Not long ago, if you wanted music, you had to save up your pocket money, take a trip to the local record shop and lovingly leaf through its racks.

Now, it’s almost all free, instant and infinite. And our relationship with music has changed forever.

We all know what the alleged future of music will look like. The record industry will be reduced to a smouldering ruin, the album replaced by endless individual songs and music rendered pretty much worthless by the fact that it’s universally free.

Empty record shops will be overrun with weeds and old CDs will be used as coasters. Your Madonnas, U2s and Coldplays will prosper, but for anyone further down the hierarchy, the idea of making much of a living will be a non-starter.

That’s the accepted wisdom, at least. Some of it will probably prove to be true.

But that grisly picture ignores subtler and more fascinating changes in our relationship with music that people have barely begun to understand.

Now, just to make this clear from the off: I’m nearly 40. Having recently moved house and consigned my CD collection to cardboard boxes, I’ve been surprised to find that I don’t miss it at all.

I use the free version of the music streaming application Spotify almost every day – and I now understand that it represents a genuine revolution in music consumption (and makes iTunes look pathetically old-fashioned).

Should the music industry finally get its act together and insist on some kind of subscription model, I’ll pay for the same kind of service. But I wouldn’t imagine that will alter my new listening habits.

All that said, my musical mindset is still rooted in an increasingly far-off past, where to be a true fan of a band took real dedication, access to obscure information – and, frankly, money.

I’ve just poured the music-related contents of my brain into a book, and I would imagine that 30-ish year’s worth of knowledge about everyone from Funkadelic to The Smiths has probably cost me a five-figure sum, a stupid amount spent on music publications, and endless embarrassed moments spent trying to have a conversation with those arrogant blokes who tend to work in record shops.

Last weekend, by contrast, I had a long chat about music with the 16-year-old son of a friend, and my mind boggled.

At virtually no cost, in precious little time and with zero embarrassment, he had become an expert on all kinds of artists, from English singer-songwriters like Nick Drake and John Martyn to such American indie-rock titans as Pavement and Dinosaur Jr.

Though only a sixth-former, he seemingly knew as much about most of these people as any music writer.

Like any rock-oriented youth, his appetite for music is endless, and so is the opportunity – whether illegally or not – to indulge it. He is a paid-up fan of bands it took me until I was 30 to even discover - and at this rate, by the time he hits his 20s, he’ll have reached the true musical outer limits.

What does all this tell us? Clearly, for anyone raised in the old world, the modern way of music consumption has all kinds of unforeseen benefits.

A good example: though I’ve always heard plenty of talk about the utter awfulness of such infamous albums as Lou Reed’s Metal Machine Music (a double album of guitar feedback and white noise) or Deep Purple’s Concerto For Group And Orchestra (don’t ask), I can now listen to them for nothing, and have an opinion of my own.

“ As one of my music press colleagues use to say, there’s no longer any past – just an endless present ”

They’re both terrible, incidentally, but that isn’t the point. What really matters is the fact that I can so easily tune in - and what that says about a new world of completely risk-free listening.

Most importantly, as the great digital revolution rolls on, bands are no longer having to compete for people’s money. Instead, they’re jockeying for our time. And the field is huge, crossing not just genres, but eras.

Who do you want to investigate today: TV On The Radio or Crosby, Stills and Nash? Do you fancy losing yourself in the brilliant first album by Florence And The Machine, or deriving no end of entertainment from how awful The Rolling Stones got in the 1980s? Little Richard or La Roux? White Lies or Black Sabbath?

As one of my music press colleagues use to say, there’s no longer any past – just an endless present.

For musicians, it’s self-evident that there are all kinds of new openings for their music, but even if they break through, much less concerted attention will be paid to it.

They may get an audience, but it will be very easily distracted. After all, endlessly playing the same album so as to extract your “money’s worth” is behaviour that will soon seem like something from the dark ages.

Woe betide the act that decides to make the kind of record that tends to be charitably described as a “grower” - something that may account for, say, the scant interest paid to the last U2 album.

Certainly, as a record company MD told me a couple of weeks ago, stuffing your albums with mere filler is no longer a sensible option.

