There is a crisis facing music. The signs are everywhere, from
the saturation of public space by tuneful trivia to the digital
downloading controversy. Quantity has replaced quality. The number
of units sold is now the criteria by which music is judged and
high-gloss, mass-produced, low-content music is everywhere. You
can't shop, eat, ride a bus or see a movie without hearing it as
each day you are inundated with enticements to buy it. Like the
replacement of essential nutriment by junk food, music lovers are
expected to surrender their critical faculties and consume the
phony McMusic that can be more effectively controlled and
profitably sold than the genuine article.
Callahan unravels and elucidates the crises facing music as well
as its liberatory potential. "The Trouble with Music" includes
discussions of: technology and its effects on music making and
listening; superabundance and the absence of critical thought; the
development of radio; music criticism; copyright; the digital
domain and the Internet; labor and music making; and the special
relationships among words, dance, politics and music. A large
segment of the general public seeks a relationship to music and an
exceptional profit for those who own and control it. Callahan
provides a means of evaluating music and a powerful critique of the
music industry. Whether you whistle at work, sing in the shower or
conduct concertos, this book will challenge and enhance how you
think about music.
Includes introductions by musician and Dischord Records founder,
Ian Mackaye; "Rock and Rap Confidential" editor, Dave Marsh; and an
afterward by Boff, from the multimillion selling group
Chumbawamba.
Mat Callahan has been a composer, musician, engineer and
producer for 40 years.
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