Bjorn’s Blog: What makes an artist interesting? The reason I’m asking is because that we today have access to so much music and information, yet we still seem to care about only a few artists. On this blog Enya alone stands for about half the traffic. It is easy to see that fame is our primary guiding light when choosing content for our playlists.
Don’t get me wrong; There’s nothing wrong with fame. An artist is famous for a reason, and Enya’s case it is because of her music and talent (and a major label, 1990s distribution channel, some might say). But it’s more problematic when we choose music only out of fame because that’s the only artists we know. Then we will miss a world of great music, and, in the process, a sense of adventure.
But one thing is certain; unknown artists are not gossip-worthy. Enya, on the other hand, is. Is she married? Is she living in a castle? This we care about. Most other artists are just not interesting.
Popular Free Samples?
Why are we so eager for all kinds of free samples of new products – while very few will use 5 minutes to sample the music of an unknown band? Perhaps it is because, to quote Seinfeld, “Strangers have a bad reputation.”?
Is unknown music unknown for a reason? If he or she is truly great, will he or she become famous?
Is great music the way to stardom?
I have no answers here. Perhaps it is because it takes time and energy to get to know a new artist we simply don’t do it? Or perhaps we really don’t think that we need more artists in our lives? A large percentage of the population will be happy with a 100 track playlist. When they have picked their favourites they don’t need more music.
But how much music do we, the music fans, really need? 250 tracks – or Spotify’s 25 million?
Is unknown music unknown for a reason?
All I know is that I find all kinds of treasures when sampling new music. There’s so much beauty, so much talent.
I feel lucky to be a fan of many unknown artists. You rock!! (In a New Age-y way).
Above picture copyright Bigstockphoto.com – Thinglass