I see why you’ve been silent for awhile. You have composed another opus. I don’t have time to respond properly right now but wanted to acknowledge your efforts. I will respond more later. Also your books have been or are being read by a few more people and have triggered interesting discussions.
Thanks, Daniel! Happy to have more readers and of course very interested in people's reactions (even pointing out glaring mistakes!).
I was planning to put this out a week ago, but the universe started sending a lot of information my way that I couldn't ignore, being a magpie who likes to collect a lot of material to construct a strong and durable nest.
I might add Gangsta Rap and Narcocorrido as two musical subgenres that are very much protest songs, and vibrant.
Even Norah Jones has a protest song (time signature 40:00 in today's video post).
It could be said that identity politics plays a role in reluctance to express (say the wrong thing and get canceled).
But largely it is the conditioned music consumer who demands postproduction, resource and technology rich music; free perfect and now.
Most people have no idea how to react to live, unadulterated music in an intimate setting, let alone seek it out. But they will dance, caterwaul and even pay money for a DJ or Karaoke event.
Musical tastes change, and we are fickle. Until we demand more for our money from the eateries, bars and public events in the way of opening a space for the musician, things are unlikely to change soon.
Nice example from Norah Jones. She gets her point across but plays it quite safe with those lyrics -- it's more in the vein of the perplexity of Buffalo Springfield's "For What It's Worth" -- which is not going to offend people of any political persuasion. Smart to do that.
I had to look up narcocorrido, very interesting example.
You make a lot of good points here about what's going on in the current environment. You're right that it's a system and the consumers are a key part of that in communicating through their attention and purchases what they will and won't accept. I think the issue now is that the audience used to be larger and more homogeneous with a national culture driven by TV and radio and movies, but that has fractured into many pieces with the rise of cable TV and then the internet such that there is no 'youth culture' or any widely shared culture. Everyone now serves a niche and has to find their audience.
So I do agree that we need more spaces for musicians, especially when the lockdowns forced so many small businesses out of business.
But a separate issue I was trying to highlight is that, even with more venues, musicians may not be able to make it as they did in the past because they can't find gigs that pay well enough. Many leaving the business for exactly that reason. If there's no money in it, then people will not invest the time in developing the mastery that defines the virtuoso musician, and we will lose out. Will we have Neil Youngs and Joni Mitchells become musicians if they can't find places to play and hone their craft? James Taylor noted that this was where he and the singer-songwriters learned how to be musicians and tried out their material, getting invaluable feedback from local audiences.
I guess what I'm saying is that we need a music ecosystem, not musicians shunted into performing in venues dedicated to other purposes. One way a culture is defined is by how it treats its artists, and it seems we have abandoned ours. And I personally find that a sign that we've gone down the wrong path and need to find our way back to the sunny green glade.
First, the bad news: it's unlikely the arts are going to find economic salvation any time soon, especially with advancement of artificial intelligence and global distress.
Now the good news: music is oral history and can be found everywhere, money has nothing to do with it.
Wow, so much here, Ellen! I have to find a block of time to digest it. Your comments on the crushing effects of conformity and sheer financial constraints are spot on. The reality is that it has always been thus for artists. Even great flowerings like the Renaissance were winner-take all--if you got a Medici to sponsor you, you could do whatever you wanted. But if you didn't, you had to do decorative art and hope there was a market for it.
Thanks, Charles. I tried to summarize all that I was reading and reflecting on, but it's a huge topic and there's so much more that we could say or talk about concerning the history that brought us here and the situation that we now find ourselves in.
Your thoughts and perspectives would be of great interest.
I had the privilege of stumbling across cultures in which the arts are highly valued and given the resources they need to thrive. I remember visiting Bali back in the late 80s and early 90s and running into artistic things going on in almost every village. It was thrilling.
I also think that people will find a way to gather and enjoy music no matter what, even if the authorities try to shut it down, as they did with the raves in England when I was there. But it seems that the system we have now in the US is stifling not only musical innovation but also music performance, and I wonder if there is the same level of investment in producing a vibrant pipeline of future musicians in any musical genre. Or, as Sam Fender says, are only the well-to-do now able to do that? It's definitely the case with actors, where the working class have been priced out of that as a profession. Is it the same for music? Meaning, are we eliminating all voices but those of the elite or well-heeled?