So, yes, the record industry may yet have to comprehensively reinvent itself, or implode. Sooner or later, given that the need to read reviews before deciding what to listen to is fading fast, I rather fear that even music journalists may be rendered irrelevant.

But for now, this is a truly golden age – the era of the teenage expert, albums that will soon have to be full of finely-honed hits and the completely infinite online jukebox.

Even if the music business manages to somehow crack down on illicit downloading and claws back a few quid via annual subscriptions in return for that self-same endless supply of music, the same essential rules will apply. Really: what’s not to like?

John Harris is the author of Hail! Hail! Rock’n'Roll, published by Sphere.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/entertainment/8330633.stm

Published: 2009/10/30 08:27:55 GMT © BBC MMIX

‘Long-forgotten interviews with the Beatles emerged today when rock journalist Ray Connelly dug out reels of tape he’d stored away in a forgotten suitcase. On the 40th anniversary of the band’s descent into dissolution, Connelly reveals new information upending some impressions that Paul McCartney was responsible for the split.

‘John blurted out to Connelly that he was the one who killed the world’s favorite band. At a meeting between the two, “Paul just kept mithering on about what we were going to do, so in the end I just said, ‘I think you’re daft. I want a divorce,’” Connelly quotes him in the Times of London. Lennon also admits that McCartney wrote more of the Beatles’ early material “because he was quite competent on guitar—Paul taught me quite a lot of guitar, really.” —Mat Probasco Source: Times (UK)

If Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones was indeed murdered, the big Q is WHY?

‘It’s been 40 years since Brian Jones’ body was discovered in a swimming pool—but police are reviewing the death of the Rolling Stones’ co-founder in the wake of “new evidence” that he was murdered, the Daily Mailreports. An investigative journalist provided police some 600 pages of documents on the musician’s death; they may open a new probe if they find sufficient evidence in the case.
In the past, the police have refused calls for a new investigation. “There is no time limit on the review. But after 40 years of mystery, anyone who values Brian’s reputation will be happy to wait for the outcome,” says the investigative journalist. Officially, the 27-year-old drowned while under the influence of alcohol and drugs, though the latter wasn’t found in his system, and the post-mortem report showed he had drank just 3.5 pints of beer. —Matt Cantor SOURCE: Daily Mail (UK)

‘New York’s Museum of Modern Art is showcasing the gritty glamour of the city’s 1970s and early ’80s music scene, where punk, New Wave, DIY, and noise rock ruled, Rolling Stone reports. New Yorkers were feeling alienated—the city was bankrupt in 1975; President Ford told it to “drop dead”—but that helped inspire “completely honest” art, says one rocker.
‘The exhibit includes a recording of the Patti Smith rap-poem Piss Factory, which describes a fierce independence and lust for fame; original LPs from the Talking Heads and the Ramones, among others; and “reckless and raw” music videos by the likes of Sonic Youth, writes Alex Vadukul. At the close of the exhibit is a collection of photos, articles, ads, and posters proving the scene’s national impact.’
—Matt Cantor SOURCE: Rolling Stone

In honor of Woodstock—which happened 40 years ago this weekend—and the “seminal documentary” that captured it, John Farr shares his list of the 10 best rock concert/performance films—all of which are “meant to be played loud,” he writes on the Huffington Post. “So crank it!”

A Hard Day’s Night (1964): “The disarming charisma and spontaneous energy of the Beatles made no traditional plot necessary. It was sufficient to portray a day in the life of the world’s most talked about rock band.”
Gimme Shelter (1970): This documentary covering “the soon-to-be-infamous free Rolling Stones concert at Altamont” captures “a tumultuous moment in our popular culture, and a turning point in the history of rock.”
Elvis: That’s The Way It Is (1971): “Elvis still looks (and sounds) terrific in this docu-portrait of the Memphis legend’s bid for glitzy Vegas glory.”
The Last Waltz (1978): Martin Scorsese’s coverage of The Band’s final 1976 tour is “often hailed as the greatest concert movie ever,” and “it may just be.”
Bob Dylan: No Direction Home (2005): “Scorsese fashions a masterful portrait of a pivotal crossroads in Dylan’s career” with “this intimate, insightful film.”
Neil Young: Heart Of Gold (2006): “It’s obvious he’s enjoying himself, and his between-song banter is tart, concise, and utterly charming. If you don’t come away from Heart of Gold humming, you better have your ears checked.”
For the complete list, click the link below. —Evann Gastaldo
Source: Huffington Post

