Now I don't normally write about music, ever since the music industry started looking at my blog to see if I said anything naughty, but it's been a while now and maybe they've stopped spying on me and my paranoia?
Anyway, I was watching end end of Australian Idol the other night with K.C. and they were saying on the show how good it was that the music career of these young people will take off after tonight. I don't know the detail, but I'm pretty sure that the contract they get will be pretty bad for them. Lots of work, lots of pressure, some money and lots of short term fame, but little else. Certainly not a reward for their talents. But maybe they couldn't make it on their own so maybe the music companies have a right to own their asses? After all, they are the ones who made them.
But I found it pretty sad. Number one, all the crowd madly phoning and SMS'ing and sending millions of dollars to the tv and music companies. Feels like a waste, but maybe their having fun.
Number two, music is far too important for us (barley) human beings. It is pervasive across all cultures and all times. It's a part of us. I don't know why, but when I hear great classical music or I mosh away to Peabody, I don't argue, it feels too good.
So that is todays sermon. Music is far too important to be left to the accountants and lawyers who run the music industry. They run it as a business and they really needed to because they made it global and they got music onto CD's and into my local store. They also got it on the radio and they let me discover U2, Beth Orton and The Shins.
But now they've gone too far. I really don't care that much what sort of people run other industries and how they do it. I am a believer in free markets with integrity. But music is not to be messed with. It cannot be left to people who care about money to nurture.
The good news is that I think people are prevailing. There are new ideas, new ways and new music reaching our ears and it feels really good.
My big hope is that some (or thousands) of good musicians are sitting right now on the brink of a big music career and they are thinking "Um, nah, I'm not going to sign a big record deal, I'm going to find other ways and I'm going to make a good living and do it for the music."
Won't that be cool.
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