Reflections

I want to thank those of you that left such kind comments on the blog. I am thrilled to hear that you enjoyed the class-and learned something in the process. I meant it last class when I said it was a wonderful semester-and you were such a lively, spirited, and intelligent group. I had a wonderful time teaching-and you made it all the more enjoyable. I also want to thank you for your comments on the course (i.e. blog) and what I can do to improve it-without your feedback I wouldn't be able to strengthen the course and its structure. Good luck on your paper for this course (and don't forget-I'm only an email/appointment away if you need help) and for your other courses this semester. You'll do great! You're almost there-and then its summer vacation! I should have played Alice Cooper's "School's Out" on the last class-my bad.

I know I asked you what you learned from the semester-I thought maybe I should share the knowledge I gained. 1) Jameson really doesn't like pop music, 2) Love for music runs deep from the students of AMS209, 3) Ronald Reagan used Springsteen's "Born in the USA" for his presidential campaign (thank you Andy!), and lastly....that music is indeed a universal language-though we all don't speak the same dialect, we understand its power and its meaning. I have learned more-but perhaps I've bored you enough with my incessant talking all semester long!

Thank you all for a fantastic semester. Take care!

The Ooks of Hazzard cover "Kids" by MGMT

I know that we don't have to make any more posts, and that most of the class may not see this, but I just wanted to share it. This is a country/folk cover of the very popular electronic/pop song by MGMT. I'm more than a little impressed. I really love it. Also, in my quest to find an illegal copy of it so I could own it, I found that it has gotten a lot of attention on many different music blogs that focus on specific genres. I saw it on a hip-hop blog, an electronic blog, an indie blog, a country blog, a general music blog, and a pop music blog. It was pretty cool to see that not only was it popular with fans of the song under such an unexpected genre, but popular among fans of country and folk who may have never heard it before. Anyway, I'm rambling but it's really cool and if you see this you should check it out. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HgpsXURZFo4&feature=player_embedded

oops

Hip-Hop: The Media Scapegoat

“They say music can alter moods and talk to you
Well can it load a gun up for you, and cock it too
Well if it can, then the next time you assault a dude
Just tell the judge it was my fault and i'll get sued
See what these kids do is hear about us totin' pistols
And they want to get one cause they think the shit's cool
Not knowin' we really just protectin' ourselves
We entertainers, of course the shit's affectin' our sales,
You ignoramus, but music is reflection of self
We just explain it, and then we get our checks in the mail”
- Eminem

From Fox News to the election, to the classroom, hip-hop cannot escape the accusations that it prompts violence and degrades women and homosexuals. Its not that hip-hop prompts these concepts, it just doesn’t run away from them. Women statically have less of a chance of getting a job than a man. They will not be respected in the workplace as much as a man (unless they act like a man). Hip-Hop does not always portray women in the best image by calling them “hoes” and “bitches.” But at the same time these worlds do not always mean negative things. In the Notorious B.I.G.’s song “Me & My Bitch”, he says his bitch is his best friend and he hopes they grow old together. Although he uses the world bitch throughout the song he is praises this women.

As good and uplifting hip-hop can be it can be just as bad. We live in a world where sex and violence is cinematized, video-atized and Jersey Shore-atized. Hip-Hop has become the media scapegoat in a world filled with sex and violence. Eminem hit it on the head, rapping, “It's all political, if my music is literal, and i'm a criminal, how the fuck can I raise a little girl!”

With that said, support hip-hop, listen to the music, don’t just skim through it and remember the fox media is full S#!%!

(& I just wanted to say I enjoyed this class. One of most enjoyable classes I’ve taken in my four years at UB.)

Kanye

I have always been a fan of Kanye's music, but not a fan of Kanye himself. I think Kanye does great things for hip hop nowadays but, to me, that is almost overshadowed but all the ridiculous stunts he pulls. I guess I really should not be surprised by his crazy publicity stunts anymore, but he makes it easy to not like him. Every time he does something that brings about negative publicity to himself I cannot help but to lose a little respect for the guy. I am not really a fan of Taylor Swift, but when he interrupted the poor girl of giving her acceptance speech I felt bad for her and embarrassed for Kanye and thought what the heck is he doing now? I think the reason that Kanye does stuff like that is for publicity, but I think he could go about that in a more positive way and one that does not make him look like a fool all the time. I respect Kanye for his music, but that is all, but every time he does something erratic and at the expense of others it starts to make me want to boycott his music. So, Kanye's publicity stunts are having a negative effect on me in the fact that it is starting to make me not want to listen to his music and I am sure that is not the vibe that Kanye is going for when he does these things, but these are the things that he needs to think about before the next crazy shananigans that he pulls.

soundtrack of my life

I found it really interesting that I would have so many different genres on the soundtrack of my life extra credit assignment. I am a huge fan of rock and alternative and found it interesting at the selection of songs and albums that I would want to be on the soundtrack of my life. But, after taking this class, it makes sense to have so many different musical genres because everything is an off shoot of each other and everything influences each other in some way. This was a really fun extra credit assignment to do, but was slightly hard at the same time because picking ten songs or albums to represent your life is not an easy thing to do. There were so many other songs and albums I would want to be on the soundtrack of my life, but I tried to pick the ones I felt best represented me or I tried to pick my most favorite albums, the ones that I could not live with out. I wonder if I would have some of the same songs and albums on the soundtrack of my life if I were to do this assignment in ten, twenty, thirty, etc. years?

Why Blacks Kids Only Listen To Hip-Hop

When we were assigned the Soundtrack to our life assignment, I started asking my friends on what were the top 10 songs and albums that impacted their lives. I actually made it my facebook status. Within a couple minutes the comments piled up and said everything from Lauryn Hill’s The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill to Linkin Park’s Hybrid Park to Michael Jackson’s Thriller to Yolanda’s “Still I Rise,” etc. I could go on and on. But what this assignment made realize was that most of friends (African America Teengers-20 year olds) predominately listen to only one genre and refuse to venture outside of it. That one genre is Hip-Hop/R&B (Modern R&B and Hip Hop are pretty much twins).

After making this realization I looked at my own iTunes and not to my surprise 95% of my iTunes was Hip-Hop/R&B. The other 5% was a mix of rock (Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Maroon 5, Creed, Bon Jovi, etc), reggae, pop and gospel. So I asked one of my co-workers that same day what genres were on her iPod? Her mind began fondling thoughts as she answered saying everything from Screaming, to rap, to boy bands to country to modern autotune pop music. She then started naming bands and artist I’ve never even heard of. I almost embarrassed to say to her the only artist I recognized from her list was Lil Wayne and 2pac.

The imprint of African Americans on America music is hugh! But throughout musical history black’s creativity and founding in genres has been overshadowed, stolen or erased by whites. Blacks have certain connection to hip-hop unlike the numerous genres they have previously started and as a result they will not let go hip-hop. Also, hip-hop is based around the concepts around struggling. Every black in America struggles everyday and as result they relate to hip-hop music more than any other genre. Even though hip-hop is consumed by whites, its made for blacks. In other words black people listen to hip-hop because its their music and they relate to it. So the iPods of African Americans will continue to be dominated by hip-hop until stops making music for them.

tech

I think the impact of technology is beyond the expectations. In today`s world, everything is easier to be reached, new musical programs such as garage band, or guitar pro, are teaching the basics of musical techniques to many amateurs who could have no chance to find out those things that easy and cheap. I thin that is the main reason why electronic music is becoming more famous day by day and that will go on.

Adam Lambert

i went to youtube and looked up Adam Lambert's AMA performance. i wasn't very disgusted by it but it is indeed very inappropriate. I thought his vocal ability was very good and i enjoyed his singing. About the kissing, tones of rock vocalist did it just for the shock value at shows, but i think Lambert picked the wrong time and place to do it. I felt sad for Lambert for the fact that he lost opportunities later to the performance, i guess he really didn't think about whether his place in the industry permitted him to something like that. I mean look at Lady gaga's latest music video telephone, it is super disgusting and inappropriate but she didn't get her shows cancelled, it has to do with her status in the music business.

I really enjoyed taking this class this year. I learned a lot about american music and its impact. I thought I knew plenty, but their is always more to learn. I would definitely suggest this class to others who may be interested. It wasnt such a hard class but it was interesting and fun. Katie thanks for teaching such a great class.

performance as art

Performance as an art has a large impact on live shows these days. Many artists may sacrifice some of their musical abilities in order to add more visual aspects to their show. To me, that idea is totally unnecessary. I have seen many shows where the artists played amazing and were still able to put on a performance that was unbelievable. Iron Maiden was one of the coolest shows I ever went to. They shreded and rocked while running around with light shows, fireworks, a huge mechanical eddy, costumes changes, the whole package. I have seen tons of bands that didn't need any gimmicks to put on a great show. It seems to me the artists who need to sacrifice their music for a show aren't really talented at all.

This semester

Since the beginning, in my first blog post, I remember stating what I hoped to learn from this class and that is to learn the exciting music genres of each time period and since music has influenced and provided me company it was my turn to learn the history of it. Guess what? I did! Thanks to Katie, I acquired so much knowledge about the music from 20's, 30's, 40's, 50's, 60's- all the way to present years. Once again, gender, sexuality, race, and culture are all big factors and have contributed much to the present music we have today. This class was such a joy to be in and I had a great time learning something I really cared and loved for.

