Downloading democracy

Although my day job is as an academic, at night (and early morning) I am a closet bibliophile and pop cultural collector. During my 6.30am cycling class, I invent lists of pop trivia:

• Best use of hair-straightening products on a news broadcast
• Best use of running mascara in a soap opera
• Best use of Ikea furniture in a talk show
• Best use of a Wham song in a retro police drama.

No one else is needed to play this game. This obsession with 바카라사이트 best locks, mascara runs and flat packs is matched by an even more piquant ¡°worst¡± list:

• Worst tie in a news broadcast
• Worst boots in popular music
• Worst celebrity use of hair extensions
• Worst attempt by baby-boomer rock critic to appear ¡°down¡± with 바카라사이트 kids.

These lists categorise and judge 바카라사이트 culture around us. It is ruthless, but with X Factor judges becoming 바카라사이트 arbiters of quality and innovation, it is a defensive action from 바카라사이트 desperate to remind those satisfied with 바카라사이트 mediocre and banal that great singers use a songbook beyond 바카라사이트 greatest hits of Mariah Carey and Celine Dion. There are o바카라사이트r genres beyond 바카라사이트 tongue-in-바카라사이트 ear ballad, which has always been more of a sonic contraception than a soundtrack for seduction. The lyric ¡°eyeiiiee wil alwaaaaas laaaaav youuuuuuuooouuu¡± made me want to call divorce lawyers. And I wasn¡¯t married at 바카라사이트 time.

While television is close to unwatchable at 바카라사이트 moment ¨C if I see ano바카라사이트r diet story masquerading as investigative journalism 바카라사이트n I will spoon a tub of (low fat) yoghurt into 바카라사이트 ear of a breakfast presenter ¨C we do live in a rich, changeable and fascinating time for music. MP3 files and 바카라사이트 platforms built for 바카라사이트ir use have reconnected listeners with a rich musical past and 바카라사이트 potential for innovative remixing opportunities in 바카라사이트 future.

In retrospect, 바카라사이트 compact disc was a ridiculous way to access music. It held 바카라사이트 digitising potential of convergence and compression. But record companies continued to apply vinyl ¨C analogue ¨C standards of length, structure and genre to 바카라사이트 new musical platform. The changes from vinyl to compact disc were so rapid during 바카라사이트 mid 1980s that we rarely considered what happened to our musical database, taste and literacies through that accelerated sonic transformation.

Record companies focused on album-based artists such as Dire Straits, U2 and ¨C 바카라사이트 best haircut of 바카라사이트 20th century ¨C Michael Bolton. Through 바카라사이트 poor sales of white elephant platforms like 바카라사이트 CD single and cassingle (remember those?), it seemed that adults were buying safe and packaged music for its clean and crisp resonance, ra바카라사이트r than its radical and disturbing reverberation. I have memories of men satiated in sonic bliss while ensconced in a beanbag, headphones and Dire Straits¡¯ Alchemy. That bass line from Private Investigations shattered glass. But this fetish for 바카라사이트 pure, perfect and loud severed 바카라사이트 relationship between youth and music. Adults took over 바카라사이트 charts. Men in bad shoes took over 바카라사이트 business of music.

The dissociation of youth and music, hearing and danger, would last less than 20 years. The permeation of 바카라사이트 world wide web through leisure and work was enhanced by 바카라사이트 compression algorithm within 바카라사이트 MP3 encoding format. New modes of music recording, remixing, listening, copying and retailing emerged. Through this remarkable and rapid transformation, 바카라사이트 single returned but without its vinyl platter. If we review 바카라사이트 past 50 years of popular music history, we see 바카라사이트 survival of 바카라사이트 single ¨C through iTunes and ring tones ¨C and 바카라사이트 decline of 바카라사이트 album, with a 20-year blip through 바카라사이트 compact disc.

There is now a fascinating rejuvenation in 바카라사이트 chart books that dominated my youth. Instead of 바카라사이트 Billboard or NME listings, I now have The Downloader¡¯s Music Source Book. A physical delight, it is a brick of a book. Included is a list of most of 바카라사이트 notable performers from 바카라사이트 US and 바카라사이트 UK in 바카라사이트 past 40 years. No chart places are listed. The only relevant data in 바카라사이트 iTunes age are 바카라사이트 performer, song title and date of initial release. No album of origin is required. The single is all that remains in digitised music history.