Anyone who plays electric guitars should know Leo Fender.
Today is his 100th birthday. He’s the one who jumpstarted rock into progress because he designed the famous Fender Stratocaster used by Metal Rock pioneers Eric Clapton , Jimi Hendrix and countless guitarists. Michael Calore said: “More than just a guitar,” the Strat “is one of the great hallmarks of modern art,”.

Forty years ago today, The immortal ‘Abbey Road’ Beatles photo was shot. Photographer Ian McMillan was given just 15 minutes to shoot it. But that shot made the London side street a tourist attraction and hell for vehicular traffic.
And years before that, and until now, the controversy whether John Lennon ’sold his soul to the devil’ for fame and success is still going strong!

Who says that ‘death metal’ is satanic? It’s now healing wounded war vets:

‘A new program is putting some smiles on the many pained faces at Walter Reed Army Medical Center—and perhaps even helping wounded veterans recover, Slate reports. The seed for Musicorps came when musician/producer/tinkerer Arthur Bloom was asked to help an amputee there play drums again. Now, the program teaches music and pairs vets with professionals to tap what one calls “the healing power of death metal.”
‘Musicorps even helps vets at Walter Reed produce their own material. One soldier hopes to shop around a rap track—“about being blown up in Iraq”—to radio. But the thrill of playing and recording could have some different, less financial benefits. Many wounded veterans have injuries to their brains as well as bodies, and a physician associated with the program thinks learning music could well help to mend brain damage.’ —Harry Kimball SOURCE: Slate

Published: July 31, 2009
The music industry’s deathwatch kicked off about a decade ago, but it seems the vigil could soon be over.
According to data from the Recording Industry Association of America, since music sales peaked in 1999, the value of those sales, after adjusting for inflation, has dropped by more than half. At that rate, the industry could be decimated before Madonna’s 60th birthday.
The speed at which this industry is coming undone is utterly breathtaking.
First, piracy punched a big hole in it. Now music streaming — music available on demand over the Internet, free and legal — is poised to seal the deal.
The problem is that if people can get the music they want for free, why would they ever buy it, or even steal it? They won’t. According to a March study by the NPD Group, a market research group for the entertainment industry, 13- to 17-year-olds “acquired 19 percent less music in 2008 than they did in 2007.” CD sales among these teenagers were down 26 percent and digital purchases were down 13 percent.
And a survey of British music fans, conducted by the Leading Question/Music Ally and released last month, found that the percentage of 14- to 18-year-olds who regularly share files dropped by nearly a third from December 2007 to January 2009. On the other hand, two-thirds of those teens now listen to streaming music “regularly” and nearly a third listen to it every day.
This is part of a much broader shift in media consumption by young people. They’re moving from an acquisition model to an access model.
Even if they choose to buy the music, the industry has handicapped its ability to capitalize on that purchase by allowing all songs to be bought individually, apart from their albums. This once seemed like a blessing. Now it looks more like a curse.
In previous forms, you had to take the bad with the good. You may have only wanted two or three songs, but you had to buy the whole 8-track, cassette or CD to get them. So in a sense, these bad songs help finance the good ones. The resulting revenue provided a cushion for the artists and record companies to take chances and make mistakes. Single song downloads helped to kill that.
A study last year conducted by members of PRS for Music, a nonprofit royalty collection agency, found that of the 13 million songs for sale online last year, 10 million never got a single buyer and 80 percent of all revenue came from about 52,000 songs. That’s less than one percent of the songs.
So it was no surprise that The Financial Times reported on Monday that Apple is working with the four largest labels to seduce people into buying more digital albums. It’s too little too late.

(Note: I wrote this column while listening to “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill,” the last truly great CD I ever bought. Every track is a gem. When did I buy it? 1999.) New York Times

Do you know that rocker Brian Eno composed the Windows log-in jingle?