Forget the Economy, Music is in Dire Need of a Stimulus Package

If you stare at a treble clef long enough, it begins to look like a dollar sign.

On February 8, 2009, the 51st annual Grammy Awards ceremony was hosted at the Staples Centre in Los Angeles, California, in an extravagant day long parade of money, money, music and money.

Women strutted down their red runway in their thousand-dollar I-can’t-be-seen-in-the-same-thing-twice dresses, men made minimal movement as not to wrinkle their crisp and fit suits, and limousine chauffeurs proudly guarded their precious cargo. And these were only the hours leading up to the show.

During the ceremony, artists’ performances dazzled the audience with laser display lighting and sparkling confetti, and three-ring circus spectacularia drew ooh’s and aah’s.

But where were the elephants?

Too expensive, and completely unnecessary I guess. After all, the stars were gathered to celebrate their appreciation for the passion and talent that goes into making good music. And everyone knows that music appreciation is synonymous with outrageous spending (luckily, we aren’t in an economic crisis or anything).

When did the arts, and all things that we hold on a pedestal for the sake of our entertainment, become a grandiose parade? When did we sacrifice talent for fast cash and fancy clothes?

The fine arts have evolved into an A-list monster. Led by power and money hungry executives, it sucks the good judgment juice out of everyone in its path – mainly you, the consumer.

This money monster won’t stop reproducing either. It births children that only a mother could, and in this case should, love. For example, one of its kids, named Katy Perry, was nominated at the Grammys for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for her song “I Kissed a Girl.” Read, the song’s signature line: “I kissed a girl and I liked it, I hope my boyfriend don’t mind it.” Now, that’s musical genius.

Her sister M.I.A’s song “Paper Planes” was nominated for Record of the Year. With fantastic lines like, “I fly like paper, get high like planes. If you catch me at the border I got visas in my name,” I’m surprised it didn’t snag the win.

Never mind the fact that my 12-year-old brother can write better lyrics than both of these songs, the girls are hot, skinny and can carry a decent tune.

Neither Perry or M.I.A won a coveted Grammy, and to their disappointment, they may just become another one or two hit wonder and get sucked into the has-been black hole. But it’s ok- their record companies made a lot of money while they were hot, and they’ve been busy scouting for new talent. Maybe they found a new teenybopper who can seductively squeak out a song about cupcakes.

These executives are just playing and winning the game. They have turned something wonderful like the beauty and movement of music into a rat race between themselves and their clients. They don’t care about quality and talent, they care about what sells, even if that means dumbing down the music industry.

In an age defined by synthetic vocals, and elementary rhyming phrases, our generation of music is something short of a sing-a-long track. Why can’t we be blessed again with the sounds that inspired past generations?

The ‘50s saw Elvis Presley thrusting through Rock ‘n Roll. The ‘60s were sassed by the Temptations and Motown. The ‘70s were lit up by The Beatles and other long-haired gurus. The ‘80s…well I don’t have much to say about the ‘80s, but at least they were inventive. Even the ‘90s saw the rise of talented solo artists who wrote their own music and played their own instruments. But now, we have little to offer, and much to want.

So why can’t we bring back the talent that used to be? To put it simply, quality is too time consuming. It takes a good amount of time to write a meaningful song and record heart-stopping instrument tracks. It takes even longer to sit down, be creative and invent something new. In this day and age, record companies just don’t have the time for ingenuity. Fast, dirty and mass-produced is more up their alley.

And can you blame them? They are only doing their job, they have promised the artist fame and wealth, and the public catchy tunes they can sing to in the car. Waiting two more months for a brilliant debut album to come out is time that they, or we, don’t have.

Or do we?

Music is one of the most fundamental and precious things that we hold dear, even if we don’t realize it. From the moment you were born you heard lullabies, you sang your heart out to tunes in the car with your friends, and if you haven’t already, you will share a first dance with your husband or wife on your wedding day.

Genuine, solid music has never let me down. There has been a track for every one of my moods. It has told me to cry, pried open a smile, ran with me, slept with me, and most importantly has never abandoned me. I, and I’m willing to bet, you, don’t need music to come in a lavish package, or rolled up on a red carpet. What we do need is for music to move us. And if it takes a few months longer to produce outstanding artists and albums, we have all the time in the world.