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October 2005

   It's about Support

How we have seen things evolve in the music business, begrudgingly, opportunistically, stupidly--often all at the same time. Digital file format music has unsurprisingly followed the same awkward evolution. From initially providing low quality samples of artists' music in the mid to late 90s to the morally obtuse height of Napster to the dominance of the iPod, we now find ourselves in a strange middle ground.

What I mean by that is clearly positive and negative repercussions from digital music files are evident in numerous far-reaching ways.

--Higher quality, longer samples of artists' work are now the expectation for artists or small labels looking to find an audience. If you want to find thought-provoking music well out the mainstream, you just need to go searching the 'net

--The iPod has helped take us where comparatively clunky mp3 players could not. Its sleek, simply design has dramatically resuscitated a slumping music industry. Yes, as much as labels and their lawyers fought this, digital music files have provided users a level of power over their musical experience unrealistic just several years ago. The downside is audio quality. While we now have incredible portability, compressed music files are taking us back the quality of the mid 1980s Walkman/boom box days. For this to really be of value we need uncompressed files just as ubiquitisly--servers hooked up to your audio system at home as well as portable gear.

--Most disturbing, however, is the lingering Napster factor. A scary proportion of intelligent human beings seem to think it's still acceptable to share files. One of the upsides of the Internet was more closely tieing us to artists and many truly creative artists now work with truly independent labels. Many even own their own label. When we share files of their music rather than buy the source CD or download, we can no longer hide under the pseudo-counter culture claptrap that we're in it for the art not the business or label. No, it's very simple. When we share those files we are taking away direct support for an artist we think highly enough of to listen to their material. If we do, we owe them the support of purchasing their music.

December 2003

   Music and Capitalism in the Early 21 Century

It is no secret that artistic pursuits, particularly those that don't have an easily perceived direction towards profitability, are a challenge to follow with any sustained support. Sure, there are fringe artists in a variety of media that subsist on contributions from rich benefactors or the uncommon government funding, but overall, the only way to succeed over the long term in the music business is to sell.

Since the early 1990s when "alternative" music started to become a standard industry term, it can be argued that businessmen have become at least more sensitive to the potential of music that is not Billboard top 40 material. The recent industry recession, however, has done nothing to help this. Several formerly up and coming new instrumental labels have ceased to exist--Miramar Recordings, Innovative Communications, Surreal to Real, and Private Music to name a few. Still, I don't see these unfortunate endings as a permanent dark cloud.

Pat Metheny, someone who has bucked commercial trends in his own right by making progressive jazz music with decent success for a quarter century, may have said it best in an interview with the Kansas City Star last November during a North American tour. When questioned whether he thought jazz overall was falling into a conservative rut, he answered eloquently.

"There's the reality of the music that's out there vs. the reality of the music you get to hear," he says. "At concerts, people give me CDs, and they're mind-blowingly good...It's not music that's conservative, it's the culture."

"There are dozens of examples everywhere you look of musicians doing great things hardly anyone will hear. There's no spot on the radio, no spot on TV, in the newspapers or the periodicals. But none of that affects the reality of the musicians. People who are serious about making music are making great things. We are going to survive. That's what we have to do," he says. "There a lot of musical research being done. At a certain point, I wouldn't be surprised if it's hip again to listen to great music...In the meantime, we have to keep finding the good notes."

Take, for example, Frank van Bogaert's song "Geographic Displacements" from the new E-Live 99/02 album compiling stand-out original tracks from that European music festival. Listening to this song immediately tells you van Bogaert is living Metheny's vision. This is great, well-produced music that is what is--far better than nearly anything you'll hear on the radio, but something you will probably never hear on the radio. What's doubly compelling, however, is "Geographic Displacements" is just the kind of song to do what Metheny's envisions--making great music hip again. It's a song that could easily appeal to smart listeners of all sorts of styles--progressive, intelligent dance music, new age, electronic, probably even modern classical. Yes, it's that dynamic--nice melodies, a moving beat, and a closing piano flourish that is quite simply striking.

Here's to the vision.

B.W.

August 2003

   A new face and a new start.

