the present 2

After yesterdays doom and gloom I want to write about a very positive aspect of music-making in the present day.  One thing that has given aspiring musicians much more opportunity to create and have creative control  over their work is technology.  Back in the 60's The Beatles recorded Sergeant Pepper, recognised as one of the most important and influential albums ever,  on 4 track machines and bounced tracks down to give opportunities for extensive overdubbing. 8 track machines were not yet available in British recording studios. Aspiring  bands making demos did not normally have access to even 4 track recording  unless they paid for studio time. Home recordings were done on Uncle Wullie's old Grundig or Philips reel to reel but audio tape was not a handy medium for demos. When the cassette became available demos could be sent away easily in this compact form. They could then go from envelope to bin, often with no listening occurring in between. With the development of cassette technology came the Portastudio which facilitated multi-track recording of a kind for ordinary musicians and led to overflowing waste baskets in A & R offices.

Nowadays any musician who has a computer and buys a few extra bits and pieces can make digital multi-track recordings of extremely high quality in his/her back bedroom.  Techniques unheard of in the days when Sergeant Pepper was made are routinely used today  in home studios all over the world.  The internet allows musicians and song writers to put their music online for the whole world to hear - for free. Platforms like You Tube, Muziboo, Soundcloud, My Space allow web hosting of audio and video tracks and social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter allow free promotion of your work.  It is truly fantastic!  The challenge that faces you then is how to get people to listen to your work and how to extend your audience beyond friends and family.  Do people now submit demos electronically? If they do, how many will go from inbox to trash with no listening stage in-between?  Producing and promoting your own work is the preferred option for many  now, especially as the CD is battling with downloading for the market anyway.

In the end, if this means, as I think it does, that the control of big business over popular music is weakened, then a big hurrah from me!