Auto tune, lip syncing, reality music shows (i.e. American Idol), greedy record companies, companies promising to buy you a fan base on social networks...what's next? While there is great music happening in the world, you only get to hear what mainstream radio chooses...based off of money. Much of what you get to hear are the over processed, musical fakes that insist on auto tune because they can't match pitch. It makes me so angry that when I mess up the pitch and can't quite sing things up to my standard...I HAVE TO PRACTICE while the radio star is off vacationing on some tropical island. I practice my butt off. I want my music to be good, but it kinda stinks to work so hard when I know that the big radio star doesn't put in anywhere near the time as lesser known artists. I like to think that hard work will always win...but then you see American Idol. This show is a glorified karaoke contest that actually cheapens what non-American Idol musicians have to deal with on a daily basis. I'm not saying that the musicians on these reality shows aren't good...I'm just frustrated that the show is so obviously based around money. Do you really think that a jazz musician, opera musician, or metal musician could stand a chance in their true music genre on this show? Of course not! These musicians are not going to bring in much money for the TV show/record label. Today's music business is all about mainstream and money. I can't help but think that more people would listen to classical music if we grew up hearing it on a regular basis, and if the genre had as many radio stations and as much airplay as pop music. Our society has glorified the pop musician. Even many country music artists have sold out and have become "cross-over" artists so that their music can be played on country and pop stations. I understand the desire for money. I know we all need to make a buck...BUT my point is that there are so many truly talented musicians that NEVER get their big moment, since the industry controls what you hear...unless you go searching for something new. People don't like to try new things. Most people stick to what they've always known or been told by their family...everything from cars, sports, religion, politics...you name it! We believe other's opinions and rarely bother to go exploring on our own, unless something triggers us to wake up. I find this to be very sad. I think there are so many amazing, new things that we can experience in life. Trying new music is easy and relatively inexpensive. Most new artists have at least one free song that you can hear! However, we make excuses. We are stubborn. We assume too much. There are people that think opera is for the elite, filled with overbearing vibrato, and only in a foreign language. There are people that think metal is nothing more than a bunch of rebellious, blood drinking, satanic individuals that scream complete nonsense while randomly strumming their guitars & banging drums as loud as possible. Meanwhile, I've heard some pretty awful things from the mouths of church musicians...just saying! There are people that think an indie artist is one that has opted to smoke pot all day long and couldn't muster up the gumption to get their material to a record label. All of these awful assumptions are RIDICULOUS and completely false. Realize that there are always a few "bad eggs" in every bunch, but don't assume we are all that way. These stereotypes hurt the lesser known artists/genres. Please don't let someone else's opinion keep you from trying something new!
Now...getting to my main point (500 years later! Haha). My first sentence today listed 5 things in the industry that are skewing our view of music. You no longer have to match pitch...because there is auto tune. In fact, your whole sound can be changed if you lack talent. Please don't think that what you hear on the radio is always true talent. I'm not saying that these artists are all fakes...but I can't help but wonder what the poor sound engineer had to go through to make certain people with a pretty face, sound so amazing. News flash...all pretty people do not sing well! They DO have flaws! Shocking, right? When I attend live concerts, I'm often disappointed by the sound/lack of pitch. Interesting. Could it be that the artist was having a bad night...or is it a case of yet another auto tuned, lazy singer? Frustrating. Oh, and lip syncing is apparently okay now if it's cold, if you're sick, if you're tired, if ya just don't feel like singing, or if you can't handle the pressure of a televised event. I don't know of any lesser known artists/genres that are allowed to lip sync without getting booed off the stage. What is wrong with admitting...I'm sick, I lost my voice, I'm not able to sing under pressure, I'm not able to sing without auto tune? Haha! Don't answer that. Just think. We have created this. We have allowed this to be okay. Each time you support mainstream artists and deny lesser known artists...you are telling society that this is good and okay, so give me more! One more thing...companies that buy you a fan base. Grrrrrrrrr!!! Every single day I receive numerous emails and tweets from companies that say "for $19.99 you will receive 11,000 new fans for your Twitter account/Facebook account/etc." Why is this skewing music? Well, many big music festivals require bands to have a certain minimum number of fans on their social networks if they are to open for a big name band. Many record labels look at your fan base to decide if you have enough fans to make things worth their time. In other words, it is all about money. As I write this, my band's Facebook account has 598 fans and Twitter has 547 followers that were not bought by a promo company. These are friends/family/music fans/supporters that would like us to succeed at reaching our goals. They've had to put up with our hundreds of invites, requests, status pleas, and tweets BEGGING them to just support us with their vote. Meanwhile, other bands with 11.5K fans that got their funds together to buy a nice fan base package, are playing big music festivals with a set list that contains roughly three chords, a tone deaf singer, and some guy that claims to play the bass as long as he doesn't have to play on more than one string per song. So...something to think on. Things are skewed. You're missing out on some fabulous musicians if you only believe what the mainstream radio, American Idol, and social networks tell you. You're also contributing to the problem by falling for what the mainstream peeps tell you. If you'd like to try something new and make a difference for other artists...check out sites like Reverbnation, Youtube, and BandCamp. You can even check out the Facebook pages of lesser known bands and listen to their music there. Support smaller radio stations and record labels. Supporting the little guy seems to get you far more than you could ever imagine these days. Why? These people truly care about their work and take pride in what they present. They usually love their work so much that they don't care that they aren't making very much money. They do it for the sake of good music! They genuinely value their fans! Every "like" on Facebook and other social media is greatly appreciated! Don't support the artists that try to pull the wool over your eyes...or ears, with their lip syncing or auto tuned voice. Demand more!! Quality is still alive...you just have to look past the obvious and support the musicians that are who they say they are!
Happy new music hunting adventures to you! If you find something good...share it!
Band update: Things are going great with Waking Myth. The majority of our album is recorded and gigs are already planned. We will be releasing another song shortly! If you haven't heard our first song, please check it out. Share it! "Like" our Facebook! Spread the word! You have the ability to help a group of musicians achieve their goals. We appreciate all of the support! Thanks!
Waking Myth on Twitter Waking Myth on Facebook Waking Myth on Reverbnation
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