Moments ago, I logged into my Rockworms account, went up the top right-hand corner of the page, and clicked “write something.”
Then I froze.
It seems like a simple task. There is of music, new CD’s coming out every Tuesday, concerts taking place everyday, “breaking” artists coming out of every corner of the planet.
And I still haven’t nothing to write.
I don’t want to sound like a decrepit old codger who claims he doesn’t listen to music anymore because it all sucks but truthfully, I have a hard time listening to music right now: because it all sucks.
I am just as guilty as the generation of people who currently do enjoy the music scene because a few years back when some decent bands still WERE around, putting out quality albums, I was A.) busy listening to crappy “indie” bands because I thought it made me a cooler person B.) listening to music from my parents generation because I didn’t want to be thought of as a poppy “radio listener” or C.) downloading the music illegally and running all the good bands out of business.
And look at me now. Complaining that there is nothing for me to listen to. After years of abusing the industry I love, shockingly, they have no patience left for me. After years of beating and berating my spouse, she has decided to leave me. And I am sitting here blaming others. I am blaming others for the mistakes that me and my friends made. We were too critical and didn’t appreciate what we had all around us. Good bands who worked hard, fought for artistic freedom and gave it all they had for our entertainment dollar.
And we shit on them.
We told them that their best wasn’t good enough and now that our iPod playlists are growing old we want something new and guess what: what’s new sucks. We caused it. We caused the downturn in the industry due to our own greed and selfishness. We created this Jonas Brothers generation due to our rejection of what was offered to us. We are the homeless man who doesn’t like hamburgers: take what you are offered. Suck it up.
We cried wolf on the industry. We told them that we would wait it out. We didn’t need to support them now because they would always be around. And look at us now. Groveling. Insulted intellectually by the same tired pop-ballad sung by a 16-year Dairy Queen cashier reject who a marketing company decided would make them a lot of money by parading her out on stage to the delight of 16-year olds, Disney channel executives and pedophiles worldwide. And she made them money. And we shook our heads in disbelief.
“How has it come to this?”
Take a guess. Our greed and belief that eventually “the good guys” aka those WE liked, would return to save us.
And they haven’t.
And they won’t.
Because we killed them. Our greed, selfishness and general arrogance has destroyed the music industry.
It takes the average band 9-15 months to write, record and release an album. It takes the average listener 45 minutes to listen and form an opinion about it. And we wonder why bands just don’t try anymore.
