Why mainstream music is ruining music
I have a regular church gig that I play just outside of NYC with people of varying ages and experience levels. I've developed a friendship with really cool young guy who is all of 15 and learning to play guitar, of which he plays at the church occasionally. I feel that this is a good opportunity to encourage him to keep on playing to develop a love of much and possibly get him to get really interested in performing starting from an early age. In a conversation I had with him and another 20-something guitarist, we realized that this young guy was unfamiliar with Incubus. I couldn't believe it! He said he had never heard of them! Without being too rude or accusatory, myself and the other slightly older musician advised him that Incubus is a band that he needs to know. It seems that a huge problem we have with the music industry and with younger generations is that the music industry is still insisting on what kids should be listening to and it works! These kids grow up listening to a very narrow scope of music without have the push or interest in learning about other bands that aren't displayed on the mainstream as much who are many times much more significant in the development of music as a whole or by genre itself. Even with the vast resources of the internet and the ability to go anywhere you want to listen to pretty much any band that ever existed, we still have issues with many people only being exposed to a narrow scope of music and particular musicians. In this way, it becomes even more important for musicians and fans to encourage people they know to check out their bands, particularly if they've never heard of them before. Maybe the internet is so big that it makes it even more difficult to get a grasp on what good music is, so why not just turn to the radio.....