Slipping Through Our Fingers

 

    

"What is called music today is all too often only a disguise for the monologue of power. However, and this is the supreme irony of it all, never before have musicians tried so hard to communicate with their audience, and never before has that communication been so deceiving. Music now seems hardly more than a somewhat clumsy excuse for the self-glorification of musicians and the growth of a new industrial sector."   Quoted by Jacques Attali in Classic Essays on Twentieth-Century Music, ed. Richard Kostelanetz and Joseph Darby (Wadsworth, 1996, ISBN 0-028-64581-2)

He is referring to the mainstream music industry that was inaccessible to the independent musicians of the time. The music industry has changed so much in a short amount of time with advent of the internet and websites like soundcloud, bandcamp, cdbaby and people like Ari Herstand that share a wealth of knowledge about how to promote yourself as an artist. I, myself never, having been a part of the money making machine, know that it still exists, but choose to focus on indie music I care about, that speaks to me and making my own music. 

You can’t knock out all the mom and pops and think that more mom and pops will spring up. If we knock them out, it’s just chains." James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem (Billboard Charts) 

We have to support the independent musicians that we love or there may be nothing else left of them, especially after these unstable times. The great thing about music is that it is a product of the zeitgeist, that's the fun of listening to old music. It can be a history lesson. And music in general can be an uplifting healing experience. Art decorates a space, music decorates time.

Right now, as we are focusing on isolating, as musicians we are also focusing on getting outside of the ever-present comfort zone. Those two things seem contradictory, but they don't have to be. Musicians are innovating, performing from home, creating more online content and discovering new ways to take ownership and control of their music so they can hopefully, generate financial stability over the long haul. 

Check out these artists and remember to support your favs!!

 Frida Sundemo - Nothing Can Hurt Me

Elephant Talk - Heartache of the Season

Georgia Lines - Never Had Love