Over the past few years, I have read more and more articles in nameless corporate music magazines about the 'destruction' of the music biz. All of these articles go on to blame CD burners, Internet radio, and the public's access to cheap technology as the causes. I can almost understand the points the articles try to make--but then I look at my collection of music and realize the genius being created throughout the world that would not be noticed without any of these 'destructive' advancements.

The music business is far from dying. In fact, it is probably more vivacious than ever before. The power is simply shifting from huge labels like Sony and Epic to smaller labels and individuals who are passionate about making music. The ability to record and distribute music for low prices is opening up new worlds for non-pop musicians, and the major labels are upset that people are spending less money on their latest trend album.

It gives me much more pleasure to hear work produced in the bedroom of some avant-garde pianist than to listen to a seventeen year old girl moan about her problems over a beat used five years ago by another little girl. Not only do I find independent music to sound better; it is often cheaper--occasionally to the point of being free--than the garbage found in music superstores.

Regardless of who is performing the music or what instrument is being used, nine out of ten times the product can easily be described as quality.

Now for the reasons why:

Passion--I cannot stress this enough. Passion is a musician who buys blank CDs over lunch break with change found on the way to the store. Passion is a musician who records and edits his or her work on his or her computer in the middle of the night with neighbors banging on the walls. Passion is a musician burning the finished music products on the blank CDs between bites of cereal in the morning. These people are either in love with music or crazy (possibly even both).

When viewed opposite a rock 'n roll superstar who is stuck with a fifteen record contract it is easy to see who will most likely be creating passion-driven music and who will be busting out three CDs a year just to make money.

Variety--Quick! Count the number of boy bands who put out an album since January. There are a couple of reasons why you could never do this. First, you would probably die before you finished counting. Second, no number is known to be that large.

Truly passionate musicians do not follow pop trends. They work with a multitude of instruments and styles when creating music, which allows the formation of an interest in their present work and work to come.

Packaging--Yes, packaging. The package a CD is distributed in should be appealing and complimentary to the music. There are methods of packaging other than using a typical jewel case, and these methods tend to be implemented by self-producing musicians.

Now, count the number of boy bands who put out an album since January, used unorthodox methods of packaging, and do not plaster the cover with images of themselves. That was much easier, wasn't it?

Of course many self-producing musicians use jewel cases, but even the inlay bookley contains more useful information than photographs of the band members in wet T-shirts.

Cost--This is an interesting aspect of self-produced CDs. I've seen--and purchased--music ranging from free up to $20. The average, though, is somewhere between $8 and $12, which is still much cheaper than mass produced CDs. Even when the cost of the CD is high, though, it is easy to hand over the money knowing that it is going to the pocket of a truly devoted musician.

Repeat after me: Passion + Variety + Packaging + (usually low) Cost = EXCELLENT MUSIC. (Although defining the sum of this formula as 'excellent music' is completely subjective, the listener still knows how much devotion the musician had in producing the music.)

No longer must we be stared at by armies of the digitally enhanced faces of Britney Spears and 'N Sync while listening to the sound of nails on a chalkboard. We are in the midst of a technological revolution and the power to record high quality music is moving into the hands of individuals. Although major corporations still pull on the ears of many listeners, we are gaining control of stereos with our own music and cheap methods of production.

Copyright © 2000 Matthew Eberhart All Rights Reserved

Matthew Eberhart has been writing critical essays on culture and cinema for the past two years. He has also been writing fiction and avant-garde poetry for much of his life. Matthew has written for a number of online and printed publications and is Editor of Film Features and Interviews at Rocket Fuel magazine. His small press, greyletter press, has published many literature collections, including POST L=A=N=G=U=A=G=E PROPHECIES, and is set to release a new aesthetic magazine/CD this summer. Matthew is presently attending school for Media Studies and non-fiction writing.

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