Thanks for grappling with some big questions over these last two posts, Ellen. I find the explanations rooted in social, historical and economic conditions (Part 2) generally more convincing than the biographical ones (Part 1), though I did find those artist profiles fascinating. I agree most with your and others’ comments on social fragmentation, industry mechanics, finance, personality cults (a first person culture that looks for difference rather than collective experience, despite ubiquitous claims about ‘community’) as the likely reasons for a change. I was heartened to see many commenters pointing out the contemporary protest songs. I had an immediate red flag response to the initial ‘no more protest songs’ claim, but I feel you and others have covered that well now.
Zooming right out, I think we have to accept that music has a different social significance now than it did in the 1960s/70s so I do wonder how possible it ultimately is to make these kinds of comparisons. Still worth trying, though, because we learn something in the process.
It’s been really interesting to follow this discussion, and I’m sure I’ll return to it often.
Thanks for that view looking back on the series and the comments, Richard. As someone who knows a lot about music over the decades -- much more than I do -- I appreciate your long-term perspective as well as your knowledge of protest music (and great contribution of your favorite).
I see this series as dipping a toe in the water and raising a lot of issues and questions, not providing any solid conclusions. I don't think we could say there are less protest songs over time unless we actually defined protest songs (something you, NickS, and I debated), collected them, and did a count maybe decade by decade and genre by genre. Perhaps there aren't less but just more niche-bound or less widely known given the massive changes in how music is accessed and shared.
You also make a great point about social significance. As I keep saying to my brother, we were really lucky coming of age in 60s/70s when it was a bit of a wild west and hadn't yet become entirely corporatized, and perversely in a time when there was a great deal of conflict and protest of various kinds. It certainly shaped us.
I would guess there are also significant differences between the US and UK given how their music industries and ecosystems have operated and evolved. I've run across quite a few artists who didn't make it in the US but found great success in the UK, something I would love to understand more in terms of audience and industry.
But it's sure been fun to think about this and have people with proper knowledge like you engage in discussion and speculation. So thanks for staying engaged with it.
I believe there's a great protest song ready to be embraced the writer of course must have the courage of their convictions but more importantly interpret the courage of his/her audiences convictions into that song. This isn't an original thought I'm just paraphrasing something that Dylan wrote about in Chronicles volume 1 speaking of protest songs in that book.
Interesting, as I haven't read Chronicles and Bob's been named by so many others who have written protest songs.
Based on this series, I'd have to agree. If your audience doesn't have the courage of their convictions, it becomes you exhorting them rather than you articulating a shared or maybe emerging belief. You can't be either too much ahead of the times or past the sell-by date or your words will have no impact.
We’ve kind of covered the how and why of the protest song itself. Your other readers have all chimed in brilliantly on your basic premises.
I was interested in your laying out of the artist experience itself. It was accurate. I went through a similar pathway in my journey through the entertainment maze. Initially I suffered low reimbursement, or a couple times no reimbursement. I was lucky enough to have had a friend who was in the process of becoming an attorney, and while helping me out decided to specialize in contract law. He assisted me in becoming one of those expenses that were paid prior to the artist receiving their cut. To illustrate the point. I spent some time working for G&R. In 2018 I talked to Slash at a festival in France. This was several years after I left the business. We talked about the “old days” and he flat asked me what I had been making with them. Turned out it was more than he was getting at the time.
I try to be very candid with my students regarding their economic prospects from playing music. The old expression “don’t quit your day job” comes to mind. As far as venues are concerned, in my part of the world the casino has become a prime venue for a group with a string of his from the 80s to perform at. There are also various outdoor events in the summer to accommodate them. That makes it possible to play on the weekends thus circumventing vast touring expenses. I spend a lot of time scouring the area for venues my students can perform. This summer I’m going to try to manage a few shows that charge small admissions so we can start a scholarship fund for prospective students who can’t afford to take lessons or need help purchasing an instrument. I think music lovers or music performance individuals are going to have to assess individual situations and act accordingly. I don’t think there’s a one size fits all scenario.
