Day 16: My Views on Mainstream Music

Mainstream music is still good.  That was easy.

To be more honest about it, I do still like to listen to the radio every now and then.  I don't know if there is this new Id, if you can call it that.  But people now feel obligated to save certain technologies because they are being phased out by other ones.  When people heard that tape-decks are no longer going to be put into manufactured cars, I'm guessing that it would seem very hipster to go out and buy a bunch of tapes now.  But there in lies a power of something being considered "hipster".

For instance, Beck put out a new album this year.  But I bet you haven't heard any of the songs on the radio.  Why?  Because he released it as sheet music instead of something that can be pirated and bought for $.99 on iTunes.  It seems like Beck is being super-hipster in this sense because you have to learn how to play music or have friends that know how to play music in order to hear his new songs.

But with regards to mainstream music, I think that because of so many artists now going into techno-dance beats, they are losing their original touch.  I listen to podcasts more often, which I think is what is going to happen to more and more artists who want to get their music out there.  Tiesto, Dyro, Pretty Lights, Afrojack and so many other DJ's can put together a solid hour of music in a week and then have millions listen to it through their ipods and smartphones.

I don't think mainstream music, as an industry, will be able to last the way it has.  The structure has to dramatically change or else no one will be able to make any money from it.

Going back to what I think will happen with most musicians, I think that we will see a shift in musicians having more control of their product.  I also feel like since there is a market out there for people to pirate music, I think we will see more and more people choose between music they want to pirate and music they want to purchase.  It's like if you walk into a subway and hear a musician play a song you like, you'll throw in a dollar but if it's not a song you really enjoy, you still will listen for free.  May not be a complete theory.

As I was writing that last sentence, I thought of an idea which could be a potential money-maker.  It involved music, people, a website, and micro-purchasing of music.  It could be worth something.  I'll have to talk it over with people that may or may not know something about how to get it started.