Is the Internet killing the rock star, or is there just a new rock star emerging? With the expansion of viral medias (like Myspace), musicians have been handed the opportunity of beginning a successful career based solely on do-it-yourself methods. From marketing to merchandise, management to public relations – bands of the 21st century do more than just play the music. Viral media allows musicians to make their music, spread the word and gain legitimate followings without even stepping foot onstage. They can avoid major record labels and still sell their music.
But with opportunity comes another form of adversity. Starting a band these days is no longer just about the music. You have to work hard to emerge among all the start-ups. And there’s a much more fluid meaning of success. When, exactly, have you “made it”? Like many other traditionally structured professions (journalists, politicians, advertisers and marketers, etc.), rock stars have to adapt to an ever-changing landscape of technological advancements. So is the rock star we have come to know and love gone for good? Or do we just have to adapt, too, to this new image?
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Cool. I mean, anyone who starts talking about how technological advancements are changing any industry is going to get my attention (maybe that's why it's spread so thin...). One thing that particularly interests me is mash-ups and the musicians who make them, or other areas where the distinction between 'artist' and 'technologist' is getting fuzzy.
ReplyDeleteWow, the idea of mash-ups is really interesting, especially because it almost seems like the anti-rock star in a way: taking the creative material of another and rehashing it into something new, without the efforts or appeal of an image or live performance.
ReplyDelete...that is, unless the mash-up artist gets famous himself!