The power and control of music

Music is a powerfully evocative medium. From the time of Stone Age, percussive music (drums) emboldened hunters and warriors in preparation for their deadly work. Even today, folks wear iPods to help get them through a workout or psyched up or down for one reason or another. In my opinion music is also perhaps the most seductive medium because it can work its magic on you without your knowing it. Think about the effects of Muzak, or the radio playing in the background while you’re working or driving. Reading a book or watching a movie/video requires your full attention and its effect on you, for better or worse, is mostly in your control. With music however, you can consciously tune it out but still be affected by it playing in the background. Some music producers, distributors and broadcasters who think they understand the power of music, try to alter, stifle or profit from it, but for the most part I think their attempts to control this media for the people's or their own benefit is largely misdirected.

For most of us, 9/11 is both a date and memory that is indelibly etched into our minds. We all have different, but vivid recollections of what we were doing when we heard news of the twin towers being hit. I for one don’t associate any music to this memory. It was early in California and I was getting ready for the day and catching up on the morning news when I saw the planes impact. That image is my memory. Perhaps it’s a different story for those people on the eastern seaboard. They were already well into their morning and listening to, among other things, their favorite tunes. Maybe their memories are imprinted with the music that was playing before their regular programming was interrupted. Or perhaps it was when they heard the crash or saw the fireball of the planes exploding. I think that’s one of the powers of music: the ease in which we associate a tune to a feeling or event. Right after the attack, Clear Channel Communications issued a do not play list whose song titles included words like: bomb, crash and fire among others. While the broadcasters were well intentioned, they “clearly” missed the mark. Unless the tune was about planes crashing into towers or terrorists doing harm to Americans, it was the music at that moment that affected the person, not the name of a tune.

Distributors also get into the altering or stifling game. Wal-Mart is the US’ #2 music retailer. It also happens to be the US’ largest gun retailer. Perhaps that’s why they put pressure on Sheryl Crow to change the lyrics of a song of hers. She didn’t and they didn’t distribute her album, but thankfully Ms. Crow became successful and Wal-Mart remains the largest gun seller in the country. It seems you can’t stop a good thing regardless of whether its good or not.

Of course we realize that while music is powerful and seductive, it’s also a money maker. That’s why distributors will tinker with music when given the opportunity, but sometimes they don’t have to. For example, take Toby Keith’s “Courtesy of the Red White and Blue”. To some this song is patriotic. To others, it’s the most blatant example of pandering to the sophomoric emotions of the American consumer. Who cares; it made a ton of money thank you. On the other hand, the Dixie Chicks stabbed themselves in the pocket book with a heartfelt, but unpopular, protest of the current administration. Only now is their music (which is good) back to its pre protest popularity. The point is, the music that inspires the consumer often times is successful regardless of the intentions of its distributors or the controversy surrounding its artists. Furthermore, music touches our most basic emotions which may be amplified when associated with specific events or the subject matter of the song’s lyrics. So the next time you queue up Alanis Morissette’s "You Ought to Know" (Jagged Little Pill) or whatever favorite tune you use to amp you up for that thing you have to do, say a little thanks the artist and to the powers that be that didn’t bleep or otherwise ruin the music for all of us.