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Corporate
radio forces bands to I quit. Listening to corporate radio, that is. Bands such as Default and Puddle of Mudd, who essentially aren’t doing anything out of the ordinary, are currently in heavy rotation on radio stations across the country. Though undeniably talented musicians, these bands have reached stardom not because of innovation, but because of their ability to produce a product which record companies foresee as profitable. The end result then, is that radio listeners get to hear a big pile of homogenized garbage. In the 1960s, artists were constantly coming upon new styles and approaches for their music, and some of the most influential American bands came into existence during this time. Clearly, some record companies made huge profits off of the music of the ’60s, but these profits were a result of bands who gained popularity by breaking boundaries and transforming the way people thought about music and about the world. Millions of people worldwide mourned the death of former Beatle George Harrison, an artist who maintained his integrity throughout his musical career. The Beatles obtained their status as pillars of the musical community not by having a couple of mediocre hits, but by creating musical masterpieces which transformed constantly, leaving listeners unsure of what to expect. One must wonder if any of the music celebrities of today will be mourned as many of the icons of the ’60s have been mourned following their deaths in previous years. Will the nation be shocked and sorrowed in years to come when the singer for Nickelback passes on? In fact, does anyone even know the name of the singer, other than as the long-haired guy with the cheesy goatee? The homogenization of popular music has created a system with little room for innovators to break into the mainstream. Certainly there are more genres of music than existed in the ’60s, but we barely hear any variety from the genres which are prevalent. Sure it is great to see listeners open to such a diverse range of music, but this leads to them only hearing the music they are spoon fed by the record companies and corporate radio stations, which is overall a very poor selection of innovative music. It seems we have been forced to substitute quality music for music that simply rakes in the most money. Those of you who are fans of artists who do not fit the mold of mainstream music are likely very aware of the tendency of a company to pick up an artist in hopes that they will be the “next big thing,” and then drop the artist from the record label after it turns out they don’t have the potential for national stardom the company once thought. A good example of this is local band Sugarbomb, who was signed to RCA after only a few years of playing locally, only to be dropped by the label after only moderate success in the national market. Because of incidents such as this, bands are forced to either conform to making what the music corporate record companies want, or to exist in obscurity as an artist who challenges the norms of mainstream music. Unfortunately, obscurity doesn’t pay the bills, so incredibly talented artists who are unwilling to conform are left to pinch pennies and try to continue to make music and work a job that does pay their expenses. As long as we continue to support the homogenization of radio, independent musicians who challenge the mainstream will never have a chance to be heard by a large audience of people. It seems aspiring musicians would be better off in business school than in a garage band. Jeff
Dennis is a junior history major from Gail. |
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TCU Daily Skiff © 2002 |
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