Wanted to share this clip I was watching earlier of a great interview with Victor Wooten and Cory Wong about the state of modern music. The whole video is fantastic, but I just wanted to stir up a bit of conversation with this topic.
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Interesting stuff Bryan! Firstly, I wanted to mention that I have noticed after some recent forum software changes (?) that you have to click twice on a YouTube video link before it will play. I click the āplayā button (triangle in center of video) once, and it looks like it starts playing ā¦ but then stops! When I click it again, then the video will play. I have noticed this multiple times recently. Not a huge deal, though kind of annoying, but a glitch that might be easy to fix?
The philosophical stuff is interesting, and his comparison of how newer technology makes music āsmaller and smallerā (vibration) in a sense. What I really liked is when they started the jam session at 1:08:00 - and his bass playing, which is cool funk bass - great chops!
Thank you for the heads-up! I thought maybe it was the way I posted that video. I wasnāt aware that it was a wider spread issue. Iāll see what I can do on this. Thanks again!
I hadnāt really considered that idea before, but it totally makes sense. Its a great illustration of why our experiences with music are so different between generations. And thinking of modern music as āsmallā helps me understand why the general listening crowd would feel like the music should just be free and available. Its just sound in the earholes, not an actual āexperienceā. Iāll stop here before I ramble haha
Iāll go to YouTube and try to find the video, but Iāve noticed I canāt get vids to play at all and figured it was just me.
Well, that sounds like a different issue. These definitely play on the machines Iāve tested. However, Iām having the issue of having to hit the play button a second time as mentioned.
I agree with the principle idea of music becoming āsmallā in importance, especially to the younger generations, and to the public in generalā¦ but I disagree with his āargumentsā in support of his conclusion. They are convenient, fanciful and poetic at best; Uninformed, unscientific and fallacious at worst. After all, even live (amplified) music is reliant on everything eventually being reduced to electrons in a wire. What could be āsmallerā than that?
It kind of comes back to musicians blaming the tools, rather than the actual artā¦ Only, in this case, the ātoolsā are contemporary methods of music reproduction.
I actually think that the āgoldenā era of recorded music - the associated music capturing and reproduction methods, and the profit and fame it yielded - was actually an anomaly in the greater course of history, afforded by a once-off intersection of societal conditions, prevailing attitudes, and the technology of the timeā¦
So IMO to imply that it was some kind of standard or ānormā that we need to return to is a lovely nostalgic notion, perhapsā¦ but really just wishful thinking akin to muscle-car fans wishing for a return to the glory days of Detroit. It just doesnāt reflect reality.
ā¦ Oh, and there is nothing wrong with the āsizeā of current musicā¦ it is plenty āBIGā IMO. Of all people, the RecordingReview veterans here should be well aware how vulnerable musicians and music fans are to āconfirmation biasā - judging sound based visual, rather than solely aural stimulus.
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Very true, I think. It reminds me a bit of Dorothy in āThe Wizard of Ozā when she says āThereās no place like home.ā IIRC, her house went for a tornado flight and was probably smashed to bits! Of course, it had to be a ādreamā to find a proper ending for the film. 
The golden age of music production is something that should be fondly remembered IMO, but certainly we could never really return to it. Same with the golden age of radio, television, automobiles (including muscle-cars), and aero-planes. Even space vehicles and early computers to some degree.
I did find the discussion in the video posted to be pretty philosophical for awhile after the time-stamp, which normally I would quite enjoy, but like you I had a sense that it was a bit out of touch or wishful thinking.
The digital age has been interesting as well, a wild ride. From digital file formats for music, to compact players and internet streaming, it had its fascination for awhile and then just became the ānormā.
Ironically, I still listen to the same music - for enjoyment and pleasure - that I have listened to for the past 50 years. Though I probably stopped my āplaylistā around 2006 or so. But I listen mostly on computers and portable players - all digital. I have all my old phonograph records, but havenāt played those in years. As much as life changes, and getting older advances us to confront ultimate mortality, the musical experience for me - at least at times - is eerily similar to decades ago. I guess Iād call that an accomplishment ā¦ that I hope I never give up.
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