FMC: What’s Wrong with Music? – Thursday afternoon at POP (Oct 5th)

More POP coverage from Tessa and her Merry Band of Indyish Bloggers. Mr. John reporting here.

Sandy Pearlman – Visiting McGill Scholar and Producer, Blue Oyster Cult, The Clash
Daniel Levitin – Professor, McGill University and Produced/Consultant, Stevie Wonder, Steely Dan, and Chris Isaak.
Susan Rogers – CIRMMT Fellow, McGill University
Gary Lucas – Recording Artist, Mighty Quinn Records
Paul Hoffert – Professor, Harvard University, York University

Pearlman and Leviton said technology could create a new golden age.

Rogers referred to the new technology (even the older tech of just multitracking) can affect quality because its so easy to record. When it is hard and expensive people don’t practice practice practice to get it right. People can’t even play instruments with the idea that “we’ll fix it later in protools”. Makes it easier for crud to be out there.

Pearlman: society’s full of crap obviously music is too. People can sift through it.

Some idiot asked an question but brought up that the problems in music are the same problems with everyone: our relationships with each other.

Lucas: trys to support artists as much as possible. He co-wrote two jeff buckley songs. I don’t know why he brought that up.

An unnamed reporter brought up the RIAA, and their suing people for downloading music.

Leviton, Lucas, Pearlmean agree that’s dumb.

Some dude said: “that the system should be overthrown” and a new system put in place for musicians.

Pearlman responded: it’s already been overthrown because you can download everything you could want for free.

Dude: agreed, but wants a way to pay musicians.

Pearlaman: why should they get paid? But he agrees.

Dude then told the panel they don’t really understand the new art forms and music that technology has brought.

Levitan said if john lennon was a 20 year old today, he’d be doing mashups.

Levitan brought up how major label artists make 5% of the profits. Many major label musicians still need dayjobs.

Hoffert: mentioned how between the panel they were responsible for 40 million dollars in record sales. He thinks there are ways that labels and musicians can make money with new solutions. He was in china and set up a multimillion deal with the universities there for music downloaded by students off of their internet systems. The students don’t pay and the music is in a new market and money was made.

Some wank “asked a question” where he rambled about sacredness in music. It took a long time. Lots of talk about sacred stuff. Lots ‘o wanks asking smart people dumb questions.

Lucas: the struggle, the existential struggle of making music is sacred for him. He mentioned the 60s.

Pearlman: digital technology can remove this struggle. Used the example of a friend’s classical label that recently recorded an album in one take and it came through. It reproduced the composer’s (bach’s) own struggle.

Rogers: the studio is a sacred place. One is fortunate to be in a studio. Every attempt, every take is sacred when you want someone else to experience it.

Wank kept at it, asked Rogers if it’s been compromised.

Rogers asked for clarification. People started leaving muttering.