Tuesday, April 8, 2008
A consumer mentality is plaguing music, and I’m not talking about the satchels of money the record companies expect us to pay for 10 songs.
I’m talking about the continuous influx of new music that seems to appear out of nowhere every week. This obsession for the new robs many musicians of attention they deserve.
nutgraf
But now anyone can hear music from as recent as the ’70s and even the ’80s playing on oldies stations.
When a listener is always seeking what’s fresh, it’s easy to forget that for every new hit single, there are dozens of outstanding tracks that just got lost in the void over the years.
I’m not saying that it’s wrong to appreciate new material, but in that ephemeral chase for the cutting-edge, many people lose sight of all the great music that’s already been made.
Just because something is new doesn’t mean that it’s any better than something that’s been around for a while.
Oldies stations try to remind us of all the great music from bygone eras.
But if you listen to any one of these stations for a week, you’re bound to hear the same songs on endless repeat. The problem with these stations is that they rarely dig past the surface of the artists they feature. Sure, you’ll hear “Like A Rolling Stone,” but even with Bob Dylan’s extensive collection, the stations never go deeper than that.
The public is reducing great artists to solely their hits. That’s like seeing the Mona Lisa and thinking you know everything there is to know about DaVinci. It just ain’t right.
It’s getting even harder for oldies stations to give artists the time they deserve because the songs they play are steadily creeping up the musical timeline.
Oldies stations started out playing the jazz of the 1950s, and they gradually moved into rock and roll as the times changed.
But now anyone can hear music from as recent as the ’70s and even the ’80s playing on oldies stations.
How long before they make it into the ’90s and beyond?
If you ask people who lived through the “oldies” era, they’ll tell you that the music that’s on these stations is what they were listening to when they were young, but there’s so much that’s missing.
I’m worried for the future. Not only because of the tons of greenhouse gases we’re pumping into the air or the steadily rising sea levels that threaten to drown our coastlines, but because when the oldies become the music of our generation, there won’t be a separate station for each one of the distinct genres that we love.
Artists will be lumped together by decade regardless of where they came from.
Imagine Britney Spears playing after Nirvana on 108.8 F.M., “Greats of Generation Y”.
People want their favorite bands to be remembered when they grow old, but not just for that hit single that got airplay.
Take a break from what’s hot and look back in time to some of your favorite artists other songs you may have skipped over.
You might find something that you never knew existed.
If nothing else, you may learn that the bass line from “Ice Ice Baby” wasn’t written by Vanilla Ice.
It was David Bowie.
Lerman is a Highland Park, Ill., sophomore in journalism.
Lerman: MTV2 blues: Forget recycled tunes
So-called popular music limits creativity and prevents listeners from trying out new ...
Lerman: Classic rock icons sell out
Artists who used to represent rebellion are now part of the establishment.
Radio Free Lawrence
How KJHK 90.7 drives the local music scene and fits into the ...
Tomorrow's news
Pandora
Music guy
Your guide to music utopia
Kansas Public Radio awaits decision
Copyright regulation could change the way stations broadcast online.
Letter to the editor
Local music has large talent pool
Question & Answer
with William Elliott Whitmore
Accessing jazz
Make jazz more accessible by checking out local acts.
Q&A Girl Talk
Because we have questions. Celebrities have answers.
Tomorrow's news: Midomi
Lysen: Judging Trendy Music with an Open ...
Liking trending music can be hard, but sometimes we end up liking ...
Q&A: Brendan Hangauer: vocalist/guitarist of Fourth of ...
Because we have questions. Celebrities have answers.
Brew: National anthem deserves better
The national anthem has been sung poorly one too many times.
Q&A: Wallpaper's Ricky Reed
We have questions. Celebrities have answers.
Forget what you heard
The Kansan's four part series showcasing hip hop's impact on a mix ...
Montano: Google gives more options in music ...
The Android Market provides healthy competition with its services.