Pop Music as Torture

Read an interesting Freakonomics article recently. According to Wired magazine, the US government is using David Gray's Babylon to torture inmates at Guantanamo Bay and in fact may owe Mr. Gray royalties for the use. But the devastating power of soft vocals doesn't stop there. In Australia Barry Manilow is used to keep "late night hooligans" from hanging out in parks. However their is a flip side to this music and apparently (also from Wired) Kenny Rogers may help recovering stroke victims. An interesting use of music.

Since this is the last post and it seems like the popular thing to do is to reflect I shall write my second paragraph. I enjoyed this class and the relaxing atmosphere brought by the teacher and fellow classmates. I really enjoyed the earlier slower paced music genres where we were able to really absorb them especially Muddy Waters and the Big Band era. It gets a little hard after the 60's to fit everything in. I also, enjoyed the blog posts as they were unique in the fact that most students, even quieter ones had an equal say by using texts and left some interesting posts. I think for future classes that the blog should be tied in with Friday discussion more. If one had to write down in words their thoughts on a specific discussion question before the actual discussion there could be a deeper more diverse conversation. For me at least I'm terrible at speaking on the fly and feel like I'm blabbering on.

Thanks for a very enjoyable class!

Adam Lambert's Performance

I am a big fan of Adam Lambert and I was upset when he did not win American Idol but at the same time glad that he does not have to follow the Idol contract. His vocal abilities were undeniably exceptional during every performance on the show. Therefore, I was extremely looking forward to his album and the rest of his music career. Someone with this amount of talent must not follow other artists and Adam would definitely create something exotic and special right?

However his performance at the AMA's was a big disappointment. As a big fan, I really could not finish watching his performance without wincing or looking away. Some of his moves were really inappropriate. However, what disappointed me the most was the fact that where did his true talent go? You don't need a ton of costume and moves to prove you're creative and different. Many critics claimed that he put on this big show to cover up his lack of talent but I disagree. He does not need any of this! I was also disappointed that he was not being original. To truly be successful, you need to be original and have your own distinct style so your fans can recognize you and distinguish you from other artists.

Musician's Wanted!

Well...not super-class related, but music related....Any up and coming musicians(DRUMMERS!) looking to jam? Maybe? Probably rock music, maybe roll, but never restricted to anything particular... I play guitar and...sing! or try! ha... anyway...so if your a musician and are vaguely serious about forming a band...Reply! seriously...even if your just a simple bongist. (as in a bongo player, not necessarily a bong-ist, but i dont judge.)

Adam Lambert at the AMAs

Like the author of the article we read in class on Monday, I was completely shocked while watching Adam Lambert's AMA performance. I was surprised and disappointed about the performance because it was the first time he had performed since American Idol and I was expecting something different. I don't think that Adam Lambert needs to use such a performance to be successful. He is an extremely talented musician, but I honestly don't even remember how he sounded. Although the performance was a little inappropriate, I thought it was ridiculous that ABC and other networks cancelled their interviews with Lambert the next day. It seemed as if they were saying that it's not OK for performers to express their sexuality, or that expressing anything other than heterosexual ideals are wrong.

This incident is very similar to the infamous Brittany-Madonna kiss. Obviously both of these events were orchestrated for controversy and publicity. However, both Madonna and Brittany were already established musicians with a huge fan base and successful careers. Lambert doesn't have enough success as a musician yet, so his performance was risky. Also, by comparing the reactions from each performance, it seemed as if it is more socially acceptable for two girls (who are heterosexual) to kiss than it is for a male, who is openly gay, to kiss another male. I agree with the author who stated that the performance lacked authenticity and that it was a little inappropriate, but I think that Lambert would still be criticized even if the performance wasn't over-the-top.

Last post

Despite the fact that this class was too early in the morning and i was always sleepy, i had a lot of fun. I learned so much because i did not know 99.9% of the materials katie covered. (0.1%= pop music +boy bands!). LOVE katie's cookies and muffins, so yummy. I wrote plenty about my thoughts on the course evaluation so i shouldn't bore anyone here..... best wishes to katie's wedding, good luck to everyone in this class on future endeavors ...bye~

Ticket Prices

I can't say I've ever paid more than $30 for a concert, mainly because the bands I'm interested in seeing are in smaller venues and the fact that in NYC a band either plays in MSG or the Meadowlands and everything else is small cramped venues which usually have a better atmosphere. A friend of mine however is going with his girlfriends family to the Lady Gaga concert and they have splashed $1000+ on tickets. I'm sure it will be fantastic but... damn.

I took a look at the economist Alan Krueger's article on the pricing of concert tickets and it was very interesting. He found that ticket prices are increasing at a rate much higher than normal inflation about 61% in the past 5 years. He offers 4 explanations but the two I felt relevant to the class is that with the advent of piracy, there has been a shift to making performances more entertaining, raising the game of many popular artists and increasing the demand to go see their concerts (the top 5% of artists generate 62% of all concert revenue).

Also interesting to note is that the main increase in concert prices comes from older rock/pop musicians such as The Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney. The reasoning behind this is that these bands not only hold on to a large audience of fans from their heyday but continue to attract younger fans to their music. It appears classic rock isn't as classic and old as one may think.

this semester in review...

i very much enjoyed this class. I learned alot about older music that i wasnt very familiar with. I also learned about other things that i normally wouldnt have related to music, but now see how they are related, such as disability. And though i would have guessed race would be a factor, i did not know just how much. I also didnt realize how much of an influence african americans had on all the different types of music throughout the decades. Lastly, I also thought the manner in which our grade was spread out was quite effective and fair. Probably my favorite course this semester!

Lady Gaga

I think that people are too quick to judge Lady Gaga. A lot of critics and people in the class say that she can't really sing and she isn't a talented musician. I don't think this is completely true. She was accepted early to the prestigious Tisch School of the Arts at NYU, which is more than many other musicians can say. She must have some sort of musical talent to have been accepted to the school. Critics also say that her eccentric behavior and outfits are used to serve as a distraction from her music, which isn't that great. However, she was always eccentric, even in high school. She was seen as different because of her clothing and behavior. Therefore, her crazy outfits aren't for publicity or distraction because she had always dressed differently. Many people think she's crazy or weird because of how she presents herself, but I think it's commendable that Lady Gaga wants everyone to feel like they fit in. It kind of seems like she wants to make a difference and shows that Lady Gaga isn't just another talent-less pop superstar. I think that Lady Gaga deserves more credit and shouldn't be judged so quickly.

Semester

This was one of the more enlightening classes I've taken here at UB. I'm a chemistry major, and this class is pretty far from what I've studied the last couple years. The content of the course was genuinely interesting, and it was a nice change of pace for me. The only regret I have is that the course covers such a wide variety of material in such a short time, that many important music movements had to be brushed aside. I wish we could have gotten into some of the lesser mainstream music genres, like alternative rock in the 90s. Other than that, I really enjoyed learning about american music

Extension of themselves

for some reason i am always intrigued about what music artist wear. its not because of trends or style but just to see if they actually wear the clothes from the videos in real life. I was surprised when I noticed that the dress Lady Gaga wore during the Ellen interview is actually the same dress she wore in the Telephone video. i really don't even know how i picked up on it. I think its interesting when artist wear pieces from the their videos in everyday life. The reason why i think this is interesting is because to me it shows that their performance is an extension of who they really are. I hate when an artists portray themselves one way on stage but are completely different in person. I can understand that they have to entertain an audience, but i think that they should remain true to themselves, because if not then their just selling out

AMS 209

I think this class was interesting class. I didn't know much about American music, because I didn't listen to American music a lot. I only knew some recent artists and Beatles. Actually, I didn't chose this course by description, my friend introduce this course and asked me to take it together. Well..so far, I liked this class, and glad that I could take this course. I could learn many important thing in American music history and the background. And the all the video I watched, I liked to. After I watched some movies in the class, I got it later and watched with my subtitle, so I can understand better..
Also the videos were really helpful to understand what was going on, that just read texts. But the most favorite thing about this class was the cookies and muffins from Katie. It was delicious and could feel she really cares about students because it was home made things. Thank you Katie..

performances

In the class, we discussed about performance. I didn't know about Adam Lambert's performance, and it was issue. After the class, I watched his video because the article I read in the class was interesting. The performance he did on AMA cause some troubles for him. Also it compared with Britney & Madonna performance on VMA. I think the some shocking performance is good for viewer, because it's rare to see, and it entertains people. But Lambert's performance caused troubles, but Britney & Madonna's performance was just hot issue. I think because Britney & Madonna were big stars, not like Adam Lambert. I didn't know about him before this class. I even didn't hear about his performance...Also I think society is more generous to women than men. In addition, everyone knows Britney & Madonna did that performance for just fun, but Lambert's one is unknown. I think Lambert's performance was little bit disgusting...though..even broadcast censored the sound..

Performance As Art

Over the last couple years, I have seen a few bands that definitely put more emphasis on their live show than on their music. For example, I have seen GWAR twice. They are a metal band, and musically, they are nothing mindblowing. Their live performance, on the other hand, is ridiculous. Crazy costumes, fake blood... it's as much like attending an out-of-control play as it is a concert.

Similarly, last week I saw a band called Monotonix, from Israel. Although the band does not go to the extremes of GWAR as far as costumes and props, their success is definitely based on their live shows. They are extremely high energy, running all around the venue, climbing on the rafters/bar/people, and setting up their instuments anywhere they see fit, including playing the drums on top of crowd. Although, I am more about the music than anything, seeing bands like GWAR and Monotonix makes me understand the appeal of performance as art.

