Thread: Musicians now and then

When MJ died, music lost something. When John Lennon died, music lost something. When Dio died, music lost something. When Chuck Schuldiner died, music lost something. The list goes on of people who passed away and made an impact on the music industry.

Some of the musicians that are still with us: Jimmy Page, one of the greatest guitarists to ever live (though I am biased and think he is THE best <3), Eddie Van Halen, Madonna, David Bowie, The Rolling Stones, that list goes on, though many are now retired or going to be retiring soon (rumours of a farewell tour in either 2011 or 2012 coming from the Stones camp).

When these people die, it is going to be a blow to the music industry. All of these people did something to influence or change music, made an impact in one or many ways, and have many copiers in the music industry (especially Madonna with all these little pop girls trying to rip her off).

Looking at music today and the artists who flood our radio stations, who cares if these people pass away? To make it clear in what I am trying to say, I am not speaking in terms of 'meh, whatever, glad they are dead', but in terms of, if they die, it's not a huge loss to the industry. Money wise, sure, lame musicians like Justin Beiber, who are only popular because the young girls think he is SO OMG HOT AND CUTE, make the industry a lot of money, but, really, none of these people did anything to make a gigantic impact on the industry by changing it or influencing it or creating something.

Bands just aren't made like they used to be. There will never be another Jimmy Page. They will never be another Keith Moon. There will never be another Jimi Hendrix. There just aren't any musicians now that stick out as greats. There are people whom you might think are great but the people I mentioned are seen as greats all across the board, even from people who aren't fans. No one now really stands out.

Just look at what is popular these days. It's either Madonna wannabes or boy bands. Nothing new, creative or amazing. Lady GaGa is everywhere but what has she done to get there? She has completely ripped off Madonna in each and every single way, yet people still try to claim that she is making some sort of impact on the industry. She is raking in the money, yes, but she isn't being individual about what she does, she is just ripping page after page after page out of Madonna's book, from the sexual aspect to the religious controversy.

After all of the classic musicians die out, I just don't see the music industry being anything more than a cookie cutter world, which is already mostly is. We still have guys like Bruce Springsteen and Bon Jovi sticking around from the old days but once these guys disappear, it's going to be all the same sh!t and no one will really be special. Everyone blends in too much and you don't get the awesome guy in a band who stands out and whom everyone agrees in on a 'greatest' list. It's all the old school musicians.

Just my opinion on it. I was thinking about this the other day. It's going to be a sad world when the last of the greats leave us and all we have are Justin Beibers and Beyonces.

Some good reading here....I agree that we are in an age of the "legends' disappearing one by one, and few new legends are being born.

I as well don't wish Beiber dead, just that he'd go away.....faaaaaaar away.

However, even when they die, they do leave a legacy, and like great painters, their works seem to be unburied, so something good can come from something bad I guess....I know I will be devastated when Geddy dies.

...and I will add, when Jaco Pastorius died...the world of Bass Guitar hit a brick wall. (I remember the day well, and had to even pull my car over to collect myself)

Damn, you have a good point. It's one muther ****ing hard fact of life. Anyone remeber when Elvis died in 1977? Over half the country mourned his death. And even to this day we still remember him, and that's all we can do to not let the legacy of great musicians die. Listen to their music, be inspired by them, and never forget.

Let's hope no one forgets legends like

Ray Charles
Elvis Presely
Kurt Cobain
Bon Scott
Jimi Hendrix
Janis Joplin
Jim Morrison
Dimbag Darrell
Cliff Burton
Dio
Brian Jones
Bob Marley

and so many more

The Elvis example is one of the multitudes of mourning I was definately thinking about while typing this (as well as Kurt Cobain). When he died, everyone in the world cared, even people who weren't huge fans of his. Musicians like him are looked at like royalty and it makes a difference when they pass.

With the addition of the new age of music we have here, there isn't any creativity involved and no one is doing something to be placed on the same status as Elvis or Madonna or anyone like that. You can't really distinguish anyone because they all sound the same.

Good research and gathering of the info. Totally agree with yours very flexible job and opportunities and possibilities are endless..

It's sad, but I'm going to try and explain something that might make sense, or might not, but it's a theory that I've been working on for a while now.

In the 1500's equal temperament changed music forever. Giving music equal temperament meant that there was a standard, music could be written down, a choir could learn harmonies, chords began to adhere to key signatures, Bach wrote his fuges, diatonic harmony come into light etc. Music could begin to collaborate, and began to be taught. That was the first sort of real big change, and I'm sure there would have been some who were skeptical about the new methods, but it turned out that this would be the greatest change in music history at that point.

