Music is clearly something that is a part of every culture, even though we all have different opinions on what is considered music. The quote, "Music is so naturally united with us that we cannot be free from it even if we so desired" (Cerebromente), describes it perfectly. But have you ever thought about how music affects the brain? We have all heard over the years that we should listen to classical music when we are studying for a test or to listen to it right before taking a test because it will help us do better, but why? Well, the classical music that you listen to will release neurons in the brain that help the body relax (Cerebromente). A study was done that took three different groups of college students and had the first group listen to Mozart, the second group listened to a relaxation tape, and the third group listened to nothing. The first group had the highest average followed by the second and then the third (Cerebromente). A simple way to test this yourself would be to simply try it the next time you have an exam. Here is an example, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tq1rZXzjP-I&feature=related. Not only is music enjoyable for us to listen to, but it definitely affects us in more ways than I think we are aware of. Music plays on our emotions and attitudes and obviously our brain.
Monday, May 9, 2011
Apple: Love or Hate?
In January of 2009, Apple introduced iTunes (Apple). They called it “the world’s best and easiest to use jukebox” (Apple). Users are allowed to create their own library or music that they have either purchased from the iTunes store or have saved to their computer from a CD. The iTunes store has almost every song that you could think of and the greatest feature that iTunes offers is that you can purchase most songs individually for $0.99. Before Apple released this genius idea, we were buying full albums at a time, even when we only liked a couple songs on the entire CD. ITunes also allows you to buy movies, tv shows, podcasts, and so much more. It is obvious to see that Apple has dramatically changed the economy since their introduction of iTunes. No one ever thinks they are spending a lot of money when they are only paying $0.99 per song, but if we were to all go back and look at our purchased playlist, we would see how much money we have actually spent. If you are an iPhone user, then you are familiar with the box that pops up anytime you want to buy or download music or an application that asks if it can use your location. Well, according to the Los Angeles Times, using your location is now integrated into their privacy policy, which you have to agree to before you can do anything (Los Angeles Times). In the Privacy Policy that Apple makes you agree to, they state that, “To provide location-based services on Apple products, Apple and our partners and licensees may collect, use, and share precise location data, including the real-time geographic location of your Apple computer or device. This location data is collected anonymously in a form that does not personally identify you and is used by Apple and our partners and licensees to provide and improve location-based products and services. For example, we may share geographic location with application providers when you opt in to their location services” (Los Angeles Times). We may all love iTunes and the great technology that Apple constantly throws at us, but are we really okay with having to agree to this? I personally do not want to give my exact location to Apple and have no idea who is looking at it. This is an image from the Los Angeles Times online that shows the location of a Target store based off someone’s iPhone.
Satellite image of a Target store in New York. Credit: daiji / flickr
We have come so far in our advances with technology and it is clear to see that the music industry has been greatly affected by it all, in both negative and positive ways. Even though the music economy is booming, are we sacrificing more now than before? Is it really worth it?
Music in the 1970's
Can you say disco fever? Well, that’s what you would be saying if you were a teenager or a young adult in the 1970’s. Even though disco started in the early / mid 70’s, with songs like “Get Down Tonight” by KC and The Sunshine Band in 1975, it really wasn’t until 1977 when the movie “Saturday Night Fever” debut and disco was truly born (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1970s_in_music). With John Travolta’s supreme and iconic dance moves, shiny shirts and platform shoes, no could deny, that Saturday Night Fever, is in my opinion, what propelled the disco era into forward motion. Although, when most people think of the music in the 1970’s, they instantly think “disco”, but that was a relatively short lived era. There were so many amazing groups that are still well known and listened to even today. Groups like Heart, Fleetwood Mac and Aerosmith. In 1976 Heart’s first album “Dreamboat Annie” , “with two hit singles, "Crazy on You" (#35, 1976) and "Magic Man" (#9, 1976), (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heart_(band). The main singer of Heart, Ann Wilson had the most unique voices of all female artist ever heard. You can get to know heart better by visiting their website, http://www.heart-music.com/ , which I highly recommend! Now Fleetwood Mac on the other hand had Stevie Nicks, and yes, she too had a unique voice, although it was not quite the unbelievable vocal talent that Ann Wilson’s was, Stevie Nicks had a raspy, laid back, soulful sound that just grabbed you, with songs like “Rhiannon” which was released in 1975. Christine McVie, who was the other female vocalist in the group had quite a different sound from Stevie Nicks, McVie’s voice had more of a sweeter, venerable sound, which you can hear in songs like “Over My Head” which was the a hit single from their second album “Rumors” . Another one of a kind talent was Carole King, who’s album “Tapestry” was one of my favorites with her oh so recognizable song “Where You Lead” and "Your Make Me Feel Like a Natural Woman". "Tapestry is a pop album by singer-songwriter Carole King, released in 1971" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tapestry_(album).
