Architects Of Our Own Downfall?

I’ve never consciously followed trends, but I guess we all do from time to time. There’s sometimes a curiosity that needs to be fulfilled, so I might follow a path until either it turns in a direction I don’t want to go, or comes to a dead end. There is nothing wrong in re-setting your direction from time to time. It shows you can make decisions, and have a low fear of failing, although if you change direction too many times, then you are probably directionless and slightly unhinged!

I’m happy to accept being slightly unhinged, but I do like consistency. Unfortunately, we live in a world that now moves too quickly for humans to keep pace. There is too much information, too much misinformation, too much political and social manipulation, too many corporates marketing at us, and seemingly therefore too many decisions to make. An intellectual property lawyer friend of mine once said that ‘the legal profession can’t keep up with the pace of the Internet’, yet humans created the Internet. The real issue here is that we allowed the Internet to run unrestrained too fast and too early.

The world is no longer controlled by governments, but by the financial power of multinational companies. Governments and trade blocs spend inordinate amounts of time prosecuting legal cases against these giants (with taxpayers’ money), whose financial clout enables them to appeal, stall and delay, for decades if necessary. How many times have social media companies featured in news articles, where their CEOs have been sat obfuscating in front of a Select of Senate committee? There is no doubting where the power now lies.

This is relevant by the way! Wherever you take your business, you will generally find few alternatives available to you. The offer has become bland, whether in supermarkets, mainstream film and television, or commercial music. So unless you look outside the square and support independent businesses, shops, film and music, those alternatives will continue to dwindle and become much harder to find. In being manipulated by the corporates, we are allowing ourselves to being forced into what to buy, and actually what to do.

There has recently been a welcome upsurge of vocal opposition to the damage being caused to the ability of independent musicians to earn from their craft by the streaming platforms. I took my music off those platforms in 2017 when I realised how much musicians were being shafted, and have been vocal in my opposition ever since. I’ve said repeatedly that “we continue to feed the beast that’s starving us”, but there’s this innate belief in most of us that things will turn out alright in the end. Perhaps that was once valid, but I think now – if you haven’t yet seen what the runes have been saying – it really is time to wake up.

Corporates like Spotify, Amazon, Apple and their ilk exist only to make money out of you for their already super rich executives. These are not cuddly, pastoral entities. They are manipulative and greedy, and the more you support them, the more manipulative and greedy they will become. We’ve all been conned into thinking there are massive opportunities across the globe for everyone, like a global American dream. But it doesn’t exist in America and it doesn’t exist across the world. No, really!

So as we move towards the end of another year, and in genuinely wishing you happiness and good health for the new year to come, my message is that in 2024, you should do your bit to stop feeding the beasts, whether music or film streaming platforms, supermarkets or whatever. There are thousands of local businesses that would benefit from your patronage, and very often you won’t have to go far to find them – maybe only a short walk to the next block. The rub is that you will probably have to pay more, but you’ll almost certainly find better quality: stuff that tastes better, lasts for longer, and generally gives more satisfaction. It really is no different for music. Seek and you shall find.

Peace.

John