You do such a meticulous job with your posts. Kudos to you.
Thanks for the kudos and the comment, Daniel. Appreciated.
I suspect that if we look over the decades, there are only a small subset of artists who actually did very well financially. I was reading how much it cost to go to a concert back in the 60s and 70s, and it's a wonder artists made money from them.
The economics of the industry really interest me, and you've put your finger on one thing, which is that the fixed expenses - producer, studio, security, etc. - always got paid, and the songwriter almost always got their royalties because they were legally protected and collected. The problem was in who bore the financial risk, which violated how every other creative industry does it and how capitalism is supposed to work. The industry took the biggest reward without bearing the biggest risk, whereas the artists bore the risk without any assurance of the reward. They were last in line despite being the only reason everyone was getting paid in the first place. This is just exploitation, pure and simple.
The problem is artist financial and legal savvy. If there is one area I would encourage you to include in your training, it would be that (e.g. bringing in an attorney, accountant, etc. who know the biz). I think people like Jon Bon Jovi who had a cousin in the business learned how to work it and protect themselves from the get-go, and that made all the difference (as well as the small matter of producing hits).
But even if your students don't go into the industry, how wonderful that they learn to make music. I would have loved to have gone to a school like yours at that age. So kudos right back at you!
Yes, I didn’t comment on that part of the equation but you’re exactly right. Songwriting royalties have led to the demise of many a band or musical relationship. I witnessed many arguments about that topic.
I do try to cover all bases in the training. I try to create an environment where everything is laid out and you can ala carte your experience.
After I posted that I regretted giving you advice. You're doing a wonderful thing and I'm sure you're on top of it. You were in the music business!
I was just projecting my growing concern for musicians based on what I've read and seen, that so many are severely taken advantage of. It makes my blood boil. So I want to see a future in which artists are valued and treated properly, not one in which they are thrown to the dogs. We don't do that in other professions, where there are proper and legal employment contracts and benefits. It's downright ridiculous that they are put in the 'let's exploit the sensitive artist' category. Sorry, venting again.
But anyway, I think your idea to start a scholarship fund is great. If you decide to seek donations, let me know and I'd be happy to let people know on here.
Don’t apologize. I have all the respect in the world for your opinion. We’re on the same page. I saw it first hand. I would work for the artists when they were on top and would see them in venues or other locations when they were on their way down and couldn’t afford the expense anymore. I still maintain some contacts with certain management groups and offer to help in small ways now. I have a fairly decent recording studio and have the ability to help out like add keyboards, etc if they furnish me digital copies to work with. I can help defray extra costs like that. It’s great that you have such exuberance about these topics. I get somewhat jaded.
Thanks, Daniel, the feeling is mutual. I'm going to be offering a vision for the future of the music ecosystem and asking for feedback. We've got to create a different future for musicians and music, and the chaos we're now in is the perfect opportunity.
If you have a chance, ask the kids what kind of musical world they would love to inhabit -- I'm keen to know what the kids think and want.
I can do that if you’re interested. I’ve been energized by doing this. I started this as a small project to help my granddaughter and her friends and it’s grown already to something I never imagined.
Thanks for sharing that, John. Amazing playing by Javier Mas and such a poignant song by Leonard Cohen. It reminds me of some of Northern Ireland musician Gary Moore's songs set in the time of the troubles, such as "Over the Hills and Far Away" and "Out in the Fields" with Phil Lynott - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsKpazeA5L8.
I think there a lots of reasons. Chief among them, music is nowhere near as important culturally as it used to be. It’s increasingly less likely to meet people who listen to music as an active activity—it’s treated as background entertainment, or people bounce from one track to another, one artist to another in whatever inexpensive streaming service that hardly pays the artist anything.
Combined with the watered-down remains of what used to be the music business, the consumer expectation that music should be free (or super cheap), the fractured state of media consumption and our fractured political values, and it’s not surprising that we don’t see more musical protest like we used to. Ironically, the “protest” songs I see are from awful people/artists like Kid Rock, or that terrible “Try That In a Small Town” song.
The largest artists in the world aren’t interested. They’re too busy scooping up every dollar they can, and don’t want to alienate half of their audience.
