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Does Music 2.0 Add or Detract?
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Jul 08, 6:56 pm TheCapitalClinic said:
In writing a TCC review of Phil Dutra's "body of work" to date, I did some homework on his bio, available uploaded songs, and in particular the original and remixed versions of his notable contest-winning piece, "She Walks Away" and couldn't decide which "sound-engineered" production I liked better. My chain of thoughts on the issue of original works and remixes in their infinite variety in the digital era led me to ask the, to me, broader question, What does Music 2.0 and inter-changeable Artists and Fans portend for the future of music? Like it or not, the tidal wave of change in do-it-yourself/participatory music as a new "digital art form" is coming. I repost my review on Phil Dutra and this follow-on topic as a TCC blog below, and solicit your considered opinion [or quick-take] on this important, but controversial, question:
[Reposted blog follows]
Jay Viddy sent out a PM to many of his network connections [including moi] inviting Fuzz Heads to check out Phil Dutra and I'm glad that I did. It is strange that as mutual, early joiners in the Fuzz "beta" I did not do this before [at least with the attention to detail that your work deserves].
My favs are the signature song of your EP [Right Behind The Rain], Superman, and what I would suggest is a cross between the original tracks of "She Walks Away" and the more muted Michael Lloyd Remix of the same song [since I can't decide which is better in my minds-ear and I don't yet have the technical know-how to create my own remixes].
I'm sorely tempted to join the growing Music 2.0 movement whereby artists are prepared to open their work up to outsiders to have a go at adding multiple layers and dimensions to original work- in this regard check out the discussion between Scott Blonde of The Lovemakers, John Tooker of Marqui Adora, and Fuzz techie Phatduckk. Obviously, there must be much soul-searching discussion to take place about what constitutes original work and additional creative content; and I think this is one of the best places to do it.
In checking out your site and the progression of your music from Atlanta, to LA [and your meeting with producer/"sound engineer", Micheal Lloyd], and now to Austin, I thought your music [pop catchy melody and lyrics] is particularly well-suited to breaking out into stems and trying out a variety of mixes and even mash-ups to see what "new magic" comes up.
I think there are a multitude of potential Dutra fans out there in Fuzz world who would be hooked by the incremental participatory creativity that flows from remixes and mashups because your work [sound/lyrics] is sufficiently distinctive to survive the onslaught of invention. What do you think?
In writing a TCC review of Phil Dutra's "body of work" to date, I did some homework on his bio, available uploaded songs, and in particular the original and remixed versions of his notable contest-winning piece, "She Walks Away" and couldn't decide which "sound-engineered" production I liked better. My chain of thoughts on the issue of original works and remixes in their infinite variety in the digital era led me to ask the, to me, broader question, What does Music 2.0 and inter-changeable Artists and Fans portend for the future of music? Like it or not, the tidal wave of change in do-it-yourself/participatory music as a new "digital art form" is coming. I repost my review on Phil Dutra and this follow-on topic as a TCC blog below, and solicit your considered opinion [or quick-take] on this important, but controversial, question:
[Reposted blog follows]
Jay Viddy sent out a PM to many of his network connections [including moi] inviting Fuzz Heads to check out Phil Dutra and I'm glad that I did. It is strange that as mutual, early joiners in the Fuzz "beta" I did not do this before [at least with the attention to detail that your work deserves].
My favs are the signature song of your EP [Right Behind The Rain], Superman, and what I would suggest is a cross between the original tracks of "She Walks Away" and the more muted Michael Lloyd Remix of the same song [since I can't decide which is better in my minds-ear and I don't yet have the technical know-how to create my own remixes].
I'm sorely tempted to join the growing Music 2.0 movement whereby artists are prepared to open their work up to outsiders to have a go at adding multiple layers and dimensions to original work- in this regard check out the discussion between Scott Blonde of The Lovemakers, John Tooker of Marqui Adora, and Fuzz techie Phatduckk. Obviously, there must be much soul-searching discussion to take place about what constitutes original work and additional creative content; and I think this is one of the best places to do it.
In checking out your site and the progression of your music from Atlanta, to LA [and your meeting with producer/"sound engineer", Micheal Lloyd], and now to Austin, I thought your music [pop catchy melody and lyrics] is particularly well-suited to breaking out into stems and trying out a variety of mixes and even mash-ups to see what "new magic" comes up.
I think there are a multitude of potential Dutra fans out there in Fuzz world who would be hooked by the incremental participatory creativity that flows from remixes and mashups because your work [sound/lyrics] is sufficiently distinctive to survive the onslaught of invention. What do you think?
Comments
Take for example any of the mashup/remixes done on Jay-Z's Black Album. Many DJ/Producers put out full length albums using a complete acapella record that was released including the famous (or infamous) Gray Album (Beatles), Black and Blue (Weezer) and Purple Album (Prince) among others. Many of these were available via free download. Nonetheless, these producers were targeted rather than embraced as the future and shut down by record execs not unlike the old Napster situation. Similar to the Napster story, this approach also backfired in the face of the music industry for a notable producer may not have otherwise been discovered. Danger Mouse anyone?
Another incident occurred with a wonderful Green Day mashup album entitled American Edit which was available as a free download. The website even encouraged visitors to donate to Green Day's favorite charities. Again, this was shut down. Luckily, I got my copy before that happened and I listen to it regularly.
The lines often get blurred when it comes to content/compensation. This is eliminated if an artist is willing to open up a platform for others to experiment with and the only party pushed out of shape at that point is the record company. Let the artists choose the terms of their own work and let them control who has access to it (ie: other producers, DJ's etc.).
And it is in that spirit that I applaud The Lovemakers for making their track available for others to work with and expand the sonic possibilities. And to Fuzz for not seeking and prosecuting those "offenders". Viva La Fuzz!
-J
Jul 08, 9:45 am TheCapitalClinic said to ZuneVibe:
I think that you got it just right when you described this phenomenon as the Largest Online Concert Ever.
My own take-aways from this are -
1.) Music is the glue that binds us all. Without it, we are nothing; with it, we are capable of everything that collective action requires.
2.) Music seems to have crossed an important threshold from being an exercise in individual aesthetic appreciation to an equally important but distinctly collective experience [although I suppose the shared experience was always part of the aesthetic exercise as well.] This may explain in part the decline in physical CD sales and the growing importance in touring revenues for artists [even tho' the "Gig Math" - see Marqui Adora's Essay on this - still doesn't add up for most musicians because the business model is still not an efficient one.]
3.) The implications of 1.) and 2.) above are what put online platforms, such as yours and Fuzz, at the important crossroads of change as a shared digital community.
4.) We live in interesting times.
[end of reposting]
I think the Fuzz folks got it right when they said that the distinction between Artist and Fans is becoming increasingly fuzzy, depending on what side of the microphone you happen to on at any given time.
in my opinion "x.y" should only be used to version boxed/installed software. even those guys dont use the x/y version numbers and stick to cute stuff like CS3, XP, Tiger etc
I know, Jeff gave me the heads up, so I use it cautiously :=)
This whole 2.0 terminology is fraught with delicious and dangerous ambiguity.
If you really want to see someone who touched a raw nerve about "2.0 anything" and the future of web-based social networking, check out ethnographer, danah boyd's controversial essay/blog on "viewing American class divisions through Facebook and MySpace": http://www.zephoria.org/thoughts/archives/2007/06/24/viewing_america.html
I recall some Fuzz folks were either "captivated" or "turned off" by her previous work. Whatever, it got people's attention. As I read her essay and the numerous threads, I kept trying, with great difficulty, to assess where Fuzz could fit in the comparative dynamic. I have an opinion that I will post later.