Who Needs Labels
- Joi :)
- Jul 27, 2017
- 7 min read
Throughout music history, there has been an endless supply of labels put in place to define different types of music.
WARNING: Any attempts to define music (or any art) should be done so with care, as it can be very constricting and stunt the artist’s inspiration or creativity, as well as the audience’s enjoyment. Definitions and rules should be taken lightly on both ends of the music industry.
For most people, music categorization often means stuffing an album into a tiny box with a genre hanging over its head. These genres are based on a number of things, from instruments, to popularity, time period, number of musicians, overall vibe, and just about everything you can think of or regurgitate after being brainwashed to believe everything needs a prescription. The following terms I would like to focus on here are much less about emphasizing categorical arrangements and more about analyzing and understanding how to protect genuine music and musicians from self-destruction. These two terms that I came up with shed light on some dark truths about how music transitions from underground/offstream, to popular/mainstream.
Under The Table Music (UTM) & Over The Counter Music (OTCM) :
‘Under The Table Music’ is just what it sounds like: lowkey, secretive, sort of shady, and that’s where its comfort zone resides. It’s underground for a reason- because not many people know about it, and usually this music is also quite strange or presents a new sound that the mainstream may not yet appreciate or be ready for. Hey, sheer originality and spontaneity is not for everyone, but if it’s for you, then you’ll know! Those who love this kind of strange music (strange for whatever reason- sound quality, instruments, lyrics, etc.) will feel slightly confused by their first encounter, but even more so, they’ll be intrigued... Then they start to crave more and more of this nameless stuff, so much that they feel compelled to write some of their own nameless stuff, attempting to replicate the irreplaceable feeling, regardless of how shitty their own attempts sound. But eventually this peculiar style of music will do one of two things: become outgrown and forgotten, with tracks having been overplayed in the obscure venues of garages and basements, OR this music will take a sudden turn for what seems glamorous at first glance: the top of the charts. Once this happens, there’s no going back...
The artist now enters the next phase of ‘Over The Counter Music.’ What looks like a royal feast of contagious energy for a growing audience, could very well turn into a load of empty disappointment force-fed down an artist’s throat. It is exactly what it sounds like: society’s way of positioning all musicians onto gold-painted shelves with cookie-cutter prescriptions for whatever career move they’re supposed to make next. And what’s worse is that we often support this system without awareness. We’ve made society what it is today. (If just reading this makes you nervous, then maybe you already know where I’m heading)... It’s amazing what only a few months of radio play or rave reviews can do to an artist, especially those artists who embody a raging pioneering spirit. I believe a major role of the artist is to pioneer into the world of the unknown and the unsung, but only some artists ever truly enter the hidden world of courageous dreams and reach a level of songwriting that transcends all that has ever existed before. UTM does exactly that. But if it somehow enters the mainstream at a certain time, it not only transforms into a household name overnight, but it explodes into the media and paparazzi, thus becoming OTCM. It’s like an electric media shock- and now the media wants to get even!!
A few examples of these rising action moments in music history: The Beatles’ “British Invasion” into America in 1964, the formation of The Jimi Hendrix Experience in 1966, Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” music video release in 1991, Daft Punk’s Coachella performance in 2006, Green Day’s “American Idiot” in 2004, The Clash, Elvis Presley, Lady Gaga, Michael Jackson, Lana Del Rey, Christina Aguilera, and countless others. These artists have had many ‘ghost fans’ who hardly knew any songs or even the artist’s first names but still considered themselves true fans. This irritating ‘ghost fan’ phenomenon can happen in literally less than a month, and it only confuses and distorts the artist’s vision of how their music is actually influencing people. Many absent-minded listeners are gained. Many trigger-happy critics are gained. While in the meantime, the genuine listeners who appreciate the music are becoming harder and harder to see.