I think the 1970’s was the decade with some of the most unique vocally talented artists. The bands were be producing their own music with their own truly unique style.
Fleetwood Mac - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fleetwood_Mac
Carole King – Tapestry - http://www.1970sflashback.com/1971/Music.asp
Music in the 1960's
Music in the 1960’s had some significant changes from the music in the in the 1950’s. To start off with you had the newest foreign sensation make their way into the American hearts of young girls all over. Yes, I’m talking about and those four young heart throbs known as The Beatles. “The Beatles made their American debut on The Ed Sullivan Show on Sunday, February 9, 1964 (at 8 PM Eastern Time). In New York City, there were 50,000 requests for seats in the studio that held only 703 people. An estimated audience of 73 million television viewers watched the Beatles perform 5 songs and become the music rage of the United States”(http://faculty.smu.edu/dsimon/change-music%2060s.html). Does anyone remember “She Loves You” or “Hey Jude”? From there we move on to the more fun in the sun kind of music that produced songs generations would sing to, that’s right we’re talking about The Beach Boys. “The Beach Boys signed to Capitol Records in 1962. The band's early music gained popularity across the United States for its close vocal harmonies and lyrics reflecting a Southern California youth culture of surfing, cars, and romance
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Beach_Boys).”Do you know anyone who hasn’t, on a hot summer’s day, sung along to “California Girls” or to the sweet melody “Surfer Girl”? What a fun group that inspired a light-hearted fun in the sun, ride around in a convertible, put a smile on your face kind of day. Of course there was your more soulful singers, such as; The Temptations, Diana Ross and the Supremes and of course Smokey Robinson. “In January 1964, the group head to Hitsville to record a song written for them by Smokey Robinson. The song, called The Way You Do the Things You Do becomes an instant hit and puts the Temptations on the map http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Temptations_(miniseries).” Later that year, Smokey Robinson wrote them my al l time favorite “My Girl”. The 1960’s also carried in some of the more edgy rock and roll music and with it a generations of hippies. This young generation was best known for their free spirit, their opposition to the Vietnam War and that familiar slogan. “Peace, Love, Not War”. Now we are nearing the end of the 1960’ when one of the most memorable three day concerts took place, that’s right, we’re talking about Woodstock. “On Aug. 15 – 17, 1969. It attracted about 450,000 young rock fans and featured performers such as the Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, Jimi Hendrix, the Who, and Janis Joplin (http://www.answers.com/topic/woodstock-music-in-encyclopedia#ixzz1LoIq6Y8d)".
All in all, the 1960’s was a time of change and idealistic beliefs and strong emotions, which showed itself in the various types of music.
All in all, the 1960’s was a time of change and idealistic beliefs and strong emotions, which showed itself in the various types of music.
