The industry of Do-what’s-already-done
This is a post I’ve received from Julien Bernier-Haineault and he is a music producer from Quebec, Canada. He made several songs for a lot of bands that never really got appreciated to their real value.
He said me: It’s countless hours, in fact I could count it as months, I’ve put into this industry for very low results in the end. This is my first attempt at writing articles and I hope people gets the point across that this art is reserved to an elite and that you must obey to some fixed rules to get into their circle. I hope to help people understand what are those traps and guide them to avoid those.
Julien, your voice can be heard now, thanks to ManuelMarino.com!
The industry of Do-what’s-already-done
Lately I’ve questioned myself why was there so much newcomers in the music industry that didn’t grab my attention. Soul less recordings, heavy thumping bass, yells and screams is all I hear these days. Where is the hear candy? You know that kind of song you listen once and you’re not sure you like until you give it more listens. The kind of lyric that hooks you and makes you want to change something about you, or even the world. The strange feeling of nostalgia, of fear or faith. That is all gone since the music industry is now all about money and none about feelings. What people want these days are instant rewards, premature orgasms while what we need from the music industry is more like a long term relationship. Don’t get me wrong; I understand why people want it that way, but there’s one kind of songs that’ll eventually fade in history while the other one will be there to stay. I think music needs a second chance, a change in the way of thinking, a split for newcomers that don’t want to fit in the prefabricated mold that today’s industry is.
Most contemporary musicians want to have the right “recipe” for success. The recipe that would get their songs top the charts and generate a buzz. They want the special ingredient that would get them out of normal life and throw them right into the elitist artist world. And that is understandable since the industry demands it. Instant success stories are heard all over the newspapers but from experience I know that most of those stories are forgotten shortly after. And if they are not, maybe they should.
What’s sad is that the music that doesn’t fit the standards gets pushed on the midnight playlist on Tuesdays, or worst, not played at all. So the infamous Verse Chorus Verse type of song is filling the entire rush hour playlist. Miss “Perfect Body” and Mr. “Perfect Voice” are all over the radio stations. We’ve come to an era where the beauty of the singer is more important than the beauty of the song. And that’s where it must stop. Sure an anti-charismatic singer won’t attract much audience at first, but fans listen to the music more than looks at the eyes, do they?
I really don’t care what the band looks like. They could be just “okay” but if what they do is pure genius, nobody will notice. What people will notice after some time is the music, the real reason why the band existed in the first place. Since when does a rock star need to be a supermodel to sell tickets? What we want is presence not nude skin.
Maybe I’m wrong a little bit though, since so much people are going to Justin’s or Britney’ shows. As they say “sex sells” and this can’t be truer. A lot of artists are betting on this to make their stash bigger. Think Janet Jackson at the superbowl. Publicity, marketing and word of mouth are what is important now, no matter what you do to get it. Good or bad, talk about it, heh? That’s what they want… And it works! What’s sure though is that good rock music has left its place to rap, screaming rock and pop music this decade and I can only hope it will be back for the next.
December 8th, 2007 at 9:53 am
Wow… I think a lot about this. I believe that there are two forms of music. For one, there’s the entertainment side of it. And a lot of stuff has an ‘entertainment’ side. People want music videos, and hot looks, glare and glory, uproars, and the whole kitten kaboodle.
The other side of music I’ve known is the personal side. It’s about people who make music a personal thing. I mean, there’s the outside, but then there’s the inside. The music you don’t run all over the place telling people about it, because if they want it, they’ll be searching for it in the first place. It’s more of a quiet epidemic… they hear you play it… catch something from your headphones, and won’t stop asking till they find out.
It’s the two niches I’ve never failed to see… sometimes it’s the brand name versus the white-label. Other times it’s a genre versus a ‘mistake’. But there’s always a haze in between.
Yet the artist side is a bit different, I think. For me, I take my music like a therapy, and I identify with it when I listen. I compose music like administering a drug. I use careful doses, I measure it out according to how hard my week or month has been. I sip it slow or I guzzle it down. And so, I think a different thing goes on for artists, because I know a for me at least… every song I’ve made has had a different influence.
Some compose for the glory. Some create for the money. There’s as many reasons for one as the other. And I feel like some people will even try to mascarade as hot stuff outside the limelight. That’s right, I think that not just the popular people, but also other artists who try to take the unpopular side of music for a ride too. A lot of what you mentioned here, about some artists who are seeking to make original and unique tunes… I think that this article might miss the point that there’s an ugly side to it as well.
But there will always be a noble group (at least in my own eyes, they’re ‘noble’ in some idealistic since. Forgive me that). Some people have the realization that it’s an amazing gift for both sides of this thing we call “music”. It’s humbling to be someone people want to listen to, and it’s humbling to be allowed to listen to someone. I try to stay in that crowd because I believe it’s the origin of music. There’s no way you can be a purist about it, but the mentality seems to work for me, at least. I’d like to think I’m still in this group, despite not really having a name for it.
December 22nd, 2007 at 8:21 pm
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