My OperaMusic and the Evolution of Modern Entertainment
Tuesday, July 20, 2010 10:44:44 PM
Music is a much more important part of my life that I give it credit for.
Modern entertainment has evolved in a fairly standard fashion, books, television, films and video games have all become bigger, more expensive, longer and more complex. Music is one of the exceptions to this case, since the inception of the short format pop song, very little has changed in the music industry.
What other format can you digest and enjoy in just a few short minutes?
Cinema, television, books and video games all rely on engaging a person and keeping their interest throughout, this is their bread and butter and how most people define a successful piece of entertainment. Music can be successful, can convey a message and tell a story in a fraction of the time other entertainment formats can.
What other format can you watch, read, play or in this case listen to over and over again and still enjoy it as much as the first time?
Music is one of the few formats which does not rely on the element of surprise. To me, big reveals and plot twists have become the crux of modern entertainment. Its techniques like these which have made the "replay" value of modern entertainment very small. Music is one of the few forms of entertainment I can enjoy over and over again without the benefits diminishing.
The Music Industry
The main reason I've been thinking about music a lot is because of the many changes currently undergoing the music industry. The music industry is failing to react to the digital generation, instead of finding new business models they are rapidly moving to sue illegal downloaders and put laws in place which allow them to do so more freely. Now lets be honest, music is going nowhere. If anything its becoming an even larger part of our lives with products like iPods and Spotify keeping music with us wherever we are. So why are the big record producers failing to adapt to the shift in the market?
The Death of the Album
In my opinion, the music album is dead. Digital media makes it easier to get just a couple of songs which you like, at a fraction of the total album cost. The advent of iTunes has shown this, that individual music sales completely outstrip album sales. The last nail in the coffin was a number of my favourite artists saying that they were no longer going to follow the studio, album release, tour cycle which has been the backbone of musical industry for a while. Instead they are opting to only produce singles. Allowing them to produce music of a higher quality backed with regular touring. This is a format for music which fits the modern market a lot better than the album ever did.
Music and me
I surround myself in music, I listen to it whenever I'm on the move, at work and at home. As I mentioned previously music has a great effect on my mood and the right song in the morning can make or break my entire day. I have a collection of music which could last me a month, however when anyone asks me what I enjoy in life, I never say I'm a music fan. When I look back at my sporadic blogging I notice that half of my posts are about music, I promise this will be my last post about music for a long time. But it gave me pause for thought, music is a bigger influence on my life than I will ever give it credit for.
Modern entertainment has evolved in a fairly standard fashion, books, television, films and video games have all become bigger, more expensive, longer and more complex. Music is one of the exceptions to this case, since the inception of the short format pop song, very little has changed in the music industry.
What other format can you digest and enjoy in just a few short minutes?
Cinema, television, books and video games all rely on engaging a person and keeping their interest throughout, this is their bread and butter and how most people define a successful piece of entertainment. Music can be successful, can convey a message and tell a story in a fraction of the time other entertainment formats can.
What other format can you watch, read, play or in this case listen to over and over again and still enjoy it as much as the first time?
Music is one of the few formats which does not rely on the element of surprise. To me, big reveals and plot twists have become the crux of modern entertainment. Its techniques like these which have made the "replay" value of modern entertainment very small. Music is one of the few forms of entertainment I can enjoy over and over again without the benefits diminishing.
The Music Industry
The main reason I've been thinking about music a lot is because of the many changes currently undergoing the music industry. The music industry is failing to react to the digital generation, instead of finding new business models they are rapidly moving to sue illegal downloaders and put laws in place which allow them to do so more freely. Now lets be honest, music is going nowhere. If anything its becoming an even larger part of our lives with products like iPods and Spotify keeping music with us wherever we are. So why are the big record producers failing to adapt to the shift in the market?
The Death of the Album
In my opinion, the music album is dead. Digital media makes it easier to get just a couple of songs which you like, at a fraction of the total album cost. The advent of iTunes has shown this, that individual music sales completely outstrip album sales. The last nail in the coffin was a number of my favourite artists saying that they were no longer going to follow the studio, album release, tour cycle which has been the backbone of musical industry for a while. Instead they are opting to only produce singles. Allowing them to produce music of a higher quality backed with regular touring. This is a format for music which fits the modern market a lot better than the album ever did.
Music and me
I surround myself in music, I listen to it whenever I'm on the move, at work and at home. As I mentioned previously music has a great effect on my mood and the right song in the morning can make or break my entire day. I have a collection of music which could last me a month, however when anyone asks me what I enjoy in life, I never say I'm a music fan. When I look back at my sporadic blogging I notice that half of my posts are about music, I promise this will be my last post about music for a long time. But it gave me pause for thought, music is a bigger influence on my life than I will ever give it credit for.
"I was in the darkness, So darkness I became" - Cosmic Love, Florence and the Machine
