Ohh the joys of Internet?? and the downfall of the music industry because of such accessibility...
OR is it?? Since we're on the subject of the Internet...I'm currently in a class discussing the different genres of music that originated from prominent cities in the States with a significant musical history. It's interesting because in the mid-20th century, the "impure" particular spaces where music was made in newly developing cities across the United States became the face of cultural ambiguity and the source of intercultural communication in a racially segregated society.
Music has evolved in many ways with the transition towards modernity being synonymous with being culturally diverse. It has become an avenue for social change by transcending all cultural boundaries to create a mix of sounds that develop and recreate itself; a sound that can be reflective of various racial backgrounds. In the current modern age of the 21st century, music still unifies and promotes intercultural communication. However, rather than being rooted on a more obvious form of space based on live performance, the Internet seems to have become the space where interaction takes place. Not necessarily in the context of a virtual reality, but definitely as virtual communication. Whether or not the Internet is seen as an “impure” space is subjective, but it facilitates intercultural communication through the easy exchange of ideas, styles, and techniques of various genres of music that are not limited to regions anymore but now globally accessible. The creation of websites like YouTube, LastFm, Pandora, and MySpace have revolutionized the speed at which music can be traded and promoted to the masses. The Internet has become a cultural phenomena that has essentially freed society of its immediate traditional views and has allowed music to expand to include a wider audience. Whether this freedom and accessibility of music constricts an artist because the avenue of which their music is marketable cannot be enforced by the record industries is a question that can be pondered. Nevertheless, the record industries have been at fault in the past for restricting artist creativity in order to commercialize their music a certain way. Maybe the Internet is freeing that bind and we're just making it back full circle to music that was created, not to generate monetary profit and personal gain, but to JUST be created and shared by a community of enthusiasts.
Just a thought.
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