Circle of Ego

Last night I took a break from sitting around, thinking about myself, and went out to hear some music and visit with some friends I hadn't seen in awhile. Of course, I brought my mind with me, so it's no surprise that I saw one thing that reminded me of another, and ended up wondering about the future.

Like happens at all such events, some of the bands performing had T-shirts, buttons, and CDs for sale. Between sets I glanced over the offerings and also thought about what some British music guy said on a TV program. He was an old guy, had been in the business for years, and was talking about how wherever he goes now people push CDs into his hands. They hope to get his interest, maybe have him sign them up for a contract, and propel themselves to a fulfilling and overflowing life of sex, drugs, and rock-n-roll.

One can hardly blame them.

His point, though, was that "back in the day," it was pretty easy to distinguish between any old garage band and, um, a legitimate one. Since hardly anyone could afford record pressing equipment that costs tens of thousands of pounds (or dollars) and crank out records from their basement, damn near every band that had a record had been approved or accepted by someone. Now, anyone with a computer and a microphone can make a professional-looking CD, so you can no longer easily tell the difference. Those without access to recording studios, record labels, and, most importantly, some independent confirmation of their talent, on the surface look just the same as those whose talent has been recognized by someone who knows about such things.

This is not a bad thing, since it keeps the Man from ruling us all, but it does eliminate a vetting process, to use a term which is all the rage these days.

There's a similar thing going on in all publishing. It used to be that someone in power had to like what you wrote before it could see print and receive distribution, but no longer. Nowadays, anyone can short-circuit the approval process and we are both richer and poorer because of it. Richer in that voices that were once silent can now be heard, and poorer because, with this level field, every voice can be heard, regardless of how idiotic.

Like Crenellated Flotsam, for instance.

Although I likely won't be around, it will be interesting to see how this all sorts out. Instead of editors and publishers deciding what can be put out there or withheld, anyone who creates anything is now the sole voice in deciding if it's fit for publication. Newspapers, magazines, TV networks, the entire media, look just the same on my computer as independent bloggers who get sole discretion over what they decide to say. Not only can these people say anything they want, they can do so as poorly as they want, and leave it up to the invisible hand of the free market to decide its worth.

Instead of being considered under any sort of notion of quality, popularity will decide value. The voices that many wish to hear will soldier on and be successful and, until a better metric is decided upon, will garner ad dollars.

No one but me has anything to do with the content of this site, and I'll be the first to admit that it shows.