Music in the Digital Age

Vinyl records gave way to tapes which gave way to compact discs (CD’s) the contents of which can now all be contained digitally on ones computer (Sevits 2009). CD’s became the most used form of storage for music in 1986, but since then the digital age has taken over even further with the introduction of online music available from sites like Apple’s ‘ITunes’ which was introduced in 2003 (Sevits 2009). It was always possible for friends to share CD’s and burn the songs onto their own computers, so that each person didn’t have to buy the original CD, however a much more influential sharing method rocked the music industry in 2000, with the development of Napster (Sevits 2009).Napster was a peer file sharing program over the internet where you could download pretty much any song you wanted for free. This was music sharing on a level never before seen, and it wasn’t long before the music industry was taking steps to shut it down. It was that year that recording sales declined for the very first time. Napster was quickly shut down, however the door has been left open (Sevits 2009).

File sharing is not illegal and thus there are still places to get music online, however it is much less prevalent and more sites are becoming digital retailers of music (Zentner 2006). Obviously with the decline in recording sales, there is a substantial impact on artists and record companies from file sharing, but with modern technology are these people safe from further exploitation? We have the abilities, thanks to modern computers, to upload, download, and send our favourite music very easily, so even thought the music industry has slowed the occurrence of such file sharing it will not disappear (Zentner 2006). People will continue to find ways to cheat the system and pirate music.

With that said, many music lovers are simply switching to the ease of online purchases, and because of the ease and ability to buy only the songs that he or she wants, overall music purchases may increase.
References:

Sevits, M. 2009, Timeline: A History of music media, Media Management Group, viewed 2 June 2009, http://media.www.dailyemerald.com/media/storage/paper859/news/2007/09/17/Pulse/Timeline.A.History.Of.Music.Media-2970538.shtml.

Zentner, A. 2006, ‘Symposium: Piracy and File Sharing: Measuring the Effect of File Sharing on Music Purchases’, The Journal of Law & Economics, vol. 49, no. 63, LexisNexis.

Rock and Roll Has A Hero

Bon Jovi, Queen, David Bowie, Kings of Leon, Tom Petty, Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash and The White Stripes have been announced that they will be appearing in a lineup in September 2009. No camping overnight necessary or queuing online for tickets to come on sale. This exclusive line up can be purchased from your local electronics store in the form of Guitar Hero 5, the newest edition to the company’s line of video games.

The commercialism of Rock and Roll has been taken to an all new level with the invention of the Guitar Hero video game series. However, this is one marketing ploy that has brought apparent life and rejuvenation to the rock and roll industry.

Guitar Hero is a video game designed for you to become a rock star in the comfort of your own living room. Players use a guitar shaped console that they can strum, pluck and shred on like their rock star heroes, while playing along with their favourite rock and roll song.

The introduction of Guitar Hero World Tour Edition in 2008, allowed more than one player to play the game at the one time, with the addition of vocals and drums to the fore.

This year’s version, Guitar Hero 5 is one of the most anticipated game releases ever, with the afore mentioned big names, all agreeing to lend some of their best songs to the game for fans to play along with.

While the description of Guitar Hero could trivialize these artists, they seem to have no problem with the game and are more than happy to lend their face, name and creative skills to promote the program.

The lead singer and founder of Def Leppard, Joe Elliot, has nothing but admiration for the game and its creators as he states on the television series, Live from Abbey Road. The series follows a bands recording process and records candid interviews on the current state of the music industry.

Elliot describes that products like Guitar Hero have allowed them to expand their fan base to a significantly younger audience. Guitar Hero is also responsible for the bands longevity and their ability to be able to do an international tour 20 years after their prime time moment.

Guitarist of Guns n Roses and Velvet Revolver, Slash, is another that has leant his face and music to promoting the game, giving it by far the most credibility among the rock community yet.

It appears that this is the one marketing product that has resonated with the music industry and its fans. Guitar Hero has been able to compliment rock music and not take away from the real music makers. It has even managed to give the tired old 80’s hair metal stars a second wind, with more and more albums being released by 80’s rock icons than ever before. Guns n Roses, Bon Jovi, Def Leppard and ACDC are among some of the bands releasing new music in the past 2 years.