Since February of 1997, I've had the pleasure of editing SoundDesign, a webzine dedicated to progressive instrumental music. The site has been a decent tool for connecting artists and listeners where the connection otherwise might never have happened. SoundDesign, for what it was, had one major shortcoming. Being a site hosted through free server space kept us from registering a domain name, building a brand for what we were doing, and easily marketing the site to those with no real inroads to non-mainstreem music.

Well, the time has come to change this for the better. Starting this month, SoundDesign becomes Blue Mango Cafe, a hotspot for all things that made SoundDesign worthy of remark, interview, news, review and features on the best music you've probably haven't heard yet. Our goal is simple: continue to evolve BlueMangoCafe.net to become an even more solid resource for exploring damn good music.

Enjoy and drop us a line at editors@bluemangocafe.net.

keep your ears open,

Bradford Warner, editor

October 2002

   What's up with the music industry?

    An economic recession has of course grabbed headlines across the industrialized world but it seems like the recording industry is in some kind of deeper funk.  It's a funk whose exact beginnings could be debated endlessly.  Was it malaise that began in a change over from over-produced pop to under-produced grunge?  Was it the music stagnation of classical once the original interest of the CD medium died down?  Was it corporate take over of American radio by chained media conglomerates?
    One thing's for sure, we will not know by the end of this column.  Perhaps we won't care, either.  As someone whose worked several different sides of equation (radio, a label, and with independent artists) I'm not sure we should care--too much.
    What I mean by this is that it's apparent to most well informed music aficionados that the gulf between disposable commercial music and real, soulful art is only widening.  On one hand you have the corporate-led mission of promoting, developing, and marketing the next solid revenue generator.  It doesn't really matter who; it can be an oversexed teen (Spears and arrows of outrageous fortune), a burned out rocker (Carlos, where's my order?), or a goofy foreign fad (La Maca--what was that?).  It just needs to help maintain margins.
    On the other hand you have artists who do work.  I mean really work--a "day" job--and on their time they do the really important work of making music.  Yes, an visit to mp3.com will quickly show you there's plenty of music in the world that probably shouldn't ever be released.  However, even a cursory survey of independent musicians on the Web will net you some great tunes.  That's right, music that will most likely never generate great operating income but will generate real emotions, thoughts, inspiration, dreams and more.
    Yes, I'm probably preaching to the choir in you, someone who's found time to read this column.  If that's the case, then stay the course.  More importantly show others the course.  And therein lies the point.  One thing larger labels know that independents can forget is that consumers make more consumers possible.  Your interest and your money is, whether it's a massive corporate label or a one person show, what makes moving that music to the next person possible.
    So, make it possible.
    

keep your ears open,

Bradford Warner, editor

February 2002

    2001 was no easy year.

    Most obviously, of course, were the horrible acts of violence in New York City.  The American economy didn't exactly have a field day, either.

    The music industry has experienced its share of pain as well.  Yes, we are still being inflicted with the normal disposable pop--currently in the form of Brittany Spears and a host of others, but independent progressive music had a rough year on the business side.

    German-based label Innovative Communication, one of the world's leading progressive instrumental outfits, ceased operations.  IC, as many have known them since the mid 1980s, did more than just put out a large variety of interesting music.  IC helped define that there was room in new instrumental music for more than just the field's largest artists, most of which are still signed to major international labels.  IC found excellence in all types of progressive music from the mercurial electronics of Software and Arno; to the rock of Win Kowa or hypnotics of Mind~Flux; from the almost new age tones of GENE to the adventurous intelligent dance music of Interface and Marcel Thebach; from the highly popular jazz-laced grooves of Dancing Fantasy and Blue Knights to the memorable melodies of Megabyte, Venja and Symbian.

    This wonderfully talented roster of artists put together a collection of music that may never fully be appreciated for its excellence and innovation.  Conservative old school EM consumers and even critics strayed from the label in the 1990s, save perhaps a few select recordings.  Yet IC continued to reach more people, including those who didn't know new instrumental music from any other type.  They just knew it was good music.

