Rock Resources Chapter 12 The Internet Era: 2000–

2000s Home recording and Internet distribution became more common Rock and rock culture no longer at the center of American popular music All aspects of music production system began to change

Music and the Internet Internet catalyzed the most profound transformation in the dissemination and consumption of popular music MPEG (digitally compressed file) allows wide and rapid dissemination of sound recordings over the Internet MPEG led to the development of the MP3 encoding format

Napster Developed in 1999 by Shawn Fanning Allowed users to share and swap music files Sued by RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) Shut down by a federal court in 2001

Napster Led to a number of peer-to-peer (p2p) file-sharing networks Presented conflict between those who saw file-sharing as musical democracy and those who saw it as theft Supreme Court ruling in 2005 said online firms violated copyright law; they were shut down

Personal Listening Devices Apple iPod (introduced in 2001) stored up to one thousand CD-quality tracks iPod is the most popular individual listening device in history iTunes launched in 2003, making 200,000 tracks available for $.99 each iTunes is the top music retailer in the United States Led to renewed interest in individual songs (as opposed to albums)

YouTube Launched in 2005 In 2006 Warner Music made its entire video catalog available Google bought YouTube for $1.69 billion in stock Presents an astounding amount of material from 1920s films to contemporary alternative artists and slick professional productions

Pro Tools Recording software designed to run on home computers Allowed musicians to set up a home studio on a small budget Gave users a great deal of control over every parameter of musical sound Visual interface led to new way of thinking about music Songs could be assembled by cutting and pasting rather than performing Led to debates about authenticity, spontaneity, and “perfection”

Music Industry Focuses on Baby Boomers Renewed focus on Baby Boom generation as a source of revenue Compilations by established artists from the ’60s and ’70s offer little risk High-end rock offerings (like boxed sets) appeal to Boomers with significant discretionary income

Music Industry Focuses on Baby Boomers Boomers are perceived as unwilling (or unable) to illegally download music Establishment of rock culture of the ’60s and ’70s seen as definitive Top-selling and touring rock groups from 2000 to 2010 include the Beatles, Neil Young, Bob Dylan, and the Rolling Stones

Search for New Income Streams Placing songs in movies, television, commercials, and cell phone ringtones Increased emphasis on “360-degree deal” handling every aspect of an artist’s career Record industry is adjusting to an era in which music is no longer disseminated as a physical object Touring is an increasingly important component of profits Big-box retailers sell more recorded music than do specialty outlets

Rock in the Age of Digital Reproduction Digital production altered the process of creating rock music Recording and production used to require means beyond those of the average musician Now virtually anyone can create music with inexpensive software and distribute it on the Internet

Rock in the Age of Digital Reproduction Nature of a rock product has changed from a physical object and albums to a data stream and single songs “Gatekeeper” function of record companies and radio is all but gone Genre is fragmented and without a central outlet (like MTV or AOR radio)

Nickelback Continued traditional approach to music and business of rock Formed in 1995 in Vancouver, Canada In 2000 came to prominence in the United States with the post-grunge, country-influenced album The State Accomplished extraordinary record sales in an era of Internet downloading

Linkin Park Worked within the framework that is fundamentally rock-based Integrates other influences like hip-hop Their success reflects the diminishing relevance of genre boundaries Features two Asian American members, a reflection of rock’s changing demography

Creed Known for music directed at followers of American evangelical Protestantism Promoted themselves as a band that deals with Christian themes rather than as a “Christian rock” band Achieved success in 1999 with the album Human Clay and the hit single “Higher”

Radiohead Took an experimental approach to the sound and economics of rock Came to prominence in the United States with the album OK Computer Increasingly integrated sampling and other electronic music influences Allowed fans to set their own price for In Rainbows in 2007

Radiohead’s “Bodysnatchers” Eclecticism of Radiohead’s business strategy is reflected in their music Draws on nihilistic sensibility of hardcore punk and guitar-dominated textures of arena rock and heavy metal From the album In Rainbows, sometimes called Radiohead’s “gentlest album” Lyrics describe an alienated person incarcerated in his own body

