Music, Movies, And Innovation With Ted Gioia (S3 Ep.33)
Oct 7, 2022
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Music, Movies, And Innovation is an entertaining podcast featuring Ted Gioia, author of 'Music: A Subversive History'. They discuss the evolutionary aspect of music, the transition from analog to digital in the music industry, the competition between old and new music in streaming platforms, the disappointment with major record labels, the phenomenon of fake artists on Spotify, and the rise of alternative platforms like TikTok and Substack.
Music has a unifying force that promotes bonding between individuals and plays a role in love and romance.
Innovation in music often emerges from the margins of society, but artists must avoid being co-opted by the system.
Major record labels focus on formulas and risk aversion, making it harder for new artists to break through the dominance of independent and self-produced music.
Deep dives
The Influence of Music and Evolutionary Perspective
Music is enjoyed by human beings from an evolutionary perspective. It has a unifying force that releases hormones like oxytocin, promoting bonding and trust between individuals. This explains why music is commonly used during dates, national anthems, labor unions, and military marches. Music also plays a role in love and romance, contributing to the propagation of the species. The rules of harmony and music itself are believed to be universal, discovered rather than invented by humans.
The Subversive Nature of Music and its Marginal Origins
Innovation in music often emerges from the margins of society. Port cities and border cities, where outsiders bring new influences, tend to be hotbeds of musical creativity. Slaves and their descendants have played a significant role in shaping music history, such as with jazz and its impact on various genres. The outsider eventually becomes legitimized, but the challenge for artists is maintaining their edge and avoiding being co-opted by the system. Respectability can undermine artistic innovation.
The Decline of New Music and the Rise of Old Music
There is still great new music being created, but it often gets lost in the shuffle due to the caution and risk aversion of major record labels. The industry is focused on finding formulas that have worked in the past and repeating them, rather than taking chances on new artists. Independent and self-produced music is where much of the innovative and interesting work can be found, but it can be difficult to discover amidst the dominance of major labels. The streaming algorithm also reinforces this trend by recommending similar music based on past preferences, making it harder for new artists to break through.
The importance of aligning with music critics who prioritize your interests
Music critics may have various priorities other than simply wanting listeners to enjoy the music. Some critics write to please editors, curry favor with musicians, or appear cool and impressive. Therefore, it is crucial for listeners to find critics who align with their interests and guide them to music they will genuinely enjoy.
The role and perception of classical music in movies and society
European classical music is relatively unpopular outside the context of movies and video games. However, in movies, especially those with high-action or war scenes, classical music is frequently used in the soundtrack. This phenomenon highlights how music has become embedded in lifestyles and is seen as a symbol of individual identity. Additionally, the advent of digital music and streaming platforms has both positive and negative consequences. While digital technology allows musicians to reach a global audience without record labels, streaming platforms prioritize profit over the interests of musicians and listeners, resulting in low profitability for artists and potential exploitation by platforms like Spotify.
My guest today is Ted Gioia. Ted is a musician and an author. He's written 11 books including his latest, which is called "Music: A Subversive History". He's been on the faculty at Stanford, and he's been published in the New York Times, the LA Times, the Wall Street Journal, and many other newspapers.
In this episode, Ted and I talk about why human beings enjoy music from an evolutionary perspective. We discuss the evolution of recorded music from the analog age to the present. We talk about Ted's unique approach to music history. We talk about the increasing market share of older music compared to newer music. We talk about the current state of music criticism and music writing. We discuss how the streaming model has affected the music industry and the strange phenomenon of fake artists on Spotify. We also talk about Hollywood's shift towards doing remakes and sequels and brand extensions as opposed to new stories, and much more.
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