Music's next big thing? We may just need a war for it to break through…

For Your Listening Pleasure
The Beatles – Anthology 3

News to You
If you love or hate hip-hop, THIS is the game for you!

I was all set to use this section to talk about Eminem and how he's decided to not show up at the Oscars just as the 8 Mile DVD is set for release on March 18. But since video games are a big part of the NEW 411mania -- and I'm a loyal 411 columnist -- I figured I'd use this opportunity to talk about an interesting cross-promotion between EA Sports and Def Jam, while indirectly plugging 411 Games.

If you haven't caught on to what I'm talking about yet, here's the deal. EA Sports and Def Jam have teamed up, with the result being what I think is a piece of marketing genius: Def Jam Vendetta. Here's the story behind the game, from EA's Web site:

"It's been three years since D-Mob chased you out of the New York fight circuit and you swore you'd never go back. Now your pal Manny is in trouble and he needs you to bail him out. The plan is simple: get in, win a few fights, pay off his debt, get out. No problem. Well, it turns out that things aren't as easy as they appear. Once in the scene, your past comes back to haunt you. Soon you're over your head and your only chance to get your life back together is to settle a score that has gone too long unpaid."

Now, I'm not sure about all of the details, but part of "settling the score" seems to be a series of fights with Def Jam rap artists N.O.R.E, Capone, DMX, Funkmaster Flex, Ghostface Killah, Joe Budden, Keith Murray, Ludacris, Method Man, Redman, Scarface and WC. Cross-marketing between rap and video games isn't new by any means -- the latest games have had hip hop songs from new and old artists as background music for years -- but I can't see anything beating the opportunity that this creates to pummel your favorite rap stars. Even if you HATE hip hop, can you think of a better way to take out your aggression?

"M-E-T-H-O-D-WHACK!"

I came to bring the pain, indeed.

War! What is it Good For?
I was having a conversation with my friend about the state of the music industry -- yes, it was a very broad conversation -- and he not only declared that hip hop has peaked and died, but also said something to the effect of: "I don't know what's left for music to do -- it has been trying EVERYTHING since 1995, from gangsta rap to Latin rock to women rock to electronica to garage bands, and nothing seems to work."

Ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce you to the cynical, idealist music fan (CIMF). The CIMF has hope in his or her heart that the "Next Big Thing" is just around the corner -- that the music industry is cyclical, and it will continue to hold true that, every ten years or so, a new "revolution" will occur, shaking up the rock and roll landscape. It happened with grunge, it happened with punk… so of course it will happen again, soon… right? The cynical part of the CIMF, however, focuses on the fact that with every revolution there's an aftermath. Nirvana, after all, led to Silverchair, Bush, Better Than Ezra and Sponge.

The CIMF has seen the rise (and fall?) of late 1990s/early 2000s dance-pop and the "American Idol" craze, the "bling-bling-ification" of rap music (to the point where you rarely hear about some of the really hot, intelligent hip hop out there), and all of the over-hype surrounding the recent garage-rock resurgence. Just when he/she finds a ray of hope in new "singer/songwriter" Avril Lavigne, the CIMF then reads Jenny Eliscu's Rolling Stone cover story on her, and realizes she's merely Britney-with-a-skateboard, and some modern-day Leiber and Stoller called "The Matrix" has written most of her hit songs. Yes, the same "Matrix" that will be working with Britney herself on her new record.

Frankly, it's hard NOT to be cynical when all the "new" music that's getting any kind of radio or video exposure isn't new at all -- it's just a recreation of something that's already happened. Nirvana didn't sit in a room and say "let's mix the Pixies, Van Morrison the Beatles and the Melvins." Kurt Cobain had a great deal of passion, and his music -- influenced by all of the above -- served as an outlet for this passion.

Let's see if I can formulate this into a little theory…

First a musical artist needs a muse, some form of inspiration that creates some sort of strong feeling. The artist then needs to have the passion to express this feeling, and the talent to utilize the passion in order to express this feeling to others.

The final two pieces of the equation are (a) finding a channel through which to distribute the music, and (b) finding people (consumers) willing to listen to/pay for it.

Muse -- Feeling -- Passion -- Talent -- Channel -- Consumers

Unfortunately, most of what's on the radio or MTV these days maybe has met 3 of the above 6 criteria -- all of which, in my opinion, are needed for a performer to be a legitimate musical artist with any chance of being meaningful, influential and successful in the long-term.

So what are we waiting for? Where's the Next Big Thing?

Sure, one could argue that there are plenty of innovative artists out there, unheard due to the corporate nature of the major record labels, radio stations and Viacom. But I still think we're close to something major that will force the issue a bit, and bring these artists -- and ones that haven't hit their strides yet -- to the forefront.

I think that, in some sick way, we need a war for this to happen.

Let's face it. For all of our nation's faults, Americans have had it pretty damn easy, and we need a swift kick in the ass. We don't know hardship like our grandparents saw during the World Wars and Great Depression. We haven't had a Vietnam serving to split an entire generation (and create some of the best peace anthems in our history). Heck, we haven't even had a recession like the one we saw towards the end of the George H. W. Bush presidency.

If you think about it, Operation: Desert Storm and the early 90s recession just so happened to coincide with the last explosion of great rock and hip hop music into the mainstream… and our economy and foreign affairs are starting to look quite similar to the way things were a decade ago. The 9/11/01 terrorist attacks and the probable Second Gulf War, along with the sagging economy, may just be the muse the music industry's been waiting for.

So how will this all go down, you ask? Well, let's see… Muse? Check. Strong feelings? Check. Passion? Check. Talent? Check.

I'm sure that there are plenty of inspired, passionate, talented kids dying to express their feelings through music. And the consumers are there clamoring for something new AND good to latch on to (and if not, they will be with good marketing). The trick is Factor #5: the distribution channel. It may be taking a bit longer than we CIMFs would like, but I'm convinced that the Internet WILL indeed be this channel, and provide the means to shake up the entire music industry.

Up until now, there's been no reason for the Internet to be anything more than something for the kids to play with, 'cause they don't wanna buy stuff, have lots of free time, and let's face it -- they're way more technologically advanced than the generations of music fans that came before them.

Yes, with five major record labels (Sony, Universal, EMI, Warner Brothers, and BMG) determining what music gets made, and two companies (Clear Channel and Infinity) controlling the mainstream airwaves, it's easy to lose hope that anything will ever change. But the Big Five continue to take steps (albeit baby-steps) towards the realization that the Internet is the future of the industry, and Internet and satellite radio alternatives are growing. All the industry needs is a trigger, a strong enough force to take things to the next level.

The muse is on the horizon, whether it's war, another terrorist attack or the economy getting even worse. Once the feelings and the passion are strong enough, the Internet will indeed have the push to naturally become the necessary distribution channel for the Next Big Thing in music.

Or at least it seems that way to me. Stay tuned…

One Final Note
There was a great piece in the New York Times recently about Iraqi singer Kazem al-Sahir and his plans to tour America. Definitely give it a look -- it's nice to read about Iraq in a positive light every now and then. Funny how music can let you do that…

peace. love. moe.
- Matt
Till My Head Falls Off can be found weekly on 411 Music (old columns are archived in the pull-down menu below). Already hit everything on 411? You can find more from Matt Biscuiti at moodspins.