What’s wrong with music today? What has happened? Why did we come to this point? I know that the means for one to record, mix, play and release a track or an EP or a full-length album is easy to obtain but is that all? What’s the point of making music of any kind? From teenagers up to “forgotten” musicians, in their basement or their attic, anyone can find a bloody laptop or an iMac and have their “own studio” to make music. That has nothing to do with how much creative a musician feels in order to write music or not. Let’s see a couple of things though.In a slowly dying music industry, it is to wonder how the album releases have increased so much and so rapidly! That’s a damn paradox! The music market has shrunk dangerously, the profits are what they used to be, digital releases, as proven, are not the answer cuz’ they bring a very low profit, the psychical CDs sales have increased and the vinyl may have come on top again but only for the vinyl maniacs and the album collectors.
Among all these things, we have artists, bands or projects which announce their album release every hour of the day… but have they thought about the music quality of their work? Have they taken a second opinion about their “great music”? Moreover is it so easy to record, mix, produce and do the mastering on an album? If so, then why are there still recording studios (with expensive equipment) and well-trained producers who do the productions or the mastering still? Are they so silly? Why don’t they all get an iMac or a laptop and be done? Why do we need recording studios and music experts anymore? Anyone can do this with a small “YouTube” video guidance at home. Do you remember the “do not try this at home” statement? Well, I’ll give the same advice too, a bit changed though. Do try this at home but only to have an idea of how your music sounds and to get to know your abilities and your limits. Stop putting out junk music on the internet, on every digital retailer or social media platform. It ain’t good for the music itself. The junk music albums are far more than the qualitative ones… so what happens? Most of the times, the truly worthy releases are buried under plies of music turd-albums which have taken the lion’s share in today’s music industry.
I remember a time when recording and releasing an album was far harder than one would think and it would take a lot of hard work to achieve. Maybe that “old system” didn’t give the opportunities to some worthy artists or bands back in the day and that was cruel but going to the opposite side where every bloody untalented & narcissist guy is “baptized” a great musician” by their friends is damn stupid and it needs to stop. We do not care for another artist/band which has just released “a superb” album on their iMac/laptop”… we need real music by real musicians/bands who can produce and write actual tracks which can become classix like the old days.
Music is not a big rubbish dump as it has become with the “internet revolution (of the ass)” the last few years …it was and is something more than that, something more than any label, or PRist who tries to take advantage of every little wannabe Rockstar or musician out there in order to make some more extra bucks now that the time is right – before everything collapses.
As for the music magazines, webzines and (shitty) blogs… which all pay a great role on that “new music system”… well, we will talk thoroughly at another editorial, in due time…
PS1: We wanna thank the great & unique Russ Ballard in public, who talked to Grande Rock after a long time of staying in silence. A superb article for Russ’ music career will be published soon – it may be even online as you read these lines. Of course, the critically intriguing brand new interview with Russ is also online to check out.
PS2: Grande Rock has decided since day one, to be strict but fair when it comes to album reviews, in order to give a fair chance to both the readers and the bands/musicians for qualitative info & presentation. Now that principle is more than a necessity to be taken as granted and be kept intact…
PS3: This month’s editorial is dedicated to the “Golden Throat” – the one & only Jimi Jamison, who suddenly passed away a few days ago. Music is way poorer without Jimi’s voice. Jimi was 1 of the 3 Golden Voices of AOR/Melodic Rock music of all time. May He Rest In Peace…