POST IT: AVATAR of the INTERNET - July 28. 2009

TheHolodigm.com

AVATAR of the INTERNET


POST IT: Anthony Pe'a asserts:

In today's music industry it is going to be extremely difficult for there to be a single iconic band/performer. In the past, there were less musicians and fewer genres. Today, is an increasing amount of performers and so many variations of music genres (ie. rock: grunge, death metal, acid rock, etc.). Now days, anyone with a computer (reason, cubase, pro tools, or even fruity loops/garage band) can be a music producer or rock star. However, I truly love music and hope that one day there will be a single iconic performer like Bob Dylan or The Beatles.


Hartmann comments:


The antiquarian record business was born of technology. The first million selling artist was Enrico "The Great" Caruso. The first pop superstar was Frank Sinatra. He crooned his way into the hearts of millions of teenagers and fought for and won unprecedented, international success.

Each major systemic transition in the record business was provoked by advances in hardware and delivery systems. Every time the technology changed, the game changed. The modern record industry was the product of AM radio and 45 RPM singles; Elvis was the superstar. The postmodern era was the offspring of FM radio and 33 1/3 RPM long playing albums; The Beatles were the superstars. The Internet will produce its own avatar of music. Perhaps its more accurate to say, the next avatar of music will be revealed, glorified and exploited on the Internet.

Sinatra, Elvis and The Beatles were not the products of industry; they created industries. Their stardom was inevitable and new systems and protocols were invented to accommodate their successes. When the next great musical star is discovered, new mechanics will be created to contain the process. When hundreds of millions of iPod users decide to pay, instead of pirate, insant fortunes will be made. This will create a feeding frenzy in the coproate borard rooms.

There are many extant genres in the archives of Euro/American music. The indigenous genres range from classical to folk, bluegrass to country, jazz to rhythm & blues, blues to gospel, to all the styles of rock & roll, hip hop and electronica. The next great music wave could emanate from any one of these traditional forms. Or, it could be a new musical expression previously unknown.

The missing catalyst is the singer or band who can reach through the Internet and embrace a ubiquitous global audience. This great artists always seems to appear when least expected. They explode onto the scene after years of preparation and they become media sensations. Great songs, well recorded by a talented live performer put an artist in the game. The extant digital systems lets anybody participate. Only the great talent will survive. The very best will reach The Big Top.