Radiohead’s “Bodysnatchers” Scale used in the melody evokes the Beatles’ Indian-inflected song “Within You Without You” Connects the sensation of helplessness with the constant demand that musicians harness creativity for generating profit Ventriloquist’s dummy used as a metaphor for fears of artistic infertility

Arcade Fire Montreal-based band won the 2011 Grammy for best album of the year First alternative rock band to achieve that recognition Centered on married duo of Win Butler (Texas-raised guitarist/singer) and Régine Chassagne (vocalist/keyboardist of Haitian descent) All seven members play multiple instruments

Arcade Fire Influenced by arena rock, punk, synth-pop, Brazilian bossa nova, French Cajun music, French chanson, and classically tinged pop Funeral (2004) explored the value of community and family in the face of death Neon Bible (2007) was somber and spiritually questioning The Suburbs (2011) evoked recession-impoverished suburban sprawl

Early International Rock ’n’ Roll Johnny Hallyday, the “French Elvis,” was a huge star in France and its former colonies but never made a serious dent in the American market Some Mexicans protested Elvis’s films, while the Mexican music industry quickly recorded Spanish-language versions of rock ’n’ roll hits marketed as rocanrol Young people around the world made sense of rock ’n’ roll in their own culturally specific terms

Rock Around the World Significance of national boundaries is diminishing Rise of the Internet allows music to travel around the world instantaneously Transnational companies buy and consolidate record companies Governments are motivated to be consistent with copyright laws In Japan a stark ideological and stylistic distinction is drawn between slick, commercial J-Pop and alternative rock groups like Guitar Wolf exemplifying punk attitude

Panda (a.k.a. PXNDX) Mexican alternative band Accused of plagiarizing North American bands like Green Day and Smashing Pumpkins Former fans created an “Anti-Panda” movement and jeer the band

BLKJKS (Black Jacks) South African band Incorporates the influence of Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Jamacian Dub, and local urban genres like mbaqanga and maskanda Signed with an American indie label in 2007 African Roots reached Number 4 on Billboard’s Top World Albums chart

Yothu Yindi Among the first indigenous Australian groups to play and record rock music Combines traditional songs and instruments with rock instrumentation and harmonies Some songs are about traditional concerns, including music about spirit figures inhabiting Dreamtime Some songs deal with contemporary concerns like racism, alcoholism, crime, and the politics of land ownership

Yothu Yindi’s “Treaty” Combines traditional songs/texts with the style and sensibility of rock Composed in collaboration with white Australian band Midnight Oil Protests government’s failure to honor promises to indigenous Australians Incorporates the distinctive timbre of the dijeridu, a wooden trumpet and symbol of aboriginal identity Became an anthem for indigenous land rights activists and their allies

Rock and International Politics Relationship between rock and politics emerging the United States during the 1960s is manifested in many international contexts “Mexican Woodstock” held in Avándaro (1971) included young people exploring themes of personal freedom Led authorities to ban some musicians’ music from the Mexican airways for the next fifteen years

Rock and International Politics In East Germany, rock bands articulated popular opposition to the communist regime before the Berlin Wall fell Rockers played important roles in countries from Poland to Brazil Rock music plays an important role in the experience of immigrants balancing new circumstances and maintaining a connection with deep cultural roots

Rock in Indonesia Pioneering Indonesian rock band Koes Plus was jailed by then-President Sukarno for playing American-style music Indonesian General Suharto (Sukarno’s successor) initially allowed the rock scene to flourish in an effort to improve relations with the United States The Suharto regime’s attitude toward rock later soured

Rock in Indonesia 1993 riot over ticket prices at a Metallica concert in Jakarta represented a broader set of political issues under Suharto’s “New Order” government Indonesian government banned live concerts for three years On the Indonesian island of Bali (center of a tourist trade and known for  “timeless aesthetics”), young people express anger through a love of heavy metal music

Gogol Bordello Self-styled “transcultural rock band” based in New York City Led by Eugene Hütz, a Ukrainian-born musician who lived in many places in Europe before moving to the United States in 1993 Hütz’s experience as an “outsider” shaped the hybrid sound of Gogol Bordello’s music