I promise this will be the last one

Well it seems time to stop doing these little blog posts. It was a pretty fun semester i really enjoyed the class and learned a lot about music in the U.S of A. Name that tune was fun. Although i only got one song hahaha but i'm not to worried about knowing the names of songs. anyway. I don't have mush to say in this post because we haven't learned anything new for me to talk about because i already talked about lady GAGA in my previous post. It is illegal to kill a Tasmanian Devil for all of those who want to know. And on that note. Thank you Katie for a good semester and for the rest of you, enjoy.

Reflection on the Semester

Learning about new music is always a good thing. It doesn't matter what time period it's from, or what style it is. New music opens up your mind to new possibilities, whether you like the tunes or not. I really enjoyed discovering the history of American popular music this semester, because, without a doubt, the music I know and love today would not be the same. Yeah, it sounds cliche. But it's important to learn about your roots. Just hearing my classmates talk/write about their take on all the styles covered this semester was as enlightening as reading about it in the textbook. It reminded me that there are so many different kinds of music out there than the ones I listen to, and that everyone grows up experiencing music in their own way. Popular music can bring listeners together, but like someone mentioned in the last class, it seems that no two people have exactly the same tastes in music, or all the exact same artists/songs on their ipod. To me, that is what making music is all about. The goal should be to give people something they can relate to, something they'll enjoy. It doesn't matter how talented you are, or what style you enjoy. As long as someone out there will listen to a song and take it how they would like, then music is doing exactly what it's supposed. These are the things I've really learned this past spring.

Mr. Kanye West

To kick things off, I'd have to say that Kanye is indeed an a**hole. I'm referring most specifically to the whole Taylor Swift interruption at the 2009 VMAs, which I think everybody knows about by now so I won't go into it. But Kanye's definitely not alone in his inflated egotistical shenanigans. Famous people do and say rude/offensive things all the time. They cheat on their significant others, they trash talk other artists, they act like they are the center of the universe. Maybe Kanye is a little more upfront with his opinions, but he's certainly not alone. Take John Lennon's "Beatles will be bigger than Jesus" quote for example. A lot of people take the quote (which was just a metaphor, really) out of context and use it to hate on the Beatles. I can understand why people would be offended by the comparison of the Beatles to Jesus, just like I understand why people were offended by Kanye interrupting T Swift to say that Beyonce should have won the award. Am I excusing the behavior? No. Kanye could have blogged about it, or made a public statement elsewhere, or written in his diary. What I really do appreciate about Kanye, though, is that he is bringing some personality into the world of pop music. Controversial or not, the man is not afraid to say what's on his mind. He is who he is. And he gets his points across in his lyrics, his production, his interaction with the media. His songs are greatly autobiographical, which is somewhat of an uncommon element in mainstream rap/hip hop today (it all seems to focus on clubbing and women). So, would I want to hang out with Kanye? No. Do I like his music? Yes. Do I agree with everything he says? Certainly not. But I hope he keeps expressing himself and doing what he's doing.

Adam

After hearing about what that guy Adam Lambert did during one of his performances i was sick to my stomach. I cant believe i had never heard about that happening and im kind of mad i had to hear about it. Who does this guy think he is, what a great role model for kids to look up too. He is supposed to be a musician not a porn star. As far as what happened with Madonna and Brittany/Christina that was rated PG compared to that. Musicians should just stick to singing and dancing if they choose too but mainly singing since that is why they are famous and getting paid big $ to do.

Kanye West

I started liking Kanye since the beginning and now present day Kanye i dont really like. Songs like Through the wire and his first album College Dropout. Then i believe the fame got to him and he changed for the worse. With his recent incidents with Taylor Swift and going intoxicated to the awards i think he needs to check him self. Not to mention his music now is just not the same as it used to be. Maybe his change in personality was due to his mother passing away, but either way he needs to go back and be like the old Kanye.

R.I.P. Guru

On Monday, hip-hop lost one of its all-time greats in Guru (Keith Elam). He had been in a coma since the beginning of March after suffering a heart attack. That, combined with a yearlong battle with myeloma, ultimately took his life.

One half of the duo Gang Starr, Guru was a key part of the golden age of hip-hop. He released six albums as part of Gang Starr, as well as a number of solo albums. His lyrics often focused on social issues, and he is credited as one of the first artists to combine elements of jazz and hip-hop. Although Guru found some success on the Billboard charts, his influence far exceeds his commercial success. He was truly a legend in the hip-hop community, and it is safe to say he will be missed.

favorites

My favorite parts of this class were the parts about Johnny Cash, Ray Charles and the blues. I think new movies about legendary musicians are really helpful and pragmatic. `The Doors` is my favorite among those kind of DVD`s, I think it should be essential for this class to watch. Although the band is not involved as much as Johnny Cash, there are a lot to learn through that movie. Besides that, I`m glad to learn about Swing Music, and how the Rock n Roll got famous.

Class

So I FAIL at 90's music. WHERE WAS I DURING THE 90'S? Honestly I was head deep in grunge and metal. Meh. So I have to make a case for synthesisers. I think synths and the music based around it is more "music" then the underground genre of Noise. I have a friend who really only listens to Noise. For those of you who aren't familiar with it let me introduce you to it. It's essentialy manipulation of the feedback between the mic and an amp. It's quite creepy at first I have to admit. I didn't like it. . . at all. Then I went to a noise show with my friend who is REALLY into it and I heard a really good set. Oddly enough, it sounded like a mechanical whale song. It was almost. . . pretty. I dunno. All I know is that it was great. I don't claim to like noise but I'm much better at tolerating it! So yeah, synths music? Yes. Noise? Ehh the jury's still out.

Performance Art

I feel like a lot of artists have varied approaches to the new popularity of performance art at live shows and whatnot. Some only wear costumes or have set pieces that may tie-in with a music video, some have elaborate dances and costumes, and some completely ignore it and just hold a regular show that focuses on live performance. Tilly and The Wall is an interesting example of a band that has high energy live performances that focus on the music but don't rely on special costumes or anything to achieve that. Lady Gaga goes all out with really out there stylish dances and sets and costumes, and the shows are much more art than focusing on music. Some, like Ingrid Michaelson, just sit on stage and play, interact with the audience, and appear much more relaxed and connected with the audience. I think that it really depends on the genre of music, the fanbase, and the demeanor of the artists to really create what kind of show they might have. I mean, it would be really strange if Eric Clapton danced during a show. He probably would never do that, and I'm not sure his fans would really like it either. I really think it's a case by case thing and that some artists are well suited for performance art, and others are not.

Album Art

I totally judge an album by it's cover, but for me, it's less that I choose albums that have good album art, and more that the albums I choose have good album art. Also, I find that some music I don't particularly like still has some great album art and that marketing in that area has created something really competitive and really good for the industry. Unfortunately with music moving to the digital era, artwork has changed, and it's no longer this physical thing that you can collect. The same can be said about digital books and vinyl too. To me it's a little sad, but I'm certain that physical album art will always have a following, even if it's a cult following, and that it will still continue to exist and evolve with changing music technology.

Soundtrack

I just finished the soundtrack project and I have to admit that I enjoyed it very much. Remembering songs also brought back a lot of memories. This project just reinforced the power music has on my life. Some of the songs on the list are stupid, but the moments and memories surrounding those songs are so indispensable. I knew that music has been very important to me since 8th grade, but this project showed me how important music was to me when I was 5 years old.

What Lyrics Mean To You

This came up in class the other day and I wanted to blog about it, but I forgot about what I wanted to it. Thankfully, it just came back into my head.
In case anyone hasn't noticed, I have a tattoo on my neck. They are lyrics to one of my favorite songs and the simple phrase carried a lot of meaning with me. Within the past year (since I got the tattoo), I have seen the band twice. I showed them @ warped tour, but they were busy and didn't have time to carry on a conversation. They were just here a couple months ago for their last tour ever and I decided to ask them. I asked the keyboardist who came up with them and he told me the singer did. I went to go talk to the singer and he was incredibly drunk, which was disappointing but I figured he would be more honest. Unfortunately, he told me that they mean whatever I want them to mean. I was disappointed, but I could see why he did it. If I got a lifelong commitment on me that meant something totally different from what he meant it to be, it would have been upsetting.
Every time I had met them (five times), I had asked them to play this song but they never did....which might have been a good thing. If I saw them play it high and drunk and mess it up, it might have ruined it for me.
Why I wanted to say this is because the great thing about music is you can mold the meaning to fit yourself and make it your own. Everyone takes my tattoo to mean something different and I don't like to tell them my true intentions and thoughts on it. I guess that's the point.

Kanye

In class we discussed Kanye the other day, and I think he's one of the more interesting people in the world today. I loved his first cd, The College Dropout, particularly the song All Falls Down. The song deals with insecurity, and Kanye mentions how self conscious he is; it's amazing how far he has come from that point. He may or may not be the most arrogant person in all of show business now, and I don't know how someone can summon the hubris to interrupt an acceptance speech. I don't know if he was ever that self conscious, or if he's even as arrogant as he seems today, but if he is, it just goes to show what fame can do to someone.

