One of Mike's other observations that I do agree with (don't disagree with his insights here, but I haven't really thought as much about this one as his Circus piece (http://idolator.com/5090514/mourning-becomes-britney) from yesterday) is that music-as-an-industry simply needs to accept that it's going to continue getting smaller, which might be part of what allows it to even attempt monoculturalism (if that's a neologism, consider that an informal trademark, but I'm sure someone beat me to it). Of course, the music industry has always been "small" compared to something like, say, the film industry or the television industry or even the videogame industry, all of which -- except maybe the videogame industry -- are getting smaller in their own ways, too. But I guess the important point is that there may be no conception of a purely social monoculture, and the industry's role in making such widespread dissemination even possible is something that I doubt any other network could replicate.
Or maybe monoculturalism is just another way of saying everything was better when you were 12 (http://www.salon.com/comics/boll/2007/06/14/boll/).
it's going to continue getting smaller, which might be part of what allows it to even attempt monoculturalism
Why does its smallness help it to attempt monoculturalism? Are you assuming that anything big will "fragment"? Seems to me that when I was growing up TV was much more a monolith than music, in that the three networks dominated and local stations filled up their own hours with old movies and old network fare that was now in syndication. Whereas you really did have local markets and different markets on the radio. But you only had one type of TV station, not counting Educational TV.
Though you're bringing up a good point about choice -- even the illusion of choice from a huge single media conglomerate will fragment an audience, even if all the money is going to the same place. But weirdly, I feel like with music specifically, something like Disney has been able to create an intense niche culture, approaching something like a musical monoculture for anyone under the age of like 12, precisely because music isn't their first priority. This is something that's changed since Britney/TRL's rise, I think.
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timeasmymeasure
american as the peaceable kingdom
Date: 2008-11-18 01:12 pm (UTC)(haha i'm actually in the middle of writing something about the above in ref NARNIA -- anyway i think the ideal is as america)
americA as the peaceable kingdom
Date: 2008-11-18 01:15 pm (UTC)(i like that william penn is see-thru: some kind of uncanny x-men link there)
Re: american as the peaceable kingdom
Date: 2008-11-18 01:26 pm (UTC)One of Mike's other observations that I do agree with (don't disagree with his insights here, but I haven't really thought as much about this one as his Circus piece (http://idolator.com/5090514/mourning-becomes-britney) from yesterday) is that music-as-an-industry simply needs to accept that it's going to continue getting smaller, which might be part of what allows it to even attempt monoculturalism (if that's a neologism, consider that an informal trademark, but I'm sure someone beat me to it). Of course, the music industry has always been "small" compared to something like, say, the film industry or the television industry or even the videogame industry, all of which -- except maybe the videogame industry -- are getting smaller in their own ways, too. But I guess the important point is that there may be no conception of a purely social monoculture, and the industry's role in making such widespread dissemination even possible is something that I doubt any other network could replicate.
Or maybe monoculturalism is just another way of saying everything was better when you were 12 (http://www.salon.com/comics/boll/2007/06/14/boll/).
Re: american as the peaceable kingdom
Date: 2008-11-18 01:36 pm (UTC)Re: american as the peaceable kingdom
Date: 2008-11-18 01:41 pm (UTC)Re: american as the peaceable kingdom
Date: 2008-11-18 11:28 pm (UTC)Re: american as the peaceable kingdom
Date: 2008-11-18 01:48 pm (UTC)Why does its smallness help it to attempt monoculturalism? Are you assuming that anything big will "fragment"? Seems to me that when I was growing up TV was much more a monolith than music, in that the three networks dominated and local stations filled up their own hours with old movies and old network fare that was now in syndication. Whereas you really did have local markets and different markets on the radio. But you only had one type of TV station, not counting Educational TV.
Re: american as the peaceable kingdom
Date: 2008-11-18 01:52 pm (UTC)Re: american as the peaceable kingdom
Date: 2008-11-18 01:56 pm (UTC)Re: american as the peaceable kingdom
Date: 2008-11-19 12:06 am (UTC)