References
Guitar Hero, accessed via Internet Explorere, May 29th, 2009.
URL: http://gh5.guitarhero.com/about.php
Rolling Stone, accessed via Internet Explorer, May 29th, 2009.URL: http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2009/05/28/guitar-hero-5-exclusive-10-bands-in-september-1st-game/

The Rock star Style: Since when can you DIY??

I hope I am not the only one that becomes enraged when seeing Miley Cyrus wearing a Led Zeppelin T-shirt. Or Nicole Ritchie donning a head scarf, ala Axl Rose and flashing the rock on symbol at photographers as she is snapped walking up rodeo drive for a shopping spree thanks to dad Lionel.

A recent interview with Motley Crue Bassist, Nikki Sixx, illustrates that even the musicians are feeling the frustration. When asked what music would be playing in his version of hell, Sixx promptly replied, “Ashlee Simpson. She is not a rock chick.” (2004).
My point I, when did Rock and Roll become so commercial, that simply purchasing a vintage T, hanging Bon Jovi’s Slippery When Wet vinyl on the wall, and putting your facebook status as Rock on, become even remotely, rocks tar
It seems there is a lot of money to be made with marketers inventing and pedaling new ideas of how the ordinary person can be a rock star at home. When flipping through the latest issue of Rolling Stone, there article, ‘Rock and Roll Must Haves’ may as well be a DIY kit of how to achieve rock star status all in the comfort of your own home. According to Rolling Stone, one must have; the Guitar Hero, World Tour game, the Sex Pistols new graphic novel , The Man with Kaleidoscope Eyes by Alan Aldridge, a Sony USB turntable and of course the vintage T and scarf that all the celebs are wearing.

It is mind blowing that a genre that developed in such an effortless, real and raw circumstance, has become such a marketed product. This new wave of rock and roll consumerism is blurring the line between the greats and the would be’s if they could be’s

If we give the ordinary man a guitar, tell him to, play it, swear on stage and of course have all of the typical rock star paraphernalia where does that leave us? While I believe that rock stars are born and not made, it is sure hard to spot the genuine from the fakes in this day and age. In my opinion there has been no real rock band that has been able to fill the shoes of Guns n Roses since the 1980’s. Velvet Revolver came close, yet fell apart due to the pitfalls that are involved in a rock star’s life. Of course bands like RHCP, Pearl Jam and STP must be applauded for their input, and it absolutely does not go unnoticed. However, I’m sure you will agree with me that they are a different sounding type of rock. I really hope that this does not mean that we will have to put up with the likes of Fall Out Boy and Hinder, to fill the rock fans desire for down and dirty music.

References
Hiatt, B 2008, ‘Gear’, Rolling Stone, December issue, no. 685, p. 34, acp magazines.

Rock and Roll Guru
http://rockandrollguru.com/?p=1302

Chief Marketer
http://chiefmarketer.com/media360/broadcast_cable/rolling_stones_10042005/

Cleveland Rocks

True, the origin of rock might lie in the way notes are struck on a guitar and how lyrics are sung to a crowd. But, if we wanted to talk location – it would be Cleveland, Ohio.

Cleveland joined the tourism industry as a founder of rock music. It is the birthplace of some of the greatest rock bands of all time. Dating back to the 1950s and ‘60s, it has been the place for new artists to debut their music to start their music career.

Cleveland was “one of the first large cities to give rock media exposure to both black and white audiences” (Unterberger, Hicks, Dempsey, 1999, p 281).

Another first, Alan Freed was the first to coin the term ‘rock & roll’ to describe the new music playing on his radio station in Cleveland. With his radio show, he debuted rock music and influenced its popularity within the city of Cleveland.

Now, as a tribute to its past, Cleveland is home to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. Interestingly enough, the hall’s nominating committee selects about five to seven artists each year to enter the hall. The only eligibility is that 25 years must have passed since their first album release. The hall, which has become a top tourist destination in the Midwest United States, is constantly changing. They display various exhibits each year and try to focus on a variety of rock music and artists.

 

References

Richie Unterberger & Samb Hicks & Jennifer Dempsey, 1999, “Music USA”