Boy bands

So I wonder if the kids who listen to music like Miley Cyrus and the Jonas brothers will grow up and look back on their music choice with as much disgust as our class did when we revisited the Backstreet boys. I hope so. They're such terrrrrible bands!! It's high pitched and. . . ahhhhh! So I bent and looked up Adam Lambert's video. Yeah it was kind of risque but, I don't know. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. It was kind of vanilla. Okay, maybe vanilla with some sprinkles. But seriously vanilla. Maybe I'm kind of numbed to acts on stage because I'm a fan of bands who have outlandish live performances. Because I'm a Rammstein nut and was just writing about them in the extra credit, I have to use them as an example. The song "Buck Dich" is a song about sodomy. So, in true Rammstein fashion, when they would perform the song at shows the lead singer would engage in sex with the keyboardist using a dildo that squirted a liquid. This act led to the pair being arrested in Massachusetts. Sadly this left a bad taste in the bands mouth and they won't return :( Alas! I shall have to wait until my next tour of Europe to see them live. But I digress. Adam Lambert's act was a white bread and turkey sandwich compared to Rammstein. His show was a bit raunchy yeah, but it's not like there was full on sex. Bah!

Last Blog

Katie McMahon you have been a great instructor this semester in our AMS class. You were always very helpful in reminding the class about upcoming assignments and their due dates. You were great with lectures and spoke clear therefore, you really made the key points of the lecture very understanding and fun. From observation you have excellent people skills that is what makes you really stand out above. You have passion about teaching and really care about students and would do anything to help a student in any situation. I truly believe you will have a great teaching career for many more years to come. You are young and upcoming therefore, the future is very bright for you as a college professor.

Class Discussion

Things That I have learned throughout this semester in this music American studies course is the technological aspect of the music industry. Technology has definitely in my eyes changed the music industry. Electric guitars makes beats have more base and treble. The compact disc has replaced the old fashion cassette tapes with faster and crispier sounds. Who knows what kind of technology will be invented next. One can download any kind of music from the Internet onto a compact disc right from their personal computer.This makes it where one do not have to purchase albums from stores. I also have improved on my writing throughout the semester therefore, being able to take constructive criticism from the instructor comments. Those comments helped me not to make the same mistakes on the next reaction paper. I also learned the different genres that have invented music from a cultural aspect of the music industry. Finally the most intriguing part of the course I learned about was Tin Pan Alley and how song writing and producing was done from the business aspect of the music industry.

second to last post

Ever since Lady Gaga has become popular i always though she was a freak. A real weirdo who just did the strange things she did for attention and to boost her popularity but when we watched the video of her on Ellen i was totally perplexed on what her view is and why she does the things she does. I though she was just trying to be unique and to draw attention to her musical performance but she actually has a nice view on the thing she does. A lot of people do things to fit in and because she didn't people viewed her as a weirdo (even i did/do it towards her). But not knowing that because she went to a catholic school and all that and where she didn't fit in really provides a great reason to be the way she is today. Although i really don't like her music i like the view that she is trying to get across of trying to get people who don't fit in anywhere else to fit into this new i guess you could say style of things. It's nice to know that, although in very strange ways (that some people find crazy and offensive), she it trying to relay a great message.

Ke$ha

So speaking of performance as art...one of my best guy friends loveesss Ke$ha and in turn, I know a few songs. We had to stay up late on Saturday to catch the SNL performance before we left Rochester to come back to Buffalo. The first one was normal....kind of. The back up dancers and "musicians" were in astronaut costumes. She was in one as well with an American flag cape. I didn't really understand it at all.

http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMTY2MDk5Mjcy.html

The second one, however, looked like she was in traditional Native American dress with a twist. Everything was really bright and neon colored. Does this mean that brown facing is okay, as long as it's pretty? At first glance, I didn't even think of indigenous peoples. When I kept looking at it, I noticed the paint under her eyes and the feathers which are usually used to portray Native Americans.

http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMTY2MTAxNTg0.html

I don't know much about Lady Gaga, but after seeing her on Ellen today, I have a lot more respect for her than Ke$ha who I think definitely goes solely for the shock value saying that she brushes her teeth with Jack Daniels. The music isn't even real, which is fine sometimes, I know it's fun, but her music is just...stupid.

There is also an interesting article in today's Spectrum that talks about being pretty as key for becoming huge in the music industry, perfect timing to this section.

Music Elitist

I think that there are a great number of music elitist especially among the struggling musician population. Most musicians that I know, including myself, like to have one or two secret bands or artists that they like to keep to themselves. Like they "get" something that everybody else can not. This is in response to the obvious view held by almost all of the musicians who spoke on Friday about super popular music like that of the backstreet boys or britney spears.

Boy bands and teen music in general

I think an important point was lost in our discussion on popular music last Friday. Target audience, these bands and subsequently their record labels are targeting young children. Have you ever seen footage of a backstreet boys or in sync concert it is mostly twelve year old girls with their moms. To me this explains two points that were continuously brought up during the discussion, first relevance , this music can not stay relevant for more than a year or two because of the biology of its audience, two is money, with the target audience being so young these bands better make as much as they can as fast as they can.

Teen Pop Music

From N’Sync to Brittney Spears to Lil Bow Wow to the Spice Girls, Teen pop was great. I am not going to lie and say I didn’t enjoy listening to these artists as I grew up. It’s understandable that people view this teen pop era as the demise of popular music but it wasn’t. It was just teenagers doing what adults had been doing for years. There is not great different in the subject matter of the Jackson 5 than N’Sync. Michael Jackson even joined N’Sync on stage at the MTV Video music awards one year. Also I do not understand the argument about teen artists not writing their own songs. Michael Jackson, Beyonce and Dr. Dre have all had songs written for them. Ghost writing is apart of the music industry whether it is R&B, Rap or pop music. I also don’t understand the argument that teen artist where all about good looks. The majority of artist that become popular are good looking and attractive. I do not mean to be rude but ugly people just have it tough in the world. Teen pop did start industry cookie cutter-ism but as my dad says, “it is what it is.” Now I’m going to dust off my old Lil Bow Wow CD and vibe out for the rest of the night.

Erykah Badu - Window Seat

Thanks to the teen pop music era, in the 1990’s, the music industry has become extremely generic and standardize. The creative artistry that artist are supposed to display has been drown in the quest for record sales and marketing. Record labels do not let artist veer from their preconceived image or step outside the box in fear they will flop. With the exception of a few, music videos have become as generic as the artist music. But every so often an artist goes against the grain and dares to be different.

Neo-Soul singer, Erykah Badu release a music video for her first single. Window Seat, off her latest album “New Amerykah Part Two (Return of Ankh).” The song is about wanting to feel love in a relationship and wanting the freedom to look for love. At least I think it is. Although the song isn’t about anything special or different the music video is. In the music video, Erykah steps outside a car in downtown Dallas, Texas in a long trench coat and her faced covered by sunglasses and a hat. She proceeds to walk to down the street gradually stripping her clothes off until she is completely naked. She continues to walk until she shot (appearing to be killed) by what is understood to be a sniper. Her body collapses at the spot where former president John F. Kennedy was assassinated. I’m not clear what Erkyah message was in this video but it was enjoying watching somebody go against the industry cookie cutter-ism.

Here’s the link if you for the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6u18LKZk-Yo

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It really annoys me when people who play in bands criticize pop acts for reasons like pop bands don't play and write their own music, and thus it is wrong for them to have so much popularity and money.

I understand how horrible it is if some one wrote his/her heart out on a piece of music and then lost to some cheesy buble gum pop song. But you shouldn't look down on pop bands just because they don't have any musical input. Writing a great song is hard, but so is making a song popular by performance. If any one saw any pop artiste' s concert, you would know it is extremely demanding to sing and dance, and not to mention the amount of time and training people put in to promote and to perform.

i love rock music but i don't think 90s pop should be deemed 'shameful' to be associated with while rock( for example) is the better choice because there is no superiority or inferiority in music. There is just so much prejudice and stereotypes in music just like in society. Sigh...

also, i disagree to someone's comment regarding boy bands saw fans just as a mean to earn money. It is a horrible stereotype. Just because they packaged themselves in ways that would appeal to the public, and earned money out of it doesn't give that relationship.

I think boy bands care more about the fans than rock bands, and not only for the money. Comparing BSB and Oasis on stage, who do you think care about their fans? BSB who did their absolute best or Oasis who doesn't even bother to look at their fans? By the way, Oasis makes a lot of money(from fan products like t-shirts etc) from the fans too.

Pop Music is stuck

I think, music shows the quality of the society. Point of view changes in every different regions of the world. Besides the trends of music, there are always some certain amount of people as fan of one kind of music. Pop music is a very helpless sector of music, so that it never has its own strict fans, and it never defends any kind of ideology. There is one example I caught in Brackett`s article #72 which also explains my point of view about hip hop as well. The article tells us about metal in the late eightes, and its spreading to glam and trash. In this case `Bon Jovi` and `Metallica` is considering as most famous Glam Metal Bands at that time. It also tells, how metal has changed its shape when different bands started to appear, such as Iron Maiden and Guns N Roses. I think, hop hop is even more complicated concept due to various types of artists all around the world. Every bans and artists has their own thoughts and principles which are the basis of the band`s or the artist`s relationship between then and their fans. Especially in 80s, it was even more important. In punk trend in England, Two so similar bands, the Cure and the Smiths became two biggest hatred rivals, it was almost impossible to be a fan of both in that time. In pop there is no such characterization. As we also discussed during class, live performances, started to be visually focused, and music became the second fact of a live performance. Ofcourse, one of the most important reason for this, should be the incredible improvements in technology, but that makes pop music and pop culture to suffer more. In contrast, while other bands and artists are suppose to remain unchanged especially musically, pop artists are expected to be changed, and catch whatever is famous, so that, they can be used in current. On the other hand, this situation brings the chance for them to get famous very easily and eventually to earn a lot of money in short time. I suggest everyone to watch the movie `The Doors`, in that movie, (I think the same example is also in `Walk the Line`) you find out how Jim Morrisson refused to obey the things that could bring him a lot of money. He did whatever he believed was right, so that he and the band was never became the toy of commercial world, and they were free to whatever they wanted to do. For sure, besides some extreme artists, all of pop artists are depended, and they have to be fake all the time. They sign contrats worth of million dollars and then they have to follow whatever the contract says. I believe, most of them are doing whatever they do just for money. I think that is the only reason, why pop singers will never gain amazing reputations like other legends, because they are a product of commercial world. Think hoethey are used as a blaming object when there will be a good attention. and think how they have to be the part of this game. I think there shouldn`t be any tragidy for why they do not have any strict fans.