The Beatles - http://faculty.smu.edu/dsimon/change-music%2060s.html
Beach Boys - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Beach_Boys
The Temptations - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Temptations_(miniseries)
Woodstock Festival - http://www.answers.com/topic/woodstock-music-in-encyclopedia#ixzz1LoIq6Y8d
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Music of the 1950's
Let's take a step back in time to the memorable 1950's, where the music industry introduced some of the greatest and most well known artist. But before we get to the artist, let's first start with how we listen to music back then. In "1950 RCA introduced the first 12 inch LP, followed in 1951 by the introduction of the 7" single" (The Vinyl Years) ,also known as the "45". Ironically, more than 60 years later, the 12" vinyl has made its way back into popularity with the teenagers and young adults of today. The 1950's produced iconic artist like Elvis Presley, who made his first recording in 1953 (The Vinyl Years). Elvis was one of a kind and even though it's been fifty eight years since he recorded his first song, even today, his songs, his style and overall uniqueness is still well known by college students today. Who would ever forget "Hound Dog", "Jailhouse Rock" or of course "Love me Tender" just to name a few. Oh and let's not forget about that infamous leg shake that almost got him banned from television. This famous move of Elvis Presley was at the time considered inappropriate and suggestive, so when he appeared on the Ed Sullivan show, they would only show him from the waist up. There were many unforgettable artists that broke the more conservative mold and changed the way music was performed. Remember Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Fats Domino and the controversial Jerry Lee Lewis, now he definitely had his own style. All in all, who doesn't look back at the 1950's and wishes they could just go back in time for just a little while to experience the music in those days, women with their poodle skirts, dancing the bop and men with their slick back hair, rolled up jeans and white t-shirts, can you just picture it?
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
THE EVOLVING MUSIC INDUSTRY:
Over the past ten years, the music industry has changed drastically. From CDs, compact disc players like the walkman, and boom boxes to MP3 players and satellite radio. Before, the only music that we listened to was the music that was on a CD or cassette tape we had. Now we have the world of music at our fingertips, literally. Within a minute of typing on your computer, or smart phone, you can already be on your way to downloading multiple songs. Not only have we seen how the music industry has exploded in terms of technology, but also in the genres of music and what is popular to listen too. Ten years ago there boy bands and pop princesses were all the rage. With every preteen ( and lets face it, every woman ) on earth jamming out to N*SYNC and the Backstreet Boys on their CD’s , it seemed as though that was the only kind of music our society was interested in. Now, with everyone becoming a musical artist, there is an endless amount of variety. On my ipod alone I have everything from the classic N*Sync to indie bands few have heard of to the 80’s classics like Heart and Bon Jovi to rap and Christian music. Artists now have been transitioning themselves from one genre to another. Rap artists are collaborating with indie artists to make mash ups, or a new genre entirely like Christian rap. Before the show Glee, who had ever really heard of a mash up? On that note, ten years ago, even 5 years ago, we didn’t have shows that revolved around music like we do now with the award winning series Glee. This show focuses on a group of high school students singing their hearts out to today’s popular, mainly top 40 charts, music. To see how much we have evolved in the music world over a short period of time makes it very interesting to see where we will be in another 5 years. To quote iPod chips implanted behind our ears? Casual sharing of files wirelessly contained in tiny hard drives in our bodies?”, is this our future? Do we think that this is the next step? For all we know, Apple already has this in development.
PANDORA MUSIC RADIO:
One music sight that is not illegal is called Pandora Radio. It is only offered in the United States. Pandora is an internet website that allows users to create an account and essentially create their own radio stations with music they like. Pandora uses over 400 attributes are focused into larger groups called focus traits when selecting music for a station. These traits include things such as, rhythm syncopation, key tonality, vocal harmonies, and displayed instrumental proficiency. You can enter and artists name or a song title and Pandora will create a radio station that plays similar songs or artists. On each song, you can give a thumbs up or a thumbs down and Pandora will keep that in consideration for future selections. Pandora is free to everyone but it does come with ads that play between every couple of songs. According to Pandora, because of legal limitations, the user can only skip songs 6 times per hour and you can’t replay a song. They also limit the user to 40 hours per month on the free service. This is how they are able to make it legal to listen to the songs without having people pay. Pandora also offers a service called Pandora One, which allows the user to listen without ads and skip as many times as they would like by paying around $30.00 a year. Even on the free service, you can create as many radio stations as you would like. While listening to a song, you can choose to buy it through itunes or another online music store. Pandora has even branched out to creating “apps” that work on smart phones. Pandora is a million dollar industry with millions of listeners. Every day there is a new advancement in technology. Ten years ago we were still listening to just CDs, and now we can create our own radio stations that can introduce us to new music that is similar to our current taste.
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