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Introduction: Power and Responsibility: Politics, Identity and Technology in Music

Introduction: Power and Responsibility: Politics, Identity and Technology in Music INTRODUCTION Power and Responsibility: Politics, Identity and Technology in Music ho’s in charge here, anyway?” Was there ever a composer’s garret—a lonely room far above the shrill of public pressures? Probably not. Composers have traditionally been dependent on an intimidating network of publishers, performers and patrons. Painters and poets might have the option (economically challenging though it might be) of working for an audience of one, but composers—like architects—have had to rely upon others to realize their work. Until recently. To the chagrin of commercial recording studios and musicians’ unions, the home studio is now an affordable option for the anti-social composer. One can go from keyboard noodling to sellable CD with nothing more than a personal computer and a pizza delivery service. Add a web site and a nearby post office and you are in business. Both the financial self-interest of the composer and the preferences of the public lie in recordings rather than live concerts, so if one is willing to accept a limited set of ersatz instruments and virtual acoustic spaces, several irksome middlemen would seem to be out of work. But, as always, technological innovation comes bundled with contradictions. The answer to the hermit’s http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Leonardo Music Journal MIT Press

Introduction: Power and Responsibility: Politics, Identity and Technology in Music

Collins, Nicolas
Leonardo Music Journal , Volume December 1999 (9) – Dec 1, 1999
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Publisher
MIT Press
Copyright
© 1999 ISAST
ISSN
0961-1215
eISSN
1531-4812
DOI
10.1162/096112199750316712
Publisher site
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Abstract

INTRODUCTION Power and Responsibility: Politics, Identity and Technology in Music ho’s in charge here, anyway?” Was there ever a composer’s garret—a lonely room far above the shrill of public pressures? Probably not. Composers have traditionally been dependent on an intimidating network of publishers, performers and patrons. Painters and poets might have the option (economically challenging though it might be) of working for an audience of one, but composers—like architects—have had to rely upon others to realize their work. Until recently. To the chagrin of commercial recording studios and musicians’ unions, the home studio is now an affordable option for the anti-social composer. One can go from keyboard noodling to sellable CD with nothing more than a personal computer and a pizza delivery service. Add a web site and a nearby post office and you are in business. Both the financial self-interest of the composer and the preferences of the public lie in recordings rather than live concerts, so if one is willing to accept a limited set of ersatz instruments and virtual acoustic spaces, several irksome middlemen would seem to be out of work. But, as always, technological innovation comes bundled with contradictions. The answer to the hermit’s

Journal

Leonardo Music Journal – MIT Press

Published: Dec 1, 1999

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