Baartman and Beyoncé

I looked at some pictures on the internet of what Sara Baartman looked like, and I was more than surprised. The pictures I saw were drawings that showed her having an extremely large hindquarters. I do not know if this was exaggerated more because it was a drawing, or if she really looked like that. Even if she really did look like that, that is no reason to steal her freedom and parade her around to make money. In comparison to Beyonce, she is somewhat in the same boat. A rich, white, record company owner made her sign a contract guaranteeing a certain amount of songs be written and a certain number of albums be put out. Granted that it is not even close to the freedoms stolen from Baartman, but it is still stealing something. Whether it be Beyonce's freedom to take her own time and write meaningful songs, or stealing the money from the kids by putting out CD's that don't mean anything. By the latter part of my previous statement I mean that if you are required to make a certain amount of songs or albums in a certain amount of time, there are gonna be many songs that are just "filler songs" or songs to meet the record company's quota. These songs are usually rushed and contain very simple and superficial lyrics. It is like the quantity over quality debate that someone else posted. It reminds me of a door to door salesman selling worthless junk at an inflated price. This could be a reason why most people do not like some artists later works. The artist will get the record deal and take their time writing good, deep, meaningful music for the first couple albums, but then since they took so much time making sure the first couple were good, they have to rush the last few albums that are required to meet their quota. I do not believe this is why all artists later music is different; some may just develop that way. But I do believe my idea is at least a possibility for some artists.

Boy Bands Girl Groups

Boy band and Girl bands from that era of music has produced some great artist who have made solo albums. For example, New Edition has produced Bobby Brown and Ralph Tresvent. I believe these talented groups established their friendships through talent shows. Talent shows are when artist perform at a high level because that is the stage to showcase your talent. I like talent shows because it can be music and performance in any form. It can have open mic contest top rapper best solo singer best dancers and can consist of poetry. Destiny Childs was a girl group band. In the industry today majority of artist from these groups have went on to make solo hits. Absolutely the boy and girl bands have contributed to the music industry.

Boy Bands

I am definitely not a fan of boy bands, surprise surprise. But those who still like boy bands and feel it is a "guilty pleasure" may have their reasons. The pleasure part is obviously because they like the music, but why is it guilty? Part of the reason is probably because almost nobody still likes this music. Another reason is that it was so over played when it was popular, that most people are probably just annoyed by it. The person feeling the guilty pleasure knows that this music irritates and annoys most people so this is why they feel guilty.

I also disagree with the fact that they do not play their instruments (if any real ones are even present at all in the song) or their own lyrics. I believe that music is about expression: An expression of YOURSELF, not of some lyricist who is selling his work for others to perform. I guess if they mixed their own computer beats that could be one form of them expressing themselves. Many would argue that the dancing is a form of these boy bands expressing themselves. I would agree but only if they invented the majority of their dance moves and put them together themselves. If they just learned a bunch of moves that a choreographer made, then they are just expressing however the choreographer was feeling when he/she invented the move. Either way, if you like boy bands that is ok. To each his/her own. Just please please please do not play them near me :)

Organic Music

I felt that Edreys analogy of his music and the hip-hop music of the masses being comparable to the differences between organic and fast food was very pertinent. I feel like this analogy can be compared with most types of music nowadays. I personally favor rock music and know of many bands that are constantly releasing outstanding music which will never be played on American radio nor be known to the American masses. It seems as though America is content to experience the same small, repetitive selection of the same mediocre music. I apparently am in the minority. I constantly come across people who are happy to hear the same Beck song on the radio (ahem, LOSER) for the past 16 years, unaware that Beck has dozens upon dozens of songs displaying awesome quality. I have heard the same songs on the buffalo edge every single time i am silly enough to listen to the radio, yet when i am able to tune in to the canadian edge, i occasionally hear songs i am proud to have on my ipod. I think the two stations are probably owned by the same complany...so is america just slavish in its musical tastes? (in general!... i know some individuals have better taste.) So music is very much like food, in that the masses enjoy fast food, despite the fact that they know its slop of a low quality, while some people are willing to hunt down organic music knowing it is worth the experience.

Bees-knees? Boy bands, please!

I think that the boy band era of the late 90's was simply the bees knees. Especially from a musician's viewpoint. Yea, i suppose they played no instruments. So i guess that means they wrote none of their own music. Nor did they write those genius lyrics... but are we to believe lyrics of this caliber were written by human minds?... Doubt it. Never before has such an original topic like teen love been tackled with such depth. And yes, i will admit that the bad boyz of n'sync and the bsb were simply thrown together by some tool, but cmon, that doesnt make these bands false, soulless fakes. These bad boyz have clearly lived exciting, dangerous lives, and yet have somehow lived to sing about it. Best eva, yo!

bartmann and racism

So i actually remembered to google sarah bartmann today. I couldn't really find a clear cut image that i felt portrayed her accurately. This leads me to believe that bartmann was completely normal looking. White european men were probably just fascinated by the physical anatomy of African women and labeled them as freaks simple because they couldn't explain the differences between European and African women. It's a shame really - how racism is so closely intertwined with world history. I've taken dozens of history classes throughout my life and every time we touched on the subject of racism in history, the same theme came up - man will fear what he does not know. Seems pretty ignorant huh?

Boy Bands

Boy bands are entertainers, they entertain fans with their performances. i don't think they should be criticized for not able to write music or being packaged.

i mean, not every singer can write their own music and not all composers can sing, so why we must label music as something one has to produce and perform oneself?

just because someone didn't write a song doesn't mean that person can't relate to the song and thus sing it from the heart. We as listeners don't write music, yet many of us can relate to a song so much it felt like the song is about our lives.

Its all about the trend at the moment that defines if a band, or singer is 'cool' or not.

i mean when avril lavigne came out, everyone thought she was so original and different; many young people idolized her for her refusal to conform to the norm of society. Avril criticized many pop artistes like Britney for not having thoughts of their own. But it turns out she is just like any other pop celebrity, totally packaged and none of her songs are original.

Avril Lavigne is just like N'sync or any other boy band. But she never got any criticism (during her popular period) for not writing her own music, she was praised for being different and awesome. It was because she was the 'it' trend. well...not any more...

who cares

I don't get this whole "hatred of 90's music" thing going on right now. Pop music isn't meant to inspire or to be meaningful. Pop music literally was designed to make money and to be fun. What's wrong with that? its catchy - take it with a grain of salt. As far as 90's music, well, yeah i can see why people give it criticism, but there will always be a group of people critiquing music styles regardless of what music genre it is. I am not ashamed of liking the 90's music - it's part of my life. I look back at the music that i've listened to over the years and seen how i've grown as a person. BSB & nysnc are simple nostalgic memories. It's nice to listen to music that makes you think of a time when you didn't have a care in the world ;)

boy band

I didn't know many people hate boy band and criticize about them until I attended this class. Personally I like 90s music than recent music. I've never thought liking boy band is shameful. Well, if I see boy band's performance in 90s, it's kind of embarrassing now. But they were so cool in 90s, it's just out dated now. I don't think the performance was shameful in 90s. And some people said boy band can't sing, but I don't think they are bad singers. Well..some of them can't sing, but mostly they are not bad singers, if they are bad singers, they wouldn't have solo albums later on. Anyway, boy bands are better singer than any other normal people. Also some people criticize on them, because they can write a song. But some of them write a song, but not good as professional writers, or composers. If every artist is perfect, and every artist is sing-song writer, there wouldn't have composers or writers in music industry.

ticket

In the class, we discussed about ticket price in some concerts. I heard lady gaga's concert ticket is about $200, and some people think it's quiet expensive for her. I think the ticket price is depends on supply and demand. Even though the ticket is really expensive, but there are some people who want to buy that ticket no matter what. I think it is not weird for some people who purchase the expensive ticket, because for non-fans, it is ridiculous to buy $200 ticket for about 2~3 hours concert, but for fans, it doesn't matter if they can go to that concert. I think it is same view like some European soccer fans pay $200~1000 to see big soccer match. For other people who don't like soccer, it is stupid to purchase that expensive ticket for 90 min soccer match, but for soccer fans, $200 is really cheap to see big soccer match. Personally, I think I will buy up to $200 if my favorite artist comes to my town, or my country.

Boy Bands

I feel like boy bands are just not in anymore. N'SYNC and Backstreet Boys did provide entertainment for a while. However, they usually die out in the end. Most teen pop bands break up within five years because of their disagreements on music. Everyone wants to contribute and when their ideas are not taken, conflicts occur. In general, working in a group takes so much effort. I think most artists like Lady Gaga, Justin Timberlake who broke off from N'SYNC, Beyonce, and others that have a solo career tend to last longer in terms of fame.

