music is dead.

It's not particularly formatted as a formal story, but a non-fiction critique on the fine arts recently.

Music is dead. In the 1980s, a new player on the music scene, MTV, emerged. And the scene was revolutionized. No longer did one have to attend a concert and shell out tons of hard-earned cash to see their favorite musical acts. No longer were live acts and seeing bands in person mutually exclusive to how much money you had in your pocket. And for a brief time - it was glorious. Never before had the industry seen such a interest by the American public in music. The industry flourished. Yet trouble lurked on the horizon. Before MTV, music was generally something associated with artsy types. For the most part, the people buying records were actually concerned about musical prowess, talent, and creativity. But with MTV and the mass marketing of music, the entire populous had access to the latest artists in the industry. But the majority of the populous wasn't concerned with musical prowess. Actually LISTENING to music didn't fit in with the typical fast-paced American lifestyle. And artists slowly began to discover that talent was no longer necessary to make money. No longer did someone have to put everything in themselves into writing a song to be successful. And gradually, but surely, the music industry began it's shift from creativity....to image.

The industry bigwigs naturally saw this shift as a tremendous opportunity. What incentive did the record labels have to look for talented artists when all they had to do was find a band that looked impressive? When the latest and greatest acts hit the scene, promotion on the part of the record label/bands wasn't necessary. One music video sent to MTV was enough to send a album skyrocketing through the charts. Debuts could become triple platinum within weeks and all the industry had to do was count the stacks of money coming in. So what happened to the artists that actually played music because it was their passion? An underground scene was created, naturally, because where there is a demand (in this case, for talented artists), there is always a supply. Indie record labels headed by people who were concerned about the state of music were formed. And although this brought some manner of publicity back to these creative artists, the industry would never be the same.

As the music industry becomes more and more polarized and creativity and image become mutually exclusive, dramatic reparations need to be made to restore it to its' former glory. For one- artists who are creative need to incorporate beautiful imagery into their musical tapestries, and musicians who rely solely on image need to put their hearts and souls into their music.

Movies are dead. In 1880, the motion picture camera was developed, and the first silent films were born. Motion pictures were mostly visual art until the late 1880s. Around the beginning of the 1900s, films started developing a narrative and theatre owners would hire organists or full orchestras to play music fitting the mood of the scenes. In the 1920s, the film industry in Europe diminished due to World War I, while the industry in the United States was booming, thanks to the rise of Hollywood. Around this point in time - new technology allowing filmmakers to attach a soundtrack with speech and sound effects in sync with the action on the screen was developed. At this point - the new movies were termed "talking pictures". By the end of World War II, nearly every film was filmed in color, and by the end of the 1960s, color was the norm.

As soon as film was developed, it naturally was a venue for profit - and tremendous profit at that. Many directors saw movies as an avenue for them to express their ideas, while others saw it as a means to make money. Film is a relatively new medium of art, and unfortunately, in the past 20-30 years, a vast ineptitude when it comes to filmmaking and sheer lack of creativity has been displayed. Movie franchises are the norm, what with them being such a profitable venture. Rarely is intelligence and wit displayed in modern filmmaking - and as such, money has become the only incentive to create a work of art.

Theatre is dead. Professional theatre in America first arose in the early 1700s, when the earliest known theatre was built in Williamsburg in 1715. In the 18th century, puritanical America created widespread opposition to theatrical performances. Laws forbidding plays were passed in Massachusetts in 1750, in Pennsylvania in 1759, and in Rhode Island in 1761, and it was banned in most states during the American Revolutionary War at the urging of the Continental Congress. In the early 19th century, theatre became more common in the United States, and many actors from Europe toured the US. Most cities only had one theatre, however, and shows were usually on for only days at a time, occasionally weeks. During this time period, preachers still decried the "sinfulness" of playgoing and acting, and theatre was associated with hedonism and violence.

Whilst in the 1880s, Broadway flourished, and theatre grew in America. Vaudeville came to form around the late 19th century, and had a heavy influence on film, radio, and television. While at this time, American professional theatre had become decidedly more mature, the Great Depression occurred, and greatly affected the theatre industry. Recently - theatre has become to disappear from the fine arts pantheon, and unprofessionalism runs amuck. A lack of respect for the hard work and training that goes into theatre has been displayed, and once again, creativity is becoming less and less prevalent.

Art is dead. Or for that matter, the fine arts are dead. Anything that stimulates thought is no longer desired by the American public as a whole - and lethargy and apathy have become standard. Drastic social reform has occurred since the turn of the 1900s, and America has seen a downward spiral in art and creativity. Whether this has been caused because of sheer greed and money-making potential, or a deeper social problem, is anyone's guess.

Author's Note

Please ignore the structure of the piece - it is, first and foremost, just a rant.

Reviews

[Kara Emily Krantz]

LOVE this. i love what you're saying here.

love it love it

you hit so much of it head on, and some of this was stuff i hadn't really thought about. i always knew that theatre was dead, since i've been acting for the past 10 years or so. and music just isn't the same. nothings the same. the lack of creavity makes me cry

"creativity is becoming less and less prevalent"

great piece, my dear!

[MrJodie]

Dude, it's much more than a rant. You could actuallly do this, in cadence, as a performance piece. I could so see you performing this, on stage, beatnik style as an empassioned monologue. It's informative, concise, if a tad egocentric, and extremely well written. You need to do more of this. I didn't check any of your references, but I'll give you the benefit of the doubt. Always remember to check your facts, though. If you get called on it, have the courage to admit that it was something you've always remembered as true but "appreciate enlightenment." Excellent work and keep writing, man. Just do it.