Musicians, songwriters and recording artists who feel they are somehow honoring tradition by avoiding the impulse to buy beats, are missing a very important truth: the music industry they remember, as well as the ways and techniques that supplied it with content (songs), no longer exists.
Something entirely new has taken its place and it has the potential to be something quite wonderful, if we allow. It could even be called a type of renaissance (a time of freely sharing artistic ideas.)
But, of course it wasn't always like this. For most of our lives, musicians, songwriters and recording artists have collaborated by physically getting together face to face, because there was simply no other choice. Most commonly in groups of two to four in the same room, musicians would try each other on for size by using the seed of a song idea and then crossing their fingers and hoping. Hoping that the influence of each member of the team would cause the song to bloom into something more than the sum of its parts.
However, the success of songs written with this model of collaboration depended entirely on the right individuals finding each other. It often came down to chance meetings or incredible coincidence. A single twist of fate could have derailed the miracle of Motown or the meeting of minds that was The Beatles.
Fast forward and compare that to what is happening today and then tell me with a straight face that we aren't in the middle of a home recording revolution/renaissance.
You see, our ability to buy beats, guitar riffs and bed-tracks and at the same time freely sharing our own beats, is having a truly profound effect on the evolution of music creation and recording.
It has literally turned the whole world into a kind of collaboration playground. Because of the internet, songwriters and home recording artists' creative imaginations can now be sparked by any number of collaborators. These are collaborators that they will most likely never actually meet in person. And yet, the sharing of their sounds and ideas will enrich each other's lives and art.
"Mr. Music Industry, (We're Going to) Tear Down This Wall!"
Whether established recording artists and their labels and management want to admit it, their very success created what seemed to be a permanent "underclass" of independent and unsigned musicians. How so?
Before the internet caught the recording "industry" with their pants down, or at least looking the other way, it was only the wealthiest and most commercially successful recording artists who had the ability to create exotic and unusual collaborations.
We would regularly hear about artists like Sting, David Bowie, Peter Gabriel etc, making pilgrimages to far corners of the world to find and attempt to create new genres and rhythms. These artists counted on the "all access card" that their success supplied them, to collaborate and yes, to put it bluntly, to "buy beats" from the great musicians of those cultures. Fans and unsigned artists were expected to stand in awe of, and never partake in these wonderful experiments and cultural collaborations.
Things Have Changed. "Darn Right I'll Buy Beats, How Do You Like Me Now?"
Catalogues that regularly exceed 100,000 beats or more have taken this ability to collaborate with the world's rich and varied cultures and their music, out of the hands of the Few and put this ability firmly into the hands of the Many.
Let the Explosion of New Music Begin
Imagine the following scenarios as examples of what is occurring every minute of every day in the new environment of songwriting and music creation:
Picture a guy, let's say, in Cleveland. Let's say he will make rap beats which he then will upload to his website to share with someone willing to pay a few dollars to buy beats and finished grooves.
This rap beat maker may imagine that his grooves will attract customers like other rap artists looking to fill out their new rhymes. It comes as a pleasant surprise to him that some of those who buy beats from his collection are a metal band in Germany, a Celtic singer in Ireland, and a Icelandic vocal group. They all are inspired to use his urban beats to create new and exciting hybrid genres for their songs.
Now imagine that an African recording artist hears the recording made by the German metal band above and finds the heavy beat and aggressive guitars an unfamiliar and totally intoxicating combination. He decides to go online and buy metal guitar loops to blend with his traditional West African style. A month after this amazing collaboration is released, an Italian kid hears it while surfing the net and decides to... and so on.
Share Beats and Buy Beats of Every Style and Push Your Music Out of the Box and Into the Future
You have to realize that the genres and classifications given to music are false and have always been artificial. They were created by the 40 year alliance between record label marketing departments and radio and broadcast conglomerates. You also have to realize that these companies no longer hold the keys to the boxes or cells they created to lock and limit your creativity. The doors are open. You just have to walk out. If you are willing, you will find you can make and record any music you want.
There are thousands outside waiting for you. He'll buy beats from you, she will share beats with them... let's collaborate.
In another article in this series we'll discuss how to look beyond typically used tempos and BPM (beats per minute) to create fresh and original beats, bed tracks and new styles.
I invite you to Buy Beats from a collection of over 100,000 studio quality grooves, bed tracks and beats featuring hundreds of styles. Find out how to make professional home recordings fast that stand out from the crowd.
Warner/Chappell, Hi Bias, Audio Socket and LoudThud recording artist, songwriter and producer, Owen Critchley has been writing, releasing and recording songs and music for movies, TV, cd release, licensing etc. for over 15 years. For more information about Owen and his home recording tips, and how to be successful in the new music business, visit http://recordinghomestudio.com/buy-beats/
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