However, there are always exceptions such as the Hanson brothers along with those older bands such as Maroon 5, Coldplay, The Fray, etc.. that are still together. It's as if it seems that the older bands are more valuable and produce better quality music, and the audiences generally seem to appreciate their music more and consider it as authentic music.

Guest Lecture

I thought the guest lecture was great and the guest speaker made a significant point about the discrimination of race in terms of physical appearance. This was the first time I had heard of Sara Baartman and I was shocked to see how she was mistreated throughout her whole life. Every individual has its own unique shape and size. I did not think it was fair that the European people were measuring other women to their standards of beauty or what was considered feminine. Sara Baartman was no where close to being considered as some kind of exotic "animal." To place her in that category is beyond exaggerated.

When Jeffry referenced Beyonce as somewhat similar to Baartman's shape, I immediately thought if Beyonce was back in that era, she might have gone through the same treatment. However, times have changed, women that are curvy are considered as attractive or give off more of a sex appeal. It angers me to know that they blew this so out of proportion by augmenting her figure. It's such a disgrace to know that there is a "standard" of what's normal or not. How do you know? It is wrong for them to think that their standards were the defining point for all women.

Guilty Pleasure

I think that referring to boy bands and such related music can lead to many feeling of guilty pleasure. That kind of music was huge in the 90's like Elvis many girls wanted boy band members and guys wanted to be in there shoes as far as that aspect. But i think that now since that kind of music is not popular as it once was and their is few boy bands or girl groups the fade has grow out. People now of days like music and musicians that can play instruments or have good music and or write their our music. I compare it to wrestling when i was little i liked the wrestling on TV and thought it was so cool, but now that I've grown up i realize how fake and how much i actually think its stupid. Every decade there is a new trend of music and the 90's was boy and girl groups plain and simple. I don't think it should be a guilty pleasure because even if you don't like the bands now you probably still know some of those lyrics to those catchy songs.

Ticket Prices

I wasn't in class for the discussion of ticket prices on Friday, but the "outrageous" prices associated with big name acts are likely a combination of supply-and-demand and the cost of the production. When a big name comes to the HSBC Arena, it's not unreasonable to think that 50,000 people are competing to fill just over 18,000 seats. Artists, managers and promoters are well aware of this, and price their shows accordingly. As long as the shows continue to sell out and people are still willing to pay the high prices, nothing is going to change. I remember reading somewhere that Jay-Z's makes something like $300,000+ per show, but I guess if people are going to shell out the money, why not? If people were willing to pay me thousands of dollars a night to do what I love, I wouldn't complain.

There are very few artists, in my opinion, that are worth paying $100 to see. I've been to hundreds of shows, and most of my favorites cost around $10 dollars and were held in basements or small clubs. But, it makes perfect sense that multi-platinum artists are able to set such high prices. It doesn't require an insane amount of talent, an extremely energetic/exciting live show, or anything like that. It's just a matter of popularity. A $100 ticket is generally too expensive for my tastes, but for people who only go to maybe 1 or 2 concerts a year, and who's favorite artists are the one's selling out arenas, I don't think it's that insane.

How Much do Artists Earn?

I recently came across this article discussing how much artists make from different online outlets for selling their music. While there was nothing too surprising about the information, I thought it brought up a couple interesting points:

1. iTunes, for the most part, seems to benefit record labels more than it does artists. Obviously labels will make more if they don't have to pay to press CDs, but not much of that additional revenue appears to get passed on to the artist.

2. Streaming music provides minimal revenue. However, no info is provided on how much additional revenue is generated from the promotional value of streaming sites. I'm sure some people are content with just streaming the music, but I would imagine it also introduces people to new artists and convinces them to buy records/go to shows.

Personally, I feel that the article furthers the idea that the best way to support an artist is to attend a show and pick up a record or t-shirt directly from the band. While labels can be useful in providing artists with the financial backing and promotion to jump-start their careers, it's disappointing to see how little money is left for the artists themselves after the labels, pressing plants, iTunes etc. take their cut.

Ticket Prices

The other day in class we talked about how the ladygaga tickes were 200$ and someone said that was rediculas. They said whey do they need to be that much when there are genre like rock and metal and you pay like 30$. Well in my opinion the reason why some artist who sing need to charge 200$ a ticket is because of the entertanment. Thats what they are singing for is are entertanment and if you take a singer like lady gaga she does all kinds of things while she is singing she does not just stand there and sing like most rock bands do she performs by hanging from things acting. And some concerts they have fireworks and sparks and stuff, all that suff adds up in my opinion. This is why I think they charge such a larg amount because what they are doing to use entertanment is not cheap. They have to pay for the singer Lady gaga and the dancers and the amount of lighting and extra stuff they use on the stage also securtiy, there is alot that need to be payed for to give a good show so i think they should charge that amount. I dont think they are taking from us just so they can get rich i feel like there are alot of things that need to be payed for in order to put on the show and who is going to pay for we are and how ever big the show is thats how much more its going to cast. Lady gaga has proven her self to be a good artist so if you want to see a good artist your going to have to pay more. Like football if you want to see the game up close next to the players your going to pay more than sitting up high.

Beyonce/Baartman

I can't remember which class the topic came up in, but I have heard the story of Sara Baartman before. Honestly, to hear how she was treated makes me sick to my stomach. You would think that after thousands of years of human history, people would have realized that no matter where in the world someone is from, they are a human being. Apparently, for as long as people have created societies, they have found reasons to isolate those who don't fit the norm (enfreakment, as Jeffry Iovannone put it). The comparison of Beyonce to Sara Baartman is a comperable, but debatable one. In a way, both women's bodies are put on display for entertainment, with a fixation point being the buttocks. The major difference lies in why each woman plays the role she does. Baartman had no choice; she was taken from her home and forced to be in freak shows. Beyonce, on the other hand, has a lot more control in how she is portrayed in popular culture. I see Beyonce's performance and sexuality as countering the objectification of African American women by taking it over the top (like Madonna did for women's sexuality). By flaunting it and making it such a common sight in popular media, she is taking away the stare that makes it so degrading. Not only that, but many of Beyonce's lyrics are aimed at empowering women. I give Beyonce a lot of credit as an artist and activist for women's rights.

Is Hanson a Boy Band?

I understand why Hanson is always grouped in with all the boy bands of the late 90s/early 2000s. They depended a lot on vocal harmony, androgenous sexuality, and a super-pop sound. Hanson came to popularity during the height of the boy band era, and developed a fan base of mostly pre-teen and teen girls like the Backstreet Boys and N Sync did. But there are several elements that separate Hanson from the rest of the boy bands of their time. First, all three brothers played their own instruments (guitar, keyboard, drums) instead of just singing and doing synchronized dance moves. Secondly, a good deal of Hanson's misic (MmmBop aside), carries more of a rock influence and instrumentation rather than heavy use of synthesizers. Finally, the Hanson brothers have far outlived the legacy of Lou Pearlman's pop groups. As of late, Hanson has been working on new material and is busy running their indie record label 3 Car Garage, which they use to produce their own material and avoid quarreling with the major labels like Island Def Jam (who put out the hit album Middle of Nowhere). Hanson may have peaked their success with MmmBop, but they are passionate about music (their 8th studio album came out this year) and it doesn't look like they're going anywhere soon.

Beyonce

I think their is not a comparison between Beyonce and Baartman because Beyonce is not a freak show. Beyonce is a multi-talented artist and performer. I kind of looked at Beyonce like a freak show because the way she showed her body on stage. Then she started making more albums and doing more entertainment made me change my mind. In todays industry sex appeal definitely will boost your sales. In my eyes Beyonce is one of the most talented woman artist in the industry. Take a look Jay-Z who knows that Beyonce is a winner. I would have thought because both are famous in the music industry that their relationship would have not worked out. Because when other famous artist and entertainers date it usually turns into a soap-opera. I have not heard anything publicly about their relationship and they have been dating for quite a while now. I guess both of them have things in common because they both can entertain and both are innovative. Also I have not heard of Beyonce dating lots of other famous guys like lots of other famous woman entertainers have. I think they will eventually get married and have children.

lip-synching

It seems like every boy band or girl group has been accused of lip-synching. They may originally sing the song, but they only seemed to dance while on stage at concerts. I can't do either, but i imagine both are hard tasks especially when combined. It shows that people who were fans cared less about the music than the personalities. They wanted to see them dancing to the music that they liked. It goes to show you how talented Michael Jackson really was, because he would dance better than anybody else while still singing, and in doing so it seems he set the bar too high for people today.

Song and Sports

Going on the subway Thursday night one was bound to here Sabres fans either going to the game or coming back celebrating with a chorus of sorts, "Lets go Sabres" being chanted. When one goes to a Jets game, no doubt one will here Fireman Ed & Co singing "J-E-T-S Jets Jets Jets", a little more sophisticated than most chants but still rudimentary. When one goes to a Mets/Yankees/Bisons game, one generally doesn't here much song, except of course "Take Me Out to the Ballgame". When one goes to a Knicks game there isn't a specific song I can think of, it used to be a "fire Isiah" chant. One thing in common is that all these sporting events have music blaring from the high tech sound systems every intermission or lull in play.

