Authentic Music - Essay
English 1-Section 10
Paper #1 Assignment
Authentic Music
Authenticity is broadly defined as what is genuine and real. People look for authenticity in aspects of life that are important to them, such as relationships, designer clothing, art, etc. Music is a form of art where authenticity is valued greatly. As video has killed the radio star over the past few decades, authenticity in music has become less appreciated and unimportant to many listeners where listeners choose popularity over originality. Similarly, artists are not concerned about themselves in the music they make, but only about what the majority of listeners are concerned with hearing. Today’s music audience seems to always be looking for the next Justin Timberlake, or Brittany Spears single with a catchy beat consisting about five words that are repeated through the songs entirety. I myself enjoy these songs, despite them being unoriginal and inauthentic. This emphasis on product over process cannot be considered authentic for the main reason that it is not genuine; such musicians do not necessarily believe in the words they produce, only the end product that yields the most profits. Authentic music is the opposite of this. It is written by the artists themselves, enabling he or she to connect with their listeners on the basis of being heard or related with. Truly authentic music is that which is not influenced by anything but the musician, and is created to express whatever the musician wishes, as does the artist Billy Joel. One reason that Billy Joel is such an authentic musician is because he is an authentic person. Carrie Brownstein says that musicians can be influenced by the expectations of the outside world, and due to this “artists can begin to lose sight of their own motivations.” (Brownstein). Many artists, as well as people, do get influenced by the outside world, which often causes them to lose their originality and motivations they once had that made them authentic.
Paper #1 Assignment
Authentic Music
Authenticity is broadly defined as what is genuine and real. People look for authenticity in aspects of life that are important to them, such as relationships, designer clothing, art, etc. Music is a form of art where authenticity is valued greatly. As video has killed the radio star over the past few decades, authenticity in music has become less appreciated and unimportant to many listeners where listeners choose popularity over originality. Similarly, artists are not concerned about themselves in the music they make, but only about what the majority of listeners are concerned with hearing. Today’s music audience seems to always be looking for the next Justin Timberlake, or Brittany Spears single with a catchy beat consisting about five words that are repeated through the songs entirety. I myself enjoy these songs, despite them being unoriginal and inauthentic. This emphasis on product over process cannot be considered authentic for the main reason that it is not genuine; such musicians do not necessarily believe in the words they produce, only the end product that yields the most profits. Authentic music is the opposite of this. It is written by the artists themselves, enabling he or she to connect with their listeners on the basis of being heard or related with. Truly authentic music is that which is not influenced by anything but the musician, and is created to express whatever the musician wishes, as does the artist Billy Joel. One reason that Billy Joel is such an authentic musician is because he is an authentic person. Carrie Brownstein says that musicians can be influenced by the expectations of the outside world, and due to this “artists can begin to lose sight of their own motivations.” (Brownstein). Many artists, as well as people, do get influenced by the outside world, which often causes them to lose their originality and motivations they once had that made them authentic.
Cited: "Billy Joel." Wikipedia. 24 Sept. 2008. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 24 Sept. 2008 . Brownstein, Carrie. "More Rock, Less Talk: Live Music Turns Off the Voices in Our Heads." The World is a Text. Ed. Jonathan Silverman and Dean Rader. 3rd ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc., 2009. 693-96. Newman, Mike. "Music Review: Billy Joel - The Stranger." Blogcritics Magazine 15 Sept. 2008. 23 Sept. 2008 .