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Writer's pictureJay EuDaly

Future of Music: Interview with Ted Gioia

When I started blogging a few years ago, one of the things I wanted to stay away from was curating other people's material. I wanted my blog to be all-original. I've pretty much stuck to that.


It's not that I don't pay attention to other writers; I do. I'm concerned about efficient use of my time so I let others do the curating.


One of the guys I follow is Rick Beato. I've gone against my "original" policy a couple of times to share some things of his; add this one to the list.


It's an interview with a guy I'd never heard of; Ted Gioia. I have since subscribed to his newsletter. To try and describe all the dimensions and history of this guy is futile.


Although he has a background as a jazz pianist (among other things - lots of other things), he calls himself a, "musicologist." He is an extremely interesting and intelligent person. Just an example; he's currently releasing a book, one chapter at a time, called, MUSIC TO RAISE THE DEAD: The Secret Origins of Musicology.


Just the title makes me want to read it! So far there have been 3 or 4 chapters released and it's fascinating stuff.


Anyway, this interview from a few months ago, A Warning on the Future of Music, was my introduction to Ted Gioia. It is wide-ranging. Some random snapshots off the top of my head:


  • Creative people don’t want to work in a box.

  • Perfect song for Tic Tok is 16 seconds. Perfect pop song is 3 minutes. Time for music/rhythm to induce trance state/healing and synchronize brain waves; 10 minutes.

  • Musicians helped invent psychology around 1600

  • Corporate ownership of music causes dumbing down.

  • Putting music in physical form to sell is what makes money...for the artist.

  • Super vinyl.

  • African influence changed 1000 years of western musical tradition.

  • There's only one industry in which the user experience has gotten worse over time - the record industry.

He also draws on his experiences working in Silicon Valley as a futurist, predicting business trends. From this background, he talks about how streaming services like Netflix or Spotify are not operating from a sustainable business model.


Check it out:


 

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