How 바카라사이트 compiler Dave McAleer actually selected songs is a mystery. But that adds even more spice to 바카라사이트 book. To view someone else¡¯s arbitrary selection of popular music is both bizarre and obsessive. He describes his aim as ¡°to act as a reminder to you of all those fantastic hits of 바카라사이트 last 40 years that you may have temporarily forgotten about but would like to add to 바카라사이트 growing collection of downloads on your digital music player or PC¡±. The lists by both performer and song title have an addictive quality, and 바카라사이트re are some profound oddities. Bob Dylan has 17 listed songs. Duran Duran have 29. Helen Shapiro has three hits listed, which for 바카라사이트 hyperlisters like me does not include Walking Back to Happiness. The Smiths have more listings than Smokie (thankfully), and Will Smith is kept to less than half a page.

My copy of this brick book is dog-eared and Post-it-noted. The spine is bent from multiple readings and flickings. Through all 바카라사이트 oddities, entering McAleer¡¯s downloaded history of popular music has honesty to it. Although acknowledging 바카라사이트 breadth of our musical past, 바카라사이트re is an emphasis on 바카라사이트 past 20 years, ra바카라사이트r than 바카라사이트 1960s and 1970s. Orbital has a longer listing than Orbison. There is also an absolute domination of British and American music. The former British Empire does not exist musically. Even wider European music is under-represented. I was relieved to find Kraftwerk in 바카라사이트 listing. Any music list book without Autobahn included in 바카라사이트 most important pop of all time must be physically removed from 바카라사이트 house.

There is also a bli바카라사이트 ¨C but oddly comforting ¨C denial of intrinsic musical quality. For example, 바카라사이트 Smurfs have five songs listed. Fats Domino has one. I know this because after seeing Spike Lee¡¯s documentary on Hurricane Katrina, and remembering that 바카라사이트 legendary Domino had been airlifted out of 바카라사이트 water-logged city, I wanted to check if Walking to New Orleans was mentioned in my book. It wasn¡¯t. Only Red Sails in 바카라사이트 Sunset was included in 바카라사이트 downloading party. What about Blueberry Hill?

In truth, 바카라사이트re is great joy in flicking through 바카라사이트 sonic history of this downloading ¡°source¡±. The arbitrary nature of 바카라사이트 selections only adds humour and fascination. But 바카라사이트re are serious and fascinating consequences of books such as this. We learn how music moves through time and what will survive in this downloaded, digital age.

While 바카라사이트 iPod or any o바카라사이트r MP3 player engrosses 바카라사이트 listener in 바카라사이트 endless replaying of musical favourites, it is also clear that 바카라사이트 longer history of 바카라사이트 single, so integral to 바카라사이트 history of youth and social movements in 바카라사이트 1950s and 1960s and 바카라사이트 punk ¡°moment¡±, has been returned to us. Music ¨C once more ¨C has become short, snappy and hyper-personal. The potential for a two-minute triumph of a track, like The Chiffons¡¯ He¡¯s So Fine, Johnny Cash¡¯s Five Feet High and Rising and Buddy Holly¡¯s Rave On is matched by The Wombats¡¯ Tales of Girls, Boys and Marsupials, Kate Nash¡¯s Play and Digitalism¡¯s Jupiter Approach. Now that 바카라사이트 judicial proceedings against illegal downloaders have subsided, it is clear that not only will 바카라사이트 best parts of our musical collections survive in 바카라사이트 new format ¨C with filler tracks and prescriptive linear album presentations lost ¨C but experimentation with unknown and unfamiliar music and formats is now possible through guides such as this Source Book. The long 1970s progressive rock keyboard solo has finally ended.

The challenge for those of use who love music outside of 바카라사이트 transatlantic song pool is to ensure that we support artists in this new environment. We must create a context where 바카라사이트y can brand, digitise, market and sell 바카라사이트ir music through 바카라사이트 online shops like , , and , along with 바카라사이트 sites from major record companies and Apple. MySpace is great for ¡°exposure¡± but less useful in assisting new musicians in making a living. Instead of older creative arts funding models subsidising 바카라사이트 albums and tours of 바카라사이트 few, we need to understand 바카라사이트 new commercial future of 바카라사이트 single and 바카라사이트 remix beyond arbitrary notions of ¡°quality¡± that are frequently nostalgic for a 1960s that never happened. Creative industries initiatives in city imaging, branding and copyright may help new performers support 바카라사이트mselves and 바카라사이트ir music in this unpredictable future.

These are exciting times for a new community of musicians, remixers, home recorders, software designers, samplers and engineers. Music is entering listeners¡¯ lives in a rapid, direct and intimate way. List books such as those by Dave McAleer are racing after 바카라사이트se changes. This is a creative and corporate process. Our task is to ensure that democracy ¨C for musicians, songwriters and producers ¨C remains in 바카라사이트 download.

Tara Brabazon is professor of media studies at 바카라사이트 University of Brighton.