And then what? What’s left to do with your career once you’ve gone from ground zero to this so-called ‘cloud nine’ in such a short time frame? Should you feel guilty for feeling misunderstood, for not being grateful for this artificial ‘cloud nine’? Is that all that you are- wasted effort and worn-off hype? Not to mention the dread of becoming a ‘one-hit-wonder.’ Sometimes the artist simply can’t shake off the gut-wrenching feeling of being idolized and criticized by strangers, regardless of how much we listeners think we know them through their music. It’s like some sick romantic torment.
Whiplash-inducing exposure to the public might seem like a good situation to be in initially, but, as many artists can attest to, it can be devastating. Major loss of privacy, pressure to uphold one’s presumed persona, reporters bombarding you with questions and often silly interviews, fans forming unhealthy obsessions over you instead of appreciating your music for what it truly is - all of this can create insurmountable frustration and stress in an artist’s career that quickly spreads into family and marriage, financial stability, physical, mental, and emotional health. It may even diminish one’s sense of inner peace, self-acceptance, and life purpose. Artists who learn to counteract this chaos with their own level-headedness and personal support team will move onward from this terrible time period and continue to chase whatever dream is next (sometimes this even means leaving music and taking up new pursuits).
However, artists who maybe didn’t have such a high self-esteem to begin with will most likely put on a fake smile during live performances, while behind the scenes they gradually lose more and more control over their life, until they’ve lost so much hope that they voluntarily spiral downward into their own oblivion (whether it be depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety, drug overdose, any type of suicide, unannounced disappearance from the music industry and then going into hermit-hiding, etc.). While some artists will desperately wish that their underground music never became popular, others will learn to make the most of it by plugging their gratitude into newfound outlets of what life has to offer. The switch from UTM to OTCM is definitely something to be aware of for emerging artists. It’s important to catch this situation early on, so that you’re not surprised or overwhelmed by the sudden rush of the media’s involvement that might seem to plague your everyday life.
I know I might be talking about this as if it’s some kind of medical disorder, but in all honestly, it is a disorder - an industrial and societal disorder within the music business, a toxic imbalance that needs correction. It’s a hazardous phenomenon that I’ve noticed throughout history. Certainly it can have detrimental effects on those involved, and from historical examples I’ve seen, a musician’s death is the worst case scenario. Best case scenario? The artist learns how to clear their mind and soul of all the shit the media will throw at them, thus saving their body and heart the turmoil. And the fans play a huge role in helping the artist do this! The listeners make a difference, whether they realize it or not.
All that said, I still take a neutral stance on underground music that gains a rapid following overnight- because it in of itself is actually quite a beautiful thing! It’s good that new music can be so openly received by the world- but how do we make this feeling last? How do we make it meaningful while still letting the artist breathe? The answer isn’t always the same but the questions must be asked before any solution is found. Bringing society to a higher level of awareness takes time, and that’s okay. What’s bad is when people carelessly try to define and explain music without recognizing that music is an indescribable universal expression.
Bottomline?? If you truly like the music, then show the artist respect by fulfilling their request and not smothering them with the media’s close-mindedness and hate. Think first for yourself and make your own meaning out of a song before you go looking to be persuaded be others. If you honestly dislike the music, you’re certainly entitled to your opinion and you should feel free to complain (haha). But don’t dwell on it. And definitely don’t hate on those who do like it. Just get it off your chest, then let it be and go find something you do love instead. Just imagine how much pain we would save ourselves from if this philosophy were more frequently put to good use! After all, music needs to be protected, and its mysterious multiple-meanings should be embraced and accepted. Life is a mess, there are no “gold-painted shelves” or “cookie-cutter prescriptions” when it comes down to it. The cultural effect of all music is often unfathomable and timeless, and it can help expand global awareness among humanity in unforeseen ways.
:) Keep this in mind: Although it does matter whether or not the public is ready for the underground music, sometimes it matters even more so whether or not the underground artist is ready for the public to lend an ear (or more often, two).
Art. Takes. Time.
If you rush it, you could crush it <3
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