So, here it is. The first part of my long-awaited series (at least,
I've been waiting for it a long time) on the interrelationship
throughout history between art and business as they apply to music.
Why would anyone want to do this? Why take on such a monumental
task? Well, even a monumental task is not so daunting when you
can break it down into easily manageable steps. How large or how
small the steps one takes are based on one's perception of how
much one can handle. Besides, I've always been one to think big.
Sometimes this gets me into big trouble and sometimes I don't
always succeed. But, I always have a great experience along the
way.
I still haven't answered the question of: why this topic? Well,
I've always been fascinated by the entertainment industry, especially
music. Awesome concerts and videos seem to be almost commonplace
now. Huge fortunes are made and lost in a sea of hype, drugs,
and above all, product. How did it ever get this way? Why do people
spend so much money on music, anyway? I've known guys that were
flat broke, ate crap, and dressed like grunge rejects who owned
literally hundreds of CDs.
I thought one way of finding out some answers was to look at the
subject developmentally; that is, from a historical perspective.
If one looks at the story of how and why a state of affairs came
about, one can clearly see how things work and why things are
the way they are. It works best if the investigation begins at
a time where things are relatively simple to see.
I had thought about beginning my project at the dawn of civilization,
in the cultures of Sumeria, Egypt, China, and in the Indus Valley.
I had even considered the possibility of going back to prehistoric
ages and investigating the use of music in hunter-gatherer cultures.
But then, I questioned whether it was really necessary to go back
quite that far. I mean, my time machine has only a limited temporal
radius, and if I exceed that, I won't be covered under the warranty.
In addition, it could just be too much bloody work.
Therefore, I thought about limiting my scope. I wanted to narrow
down my work but still cover the subject thoroughly. Instead of
spreading my concentration on diverse cultures, I felt that I
should follow the course of European/American society, or Western
society if you like. This is not because Western culture is inherently
superior but one has to admit, it is still economically and culturally,
the most influential today. Especially, the global music industry
is still largely dominated by North American and European stars.
Even the varied influence of world beat music is sold and distributed
through an industrial maze of Western, mostly American, creation.
I only needed to trace the path of Western culture back far enough
to a relatively simple state where music might play a very small
economic role.
Looking back, I found the most appropriate starting point to be
the fall of the Roman Empire in Western Europe. In the 300s and
the 400s, the Western Roman Empire crumbled and dissipated until
it was overrun by fierce Germanic tribes who were themselves running
from the even fiercer Huns. The organized bureaucracy of the Romans
gave way to the trial by combat harshness of tribal law. An organized
economic system slowly weakened by corruption and indifference
was completely wiped out. The people returned to a more primitive
culture. Literacy was largely limited to those in the Roman Catholic
Church which suddenly found itself a cultural repository as well
as a spiritual resource.
It is here that I will begin my story. It will start soon, just
as soon as I get the gears on H.G. (my pet name for my time machine)
fixed. See you in the past,
Wendi.
