Licensing Songs

Licensing Songs

The arguments rests upon music is for personal truth or purpose not for commercial. As the other end of the wing argues we relate to the music with our true sols and memories, we don’t want our music being used to sell products. Musicians need to keep their pride and integrity ahead of desperation for money. On the other hand others say if music is entrepreneurial work it should serve the business. As musicians are business persons they can use their creativity to expand their wealth. In the controversy between the two extremes I found myself to lean towards the idea musicians can use their talent to sell any product. Why? In today’s free market economy we see so many products on the market on the same type of an item. If we want to buy the item we can check the price, the quality, reviews anything else that could help to convince. In the free market we see honesty and it’s opposite too. Who do we trust to assure the stated quality? No one except our own intuition and investigation. Thus from all these hassle who will save us, a person we trust who is credible in his/her works, therefore we trust their endorsements. When Oprah Winfrey acknowledges a book..Then it controls the market, when Marta Stewart talks about a pan it is believed a special. Sometimes this helps, not always it may not work well, even though we see their tags on the products, it may be the worst of all.  

On the other aspect we can’t separate music from commercials. As if they have the same derivation they both express our sexuality. As music expresses love, sexuality, attraction so do commercials. The commercials what we see or hear use our sexual being to sell their product. Whatever you see on TV starting from toothpaste, deodorant, or Carl’s Junior’s burger all themed our sexuality where we tend to be attracted to this. So there is a common ground for music and commercials which we can’t separate. Having supported a commercial with a back tone of music.. that is all done, it controls our interest.  Therefore whether we accept it or not music and commercials goes hand in hand.

The Historical Roots of Jazz

The Historical Roots of Jazz

It was written that Jazz music had begun in Congo Park in New Orleans currently known as Louis Armstrong Park in ninetieth century. A group of African- Americans collectively started drumming, and playing string instruments mixture that reflected original substance from African heritage, which was like a pervasive ritual ceremonies of Africa. However, the music by these groups lasted little long. As Gioia wrote “The Congo Square dances were hardly so long-lived. Traditional accounts indicate that they continued, except for an interruption during the Civil War, until around 1885. Such a chronology implies that their disappearance almost coincided with the emergence of the first jazz bands in New Orleans.” During the first era Jazz music it was a collective memory and oral history of the city's black community. Buddy Bolden was the first to be acknowledged as a Jazz musician. He had revitalized the traditional music mostly alike with African origin to modernity of Jazz. As Gioia noted “the Americanization of African music had already begun, and with it came the Africanization of American music”.

During that time many Jazz musicians were emerged and produced the music through blending the cultural elements that previously existed in the genre with the modern style. Even if the African-European music were mixed prior to the era of the Congo park musicians, the true birth of modern Jazz was recognized with the blend of African, European and Latin American culture. However there is still a controversial point on the single origination of Jazz music as the heritage from the African music “The popularly accepted theory that Jazz stemmed from a simple combination of African rhythms and European harmony is in need of a little revision. Both African and European rhythms were employed. African music supplied the strong underlying beat (absent in most European music), the use of polyrhythms, and the idea of playing the melody separate from or above the beat. European music provided formal dance rhythms” ( Weinstock). The integration of multi-culture in Jazz music had produce a blend of diversity, as  Gioia stated “which evolved out of European dance forms like the French quadrille, the waltz, the mazurka and the polka. Including the Spanish rhythms in early Jazz, an effect he calls the "Spanish Tinge". As Weinstock argues “The multiplicity of ethnic, cultural and musical conditions needed to spawn Jazz was thus unique to the United States and specifically to New Orleans”. Since from New Orleans Jazz went on to be recognized as  America's Classical Music growing in its performance and acceptance. As Weinstock wrote “jazz gracefully making the long trip from Funky Butt Hall to Carnegie”. The music gained recognition to be presented in the Lincoln Center of the Performing Arts, the Smithsonian Institution, Congress, most Universities and music conservatories, for surly to world wide acceptance (Weinstock)

Works Cited

Gioia , Ted. "The History of Jazz ." Prehistory of Jazz (1997): n. pag. Web. 20 Apr 2011.

     <http://www.washingtonpost.com/

      wp-srv/style/longterm/books/chap1/historyofjazz.htm#TOP>.