Rediscovering the record
Local music stores enjoy an increase in vinyl record sales spurred by ...
Free For All: November 5, 2007
Holy Ladybug Invasion, what the hell is going on?
An Interview with The Wallflowers' Jakob Dylan
A guide to sonic consumption.
G. Loves spreads the love
G. Love talks about his Lawrence and his musical influences.
Reliving the music dream
Mark Gottschall, journalism resource center supervisor, recorded an album in Spain 35 ...
Q&A: Tom Higgenson of Plain White T's
Because we have questions. Celebrities have answers.
Morning Brew: Pitbull as a role player
Pitbull and former NBA player Robert Horry are both the ultimate role ...
Blog: Life and Music
Music: It's All Around You.
Q&A with Katie Euliss of Truckstop Honeymoon
Because we have questions. Celebrities have answers.
Peaks and valleys
A look at how local bands keep local venues alive — as ...
CD's bring back fond memories
The music we listen to throughout life creates a timeline of interests ...
Lerman: MP3 generation rules music's fate
For the price of a McDonald’s Value Meal, music listeners could download ...
African Drum Ensemble brings the beats
In its second year, the group has found its rhythm.
Downloadable music cards give Lied Center different ...
Center is giving away 50,000 iTunes cards this season to attract more ...
Sound Tribe Sector 9
Local band gets big-time attention
Musicians question effectiveness of national publicity in enticing fans.
Amateur Hour
For some local bands, open mic nights provide a launching pad for ...
Question & answer with Hawley Shoffner, winner ...
Q & A
with Todd Anderson of Left on Northwood
Oldies with a twist
Two Lawrence DJs pave their way with some goodies from the past
Music guy
A road map to music utopia
Interview with Lotus
Q&A: Matt Johnson of Matt & Kim
Because we have questions. Celebrities have answers.
From left: Kimberlee Hinkle, Libby Johnson and Hannah ...
1 comment
Kansas Jayhawk fans hold aloft a reproduction of ...
2 comments
Erin Saupe, a Ph.D. student from St. Cloud, ...
1 comment
0 comments
Armed robbers continue to threaten.
3 comments
Lecture from Greg Mortenson, co-author of New York ...
0 comments
Comments
Lerman: Ever-changing music scene leaves out diverse tastes
I find your articles very insightful, but isn't this an opinion page...I noticed that you have about seven other articles all on music. Write about something different, your articles are getting very redundant and are boring me when I see them in the paper.
Lerman: Ever-changing music scene leaves out diverse tastes
I think you don't know what you're talking about. His articles are extremely interesting and if he wants to write about music, so be it. It's an opinion page, therefore he can write about whatever he wants. If they bore you then don't read them, no one cares. :)
Lerman: Ever-changing music scene leaves out diverse tastes
Obviously hawktalk cares. As do I. These articles are redundant. Also this article is all over the place eventually at the end getting to the point where "Ice, Ice, Baby" is used as a shocker.
Radio has always been narrow. People listen to the entire albums of their favorite artists. Now more than ever the listener has an endless amount of options for finding new, old, or eccentric music.
Lerman: Ever-changing music scene leaves out diverse tastes
The opinion page of the Kansan is my favorite section. I love reading about what students on campus feel like talking about. I am not an English genius nor do I have any influence with the Kansan, but I thought I would just share my two cents-- which is to have this author write about something different.
I understand people have passion and that they care about something, but it seems as though this author is just wanting to vent about the lack of so called "good" music within today's industry. All the other opinion authors have variance within their articles. I believe that the Kansan is a quality paper and articles like these are bringing them down. We have heard what you have to say about music--give us something new to learn about.
There are plenty of other options other than mainstream radio which will never be changed. You can listen to specific online radio stations that cater to your specific music needs.
This author needs to stop complaining and offer some real solutions if he truly believes this is an endemic in the music industry that we are watching right before our eyes.
Sign in to comment
Or login with:
OpenID