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slowbellie's take on: the iPod revolution

Ultimately, those who achieve mass popularity on the indie music scene do so because of the "buzz" generated by that group. The nature of the means by which that "buzz" is generated, however, has been transformed entirely due to the technological innovations of the past decade. Modern technology has led to a multiplication of the facets and mediums by which word-of-mouth is now transferred. In a nutshell, a teenager in Botswana can get the latest news on Black Mountain just as fast as a record mogul in New York City. For example, groups like Wolf Parade, Surfjan Stevens, The Arcade Fire, The Black Keys, Bright Eyes, and Black Mountain have all come into indie spotlight and moved more albums than perhaps even they could have imagined. Whereas these groups would have almost certainly remained in obscurity ten years ago (or relied solely on live shows and written reviews), their names are now commonplace, even amongst the most un-hip of the hipsters… and, horror of horrors, amongst the most vile bottom-feeders of them all: Singles People.

Singles People have always been around – it's just that now, the products of their existence are increasingly commonplace – using the Internet as a medium. Take, for instance, iTunes' 99 cent-per-song offers. Who would pay for every single song on the album when all they want to hear is one track? This factor may turn even the most well-meaning music fan into a Singles Person. Singles People download a truckload of songs, handpicked from even the most obscure albums, load them up on their iPod, and off they go. What Singles People don't realize is that they are DESTROYING MUSIC. Are the days of the full-length album numbered? We're walking on a tightrope across a fiery pit of "don't bore us, get to the chorus" vapidity. We're entering an era where the girl with the Lulu lemon tracksuit and Roxy sticker on her car is listening to, "like, Britney, Snoop, The Rolling Stones, Bowie, Simple Plan and The New Pornographers." Nooooooo!!!! I need to lie down.

All hope is not lost, however. To take a positive spin on the current popularity of the iPod (or the 'pocket revolution'), it's now very easy for quality independent bands to be heard and appreciated. Internet radio stations can be broadcast over your mp3 gadgets as well, further contributing to the increasing recognition of indie bands. Like it or not, we are experiencing a musical revolution, in that the nature of how music is consumed is forever altered. The consumer, alone, will govern whether or not this revolution will be a positive one. It's now so easy to dig a little deeper into that digital music crate to find good music – so do it.

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