    Undoubtedly some of the artists will quickly regain their business footing with new labels or even labels of their own.  Now the onus falls on those who have collected some of these great pieces of music over the past 15+ years and 200+ albums.  Tell people about them; keep up with the artists online, support their efforts, let them know you're listening.

    There are wondrous artists out there right now and even though they may not be right in front of the you pushing Pepsi, don't let "out of sight" be "out of mind."

February 2001

    It's finally the new millennium. So, let's get on with the new music.

    Music for the Third Millennium, a new compilation album, brings to mind that there really are some great albums out there that sometimes end up lost in the 'various' category of any retailer or journalist. Third Millennium symbolizes some the qualities that can make this type of recording very appealing:  a few established great artists (Deep Forest, Paul Haslinger, Bernd Kistenmacher) several potentially up-and-coming artists, and an overarching theme (forward looking music).

    This spring, SoundDesign will take a closer look at some of the great compilation albums in new instrumental music.  While being a convenient medium to introduce someone to new artists or music without resorting to long mp3 downloads or poor quality streaming media, compilation projects allow several musicians to attack a common theme or idea from different angles, explore styles that they might not on studio albums, work with artists they normally wouldn't be able to collaborate with on larger projects, or even release tracks that were cut from previous studio sessions.

    Let us know if there are any of these out there you think no one might have heard of yet, or maybe are just in the works.

July 2000

    The time is near.

    After physically relocating half a continent, SoundDesign relaunches today, August 15, 2000, at our new URL with new reviews and release information to follow August 18.  Many thanks are in order to those who have helped us stay connected in this time of change, and I am truly excited about our editorial plans for the second half of 2000.

    As of today, our new URL will be http://home.earthlink.net/~westend117
and our old address will cease to function shortly there after.  If you have any problems accessing this new site, please fire us an e-mail at our new address westend117@earthlink.net when you have a chance.
 

December 1999

    Perhaps a line about "give the gift of music" is in order here--but you've heard that enough, I'm sure.  Certainly, one of the easiest ways to introduce others to new music is just to buy it for them.  Who knows, in time they may return the gesture.  At the very least, however, the more any aficionado of new instrumental music refers friends to a web site, sends them an audio clip, or e-mails them a review, the more opportunity you provide them to escape the fast food music so prevalent in many media.
    I am no longer surprised by the number of people who are amazed by what they hear when introduced to a recording outside of their everyday experience.  A perfect example is the Fanger & Kersten album Script, highlighted in the new SoundDesign artist spotlight.  The album may sound like something they have not heard before, but also be accessible.  Yes, there are melodies, rhythms, and chord work.  They just don't fall together in a format that sounds preprogrammed.  They are the way they are because the artists arranged them--not a record company executive or label-entrusted producer.
    It seems so simple, but then so does the U.S. Constitution's Bill of Rights, and there are more than a few countries on Earth without those freedoms.
 

August/September 1999

    Greetings from SoundDesign, and thanks for your time and interest in learning a little about some really great music.  This being the premier letter from the editor, I thought it might be worthwhile to say a few words about this two and half year-old electronic publication.
    I founded SoundDesign in early 1997 with one overriding mission--providing an information source about the burgeoning field of new instrumental music.  As the music industry has continued to evolve beyond the suffocating model of mall record stores stocking only the safest bets and massively promoted releases, the Internet has emerged as a the premier media to handle music related communication.
    So, what the heck really is "new instrumental music?"  I am the first to admit that even this rather open-ended title is inadequate, but it has established a certain credence with a diverse audience.  New instrumental first came into being to distinguish progressive music that could not fit into the commercial classification of "new age" for any number of reasons.  New instrumental music can draw upon virtually any musical influence from classical to drum & bass, avant-garde to pop.  It doesn't even have to be strictly "instrumental."  This refers more to a composer having the freedom to utilize the human voice as an instrument rather than the lyric base to which all composition must revolve.
    In the coming months this column will address some of these identity questions as well as reader questions.  I will also discuss some of the barriers progressive music can surmount through one to one communication as well as the format, editorial manifesto, and people that make SoundDesign what it is.

keep your ears open,

Bradford Warner, editor