Yes, you've put your finger on a number of additional reasons why there are far fewer protest songs. Everything is fractured, indeed, on both the supply and demand sides, but you have to ask if that would be the case if we still had a viable industry and artists were supported in doing great work. Which came first, the lack of consumer interest or the disappearance of easy to discover great music? There is some amazing music, but it takes some keen interest to find it. I personally think things are in dire shape and we need to do something about it. A post coming on that. Thanks for commenting!
Hi Ellen. I received an alert today, via Research Gate, that the book associated with the Protest Songs research project 'Our Subversive Voice' (which features my Newcastle Uni colleague Oskar Cox Jensen) has been published (https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/9780228024019/html#contents). It's via an academic press, therefore pricey and mainly aimed at those with institutional affiliations, though the website I shared before remains open access. While on ResearchGate, I was linked via 'related content' to a research paper from twenty years ago that was asking, wait for it, 'Where Have All the Protest Songs Gone?'. Perhaps it's a question that arises at certain 'moments of danger', to slightly misquote Walter Benjamin. An interesting read: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/228886703_Where_Have_All_the_Protest_Songs_Gone_Social_Movements'_Message_and_Their_Voice_in_Politics.
Richard, thank you so much for sharing these resources! I'm excited about both of them.
I've printed out the paper - brilliant! what a find - and downloaded what I could of the book. I see that there are quite a few interviews on the project site, so I'll read through all of those when I get a chance. I'm quite the academic nerd, as you may have noted, and tend to devour whatever I get my hands on.
With this new 'golden age of music' project, I expect protest music will still be a theme. So learning more about protest music historically will be of ongoing interest.
I see why you’ve been silent for awhile. You have composed another opus. I don’t have time to respond properly right now but wanted to acknowledge your efforts. I will respond more later. Also your books have been or are being read by a few more people and have triggered interesting discussions.
Thanks, Daniel! Happy to have more readers and of course very interested in people's reactions (even pointing out glaring mistakes!).
I was planning to put this out a week ago, but the universe started sending a lot of information my way that I couldn't ignore, being a magpie who likes to collect a lot of material to construct a strong and durable nest.
Thanks for the shout and thanks for continuing the convo!
Thanks for triggering it with your provocative post!
That’s a lot to chew on. Thanks for this and all that’s come before…🖖
I might add Gangsta Rap and Narcocorrido as two musical subgenres that are very much protest songs, and vibrant.
Even Norah Jones has a protest song (time signature 40:00 in today's video post).
It could be said that identity politics plays a role in reluctance to express (say the wrong thing and get canceled).
But largely it is the conditioned music consumer who demands postproduction, resource and technology rich music; free perfect and now.
Most people have no idea how to react to live, unadulterated music in an intimate setting, let alone seek it out. But they will dance, caterwaul and even pay money for a DJ or Karaoke event.
Musical tastes change, and we are fickle. Until we demand more for our money from the eateries, bars and public events in the way of opening a space for the musician, things are unlikely to change soon.
Nice example from Norah Jones. She gets her point across but plays it quite safe with those lyrics -- it's more in the vein of the perplexity of Buffalo Springfield's "For What It's Worth" -- which is not going to offend people of any political persuasion. Smart to do that.
I had to look up narcocorrido, very interesting example.
You make a lot of good points here about what's going on in the current environment. You're right that it's a system and the consumers are a key part of that in communicating through their attention and purchases what they will and won't accept. I think the issue now is that the audience used to be larger and more homogeneous with a national culture driven by TV and radio and movies, but that has fractured into many pieces with the rise of cable TV and then the internet such that there is no 'youth culture' or any widely shared culture. Everyone now serves a niche and has to find their audience.
So I do agree that we need more spaces for musicians, especially when the lockdowns forced so many small businesses out of business.
But a separate issue I was trying to highlight is that, even with more venues, musicians may not be able to make it as they did in the past because they can't find gigs that pay well enough. Many leaving the business for exactly that reason. If there's no money in it, then people will not invest the time in developing the mastery that defines the virtuoso musician, and we will lose out. Will we have Neil Youngs and Joni Mitchells become musicians if they can't find places to play and hone their craft? James Taylor noted that this was where he and the singer-songwriters learned how to be musicians and tried out their material, getting invaluable feedback from local audiences.
