Loved your latest on Bandcamp and Madonna. Going bandless? I'm not surprised. But it makes me think of the great Philly bassist Victor Bailey who toured with her in the 90s on her Girlie tour. The downfall of Bandcamp (and I'm not holding out hope the new owner will be beneficial) has squashed any idea of doing a new jazz project. Can't give away CDs, LPs are too expensive, now streaming is coopted. Sigh.
Yes Tom. It's a different world out there. Most people don't care that there are backing tracks, or even no band at all. They are there for the spectacle and don't mind that Pink could not possibly be singing like that while spinning in the air. Everything is bite-sized. Artists are shortening tracks to make them more playlist friendly. BT cut edits of all the tracks on his The Secret Language of Trees so they might make playlists on Spotify. And it's all transitory. There is no sitting down between the speakers with the gatefold cover open on your lap reading liners or lyrics or sucking up imagery. It's here in the background noise. And album reviews? No one cares except publicists.
Loved your latest on Bandcamp and Madonna. Going bandless? I'm not surprised. But it makes me think of the great Philly bassist Victor Bailey who toured with her in the 90s on her Girlie tour. The downfall of Bandcamp (and I'm not holding out hope the new owner will be beneficial) has squashed any idea of doing a new jazz project. Can't give away CDs, LPs are too expensive, now streaming is coopted. Sigh.
Yes Tom. It's a different world out there. Most people don't care that there are backing tracks, or even no band at all. They are there for the spectacle and don't mind that Pink could not possibly be singing like that while spinning in the air. Everything is bite-sized. Artists are shortening tracks to make them more playlist friendly. BT cut edits of all the tracks on his The Secret Language of Trees so they might make playlists on Spotify. And it's all transitory. There is no sitting down between the speakers with the gatefold cover open on your lap reading liners or lyrics or sucking up imagery. It's here in the background noise. And album reviews? No one cares except publicists.