head as I listened and sighed.
I remember when Ruby and the Romantics first performed Our Day Will Come circa 1963. It has since been made a hit by such notable artists as the late Amy Winehouse. This Bob Hilliard/Mort Garson creation was enchanting in 1963 and it is just as enchanting 50 years later a la David Gurwin with its original rhythmic passages and a unique twist.
Other songs on this album like A Child is Born by Thad Jones, Heart and Numbers and Regrets by Don Grolnick, David Benoit’s I Remember Bill Evans and Some Other Sunset provide an over-all balance to your listening pleasure that are soothing, uplifting, memorable and “respectful to origin” arrangements.
David Gurwin introduces two of his own compositions to this compilation of love songs; What You Do To Me and Once Upon a Lifetime, thus preserving his place in such great company as the artists he provides such honest emotional tribute to in this album.
Finally a bonus track to his album entitled A Time For Love by Johnny Mendel and Paul Francis Webster. It’s placed at the end probably for good reason. This soft melody provides a platform for David’s relaxed styling that leaves you with a sweet aftertaste as if it were a fine desert to a romantic candle lit dinner at midnight on a patio high above the city overlooking a dimly lit park and the wafting sounds of horse drawn carriages passing below and the sweet smell of love in the air. Bon appétit!
This entire album is filled with a series of memorable moments that are expressions of feelings that you will want to re visit again and again.
By: William S. McCulley
ARTS JOBS VS. TECH JOBS: Some Surprising News
This blawg often deals with the intersection of technology and the arts. Here is an interesting article that discusses how recent graduates with technology degrees are having a tougher time finding a job than their peers in the arts. I’m not sure this is so much a positive statement about the state of the job market for arts majors as it is a statement about the tough market for tech grads.
POST-SCRIPT: House of Cards Garners Multiple Emmy Nods
In a prior blawg post, I described how Netflix’s decision to produce and stream original content on an on-demand basis (for the entire series) could prove to be a very disruptive force in the traditional television entertainment world. Netflix, which had been the leading DVD-by-mail rental service, saw its revenues falling over some questionable pricing policy changes. Its decision to invest heavily in original programming has allowed Netflix to reinvent itself into a streaming content giant (with 29 million current U.S. subscribers). A key part of that strategy involved investing in quality (and expensive) original content—far exceeding anything previously produced solely for the web.
Netflix’s investment seems to be paying off not only for its bottom line, but also for its reputation as a serious creative force. House of Cards, Netflix’s first foray into original programming, just received an Emmy nomination for Best Drama Series, and its two leads, Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright, each received Best Actor nominations. It marks the first time that a show not aired either on traditional broadcast or cable networks has been nominated in the top Emmy categories.
Shows distributed over the Internet were first made eligible for TV’s top honors under a change to the Emmy voting rules that became effective in 2008. Interestingly, of all the other competitors in the Best Drama Series category– Breaking Bad, Downton Abbey, Game of Thrones, Homeland and Mad Men—only Downton Abbey airs on a broadcast network (and it airs on PBS, not one of the traditional “big four” of CBS, NBC, ABC and Fox). The other shows are cable series and, of course, House of Cards is available only streamed to Netflix subscribers.
This certainly is an indication that, not only are viewers embracing these non-traditional networks more than ever, but actors and producers see these alternatives to the networks as a better vehicle for their artistic visions. The Emmy nods now make it clear that the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (the presenter of the awards) sees the changing entertainment landscape as well. On the heels of its success with House of Cards, Netflix won the exclusive rights to stream an entire new season of the cult hit Arrested Development and, within the past couple of weeks, it has made available its second original series, Orange Is The New Black. Obviously, Netflix is betting on a future in which original programming will play a key, if not exclusive, role.
Will the traditional television networks once again be able to produce shows that can compete with the quality found on cable and now on-demand? That question, of course, must factor in both economic and creative considerations. Time may be running out for the Big Four.
