Growth of the SELF
...As Well As Our ART

By Paul Adams

Music, and the way it can now be produced is a revolution of sorts. Until the beginning of the twentieth century, music of an oral tradition had little means to insure its immortality. Sad to think of all those beautiful notes floating up and away - evaporated forever in a musical vapor trail. Thanks to Edison and all the slightly "tipsy" and wondrous visionaries, we were finally able to see the establishment of sound in a concrete fashion with the phonograph.

However, this brought about an important result. The equipment was expensive and difficult to operate. Musicians needed support. This lead to a deeper marriage of business and art. GULP!!! From the beginning of time there have been bosses to please and empty plates to fill, so this strange and sometimes difficult union of art and commerce is nothing new. But twentieth century marketing techniques poured the musical vision of the composer through a more sophisticated assortment of filters ie. producers, marketers, demographics experts, and corporate visionaries who wanted to insure that this "art" was also a viable "product."

Like the marketing of a vegamatic, this is a real science! Unfortunately, a "product" doesn't have a life of it's own. The Vegamatic must meet or exceed previously established expectations of slicing and dicing- AND at a price that's competitive!! It's not seen as having a particular vision unto itself. Consequently, it's looked upon as being more "product" oriented. So, using the product metaphor, consumers inquire as to the superiority of one album over another. They naturally wonder if it will give them the same, or better results than the previous release. We see these "products" as being good or bad, rather than each having its own sense of statement and validity. The sad thing is that sometimes, art is then built upon an unfirm foundation of image and illusion, instead of that "spark" one feels when gazing at Goughan or listening to passion Beethoven, Bartok or the Beatles. Remember Billy Crystals hilarious line, "darling it's not how you feel, but how you look!"

In the last ten years an interesting irony has taken place. An advance in technology (birthed and marketed by these corporations - God Bless 'em.) has brought about the advent of the home studio. The quality is nothing short of astounding, AND has allowed composers to "paint" musical landscapes according to their whim rather than the corporate dictate. Keeping marketing from being the only barometer of validity isn't easy. By nature we're all enthusiasts and when we see a new musical phenomenon, many of us are prone to jump on the bandwagon. After all, "there's gold in them thar tunes!" Consequently, musical "trends" are always coming and going, and the industry is always on the lookout for the "hot new thing!" For an artist to follow his own instinct takes alot of courage! It's financially risky, lonely, and poses many internal questions about the self. But, it somehow seems more "real." A Major aspect of this revolution is that with these affordable new tools at our reach, we're no longer rendered impotent by the withdraw of corporate funds when our ideas are considered non-marketable. The "spark" somehow seems less diluted.

Before one shouts, "ain't gonna work on Maggies farm no more" (all credit to Dylan), the composer encounters his biggest challenge yet. By owning our own equipment, and producing our own work, we've solved the problem of "painting pictures at our whim." However, distribution and the ability to get our work to the people can be as big a problem as ever. Especially if you only have a single release with no past track record. Aside from selling at live shows and placing discs at local stores, a good potential opportunity is to explore the internet. This is one way of going direct to the public. Radio air play is also essential. However, you need a way to track WHERE your album is being played. You then need to make sure you have it available for sale in that area.

Another interesting aspect of this "revolution," is in the way we "paint our pictures." The creative process is no longer an exclusive marriage of the corporation and the artist. We're free to make decisions on our own. It can be said with a great deal of validity that the geniuses "die hard" artistic instinct to never bend or compromise has helped to push the parameters for us "normal" folks. However, we might be wise to include the audience in our sense of vision. Feeling that ones instinct is best in an "elitist" sort of way, is not only financially foolish, but sometimes unkind!! This process involves the growth of the SELF as well as our ART, and sometimes being inflexible actually hinders our own direction and narrows our sense of vision. If using a softer color of red is more palatable, AND doesn't change artistic intent, it may behoove the artist to adjust.

This "revolution" can be whatever we make it. The ability to freely create is here at our fingertips. The decision making process is ours, and each of us need to decide for ourselves the direction we take. I'm sure it's going to be very difficult to keep the path straight. There are millions of pitfalls and directions to distractions (usually as many as our EGO allows). This revolution encourages growth for both parties: the consumer as well as the artist. Maybe artists can expand their roles. Maybe the public will become a bit more astute in their musical interests and widen their horizons. Who knows!?! One thing is sure - despite the frustrations concerning distribution, the established paradigms of existing marketing techniques, and the popularity of music that may be a bit less than interesting, we are very lucky to be able to do this!! A great time to be alive!! Maybe it'll be an interesting irony that this revolutionary technology can help us to compose a bit more "organically" with a fresh sense of "spark", and somewhat free from the corporate constraints of the past. Not in a state of nirvana - there will always be obstacles - but, perhaps craftsmanship and individual perspective can take a larger step to the forefront.

Paul Adams, Lakefront Records

"In The Land Where I Come From"
"Various Waves "
"Wonder Dancing On Global Bop"
"A View From The Plain"
"From Energy To Stillness"

All available from the Music Discovery Network