My thoughts is all...

Holey Matrimony... Music and the Net, PT1

Does anyone remember what music was like before the internet?

You know the whole experience… hearing something on the radio you liked and going to the store and having to decide, “Should I buy the whole album or just the single”? Tearing the plastic off with anxious anticipation and opening the album cover to see the pics and credits inside… Who’d they thank? What do their pictures and artwork look like? Did they write all the lyrics out in this one or just list the songs and its contributors? Who else is featured on here?… All that off of listening to one song on the radio.

Now there’s no question you can’t get answered about an artist and/or album before the big release day.

And it is big. I don’t think I ever used to even know when an album was dropping - prior to it already being dropped. If memory serves me correctly, albums used to come out the same time the single hit the airwaves. But you couldn’t tell that to a label now, or consumers of this generation. All the promotion and marketing that now goes into an album dropping is mind boggling and for what I wonder… half the people have already heard, downloaded and burnt copies for their brother, sister and neighbor before the studio mic has even cooled down.

I’m guilty. I’m big on downloading/reviewing music before I invest more time and definitely before I invest any money into an artist. It can work out to their benefit sometimes though… if they’re any good. I had a conversation with a few friends while pulling this article together. LB brought up the point, a good one at that, that because of the internet she’s given newcomers like Lady Gaga a chance. Typically, not a fan of her radio works, but through doing some research into “what all the fuss” was about with this new Pop Diva, LB became intrigued with Gaga’s soulfulness… something she(LB) hadn’t expected and would have never known if it weren’t for the easy “one-two” click she did that brought her ear to ear with Gaga’s album and outside projects. She even googled her history and start in the business, which for LB helped put Gaga into a class of her. Amazing! Do all stories wind-up this blissful in the end… Gaga gets an unexpected supporter, LB gets to explore more music she likes with a little enlightenment on the side. I gotta say, I wasn’t feeling Gaga myself but after talking to LB, now I’m little curious and might even go download a few tracks of Lady Gaga’s myself.

But I digress, because sometimes it isn’t that blissful. I found love in a new artist named Trey Songz. What got me going with Trey wasn’t any of his album works… actually, the first time I heard any of his stuff was while watching BET and his video for his first single “Gotta Make It” came on. I thought, “Damn he has a nice voice, but he’s so skinny”- not really sexy you know, like how most of us women like our R&B crooners. So anyway, years have gone by and Trey has gained more popularity… much accredited to his appearances on other artists’ albums and his mixtapes where he refers to himself as Trigga Trey. That’s where I fell in love… Trigga Trey (I even wrote about it http://dearniel.blogspot.com/2009/02/trigger.html). He can freestyle and sing all within the same song… so damn impressive. I was able to sit down and listen to countless MP3’s of Trigga Trey going hard on someone else’s song like “Blame it” by Jamie Foxx and “DOA” by Jigga… But, here’s where the love paused. I came across an interview on A BLOG (which could very well be false, but who knows) about how he used to have crabs as a teenager and how he likes to choke women during sex(well the choking part doesn’t bother me as much) – all to me seems to be playing into his “sex symbol” imaging. I get it and understand it, but it’s just that artist are putting so much more into their presence in the media than back in the day (not that far back either, I’m not that old) than their work it feels like lately.

Albums are dropping expectantly at a quarterly rate these days when there used to be some anxiety and anticipation to when you would hear something new from somebody. When Mary J. Blige was on drugs no one knew until she came out with an album about how she overcame being on drugs years later. Honestly there was something endearing about that wasn’t there? She had a secret and she didn’t have to share it, but she did anyway (thru her music)… and her fans respected and accepted her for that then. Now, who can’t you find on Youtube high. Hell, you probably can even watch video of them looking to get high, getting high, crashing and getting high again… and it all plays into their sales, itune sales, ringtones sales, concert sales – record sales. I’m beginning to think many labels and managers behind these artists may even encourage it… I would hope not, but with all the blog exposure and hits online and TMZ stories creating a buzz around you, you might be a fool not to put it all out there consistently- I mean if you want people to give your music a chance and actually take it seriously.