Interesting... I love his Solo Piano records and I understand that he hates what capitalism has turned music into eventually, and I don't think all is doom and gloom when it even comes to "music...
Interesting... I love his Solo Piano records and I understand that he hates what capitalism has turned music into eventually, and I don't think all is doom and gloom when it even comes to "music for studying" and whatnot. A lot of so-called 'background music' can be beautiful and well-crafted and so on and enjoyed rather actively.
It seems the frustration lies more with those just churning it out purely for pay, both empty individuals and grubby record labels and so forth. But... everything that can be commoditized will be eventually, in some way or another, if the pressures of capitalism are applied to it. But, there are probably plenty of people spending time crafting this soft kind of music that really are into their craft, but they also hope to materialize a living for themselves from it if possible. Just the reality of the system they live within in some cases. Sure there will be bad actors, but I think it's quite a varied spectrum.
I think he may need to reconsider that his solo piano work was not some special instance in time that forever doomed us to soothing spotify playlists. That would have happened with or without him. The solo piano records stand on their own and he should remain proud of them, and maybe take less credit for the eventual problems that arose when greedy hands started wanting to create a shell of this kind of music for profit
There was no algorithm in 2004 when I released the first Solo Piano album. It felt conceptual to me to surprise my electro-hipster audience with a record that the ear could enjoy equally as ‘background’ and ‘foreground’ music. I had been a restaurant pianist, so I had respect for the functional use of music and if the electro-hipsters wanted my album as a soundtrack to their dinner parties, so be it.
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I always thought great art should have an appealing surface as well as envelope-pushing depths: the novels of Iris Murdoch are page-turners that also reveal dark emotional realities. South Park hooks us with juvenile humour and we stay for the edgy political satire. Catchy melodies can lead us by the hand toward unfamiliar nightmarish harmonies. Surely everyone agreed with my philosophy that music could (and should) work on multiple levels?
Well…. the algorithm certainly disagrees. Instead , it promotes pieces that lack surprise. The algorithm’s taste tends toward the repetitive, the static, the stillborn, and the faceless. All atmosphere and no melody, a freeze-frame, an opening shot of a movie that never starts.
Now instead of the holy grail of a radio single (catchy chorus, upbeat tempo, universal lyrics), record labels are pressuring artists to make something for the playlist (soothing chords, no dissonance, inoffensive electronic textures).
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It’s difficult to resist this pressure. It wasn’t long before my friend went back to the studio and aimed a few more pieces squarely at the “peaceful piano” bullseye. And worst of all, my friend and the label were rewarded mightily for their capitulation.
Interesting... I love his Solo Piano records and I understand that he hates what capitalism has turned music into eventually, and I don't think all is doom and gloom when it even comes to "music for studying" and whatnot. A lot of so-called 'background music' can be beautiful and well-crafted and so on and enjoyed rather actively.
It seems the frustration lies more with those just churning it out purely for pay, both empty individuals and grubby record labels and so forth. But... everything that can be commoditized will be eventually, in some way or another, if the pressures of capitalism are applied to it. But, there are probably plenty of people spending time crafting this soft kind of music that really are into their craft, but they also hope to materialize a living for themselves from it if possible. Just the reality of the system they live within in some cases. Sure there will be bad actors, but I think it's quite a varied spectrum.
I think he may need to reconsider that his solo piano work was not some special instance in time that forever doomed us to soothing spotify playlists. That would have happened with or without him. The solo piano records stand on their own and he should remain proud of them, and maybe take less credit for the eventual problems that arose when greedy hands started wanting to create a shell of this kind of music for profit
From the article:
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