A Prologue to some musical Trilogies.
Search engines give us a skewed perspective on humanity. A search of “Vienna History 1827” will float Beethoven’s death and funeral to the top. It seems that artists have managed to cast a longer shadow over history than the powerful. Yet, in the present, the lust for wealth, power and …lust, always outstrips any preoccupation with the arts.
How is Daniel Ek more deserving of great wealth than the artists on his roster? Many have become justifiably embittered by their lack of acknowledgement and reward. It’s almost expected that when music makes it as art that it will be passed over. There will always be exceptions, whether that is a Kenderick Lamar or a Beatles — titans capable of straddling the void between art and commercialism.
Today, we have more music than we can ever listen to. The distinction between art and commercial product has been obscured beneath the sans serif font of the playlist, where each track is just another digital artifact at the user’s disposal. Yet, like Beethoven, the music will continue to exist long after the streaming services have fallen by the wayside. At least, that’s what my record player tells me.
