“I think that people just want to turn the faucet on and have music come in. They’re not really concerned about all the romantic shit I thought mattered.” – Trent Reznor
https://www.loudersound.com/news/nine-inch-nails-trent-reznor-streaming-mortally-wounded
This is a quote I picked out of an interview with Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross on Loudersound.com, there is a longer conversation on the above link regarding streaming, royalties and the next Nine Inch Nails record (EXCITED), but it’s that quote that dragged me back to an ongoing conversation in my head and one that i’m sure happens in many other parts of the music industry.
Part 1
“I think that people just want to turn the faucet on and have music come in.”
So do I, I remember a time of CD or Vinyl purchases on payday every month, there was even a music club in the first office I worked in where we all threw in a pound a week and each week one member of the group bought an album. I remember cherishing the album I bought each month, analysing every part of the artwork and content and listening to it non-stop, it was a big thing.
I then remember ripping those CDs onto the computer to upload them into first Gen 4Gb iPods to make what we saw as the new generation of mix tapes. Napster, Limewire became a thing and around here the cherish moment and the artwork died and consumption became a thing!
The faucet was open, and it opened quickly, I did stop buying for a while then streaming came and for less than the cost of an album a month you had every song ever written or so it felt at your fingertips.
Part 2
“They’re not really concerned about all the romantic shit I thought mattered.”
Were ‘they’ ever? I was I know that. I still am but let’s classify the ‘romantic shit’ when it comes to music. Being literal with that, yes music has emotion, and the right song can fit the right situation perfectly, Trent Reznor who made this quote writes soundtracks so does this, and get it right it’s powerful. First dances at weddings, most if not all couples have ‘their song’ which is seen as romantic to them.
I don’t think the ‘romantic shit’ has gone anywhere but I do think the faucet will never be turned off with consumption and expectation being key.
This is where Ai and the current crop of software gets a little worrying which is most likely an understatement. Can’t sing, auto tune it or Ai tweak it to a style, type your words in and select a generated singing voice. Create a drum part, loop it, create a guitar part, repeat it, Ai interpret those parts put it all together, three minutes long, upload it, go to work, share with your friends, it’s like playing video games, it disposable it’s a fun side hustle.
https://www.movavi.com/learning-portal/free-music-making-software.html
There is nothing romantic here it’s just a laugh. It’s no different to website designers who have seen their industry ripped apart by companies selling plug and play templates that take no skill to build but ‘do the job’. Graphic Designers who put industry experience and years of design thinking and theory into logos and layout with purpose now seeing lines like ‘Canva – Graphic Design basics’, there’s are templates that take away the skill and rip apart professions as the quick way, expectation and consumption is our future, our present.
So, “I think that people just want to turn the faucet on and have music come in. They’re not really concerned about all the romantic shit I thought mattered.”
Yes they do and it’s not a bad thing, artists just need to push the right narrative and remind the audience why music is there and that streaming is ok, but appreciate the process. Ai needs to be kept in check to protect the artists, absolutely.
I’d say more live music but my calendar for the year is full, it’s never been so good but that’s where the money is, streaming is there, connect live with an audience and there’s a career to be had.
I’m rambling now, we all have our opinions here’s a brain dump of mine.