I guess what I'm saying is that we need a music ecosystem, not musicians shunted into performing in venues dedicated to other purposes. One way a culture is defined is by how it treats its artists, and it seems we have abandoned ours. And I personally find that a sign that we've gone down the wrong path and need to find our way back to the sunny green glade.
First, the bad news: it's unlikely the arts are going to find economic salvation any time soon, especially with advancement of artificial intelligence and global distress.
Now the good news: music is oral history and can be found everywhere, money has nothing to do with it.
Wow, so much here, Ellen! I have to find a block of time to digest it. Your comments on the crushing effects of conformity and sheer financial constraints are spot on. The reality is that it has always been thus for artists. Even great flowerings like the Renaissance were winner-take all--if you got a Medici to sponsor you, you could do whatever you wanted. But if you didn't, you had to do decorative art and hope there was a market for it.
Thanks, Charles. I tried to summarize all that I was reading and reflecting on, but it's a huge topic and there's so much more that we could say or talk about concerning the history that brought us here and the situation that we now find ourselves in.
Your thoughts and perspectives would be of great interest.
I had the privilege of stumbling across cultures in which the arts are highly valued and given the resources they need to thrive. I remember visiting Bali back in the late 80s and early 90s and running into artistic things going on in almost every village. It was thrilling.
I also think that people will find a way to gather and enjoy music no matter what, even if the authorities try to shut it down, as they did with the raves in England when I was there. But it seems that the system we have now in the US is stifling not only musical innovation but also music performance, and I wonder if there is the same level of investment in producing a vibrant pipeline of future musicians in any musical genre. Or, as Sam Fender says, are only the well-to-do now able to do that? It's definitely the case with actors, where the working class have been priced out of that as a profession. Is it the same for music? Meaning, are we eliminating all voices but those of the elite or well-heeled?
I've been shit on since the 80s for protest. Still here, still broke. What it is.
Yes, it's a tough path to take, but if you're still here that's a major victory, I would say. Thanks for reading and commenting.
Edwyn Collins - "A Girl Like You"
This old town's changed so much
Don't feel like I belong
Too many protest singers
Not enough protest songs
And now you've come along
Yes you've come along
And I've never met a girl like you before
Great catch, Mark! Love the song but never noticed those lyrics about protest singers and songs.
Readers can find the video here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6oqJ0JpMj6I
Thanks for that.
Thanks for grappling with some big questions over these last two posts, Ellen. I find the explanations rooted in social, historical and economic conditions (Part 2) generally more convincing than the biographical ones (Part 1), though I did find those artist profiles fascinating. I agree most with your and others’ comments on social fragmentation, industry mechanics, finance, personality cults (a first person culture that looks for difference rather than collective experience, despite ubiquitous claims about ‘community’) as the likely reasons for a change. I was heartened to see many commenters pointing out the contemporary protest songs. I had an immediate red flag response to the initial ‘no more protest songs’ claim, but I feel you and others have covered that well now.
Zooming right out, I think we have to accept that music has a different social significance now than it did in the 1960s/70s so I do wonder how possible it ultimately is to make these kinds of comparisons. Still worth trying, though, because we learn something in the process.
It’s been really interesting to follow this discussion, and I’m sure I’ll return to it often.
Thanks for that view looking back on the series and the comments, Richard. As someone who knows a lot about music over the decades -- much more than I do -- I appreciate your long-term perspective as well as your knowledge of protest music (and great contribution of your favorite).
I see this series as dipping a toe in the water and raising a lot of issues and questions, not providing any solid conclusions. I don't think we could say there are less protest songs over time unless we actually defined protest songs (something you, NickS, and I debated), collected them, and did a count maybe decade by decade and genre by genre. Perhaps there aren't less but just more niche-bound or less widely known given the massive changes in how music is accessed and shared.
You also make a great point about social significance. As I keep saying to my brother, we were really lucky coming of age in 60s/70s when it was a bit of a wild west and hadn't yet become entirely corporatized, and perversely in a time when there was a great deal of conflict and protest of various kinds. It certainly shaped us.
