Weird thing about the platforms that we all consume music, TV, film etc on is that they reward regularity and familiarity sooo much... that a lot of the artists who get the most work are ones who are able to DELIVER, which is a skill in itself but it’s not the same as authorship.

Musicians/creatives etc are encouraged to be franchises. Somewhere along the way music went from “who’s got the most unique sound” to “who can give me something I can sell and feed the algo”. Delivering the product became more important than originality.

Of course this always existed to some extent. Labels had in-house producers or go-to remixers, any era had its signature video directors, movies do sequels etc. But the SCALE of data and reach is bigger than ever now so it’s way more in the forefront.

Artists are being treated like agencies. I think now this is also combined with a culture that glorifies OUTPUT (“I did a thing”... or: brands posting about their drops etc) over everything else. And there’s a “you can do this too” illusion that’s being sold.

You’ll see publications posting about “iconic” artists of the past... perfect example, today is Sade’s bday, right? So we’ll see a bunch of “Sade...iconic” posts. If Sade came out today, she’d be expected to put out an album every year.

Why do you think artists like Frank, Solange, D’Angelo are revered so much? (and rightfully so). It’s SO rare and requires SO much effort (and belief in oneself) to go against the grain and not recreate the same album every time.

When you combine that with labels’ creepy obsession with TikTok teens and getting a quick viral moment.... being an artist in these fast consumption times can be WEIRD. A big part of my convos with friends is just telling them to not lose hope.

But here’s the thing. As a DJ, finding truly original music is soooo rewarding now. I love it!!!! And it’s out there! And like, finding some cool Belgian tv show or Scandi Noir series rather than the thing on the front page of Netflix feels GREAT.

And also, in 2020 the success of Verzuz and D-Nice’s DJ sets showed us that there’s still a massive audience for classic music, legacy, and that it’s not just about this week’s viral thing (although I will happy consume all the sea shantys).

You know me, I’m just here to encourage you to DIG DEEPER... support the artists making cool original shit. And ask yourself more questions! If something from the past is “iconic”, what made it so? Why are today’s music videos so boring? Can we change that?

Does every artist need to do the same thing that worked for someone else? The answer is: of course not. And look, there’s always going to be someone doing bigger numbers than you, there’s always going to be some hype shit. But think about what you want people to remember you by.

I found it really reassuring to see the amount of outpouring love and support for MF DOOM. Here’s an artist who was truly radical, who broke all the rules, who had personality and humor... we study this shit!!!!
Ok I’m done, have a good weekend.

To follow this thread on fast content, there is something to be said about the way we treat nostalgia now. Daily throwback posts about “this album came out on this date” w/o context. Juxtapose this with filters on artwork to look like old record covers or old paper. Hazy feeling.