3 ms·
Bowie may have been an outsider, but consider that your exact feelings are social, those feelings of belonging and connection to an icon. The music industry is
by braythwayt 11y ago
Bowie may have been an outsider, but consider that your exact feelings are social, those feelings of belonging and connection to an icon.
The music industry is just as adept at monetizing those feelings as they are of monetizing teen-age angst or adolescent her-worship of boy bands.
My point being, that while Bowie and many others can stand outside of the industry, I don’t believe the basic dynamics are going to change. Radio may go away. Physical media may go away. Apple may disrupt the labels.
Bt I believe that massive marketing machines will continue to slice and dice the market for music and continue to dominate people’s choices.
Remember, you only heard of Bowie because he played the game.
- sjclemmy 11y agoI totally agree with your points - the market economy finds ways to monetise and that's its job. I'm not actually a big fan of Bowie, I'm a bit too young, but it's something I'm observing. I'm also aware that those feelings of alienation are keenest for teenagers and that the music industry exploits that. However, whilst the music machine exploits the latest pop star - if you were to compare and contrast say, Justin Bieber or Taylor Swift with Bowie, then there is a difference in what they symbolise for the fan, and, whilst the outcome of a sense of belonging is effected in both instances, Bieber / Swift do not represent the outsider, they are just more grist for the mill.
- webjprgm 11y agoI only heard of Bowie because of The Labyrinth. :-)