meical

The Problem with "Pop".


Perhaps it is time for musicians to really separate art from commerce, to "let it go", this question about the "state of pop music" in order to create a new paradigm. Perhaps a lot of musicians have simply lost the plot. The music released by the record industry under the aegis of "pop" needs to be seen, not as music, but as a product in which the presence of music plays a very small role, a role that is no longer central. That silver disk and its data packaged inside the accompanying jewel case has very little to do with "music".

Current "pop" is not "music" in the traditional sense or even within the context of what was once considered pop music, i.e., Buddy Holly, The Beatles and The Beach Boys. "Pop" has evolved into a package of unrelated ideas in which the "music" serves as a unifying element. It is a package meant to promote the consumption of fashion wear in all it's forms from clothing and jewelry to automobiles and electronics. As pure music it serves no purpose because it cannot be appreciated as such by anyone with a discerning ear. However, as a lifestyle item it becomes the unifying element for those people who "listen" to the same music wear the same clothes, drive the same automobiles, etc., providing an identity in which the merits of listening to such music are unquestioned due to it's popularity. Heavy radio rotation, MTV, posters, billboards, and the subsequent acceptance by a peer group are seen as proof of the right choice in one's music. Taste, personal, discerning, or otherwise, is no longer necessary because it's no longer a question of taste.

Understanding current pop music requires a complete recontextualization of the idea of music as it relates to "pop music". Emanating out of car stereos, boom boxes, and Walkmans, around the world are merely sounds that can be likened to the rumble of a Harley-Davidson or the high RPMs of popular sports cars, sounds that convey a message about the one in possession of these sounds. The message is, "I listen to 'music' (in itself an important distinction) and the music that I listen to is good because its accepted as such by those in the know, i.e., publishers of magazines, radio & television stations, the record industry who spends millions of dollars on the artist (nobody backs a loser, right?), and most importantly by my peers (whose lifestyle choices are influenced by similar stimuli)."

Musicians have everything they ever wanted to fulfill dreams of artistry, even minor celebrity, yet still quest for "the deal". The means of production are in the hands of the masses: portastudios, DAWs, dime on the dollar secondhand Studer, Ampex and Otari machines for analog "purists", mastering software and hardware, CD burning, desktop graphics, and finally the one thing still in the grips of "the industry" until recently: the means of distribution. The Internet has solved the problem of distribution. So, while I agree with the many concerns musicians share regarding the current state of popular music I think the very problem may lay within the attitudes and expectations of contemporary musicians. The means to create and distribute music to an audience is available to everyone. Its the means to becoming a lifestyle item, aural fashion wear, that are still in the hands of the elite, very capable hands for this sort of thing, and will probably be so for the foreseeable future.

The question isn't whether pop music is good or bad. The question is whether a musician wants to produce "pop", or produce music. First and foremost, do you want to make music for EMI and subsequently Pepsi and Volkswagen or for a discerning audience who appreciates good music? Art or Commerce? Its an old question and, while its relevance grows with each generation, this generation in particular is the first to experience the wholesale quantification and commodification of almost every imaginable facet of their life.

Quality music is out there and it only takes reading a couple of issues of TapeOp magazine before that becomes clear. There are artists all over the world making and distributing CDs of interesting, sometimes even challenging, music utilizing whatever means outside "the industry" that are available to them. For discerning listeners seeking out quality music it will never be easy because the traditional avenues of scouring indie record store bins and getting to know the people working there, reading underground 'zines, listening to the local college radio station at midnight when the more challenging jocks are spinning, and going to shows at the local music venues or in neighboring cities all require time and effort. Even surfing music sites, chat rooms, and forums for insight into the quality music that's available requires a measure of dedication to the cause. The people making these efforts do not represent the majority so they won't turn anyone into pop stars but, regardless of numbers, their appreciation of music should be the whole reason behind creating music for an audience. If you're really lucky they'll buy or special order your CD, attend a show, and tell their friends. New paradigm or lost plot? It seems obvious.

(This short essay was posted on a music site in response to a lamentation about "the state of popular music".)