In many ways, music is dying. So what does this mean to us? Lower recording budgets for our favorite artists. The days of hiring triple scale studio musicians with top names to lay down a world class rhythm, then sweetening the track with a top horn section or maybe even real strings. . . may be over. Once the budget is pulled, producers are going to have to dig into their pockets to maintain their standards. Believe me, that won't last long.
So it is back to synthesized sounds we go. But that is hardly the worst of it. Low recording budgets simply translate into lower quality of recording. It really is a reciprocal relationship. A record where 1000 studio hours are logged has a finesse that one recorded over 3 weeks could never have.
When a producer cuts back on pre-production, due to the lower budget the songs and arrangements suffer. Likewise, when he cuts back on post-production. . .mixing at a rate of 2 hours per song instead of 10 hours per song, the fidelity greatly suffers.
And if record companies are forced to limit their roster to just a handful of proven artists, the songwriter market dries up. The best songwriters are forced to either try and become artists and sell records of their own to make a living, or get a day job. If this becomes the norm, then the standard for songwriting gets lowered.
The phrase, "they don't make music like they used to" . . will be heard on the lips of all. Hey, I already heard a 17 year old say it. And that was 2 years ago.
If record companies cut back to only their top artists and independents tighten their reigns as well, then bands with poor musicianship and terrible songs but with a large stash of cash for production can literally buy their way to the top. I saw it happen in the late 80's in California. Cash becomes king. Quality is compromised. The public doesn't realize that music is no longer improving. And ultimately . . . once more. . .the already injured "art of music" in America is dealt a major blow.
The passion was removed from music when commercialism became an end unto itself. But at least their was still some quality to be found. Remove what is left of quality and we are stuck listening to the groans and moans of adolescents wondering what this button does . . . while shouting out how they hate this, that or the other. No, I am not bullish on the state of and future of the recording industry.
People really don't understand the amount of time, level of expertise and comittment of the producers necessary to produce a masterpiece recording like "Dark Side of the Moon", "Aja", "Unforgettable" or ______________ . . . At the rate and direction the record biz is headed, we may never have another.
Rande Is |