I would guess there are also significant differences between the US and UK given how their music industries and ecosystems have operated and evolved. I've run across quite a few artists who didn't make it in the US but found great success in the UK, something I would love to understand more in terms of audience and industry.
But it's sure been fun to think about this and have people with proper knowledge like you engage in discussion and speculation. So thanks for staying engaged with it.
I believe there's a great protest song ready to be embraced the writer of course must have the courage of their convictions but more importantly interpret the courage of his/her audiences convictions into that song. This isn't an original thought I'm just paraphrasing something that Dylan wrote about in Chronicles volume 1 speaking of protest songs in that book.
Interesting, as I haven't read Chronicles and Bob's been named by so many others who have written protest songs.
Based on this series, I'd have to agree. If your audience doesn't have the courage of their convictions, it becomes you exhorting them rather than you articulating a shared or maybe emerging belief. You can't be either too much ahead of the times or past the sell-by date or your words will have no impact.
Thanks for sharing that!
We’ve kind of covered the how and why of the protest song itself. Your other readers have all chimed in brilliantly on your basic premises.
I was interested in your laying out of the artist experience itself. It was accurate. I went through a similar pathway in my journey through the entertainment maze. Initially I suffered low reimbursement, or a couple times no reimbursement. I was lucky enough to have had a friend who was in the process of becoming an attorney, and while helping me out decided to specialize in contract law. He assisted me in becoming one of those expenses that were paid prior to the artist receiving their cut. To illustrate the point. I spent some time working for G&R. In 2018 I talked to Slash at a festival in France. This was several years after I left the business. We talked about the “old days” and he flat asked me what I had been making with them. Turned out it was more than he was getting at the time.
I try to be very candid with my students regarding their economic prospects from playing music. The old expression “don’t quit your day job” comes to mind. As far as venues are concerned, in my part of the world the casino has become a prime venue for a group with a string of his from the 80s to perform at. There are also various outdoor events in the summer to accommodate them. That makes it possible to play on the weekends thus circumventing vast touring expenses. I spend a lot of time scouring the area for venues my students can perform. This summer I’m going to try to manage a few shows that charge small admissions so we can start a scholarship fund for prospective students who can’t afford to take lessons or need help purchasing an instrument. I think music lovers or music performance individuals are going to have to assess individual situations and act accordingly. I don’t think there’s a one size fits all scenario.
You do such a meticulous job with your posts. Kudos to you.
Thanks for the kudos and the comment, Daniel. Appreciated.
I suspect that if we look over the decades, there are only a small subset of artists who actually did very well financially. I was reading how much it cost to go to a concert back in the 60s and 70s, and it's a wonder artists made money from them.
The economics of the industry really interest me, and you've put your finger on one thing, which is that the fixed expenses - producer, studio, security, etc. - always got paid, and the songwriter almost always got their royalties because they were legally protected and collected. The problem was in who bore the financial risk, which violated how every other creative industry does it and how capitalism is supposed to work. The industry took the biggest reward without bearing the biggest risk, whereas the artists bore the risk without any assurance of the reward. They were last in line despite being the only reason everyone was getting paid in the first place. This is just exploitation, pure and simple.
The problem is artist financial and legal savvy. If there is one area I would encourage you to include in your training, it would be that (e.g. bringing in an attorney, accountant, etc. who know the biz). I think people like Jon Bon Jovi who had a cousin in the business learned how to work it and protect themselves from the get-go, and that made all the difference (as well as the small matter of producing hits).
But even if your students don't go into the industry, how wonderful that they learn to make music. I would have loved to have gone to a school like yours at that age. So kudos right back at you!
Yes, I didn’t comment on that part of the equation but you’re exactly right. Songwriting royalties have led to the demise of many a band or musical relationship. I witnessed many arguments about that topic.
I do try to cover all bases in the training. I try to create an environment where everything is laid out and you can ala carte your experience.
After I posted that I regretted giving you advice. You're doing a wonderful thing and I'm sure you're on top of it. You were in the music business!