If one, however, finds oneself at a soccer game in Europe. One will be confused. A soccer pitch void of loud popular music instead is filled with grown men singing a variety of songs, covers if you will. While many American sports have their chants and borderline songs, it is nothing compared to soccer. Predicatably, wikipedia has an article on it. Although a quick look at this youtube video may do this phenomenon of middle ages professionals singing pop songs, like "Forever Blowing Bubbles" justice.

Although comical, I always wondered why there is such a difference. Many people say its because in soccer stadiums there are no elaborate sound systems or video screens to distract the fans from creatively speaking/singing out. That seems to be the case, or at least used to be. American stadiums were more expensive when being built, affording big screen televisions and the likes in the 70s-80's while many soccer clubs simply couldn't afford those measure (in some cases they couldn't afford seats, preferring the cheaper standing option).

Although to be fair, American sports have a rich musical history too, and it reflects our music history. The American big band still exists outside of Vegas in every college football stadium, just as English 70s-80s pop lives on in their "football" stadium.

Young artists for Haiti

I recently heard the remix of Wavin Flag by the Young artists for Haiti. The song features 57 Canadian artists including many famous ones. It was a nice article to read when i looked it up, because these 57 artists are not making any money off of it, but rather giving an inspirational song to the people of Haiti and inspiring people to donate money to Haiti. Also, to these 57 artists, this was a large donation in itself. Because I think the old saying Time is money comes into play, these artists had to spend a couple of days in studio recording this one song, when they could have been touring making millions of dollars, but instead they did the song for free. It just goes to show you that when people are called upon, it brings out the best in us.

Bashing Pop Music

The discussion in class on Friday about popular music, especially 90's, 00's bubble gum pop was interesting. Most people destroyed the merits of pop music as an art form. There was a hint of snobbery/elitism (for lack of better words) that we see in most music fans when it comes to mainstream music. I don't mean that negatively at all, most music fans have a specific genre (usually rock based) they like and generally these genres conform to the typical view of the musician. Usually they play instruments, write their own music. Pop is so devoid of that, it gets harped on for being musically inferior.

There are so many facets of a song that make it what it is, some times it is politically driven lyrics of a Dylan song, an enchanting melodic tone of a McCartney song, or the showmanship/dancing of a Jackson song. People generally judge music in the first 2; our perception of music as a popular art form has never evolved in the way that music has with the advent of television and internet. Music, quite clearly has taken a more hybrid role, especially pop music. It may be a kitsch genre to most but the fact that it is a "guilty pleasure" implies that it has some endearing features.

Pop music excels in ways outside of the traditionalist view of music and people, including I are so attached to a different idea of what a musician should be that Pop is thrown out as repetitive (as much so as any other genre), and musically inferior when in reality, it is just not completing what we want to see -- which is natural given the majority of the class is not fans in the first place.

Beyonce and Baartman

In class the other day we had a guest speaker that talked about Beyonce and Baartman and how they are alike. I have to disagree with his speach. He talked about how Baartman was a freak show because of her butt and he compaired Beyonce to that. I feel like beyonce has nothing to do with that, he showed us a vedio clip of a song Beyonce sings and compaired her and one of the ways he compaired her was because Beyonce shacks her butt. In todays socity that is how things are very vilent and sexual. I feel like the only way you can get someones attention is to do something sexual and the song talked about putting on a dress that makes you feel good about yourself. Im pretty sure Baartman did not feel good about her self because she was being forced to show her body off. Almost all music vedios have some kind of sexual singnal in it so i dont think it you can say Beyonce was like her because she was doing what almost every artist does show there body off. Beyonce song also does show her walking down a run and he discribe that people staring at her. I dont think there staring if she is putting herself out in fornt of everybody and that is totaly different in my view than Baartman. And if this video was made to mimic Baartman than I kinda think like that is mean to copy someone who was forced into doing something. I think that Beyonce is a artist like alot of other people and in order to attract women and men she sings about women things but does durty dancing to attract the men.

90s pop

I can't remember what question I wanted to answer in class, but it made me this about why this music is perceived as bad. I think people are ashamed by listening to this type of music, like boy bands and popular music like this because it is stigmatized to be girl music. In our society, girl equals bad. What is the worst insult you can call a person? "Don't be a girl" or "you run like a girl." The worst thing you can call a boy is a girl. The worst thing you can call a girl is a girl including the most popular nicknames of a vagina.
When I was younger, I loved Hanson. I slowly evolved to like NSync And Backstreet Boys. I don't know if it was because I was supposed to like it because I was a girl or if I actually liked it. I was ridiculed for liking pokemon and boy stuff. After that, I traded my sister my game boy and all my games for an nsync CD. Not too much after people started telling me how much it sucked, I got into the Beatles and Led Zeppelin and bands like that probably when I was in 7th grade. I earned a lot of respect from people. Then a couple years later, I started to not care what people thought about my music choices. I listen to music for me, not to impress other people. Needless to say, I have Nsync and BSB as well as many others on my iPod to listen to occasionally no matter how much I get picked on for being "girly."

Ticket Prices

In class we discussed that ticket prices for concerts were a bit outrageous, and I agree that they are. However, as long as there are people willing to pay $200 to go see Lady Gaga, or $500 to see the Rolling Stones, then they will continue to be high. It would be understandable if these acts weren't selling out their shows, but they always are and as long as the willingness to pay that much is there, then the market will continue to dictate the prices to be that high. It's the same as any other commodity, like shoes. As long as people are willing to pay $150 for something that cost $10 to make then they'll continue to be sold for that much

Popular Music

I feel that the idea that popular music is boring and all copies of each other is not a new trend. Growing up my parents played the modern rock station in the car, and even as a child I found a lot of it boring and uninteresting. The same thing can be said about the oldies stations. There are so many songs that have boring chord progressions and lyrics, and the next singer sounds like the last. The only songs that you really listen to are the more popular songs, and that's because they are interesting musically and lyrically (usually), providing for the lasting popularity. This idea that it started like this with boy bands and girl groups of the 90s is not particularly accurate, at least not to me.

Beyonce and Baartman

The other portion of my argument that I forgot in class this morning was that there is such a difference between power and control in both situations. Baartman was powerless, and forced to be on display for Europeans who wanted to ensure their superiority through her. Also, the fact that she was forced to say things in court in the defense of her abusive owners proves her powerlessness. On the other hand, Beyonce uses the power she has and in a way "stares back" at the audience. She asserts that her body is beautiful, but more in the context that she is sexually desirable and empowered through that. The video has a strange mixture of this empowerment and sexual imagery, the latter most likely a result of the rest of the industry at the time and societal concerns. I realize now that both of my arguments sort of conflict, and that there is some basis for comparison, but it's difficult to place. Mostly I find it hard to compare them because Baartman was regarded as a freak, but Beyoncé is considered conventionally beautiful and sexy, someone women desired to look like and men wanted to be with. This is what makes it truly different and almost frustrating in my mind.

Boy Bands

I think their is so much scrutiny surrounding boy bands is because their is little to no musical talent being shown. Some of them have good voices but it's hard to tell which do because all their music is edited and studio enhanced. And it seems like they don't even sing for shows with all of the dances that they are doing you would think they would be out of breathe. I think to be a true musician you need to be able to at least be able to sing, play an instrument or write your own lyrics. And most of those boy bands cannot do any of those things.

i think that they sell music due to their looks maybe? and catchy hooks in their songs. I personally did not listen of like this kind of music. But everyone has their own opinion and has their preferences and if you like that kind of music then more power too you.

Lecture/ Boy Bands/etc etc

I'm really glad I missed that phase in my childhood in which I went through the boy bands. The closest I ever got to them was the Spice Girls haha!! It's interesting to see through the ages, the types of boys that get attention from the tween girls. From Rudy Valentino, to Elvis, to Danny Jones, and finally ending at >dry retches< that guy from Twilight. A lot of my cousins were in love with Hanson, I never really understood why to be honest. I was too busy with Rammstein and Orgy in the 3rd grade. I did however succumb, for about a week, to Blink 182, which I feel is a boy band. Granted they didn't dance nor attempt harmonies, but their image was boy band enough for me. I believe a lot of bands were boy band-esque bands even though they weren't remembered as such. Blink 182 is one. They appealed to that audience that was just outgrowing the love of boy bands and was looking for a new obsession.

Jeff's Presentation

I was really excited with the presentation on Beyonce. I've talked about Sara Baartman in several of my other classes including intro to African & African American Studies. I also reference her a lot of the time to show the dehumanization of women, black women, especially. If you look in the media, there are soooo many examples of this.

ex. http://contexts.org/socimages/2009/08/19/another-photoshoot-places-a-black-woman-among-animals/

These images point out exoticism which is a problem in itself, just like with Baartman. Also, it shows them looking very "primitive" in their clothing or lack thereof. I think it's just history repeating itself over and over again. I would have never thought to compare this to Beyonce, however.

The couple of problems that I had with the Beyonce video was that people always give her props for being "curvy," I did not see any curves whatsoever on her body. She looked like the same tiny twig to me that the media feeds us that we should look like.

