An evolution in the consciousness of music
In any industry, you will have whats called a 40-40-10-10 rule. This is as follows: Forty percent of people are kinda good at their craft and mean well… Forty percent of people are not very good at their craft and are unconscious about their actions long-term. Then the 10 and the other 10 are really good people trying to help the world and really bad people trying to control and manipulate it. As it stands right now, the upper 10 percent of really good and altruistic musicians are being hidden. They are reserved for backrooms of 2nd rate night clubs and festivals that aren’t inspired by drug infused flurries of activity, hence they don’t really follow the money. Nor in many instances, does the money always follow them. Instead it has come to pass that good music just does not crop up out of nowhere. Good music is crafted and allowed to brew and percolate until the musicians themselves are able to handle their spiritual responsibility with a sense of humility and grace. Until that point, the music will remain in the background for their safety. Having a hit record is kinda like shooting a loaded gun up in the air at a party. It will get a lot of peoples attention. Some of them good, some of them bad.
Oddly enough, evil people don’t have much to worry about in this current system as they stand virtually unopposed in their oppressive spiritual domination of human consciousness. People who make good music don’t have the money or the financing to protect themselves from the onslaught of fiscally disempowering structures the industry has “created” for them to make a living with… (I.E. I tunes, YouTube, Spotify etc.) So in essence, good people have to get really creative with making their money and sustaining a career! (A trend which I believe is finally catching on in the rest of the economy as the unsustainability of pure corporatism rears its ugly head.) I won’t get into specifics, but we all know most music is very low vibe in this day and age. There are a few higher minded “I wanna inspire the world to be better” types, but they are very rare in the consciousness of the mainstream population. Even worse is that people are digging into the past to try and find these types of artists or music. Heres a news flash: Music was made to shape your mind in that era as well. In essence, music has very very rarely been used in the manner it was intended; namely to let people be what they would like to be in a way that brings harmony for all. Basically shining a light of sound for others to inspire them sonically; to lift them up by the ears and help them realize all is possible, even if not probable.
Instead of using these higher minded ideals, music has been used to sell a lifestyle or a state of mind, or a narrative. Music can make you want to be the best you can be, or music can make you think that the whole world is a cruel joke. I should know. I have listened to all kinds from all across the spectrum and am now able to discern what that music is really doing, most of which hurts humans moral or spiritual development. Now I am no bible thumping chap, nor do I think music should be censored, but I do think that if music isn’t making you feel better in some way, then its purpose has been skewed. Music shouldn’t be about me convincing you to be like me or feel like me, it should be about me helping you to feel a higher state of yourself. Again this is a divisive argument, but it’s something I have a hard time keeping quiet about forever. Music is a tool, so in the future, now that musicians are being forced in the economic arena just to survive, they need to understand that they are building something. It may not be physical like a corporation or a building, but they are building ideas in the minds of their listeners. These mental buildings need to be taken seriously, because there are karmic ramifications for all involved.
In the spirit of this year’s NAMM conference I hope to inspire others to really evaluate what art means to us all. Art for many is the only emotional gratification that is accessible to everyone. Some will never have parental love, others will never have romantic love. Others will never find vocational fulfillment. But art, art stands alone and reminds us that we can fulfill and or transcend these visceral emotional experiences in other ways. It allows us to be what we thought we could not and have empathy with all of humankind. Without it, we would be doomed to a world of monocular perspectives and our dreams would fail to receive the rainfall of creative of nourishment that they so dearly require to grow. We are at a time when musicians can make anything they like out of the industry due to the fact that actual talent and dedication will inevitably trump any false egotism in due time. So lets sit back and think about what we actually want to create for the sonic future of our realm... Aka Earth!
Sincerely,
Austin Muhs