i don't want a pile of songles, but i do want the remix

In Chapter 8, after going on about all the problems with new technology and the Internet, Lanier finally offers some of his proposed solutions. I appreciate the new focus on ways things can change for the better, but I have some comments on two of his ideas: telegigging and songles.

As "canned content becomes a harder product to sell," Lanier suggests a new age alternative to a live stage show - and another opportunity for artists to make money - telegigging. While new technology, such as filesharing and video streaming, threatens the existence of CDs, I'm not sure telegigging would be that successful. First, we don't currently have the technology to allow artists to perform a live show at another location and instantly project a holographic image in your home. Obviously, it would be cool. However, as a money-making concept, there are a number of problems.

People would have to be convinced to buy the necessary equipment (holographic projectors? I don't know) and it probably would be too expensive for the masses to buy. Then, how much would it be for a telegig? Yeah, artists would save money on travel, but would they pass the savings onto the fans? Also, could I order a telegig and then have a big party (sharing the performance for free, or even more interesting, who would stop me from charging for people to view the holographic performance?) Or, what about if I recorded the unique, interactive content of the performance and shared it online?

There are so many ways for this to spin out of the desired simple cash interaction. I'm very skeptical that this could all be done for a reasonable price. I don't doubt the awesomeness of the idea, I just realistically don't think it's the new way musicians will earn a living.

There has been a lot of financial success with concert films, such as Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert. I think this business model differs in that you still go somewhere to view the performance (like you would for a live concert), but with a concert film it's cheap and available in small towns (or with the DVD, in your home). The main thing is that it's cheap and accessible. I don't think telegigging would be either of those things.

Something much cooler than Miley that telegigging reminds me of: Gorillaz (a virtual band of fictional, animated characters) had their first live performance in 2005 at the MTV Awards in Lisbon, and this was the "world's first 3D hologram performance." They planned to have a full 3D holographic tour, but it was cancelled because it would have been so expensive and logistically challenging.

Gorillaz Live at the MTV Awards from Musion Systems on Vimeo.

The Gorillaz also performed with Madonna at the 2006 Grammys. They took a step further with holographic technology. For the first three minutes, it's a variation of the MTV performance, but at 3:08, Madonna rises to the stage. The live audience and TV viewers didn't realize that the Madonna on stage from 3:08 - 3:50 is, in fact, a hologram! Madonna really performs live on stage just after the four minute mark. I watched the video a few times, and it's pretty cool to see Madonna walking in between the animated Gorillaz (at 3:41 she walks in front and at 3:45 she walks behind!). I was wondering how they did this, then I did some more reading and found out about the Madonna hologram.

My point is that the idea of a holographic performance is cool, but I'm not sure it's a money maker. The technology will be there some day soon... I just don't think it'll be cheap enough to market to the masses so musicians can make some money.

Lanier's second idea, songles, seems a little bit ridiculous. I mean, to be fair, I don't think I fully understand how it would work, but the idea of having/buying/collecting/organizing more things is a deal breaker for me. I like that all my music is on my laptop or my iPod, and I don't have to carry around a pile of CDs. I really don't think I'd like having my music in physical objects. How would the music be portable? How can I organize songs and create playlists? I understand the attempt to create "artificial scarcity," but I think that maybe digital music on computers and other devices has locked in. I don't want to turn back to collecting more things.

As I pack up to move for the term now, I realize I already have enough things to organize. I don't want a pile of songles.

Speaking of songles...

In Chapter 9 Lanier says,

"Popular music created in the industrialized world in the decade from the later 1990s to the late 2000s doesn't have a distinct style--that is, one that would provide an identity from the young people who grew up with it. The process of the reinvention of life through music appears to have stopped."

I have a few problems with this. Maybe I'm just defensive about my identity.

While I agree that there wasn't one distinct musical sound (as there was in other decades), it's only because the Internet suddenly presented this generation with so much choice. I'd argue that there is a unifying musical style: remix, mashup, sampling, covering. With music software and digitilized music readily available, this generation was the first with the opportunity to remix. People growing up with YouTube were able to build an identity through their creativity and ability to mix sounds, artists and genres. People can create their own music videos or cover their favourite artists. It's all part of a new participatory culture.

While much of it is amateur and a lot of it is crap, some people are doing some pretty amazing things (or if it's not amazing, at least their tapping into this trend and profitting).

Mashup artist, DJ Earworm, creates an annual "United State of Pop" song made up of the top 25 songs on the Billboard charts. Check out 2009 song below.

Another mashup artist is Girl Talk, who produces remixes by mashing up short, unauthorized samples to create new songs. According to New York Times Magazine, his music is a "lawsuit waiting to happen." Girl Talk has gained popularity by touring with his laptop (and is making enough money to quit his day job as a biomedical engineer), and he always gives his audience a party. He's pushing boundaries in other ways, touching on issues our media class has talked about before. For example, Girl Talk believes copyright laws stifle creativity, and as a result of his sampling, his songs are not available on iTunes because of the extensive copyright issues. He has four albums that were all released online by Illegal Art and available for download on a pay-what-you-want basis. Check out a fan-made video for one of his mashups.