I was just projecting my growing concern for musicians based on what I've read and seen, that so many are severely taken advantage of. It makes my blood boil. So I want to see a future in which artists are valued and treated properly, not one in which they are thrown to the dogs. We don't do that in other professions, where there are proper and legal employment contracts and benefits. It's downright ridiculous that they are put in the 'let's exploit the sensitive artist' category. Sorry, venting again.
But anyway, I think your idea to start a scholarship fund is great. If you decide to seek donations, let me know and I'd be happy to let people know on here.
Don’t apologize. I have all the respect in the world for your opinion. We’re on the same page. I saw it first hand. I would work for the artists when they were on top and would see them in venues or other locations when they were on their way down and couldn’t afford the expense anymore. I still maintain some contacts with certain management groups and offer to help in small ways now. I have a fairly decent recording studio and have the ability to help out like add keyboards, etc if they furnish me digital copies to work with. I can help defray extra costs like that. It’s great that you have such exuberance about these topics. I get somewhat jaded.
Thanks, Daniel, the feeling is mutual. I'm going to be offering a vision for the future of the music ecosystem and asking for feedback. We've got to create a different future for musicians and music, and the chaos we're now in is the perfect opportunity.
If you have a chance, ask the kids what kind of musical world they would love to inhabit -- I'm keen to know what the kids think and want.
I can do that if you’re interested. I’ve been energized by doing this. I started this as a small project to help my granddaughter and her friends and it’s grown already to something I never imagined.
https://substack.com/@johnshane1/note/c-99654016
Thanks for sharing that, John. Amazing playing by Javier Mas and such a poignant song by Leonard Cohen. It reminds me of some of Northern Ireland musician Gary Moore's songs set in the time of the troubles, such as "Over the Hills and Far Away" and "Out in the Fields" with Phil Lynott - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsKpazeA5L8.
I think there a lots of reasons. Chief among them, music is nowhere near as important culturally as it used to be. It’s increasingly less likely to meet people who listen to music as an active activity—it’s treated as background entertainment, or people bounce from one track to another, one artist to another in whatever inexpensive streaming service that hardly pays the artist anything.
Combined with the watered-down remains of what used to be the music business, the consumer expectation that music should be free (or super cheap), the fractured state of media consumption and our fractured political values, and it’s not surprising that we don’t see more musical protest like we used to. Ironically, the “protest” songs I see are from awful people/artists like Kid Rock, or that terrible “Try That In a Small Town” song.
The largest artists in the world aren’t interested. They’re too busy scooping up every dollar they can, and don’t want to alienate half of their audience.
Yes, you've put your finger on a number of additional reasons why there are far fewer protest songs. Everything is fractured, indeed, on both the supply and demand sides, but you have to ask if that would be the case if we still had a viable industry and artists were supported in doing great work. Which came first, the lack of consumer interest or the disappearance of easy to discover great music? There is some amazing music, but it takes some keen interest to find it. I personally think things are in dire shape and we need to do something about it. A post coming on that. Thanks for commenting!
Hi Ellen. I received an alert today, via Research Gate, that the book associated with the Protest Songs research project 'Our Subversive Voice' (which features my Newcastle Uni colleague Oskar Cox Jensen) has been published (https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/9780228024019/html#contents). It's via an academic press, therefore pricey and mainly aimed at those with institutional affiliations, though the website I shared before remains open access. While on ResearchGate, I was linked via 'related content' to a research paper from twenty years ago that was asking, wait for it, 'Where Have All the Protest Songs Gone?'. Perhaps it's a question that arises at certain 'moments of danger', to slightly misquote Walter Benjamin. An interesting read: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/228886703_Where_Have_All_the_Protest_Songs_Gone_Social_Movements'_Message_and_Their_Voice_in_Politics.
Richard, thank you so much for sharing these resources! I'm excited about both of them.
I've printed out the paper - brilliant! what a find - and downloaded what I could of the book. I see that there are quite a few interviews on the project site, so I'll read through all of those when I get a chance. I'm quite the academic nerd, as you may have noted, and tend to devour whatever I get my hands on.
With this new 'golden age of music' project, I expect protest music will still be a theme. So learning more about protest music historically will be of ongoing interest.