Million Download Campaign - Voices of Change
Monday, January 16, 2012 at 12:11PM 
I'm spending this MLK Day at Emory & Henry College in Emory, VA giving a keynote & a workshop looking at the "power of music in times of social unrest." I love that I was asked to give a talk about artistry on a day when people are commemorating an icon of the Civil Rights Movement, because I think too often music and other forms of art are relegated to a kind of sideshow in discussions of societal change. Music is fun, it's cool to kick it with at the club, but when we're talking about serious economic, political and social challenges, there's no room for that sort of "frivolous" thing.
To that I say there's always room for Jell-O. And there's even more room for creatives to take a place at the table in any discussion of where society is going. I was asked today before I began my talk about what has happened to "real music" or "music with meaning" in our culture. I know artists who are making meaningful statements in beautiful and impactful fashion on a regular basis, but who are not necessarily the ones you hear. The reality is, the consolidation of the Recording Industry has arguably constricted the breadth of traditional outlets for development and promotion of talent - if the best Indie labels are gobbled up by majors, the economics of running a multinational corporation will more often than not trump the kind of risk required to develop, launch and ultimately "break" truly groundbreaking voices. The very risk that was historically taken by those Indies.
This is not to say that there isn't amazing music being made in the world today, even in the mainstream industry. But when you peer past the initial veneer of artistic success, you start to wonder how many of today's major acts are actually doing something new, and how many are revisiting and reinventing sounds & styles of the past?
In the end, it may indeed be true that there is nothing new under the sun; as artists we are all discovering, interpreting and building upon those who played before us. But if we truly want to reframe the kind of music we hear, we need to start by reforming or replacing the systems that deliver that music to us.
The voices of change may not be perceived as profitable by the Major labels, but they've never mattered more than in these times of global upheaval. I want to hear songs that speak to my heart & soul, as well as those that stimulate the swaying of savory hips. In the end, we will vote with our feet, our tweets, our pocketbooks and word on the street, for the music that ultimately matters most to us.
D.N.A
THE MILLION DOWNLOAD CAMPAIGN
You wanna be down? DOWNLOAD!