The next big change to happen was in Industrialization, roughly in the 1700's, which meant that they could make instruments in finer detail, and also the valve was born. So instruments like the trumpet, instead of being a big long thing with only a few notes range, was wound up and given holes and valves so it could play lots of different things, also saxophones and flutes were worked on; and roughly this was the time that the conventional piano was born. I'm sure there would have been some skeptical about these changes too, but it turned out that this was another hugely exciting development as well.

Then at the turn of the century there was a third big change, we discovered how to record. Now, I'm going to say something that may offend some, but please hear me out before forming arguments in your mind about why I am wrong. I believe that this is the demise of Music.

Before recording, people were creative about music. They devoted their entire lives to music, and I mean their entire lives. Some wrote down their music, but other composers would refuse to, because they wanted to be the only people who could play their music. The greats would play with orchestras, and people would come and see them and love them and they would be an important firework in the art of society - but it was their only job.

When we began recording, it was still second fiddle to live acts. The greats from about the 1920's until somewhere between the mid 80's and 90's, were still being creative, still devoting their time and lives to music and striving for originality and exploring the new genres that were rapidly birthing out of blues and gospel and soul and jazz and rock. And they could do this because of recording, they were making money off of putting their ideas down onto a re: playable format, and people could pay to have the works of these superstars and legends that we are all so sad of losing, in their homes!
So the musicians could, in a time where you really needed to make money to survive, continue to be devoted to their craft but have the means to support them.

But, like everything that comes into contact with money, there is exploitation and greed and business executives, and the nastiest of them all are Record Companies. Money should have nothing to do with arts, except to be injected as a means.
It's these big, stupid, business minded recording companies that took recording and turned it into mindless replication and mass production for money.

This is where Beiber comes from, this is where Beyonce comes from, Taylor Swift, Eminem, Pink, Rhianna (how I loath her), Miley Cyrus, all of those mass produced types, they come from the ability to replicate and make money. It's not all recording's fault, it's product placement, it's whoring these 'stars' out to a bunch of teenagers who drink coke because they are told to, eat maccas because they are told to, and shop at hot topic because they are told to.

I feel that you are all at this place in my theory, and wondering how do we get out of this mess. And I felt like that too, and then I remembered the internet. The fourth change, the digitalization of the world. The internet, as far as I can see, is not actually the demise of music contrary to popular belief. Replication is, but only because of it's tie with business and big money. The internet takes that away, with people downloading instead of buying! It takes money out of the pockets of the record labels and producers, and the only reason they promote the shameful pop artists of today suddenly disappears.

Yes, downloading and pirating is killing the music industry, but was music ever supposed to be apart of an industry? No. Industry is a workforce, industry is cold and heartless, music is creation and art, and it has no part in that. This is why I don't condemn downloading anymore, in fact I feel it's saving music. Because in one foul swoop the internet is taking away from the big producers which will be the demise of Beyonce, Beiber and Swift; but through the internet we can find some kid who is phenomenal at his craft, playing guitar to youtube through his laptop, signed to no label but playing a gig on friday night at some seedy club - doing it for the love of his craft and not some guy in a suit.

There's a difference between listeners and lovers. Music listeners are the coke drinking hot topic wearing MTV generation they will last as long as the "industry" does, and then there's the people like this forum. The people that are creating a global village, talking and being concerned about what's happening to music, sifting through the **** and finding the youtube musicians who are actually really good. The muso's who are focused on just loving and honing the skill, the fireworks of art.

I buy CD's for these people, I go to the gig's of these people, I talk about and advertise for these people. Rhianna doesn't need my money, But Regina does. Katie Perry doesn't need my money, but Katie Noonan does.

I'm not saying this is fact, this is just what I have observed, and I'm not scared for music. Not when places like this exist, and people are starting to get really sick of **** head pop artists dominating the charts. I'd really love it, actually, if the charts didn't exist. Charts, record companies, pop music, it can all **** off - and music will still survive. Music won't die and turn into nothing, the industry will, but music will probably be better off.

Because of the internet.

At least, that's how I see it... anyway.

Sorry it's a bit long, I just don't feel I could have said it short...ly.

Paul Rogers is still around and for that im greatful. Sucks all the legends are dying out. What i can say and hopefully do is i will do my damnest to try and carry on a legacy of awesome musicians because i myself live for music and nothing else. Its what i do day in day out and wont ever stop. I even have 3 bands lol. But trust me when im signed im gonna do things in rememberance of my favorite musicians. One day you'll see