How Music Dies (or Lives)

Field Recording and the Battle for Democracy in the Arts

Ian Brennan

• Publisher: Allworth
• Year: 2016
• Print ISBN:
  9781621534877
• eBook ISBN:
  9781621534976
• Topic: Media & Performing Arts
• Subtopic: North American History

All recordings document life, arising from a specific time and place, and if that place is artificial, the results will be as well. Culled from a lifetime of learning through failure and designed to provoke thought and inspiration for artists in every medium, How Music Dies (or Lives) is a virtual how-to manual for those on a quest for authenticity in an age of airbrushed and Auto-Tuned so-called "artists." Author and Grammy-winning producer Ian Brennan chronicles his own journeys to find new and ancient sounds, textured voices, and nonmalleable songs, and he presents readers with an intricate look at our technological society. His concise prose covers topics such as: •The damages of colonization in generalizing distinctive variations
•The need for imperfection
•The gaps between manufacturing and invention
•The saturation of music in everyday lifeThis guide serves those who ask themselves, "What's wrong with our culture?" Along with possible answers are lessons in using the microphone as a telescope, hearing the earth as an echo, and appreciating the value of democratizing voices.Allworth Press, an imprint of Skyhorse Publishing, publishes a broad range of books on the visual and performing arts, with emphasis on the business of art. Our titles cover subjects such as graphic design, theater, branding, fine art, photography, interior design, writing, acting, film, how to start careers, business and legal forms, business practices, and more. While we don't aspire to publish a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are deeply committed to quality books that help creative professionals succeed and thrive. We often publish in areas overlooked by other publishers and welcome the author whose expertise can help our audience of readers.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Table of Contents
• Acknowledgments
• Foreword
• Preface: Proximity Bias and the Irrationality of Fear
• Introduction: Learning Through Failure
• Section I: The Value of Democratizing Voices
• Section II: A Call for a Return to Naturalism: The Need for Randomness
• Section III: How To Get “There”: Some Possible Roads Home
• Section IV: Products of Our Environment
• Section V: Backin’ Up for Some Backstory
• Section VI: Beware the Traps
• Section VII: Welcoming Magic: Heeding Wanderlust’s Call
• Section VIII: How Not to Memorialize Music
• Section IX: Enlisting Limitations as Expressive Partners
• Section X: Racing Racism
• Section XI: The Battle for Democracy in the Arts
• Section XII: How Music Dies: $$ and Its Wake
• Section XIII: Odds and Endings: They Couldn’t Keep Doing It Without All of the “Little People”
• Conclusion: The Earth Is an Echo
• Epilogue: Open Ears, Open Mind
• Overview
• About the Author
• Index