Re: [acid-jazz] has capitalism ruined music?

From: kristopher robin (kris_at_temperstantrum.com)
Date: 2004-06-26 01:16:31

  • Next message: danYdan: "[acid-jazz] Drum-Bass.net | guestmix : Intuit | june 2004 | New Design of Timeless Inspiration website feat. Simon Harrison, Marko Stojovic, Toon & more ..."

    hey man, dont worry so much about the painting.

    Steve wrote:

    > :: rant warning :: :: rant warning ::
    >
    > perhaps you’ve seen the painting “capitalism – socialism” which shows
    > 2 views of a violinist; under the capitalist system, he is huddled in
    > the cold, shivering over his violin, a sad look, like a chick tract
    > character on his way to hell, while behind him are the faded lights of
    > saloons, taverns, and other “joints” he is exploited by and forced to
    > perform in. under the socialist banner, he is proudly performing as a
    > soloist (presumably a russian aka soviet approved piece) in a concert
    > hall to an ennobled audience.
    >
    > nice bit of propaganda, that. but then, I had the experience of seeing
    > art become life when, in the same week, I saw the gonzalo rubalcalba
    > trio, live, and the source awards, on tv. it got me wondering, is
    > capitalism really bad for the musician and her/his art? could the
    > death jaw of lucre really squeeze out all of the “charm for the
    > workman,” even in music?
    >
    > but I look at the question a little longer, and some things become
    > apparent to me; first, nearly all of the tools now indispensable for
    > the creation of modern music come from, for the most part, largely
    > capitalist societies; that would be firstly japan, usa, germany, uk,
    > then korea, poland, estonia, and oh yeah, sweden.
    >
    > what are these essential tools? technics turntable. akai sampler.
    > fender rhodes / telecaster. logic audio, cubase. neve / ssl console.
    > marshall amp. on and on.
    >
    > (btw as an aside… interesting to note how many of these technologies
    > had their origins in a “military” use at some point. the rhodes, for
    > instance, was born when harold rhodes was ordered to start a music
    > therapy program for the tens of thousands of wounded gi’s in ww2. and…
    > ever wonder why neve stuff has that boring “grey” finish? because neve
    > started out as military equipment. in fact, the modular design of neve
    > gear, part of what makes it so prized today over mackie and the like,
    > was due to its original conformation to military spec… ie modules were
    > easier to repair on gunships, even though they were much more costly
    > to make. next time u listen to return to 4ever, thank the military
    > industrial complex!!! tax money at work.)
    >
    > if you’re not a musician, you may not realize the revolution that has
    > occurred / is occurring with music technology. it is possible, if not
    > probable, that a hit record will come from the home pc of a teen-aged
    > kid with not more than $1000 invested in his equipment - this when
    > record companies routinely spend millions to record, to say nothing of
    > promote, albums.
    >
    > back on point. without the products made in these capitalist
    > economies, there would be no music as we know it. no 4 hero. no dkd or
    > bugz in the attic. in fact, roll back further. there is no rush, as
    > far as I know, among vintage music gear enthusiasts, for much of
    > anything coming from soviet states. did they ever produce any great
    > piano? any great microphone? when the maestro, v. horowitz, returned
    > to the ussr late in life, did he play any soviet piano? no, he had his
    > u.s. steinway and sons flown over. there’s the reality your poster has
    > twisted. punked. what about cuba, what about buena vista social club?
    > well, it may dismay some to recall sones and tumbaos pre-date castro,
    > that the legendary Havana studio, “egrem” was built by rca in the
    > ‘40’s… that it has a uk board and uses german mics, etc. what cuba has
    > been really good at, in addition to quashing political dissent via
    > imprisonment, is saving old western technology in museum condition.
    >
    > just consider; if it wasn’t for capitalism, ALL of the great music of
    > the 20th century we have on recording (thanks to marx’s nightmare,
    > edison) would *sound* a lot different, i.e. worse.
    >
    > and, it should be noted, that the nu music software business is as
    > about as unlike the caricature of capitalism marx sets up in the
    > manifesto as to be funny. software development is very dynamic, and
    > sizeable fortunes can be built from a desktop, where a nerdy
    > kat/kitten is programming away, trying to develop the next useful vst.
    >
    > BUT, u say, what have the capitalist musicians done with the wonderful
    > tools capitalism has bequeathed on them? or better, while u might
    > (grudgingly) concede that capitalism has been indispensable to the
    > artist’s convenience, what has it done to her soul, her art? here, we
    > enter in to more esoteric realms, but a couple of questions might be
    > asked;
    >
    > first, when u, dear reader, hear a piece of music, a track, that
    > really moves u, do u think, “wow… that sounds/feels great, but it
    > would sound better if it wasn’t for that dam patriot act!!!” or “if
    > only clinton wouldn’t have passed welfare reform, amp fiddler would
    > really sound hot 2 me.”
    >
    > but consider this; almost every piece of music u like, from mozart’s
    > concertos to dkd, was made, at least in part, to get people to like /
    > buy it. very few artists want their music to be unliked… and that
    > includes the most “socialist” artist out there… (socialism’s a lot
    > like Christianity in that regard… a lot of people espouse it on the
    > macro level, but few actually live it in the micro of their own
    > personal lives, especially the average attention-pimping artist.)
    >
    > what about socialist music? does it exist? yes; the best place to hear
    > the socialist sound is in university composition faculty concerts.
    > these are compositions by artists who’s salaries are paid, not by the
    > public, supply / demand, but by the state. that’s what music sounds
    > like when a musician is state subsidized. academic, self-indulgent,
    > dry, self-referential, etc. if capitalism makes the artist a pimp,
    > socialism makes the artist a bureaucrat.
    >
    > so, here we are. does the capitalist system suck 4 artists. sure it
    > does; the world itself, in some ways, sucks 4 artists. BUT, the
    > capitalist system has also provided artists with the TOOLS necessary
    > to paint the world w. their OWN sound NOW, much more so than ever
    > before. with everyone rocking a software computer setup nowadays, the
    > playing field is leveled… u have now only to 2 perform, 2 administrate
    > and 2 market, which takes talent, energy and persistence. is it in u?
    >
    > paradox ::: when u pay your subsidy to fund michael moore’s 911 this
    > weekend… just imagine how boring it would’ve been if it was made for
    > PBS instead of your pocketbook… (mmmm, just like ben and jerry’s,
    > sweet guilty pleasure!!!)
    >