Have you ever thought about how many musicians there have been throughout the years? I mean, right now on Reverbnation there are about 61000 bands/artists. Despite reverbnation being an extremely useful tool, there are tons of artists who have never even heard of it. If myspace would have done its job, there'd be accurate statistics from that, but I haven't even logged into my music account in like 4 months.
So let's say that there are 61000 bands at any given time. The average life expectancy for a band is ...4 years? Few bands last much longer and tons of bands fizzle out after the first year. Then at 61000 bands per 4 years, in the past 12 years, we can estimate that there have been 183000 bands. That takes us back to 1999 - before I was even playing guitar!
Now these are strictly hypothetical numbers, understand. But of those 183000 bands from the past 12 years, how many have made any sort of billboard list? A small fraction. And of those, who do you remember and still listen to?
The truth of the matter is that at least since I've been alive and have had interest in music, the stuff to hit it big hasn't been more than a collection of one hit wonders. Sure, a few artists survive and you'll see their names again from time to time. Some people may even become devout fans and follow the acts career until its untimely demise. But don't bank on it.
These songs are meant to be replaced. They're about fast money. How often is fast money good money? People win the lottery and a few years later they're filing for bankruptcy. People sell lots of cocaine and they make fast money ...but they're involved in some sketchy stuff. Really, fast money is nothing that has built careers. It's been a means of momentary recognition and then a steep drop-off.
Looking back at hits from over the years you'll see great bands like Led Zeppelin and Michael Jackson. Yes, they had "hits" but there is still a large portion of their fans who know every song on the album. When albums leave impressions, people are changed. A single song has seldom done anything but gotten a quick buck.
What then causes music to stick around? There are tons of theories out there. I've got my own and I'm sure you have yours as well, but that is for another time.
The real question that I'm getting at is: why is yelling out "Free Bird" at a concert still something considered cool? At B-Sides last night, I had the pleasure of seeing the Joy Ike Duo. However, after every song, the boys on the couch behind me would scream "free bird." I recall hearing someone (likely the same people) yell that last week at B-Sides. When I played at Pint's in Harrisburg a few weeks back - I heard the same thing.
What the heck? I recall hearing it for the first time maybe like 6 years ago and the origin is from a Skynyrd album from 1976. How does a tradition like that carry on? The kids behind me couldn't have been older than 20. They definitely weren't around in '76 and have probably never heard of Lynyrd Skynyrd.
I understand how songs like Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'" has made a comeback in recent years, but how does stuff like yelling "Free Bird" live on? Better yet, why do people still think that it's funny?
This is something that has apparently been ingrained into peoples DNA? If someone ever figures out how to do that, we're all pretty much screwed.
-Alex
No comments:
Post a Comment