Where to find Good Music

This, I believe, is a great research question, because music is timeless. Mickey Hart, a drummer for the Grateful Dead wrote a book, “Songcatchers: In Search of the Worlds Music”, in which he explores the music of nations far and wide, with hopes to preserve the worlds music. The broad points of view and incredibly wide ranges of music open doors to the reader, expressing music as; something more than a taste, something more than the capitalistic empire it is here in the United States, something that does not just have a history, but is a history. This book intrigued me. It became clear that there is something very human about music. I know this cheesy phrase sounds like I’m merely putting together words that sound "good", but allow me to explain: Every person enjoys music, not merely because there is a need to fill what would be silent space, but that no space is silent, and since conception, since the rhythmic beat of our mothers’ hearts in the womb, we have a desire to compile the sounds that surround us into something with a beat, a rhythm, a harmony, even if just in the most pure form, music is human.

Now, I mentioned before that music in the United States is in the form of capitalism, it is an industry. This point can not be argued, and I am not about to advocate that it is a bad thing. Capitalism makes America work, people desire to have music, other people produce that music as a good, and sell it, then turn a profit, and hopefully proceed to use that profit to create more music…and so on and so forth. It works-everyone gets what they want. Until of course the buyers find a way to collect that music for free. This is a problem for music as an industry; a problem for the artist, for the record labels, and even for the local record shop owner. However, it may have more than just the obvious benefits for the listener. Decades ago the Grateful Dead performed concerts and allowed people to bring tape recorders on long poles, known as tapers, to collect the music of the show. It was never outlawed, and in fact supported by many in the industry; every concert gave every song a new sound to share with others (damn hippie’s right). However, now the price of “sharing” music comes with a criminal charge.

So how can we today benefit from this spontaneous form of music sharing, that opens our ears to new sounds, that helps us find our favorite beats, rhythms, and harmonies, without emptying our pockets, but still supporting music as an industry? I found one great place, via, none other than, our profound World Wide Web. It’s called Pandora. The site allows you to type in the artist, the song, or the album that you are in the mood to listen to, and then the compilers create you a radio station based on the most basic forms of music applied in your selection. It is called the Music Genome Project. It explores, studies, and even pairs you up with other people’s radio stations to find the most music out there. You grade the music; you tell them if a song or an artist belongs, on the station you hear it on, or somewhere else. I am, and forever will be an advocate for purchasing albums, because I think something precious, that someone worked very hard for, is lost, when we pick and choose the songs we listen to, rather than hearing the entire album. But, Pandora opens listeners up to new music, new artists, and new albums to purchase.