Been on an anime soundtrack kick today. Beneath all of the derivative, generic J-Pop/J-Rock, there is some genuinely good stuff. It's harder to find nowadays, but older shows have some classy stuff lurking within them. It's always exciting to find something that really hits you... ...like hidden treasure. I think a lot of it has to do with expectations. You just don't expect to hear something that hits you hard on a soundtrack from... ...a cartoon show.
I want to post a bunch of Yoko Kanno stuff, but Japanese companies have pretty much obliterated her presence on youtube. It's a travesty. I no longer have a way to share her beautiful music with people :/
It's the same with Ghibli music. Joe Hisaishi is a treasure of a modern composer, but getting into his music has become such a chore. If you don't know him by now, you probably won't... ...unless you buy some Ghibli soundtracks, many of which are prohibitively expensive. It just doesn't make any sense! You are basically limiting your sales to hardcore fans and giving everyone else the finger. You leave them with no reason to care about what is already a very niche area of music.
Honestly, this is frustrating. It's obscure music to most people. How are you gonna recommend people "check out" an old soundtrack from Japan. Where do they find it and why would they buy it just to hear it?
The only way most people would ever hear of it would be youtube... ...I don't think the Japanese understand how valuable making their content readily accessible to the west could be. People don't buy things they don't know about. They're very careful about what music they invest in. Why not just let them hear the damned music so they can at least have something to go by? Does you no good to leave people with no frame of reference. And yet they wonder why sales in the west are shit-all! People aren't gonna just up and buy the shit! Why so secretive?
It's just annoying, how out of touch these big companies are. They don't understand their markets anymore. In Japan in particular, there is this mindset among the older generations that things should always be done one way. Unfortunately, these are the people in charge. Things aren't like they used to be, and it really is evolve or die. Many old Japanese media giants have fallen because of their antiquated practices... ...they basically rendered themselves irrelevant.
I heard my first Yoko Kanno soundtrack via youtube. I had never heard another anime soundtrack in my life... ...I hadn't even seen the show. It blew me away with it's serene blend of worldly, jazzy, folksy, and soaring classical scores. It was just so "of the earth" and full of life. I listened to it extensively for about a month before I bought every installment of that soundtrack, as well as a couple of other complete sets of soundtracks she had done for other shows. I am very grateful that I had the opportunity to discover them and it saddens me that others do not.
*Sigh* I'll stop ranting, now. It's just a shame. These people are greedy to a fault. It's a scar on the face of music... ...an insult to composers and listeners alike.
Bastards! EVIL fuckin' bastards!Ain't that some shit? Especially considering Zappa's past legal battles... ...you wouldn't expect the fam to be caught dead on the other side of it. Goes against everything the man himself stood and fought for!
Eh, they've prolly got some bureaucrats that don't know shit about Frank Zappa handling things. The irony is lost on them. :/
Youtube copyright is all kinds of fucked, though. You could post my music with my explicit consent and youtube's copyright system would still pick it up, block the video, put up a strike against your channel, and take all of your ad money - and I still can't do shit about it, even though I've allowed you to use it. THAT should be illegal. Every day, people are getting fucked out of their money/investments because the system has tourettes and youtube doesn't have enough human oversight to make sure it's not tripping out over nothing. It's a real mess right now.
Copyright law, in general, needs to be re-written. The internet didn't exist when it was formed. All efforts to enforce it have hurt the little guys more than it has even helped the big guys. Personally, I don't think there's much to be made in digital sales to begin with. There just isn't enough inherent value to an audio stream. It's time for labels to evolve and look for better opportunities. The only artists who break even on digital sales are chart-toppers... ...and only for so long. What's really hurting them is that nobody goes to their shows anymore. Maybe focus on that instead of petty youtube uploads with 50-100k views?
That aside, I'd have to think that nobody is not buying albums because they can listen to them on youtube. The audio quality is shit and it's not exactly convenient to just load up youtube every time you want to listen to music. These suits don't seem to understand how people listen to music anymore. They're lost, scared, and probably losing a lot of money because of it.
No shit? I thought that you were into brain-dead zombie techno krappe.
Haha, I am into brain-dead zombie techno krappe! Sometimes it's really nice to just turn off your brain! That's more of a recent addition to my repertoire, though. Prog, jazz, classical, the snobby virtuoso stuff... ...that's more my bread and butter. I just listen music of those spheres more judiciously. I save it for when I'm geared towards maximum enjoyment - those "gotta have it" days.No shit? I thought that you were into brain-dead zombie techno krappe.
Impressed I am.
Go RZ!
I love it.Haha, I am into brain-dead zombie techno krappe! Sometimes it's really nice to just turn off your brain! That's more of a recent addition to my repertoire, though. Prog, jazz, classical, the snobby virtuoso stuff... ...that's more my bread and butter. I just listen music of those spheres more judiciously. I save it for when I'm geared towards maximum enjoyment - those "gotta have it" days.
I like to have a bunch of consumable music to toss around the rest of the time so I don't ruin everything for myself by over-listening. Nothing is lost by burning yourself out to consumable music. There's always more of that. If anything, it just makes me appreciate the classics and neo-classics that much more. It becomes like a breath of fresh air. Keeps it special.
There's stuff that you put on in the background and then there is stuff you sit your ass down for, headphones-on and eyes closed or lock yourself in a room with a large speaker system. The three don't compare at all, but it all has its place in my book. I just dig it all man. There's stuff I like and then there is stuff I haven't given a chance or been exposed to yet...
I've heard this piece a million times, but this is hand's down the best rendition of it I have ever heard. I listen to it just to hear the orchestra. Don't mind the cat. It means no harm.
atmosphere man.The "music" ain't so great. The Chicks are awesome!
RZ, you are a gem!Haha, I am into brain-dead zombie techno krappe! Sometimes it's really nice to just turn off your brain! That's more of a recent addition to my repertoire, though. Prog, jazz, classical, the snobby virtuoso stuff... ...that's more my bread and butter. I just listen music of those spheres more judiciously. I save it for when I'm geared towards maximum enjoyment - those "gotta have it" days.
I like to have a bunch of consumable music to toss around the rest of the time so I don't ruin everything for myself by over-listening. Nothing is lost by burning yourself out to consumable music. There's always more of that. If anything, it just makes me appreciate the classics and neo-classics that much more. It becomes like a breath of fresh air. Keeps it special.
There's stuff that you put on in the background and then there is stuff you sit your ass down for, headphones-on and eyes closed or lock yourself in a room with a large speaker system. The three don't compare at all, but it all has its place in my book. I just dig it all man. There's stuff I like and then there is stuff I haven't given a chance or been exposed to yet...
I've heard this piece a million times, but this is hand's down the best rendition of it I have ever heard. I listen to it just to hear the orchestra. Don't mind the cat. It means no harm.
Chicks! Atmosphere is reserved for certain "other" pieces....atmosphere man.