Gogol Bordello’s “Immigrandia” Fuses aspects of punk rock, reggae, Slavic folk music, music of the nomadic Rom people, Arabic rai music, and Spanish flamenco guitar music Performs music performed on rock instruments and eastern European wedding band instruments Trans-Continental Hustle (2010) was produced by hip-hop pioneer Rick Rubin and driven by politically charged, high-energy tracks like “Immigraniada (We Comin’ Rougher)”

Hip-Hop in the Twenty-First Century As rock declined, hip-hop claimed much of its previous audience Embraced the rock star paradigm in which economic success is a key to freedom Some ignored the boundaries between hip-hop, rock, and pop as the economic and marketing pressures maintaining those boundaries broke down Examples include Outkast

Hip-Hop in the Twenty-First Century Some emphasized the character of the “hustler” Works hard to be successful in the underground economy Combines outlaw appeal and street credibility with materialism and work ethic Allowed rappers to merchandise and develop clothing lines, energy drinks, video games, and brands of liquor Leading proponents included Shawn “Jay Z” Carter, Marion “Suge” Knight, and Sean “P. Diddy” Combs

Jay-Z One of the leading figures in hip-hop Embodied the role of the “hustler” First album, Reasonable Doubt, painted a detailed picture of a Brooklyn drug dealer Followed traditionalist model of complex lyrics over sample-based beats Built his career on making deals as much as making records

Jay-Z Central theme of his music is the pursuit of wealth Business acumen seen as a mark of authenticity, not compromise Explores the relationship between the street and the boardroom Spawned his own successful clothing line in 1997 (Rocafella) Sees business interests as more than peripheral to his music career

Kanye West Began his career as a producer for Jay-Z’s Rocafella Records Emerged as an artist in his own right with the album College Dropout (2004) Embraced for the quality of his beats and introspective lyrics

Kanye West Established himself as a pop culture icon known for public outbursts and incidents Criticized then-President George W. Bush during a telethon for Hurricane Katrina victims Interrupted Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech for the best female video award at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards Fifth album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010), explores themes of fame, alienation, and self-doubt Influenced by the spirit and sound of rock (commitment to sex, drugs, and electric guitars)

Marshall “Eminem” Mathers Blurred line between rock and hip-hop Came to prominence with the 1999 album The Shady Slim LP First white rapper to enjoy substantial mainstream success and be accepted by the hip-hop community Known for his extraordinary rhythmic sensibility and use of the sound of words

Southern Hip-Hop Atlanta, Georgia, is becoming an increasingly important center for hip-hop music Southern rappers tend to be signed to artist-owned independent labels Artists often create performance and promotional infrastructures to support their local “scenes” like punk rock musicians did in the 1980s Make artists attractive to major labels

Southern Hip-Hop Often expand their stylistic approach beyond conventional margins of what had previously been considered hip-hop Increasingly reliant on live instrumentation instead of sampling Exemplified by the band Outkast

Outkast Duo of Andre “Andre 3000” Benjamin and Antwan “Big Boi” Patton Known for crossing boundaries First came to public attention in 1994 with the release of Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik

Outkast Combined social and political commentary with freewheeling funk-influenced sound Combined live instruments and samples Mixed rhyming and singing Won the Grammy for record of the year in 2004 with Speakerboxxx/The Love Below

Outkast’s “Hey Ya” Essentially an Andre 3000 solo record Recorded by a hip-hop artist but not a rap record Draws from mid-1960s rock and pop in instrumentation, chord structure, lyrics, and rhythmic feel Video directly references the 1960s Portrays Andre 3000 living in a genreless pop music heaven in which the Beatles, Motown, James Brown, and early-’80s hip-hop co-exist in an eternity beyond time

Outkast’s “Hey Ya” Appeared on six Billboard charts (Hot 100, R&B/Hip-Hop, Pop, Radio, Alternative, and Adult Pop) Based on an unusual six-measure line Contains a very catchy hook in the chorus References the hip-hop practice of using “metaphors” (“Shake it like a Polaroid picture”) for comedic effect