Beth Ditto

it is very evident that magazines Photoshop the pictures that appear in the magazine. The image of Beth Ditto on the cover of NME shows her willingness to showcase her body to the world. It is evident from the cover that she is not ashamed of her body. Her pose is confident, and possibly a bit cocky She is standing proud and looks fearless. The problem with the cover is that it is photoshopped, which is no fault of Beth. The reason why the photoshopped cover is problematic, is because it takes away from the message Beth may be trying to convey. based on class discussion, it seems that Beth wanted to let the world know that her body is nothing to be ashamed of. The photoshopping of the picture, however sends the message that no matter how proud Beth may be of her body, that the magazine and the media industry will never be fully accepting. By making her skin blemish free, the magazine suggests that it is only willing to go so far to display the body of a curvy women. I have stretchmarks and cellulite (which a majority of women have) and I am pretty sure that Beth has it to, and is not ashamed to admit it. The cover just goes to show the public that yes we will show you curves, but no we will not show the imperfections associated with most women's bodies.

Beyonce

I really enjoyed the presentation!! I don't necessarily think that Beyonce is furthering the stereotype of African American bodies. I think she's just playing up her more "marketable assets". Although, if she was, should she really be at fault? I mean well before Beyonce it was considered to be a more desirable trait of African/African American women to have more of a "butt" (at this point might I add that I'm not trying to offend anyone!) It's furthered by all the rappers who put scantily clad girls bum shaking on the screen and by the culture. A lot of rappers further that "big butt" stereotype. They're always rapping about big butts and how that's what they want. So, if Beyonce is furthering the stereotype, I don't think it's her fault. Merely the product of a culture.

Their not pop boy bands but r&b groups

Some r&b boy bands (which I usually call groups) are Blackstreet (when the Backstreet Boys came out I thought that they had ripped their name off of the group), Boyz II Men, 112, Jagged Edge and Dru Hill. For the most part all the above initially gained support and became popular for their love ballads. I distinctively remember being in love with EVERY member of 112 and thought no one in the world could ever compare. It is true that many of the bands (all except Boyz II Men) moved partially away from love ballads to up tempo songs that would be played in clubs. This trend of the 90s is still relevant and is evident in the formation of Day 26, a group that was formed by Diddy. There were randomly put together on the reality show Making the Band, which was featured on MTV. Day 26's 2nd album was criticized because it almost completely moved away from the "slow jams" that its fans expected from the group.

Boyz II Men

I was surprised to see that some people characterize Boyz II Men as a boy band. There harmonies are amazing, the ooze sophistication rather than sex, and I actually have never seen them do any major dance moves. A large amount of their songs address love and life. My favorite song is Mama, which was featured in Soul Food. I remember hearing my much older cousin listening to their music, which was always smooth, not up tempo like NSync.
I think that sometimes people make generalizations about music that they arent fans of and thats how a group like Boyz II Men gets categorized with NSync and the Backstreet Boys

Some things should NEVER EVER EVER come around full circle

So as i just happened to be watching Nick at Night, watching Glen Martin DDS (which i am surprised is even on that channel because it's really not a kids show in anyway) i happened to see a commercial, and this commercial happened to have a musical act called Big Time Rush. Now, there just happens to be a problem with this musical act because they just happened to be a boy band. Not only are they all good looking but, they are young, they are white, and they have girls chasing them through out the commercial. Now not only does their music suck, all they do is harmonize their vocals in a crowded studio but they even have their own TV show! They are the CLASSIC cookie cutter boy band. I was and still am very surprised and it kinds of sucks because it seems that boy bands are coming back into popularity, and i for one do not want that to happen (although it would give me more things to complain about in life). SO on that note. Goodnight, and good luck, Big Time Rush, and please please don't pollute my ears with crap, now or ever.

http://www.nick.com/shows/big-time-rush/

Discussion Question 5

I think this question is a highly debatable issue. I think that hip hop probably does have some influence on the rate of crime and violence in urban America, but it is not the only factor. Just because rap artists rap about their guns and killing eachother doesn't mean people should take these lyrics to heart and copy what is being said. The Columbine Shooting comes to mind when I think about this issue as the kids responsible for the shooting blamed their actions on the music they listened to and more specifically, Marilyn Mason. I don't think that the type of music they were listening to had anything to do with them committing such a violent crime. I think what needs to be questioned is the peoples' sanity or insanity who have commited such crimes. How do you think the plea of Marilyn Mason's music influenced me to commit these crimes would hold up in a court room? Or the plea that, well this rapper sings about shooting others so I thought I could do the same. That is not going to hold up in the courtroom, or atleast I don't think that plea should hold up. I think that some people need to realize that they can't take everything that rappers sing about so literally and that it is just a form of expression.

Hip Hop and Crime

Many Rap and Hip Hop artists bank on their "Ganster" look and messages. It doesn't surprise me that people think hip hop has a bad influence on its listeners. I have noticed people who have been changed by listening to music such as hip hop. Misogynistic words such as "bitch" and "ho" are said all the time, even by young kids. Gun issues are talked about in many songs and they treat the subject with little or no respect. It is a right to own a gun, but it should come with respect and responsibility. Many people teach those ideals to children at a young age, especially those from rural areas such as farmlands. Kids that grow up in urban areas, that do not learn these messages, are learning the wrong things from rap and hip hop. There are many other issues in rap music that can be seen to be negative. I do not think that rap and hip hop is terrible, i like a lot of the music and respect the artists. I just think that artists should be more sensitive when it comes to these subjects and realize that the youth of America look up to them.

Badfish Concert

I went to the Scotty Don't concert last night who is also known as Badfish because they are a Sublime cover band at the Town Ballroom. The concert was awesome! The lead singer of Scotty Don't/Badfish sounds just like the late Bradley Nowell, who was the lead singer of Sublime. They covered all the classic Sublime songs, from I Saw Red to Summertime to Wrong Way, etc. I honestly felt like I was seeing Sublime perform because of how close the lead singer's voice of Badfish resembled Bradley Nowell's voice. It was also interesting to see that the crowd had a bigger response to Badfish versus their original music from thier band Scotty Don't. I was aslo surprised to find out that the concert was sold out because I didn't think Scotty Don't/Badfish was that popular, but boy was I wrong. Badfish is a great cover band and I would definitely go see them again. The concert was twenty dollars well spent. I'd give them two thumbs up! I was really shocked and excited to hear them play I Saw Red because that is one of my favorite Sublime songs and Badfish did a great job covering it,even without the help of Gwen Stefani. During the encore, the lead singer got inside of this huge bubble ball and walked on top of the crowd while inside the ball. It was an interesting way to end a show, something I've never seen done before.

Edreys

I felt Edreys was very informative and a good speaker. He clearly explained his message and how he went about his career in rap. I respect the kind of music he makes. Its a direction that not to many people try to go in, especially in rap and hip hop. I think if their were more artists like Edreys in hip hop, their would be less commotion about how it is negative and crime influencing. Not everyone needs to be tough and gangsta to be cool.

Hip Hop vs. Stereotyping

As we spoke in class on friday about Hip-hop and whether or not it enforces a stereotype among african americans, I feel conflicted about this. I think that some hip-hop does completely reinforce a stereotype which may or may not be correct, but at the same time, some of hip-hop does not reinforce a stereotype. I feel that all music should be made for everyone to listen and relate to, not just once race or sex.

Edrey's

When Edrey's came in to talk on Monday, I had never heard of him. But he caught my attention and gained my respect immediately. I loved that he didn't curse in his songs, because although most rap/hip-hop artists do, I really appreciated that children can listen to his songs and get the message without cursing. Edrey's is such a motivational upbeat and positive person, I think we should all learn something from him and his presentation. His song, "Get free" was very touching and I think relates to most people. I really appreciated him coming and telling us his experiences and being a down to earth person, and not all about the money and fame aspect of it.

Hip-Hop and Crime

Question #5 in the discussion guide I find quite interesting. It shows the relationship music has with its community.

As for the specific instance I think I'll bluntly put as no, hip hop is not influencing the rate of crime/poverty in the underclass of society (generally urban African American). As a disclaimer, I think, yes, there is certainly influence but not in a way that media has attached may portray it as. There are so many more important factors that go into the crime rates the majority being its going to be inherent in any poor underclass society regardless of race. Crime in such areas is not as much influenced by cultural leanings (although certainly can play a part) but more so lack of opportunity.

I believe rap is more of a product of the lifestyle that young urban African Americans have lived. Rap's birthplace is basically in a time where the country, and the African American community is facing one of the worst recessions in decades and some of the highest crime rate. That is shown with the popularity in groups like Public Enemy. Rap is less the cause of violence as it is a representation of it. A tangible culturally significant factor that is easier to see than unemployment levels, lack of opportunity, poor education systems etc.

The exception that proves the rule (sort of ) is the lack of crime in the large white consumer base in rap music. Race plays no part in the crime and neither the genre of music but much more pertinent factors do.

Hip-Hop and Identity

Given the large white demographic who buy hip-hop, I find it curious that it still holds are large identity in urban African American communities. The previous musical genres all seem to have black roots in some way than were "hijacked" by mostly white consumers. Minority musical niches in general seem only to get popular when the genre becomes more "white".

Rap on the other hand is strongly linked to the urban lifestyle and in particular black popular culture yet the main consumer appears to be white teenagers. Although here is a WSJ article on how hard is to track who actually buys a specific genre. It seems the music industry has propped up an image of rap and sells that (I believe that was on of Edreys' point) because, white rappers have shown to be successful in the rap genre yet they haven't particularly took over the genre which one would expect if the demographic buying was truly overbearingly white (70%).

There may be a little touch of irony in the fact that the image most closely associated with rap and subsequently the black urban lifestyle is derogatory yet in a country with such a history of civil intolerance (relatively speaking); finds itself quite attached to a genre, and a minority that 30 years ago would have no place in the white dominated music industry.