Weinstock , Len. "The Origins of Jazz ." Jazz is Timeless Records n. pag. Web. 20 Apr 2011.

      <http://www.redhotjazz.com/originsarticle.html>.

Lyrics Talk Reality?

Eminem lyrics talk about hate, anger, distress, love, killing and so much more, but that does really shows our reality? I hardly accept this. Of course lyrics can transcend boundaries, barriers, ideologies, social statuesque and many more. It can convince rivals to unite, it can disturb homogeneity, it conveys an intention, and it can depict anger, frustration, unjust. It is always difficult to say lyrics we hear represent our reality. In a single music we can find stack of lyrics with lots of contradictions, the artist’s opinion or belief, his/her own experience which may be exceptional. A musician who portrays his ex-wife as a rival for death, by no means accepted in any social standard. We must not forget that some artistes intentions for capitalizing financial ceiling by being exceptional with odd styles and lyric connotations. To be accepted with the set apart groups, age categories, ideologies they transmit messages that knock down the group mind setups. Of course this may not be their reality. On the flip side of coin lyrics can easily bypass wronging for better. It can unite uncompromised views and ideologies. We have seen music can bring social change for better, for creating awareness, for mobilizing society. The art has both ears and eyes. The imagination, the memory it creates can be dear to our heart. Sometimes a single line is vocal in telling our reality. It creates imagination for reaching every beat of heart. In between the two extremis, music lyrics can be fun, that doesn’t have any value than relaxation, in some music we can find pile of lyrics that doesn’t have sensual meaning than just bunch of words scrambled in a crowd. But we just enjoy the beat, the wording as nothing but entertainment. In short lyrics can do good or bad, can manipulate or sell an opinion, can be cliché nothing worth than fun.  

Music Across the Border

Music transcends social, cultural and political boundaries. I have seen this in my country. Bahir Dar is a small town, located 400 kilometers from Addis Ababa (the capital city of Ethiopia). Bahir Dar is a town surrounded by Lake Tana and rich with astonishing history of civilization and the flourishing of Christianity in 330 AD. The town is also rich with archeological remaining and uniqueness of its culture. Many tourists are in love of the richness this place provides. The central part of the town during the night bestows a safe haven for those who are hungry of its music. Cluster of little houses across the streets pour their melodies from their doors and windows. Who can resist running-off from this? These houses are shelters for anyone who is in love of their music, anyone. For nationals, for foreigners they grant their astonishing melodies. The dancers wear the traditional cloths that are white and colorful at their tip. The drums and the vocals are food for soul. Of course the dancing style is energetic and needs basic training. Who cares, anyone in the room can try and have fun.

On one occasion I was in one of those houses with my friends; a foreigner who even doesn’t understand the language, the words, and the difficult dancing style was in the middle having a great time with the musicians. It was then I realized that music doesn’t have boundaries. Nowadays it is really common to find at least two or three foreigners in those houses; I guess the music has a feeling of belongingness. The foreigners also accustomed of eating the traditional foods and drinks that are not easily adaptable for anyone who is an outsider.  

While I am within the milieu of Ethiopia, on April 1993 part of an Ethiopian province Eritrea had a referendum held for independence. Later in 1998 a border dispute between Ethiopia and Eritrea aroused. It was during this time that there was massive displacement of people from both countries. Those Eritreans who lived for a long time in Ethiopia were transported and moved to Eritrea, and the same was done on Ethiopians who had lived in Eritrea. The people in the two countries however, were tide-up with culture, blood, and marriage. Those who were displaced, their soul start searching for their belongingness. Only music has the guts to transcend those hostile situations between the two countries. Music that is released in those countries surges and reaches those souls. Musicians are the only ones who have the courage and valor to sing about the love that bonded the two nations. I heard that no one is allowed to hear any Amharic music (Ethiopian Language) in Eritrea, but for the people who endures the love of Ethiopia and her music, this is a tale of the full. It reminds them the wonderful memories they had with their brothers. It shows their resiliency and emotional attachment for the country they are attached with. I hope as music crossed those hostile boundaries, we all one day will cross the delineations sketched by our dictators. One day this will be history and we will unite as one nation as we were.