Another significant aspect of music festivals in the "Age of Information" is their ability to bring people together.
As Robin Seamer, creator of the "Breaking More Waves" blog puts it, "Society is becoming more insular, with many sitting at home, wired into their PC's, developing a new way of socializing through Facebook, Myspace and Bebo. Modern society is losing the ability or opportunity to truly experience something with a deeper emotional or social connection. Live music still offers this opportunity, and festivals are a natural extension of this opportunity." As our civilization becomes ever-increasingly introverted on the individual level, the importance of social events that bring large amounts of people together in a peaceful manner is growingly important. Without the sense of community that comes along with the shared experiences that things like music festivals offer people, individuals will undoubtedly become even more isolated and narrow in their beliefs, with a restricted outlook on life and society.Music festivals aren't only good for the artists performing and the people attending, however, they're also good for the surrounding community. Although, admittedly, many locals may not be particularly pleased when tens of thousands of people descend upon them for whatever the event may be, none can deny the boost it gives the local economy; especially in rural communities where many of these festivals take place. In addition to generating money for neighboring businesses, many festivals also donate a percentage of their earnings to worthy causes as well. As reported on the "Buzz Radio" blog, the upcoming event, "The Detour Festival," which will take place on October 4th in downtown Los Angeles, will give, "A portion of (the) proceeds from the $40.50 ticket price will benefit the non-profit organization Tree People, which works to find sustainable solutions to urban ecosystem problems."
As we all know, the music industry is changing rapidly before our eyes
due to digital music downloading capabilities and products such as the IPod. As this mutation is occurring, music festivals are just as quickly becoming havens for music lovers. If things continue going the way they are now, then the record labels will continue to lose money, meaning less artists can be signed, meaning that less bands will receive wide distribution and radio play. If this happens then music festivals will become even more important as they will be one of the final places to go and experience a multitude of musical options without becoming lost in a virtual sea of talentless acts who post themselves on the web. Meanwhile, however, if these festivals become a more prominent feature in our culture we must be sure and keep them from becoming too corporatized, as it says in the "Blog for Music, Singers, Songs and More," "...overcrowded or commercial festivals tend to put people off, and give music festivals a bad name in the process."All of the things I have written about music festivals are true: they do give people a break from technology, they do bring us together to celebrate something cultural as a society, and they do support local economies as well as giving to good causes. So, one may be wondering why the topic of the first post ever in this blog seems to be nothing short of an appeal to the reader over the legitimacy of the theme: music festivals. Well, in truth, that is exactly what it is. If one were to use the term "vacation," it may not seem like a matter of much importance. In reality, however, taking some time off from the hustle and bustle of contemporary, western society can be very significant. It allows for one's "batteries to charge," for their head to clear, and for their mind to focus. At first glance, the seemingly dispensable music festival may appear unworthy of a blog's attention. Those of us who retain joyful memories of our experiences at them know differently, however. We know the feeling of freedom and the sense of inspiration that can strike you and change you upon attendance, and we wish for you to experience that with us.
2 comments:
Great first blog and some good points, and thanks for the quote !
Your point about music festivals being taken over by corporate culture is a very valid one. However in my view the reality is that music festivals can be very expensive events to put on and large corporations sponsorship can help make events run at a price people can afford. But at what price ? I would suggest that as soon as the large companies have stamped their identity on a music festival, the festival is in danger of losing its soul, its identity and character. Yet in the UK this year where a significant number of summer festivals have been cancelled, all of the ones carrying heavy sponsorship have not been affected by such cancellations. This is why Rob Da Bank (organiser of Bestival and Camp Bestival) has joined up with other independent festival organisers to launch the association of independent festivals. To help these festivals find ways of surviving and maintaining their identity.
Congratulations on your first post and already opening up a dialogue with like-minded bloggers. Your opening statement about the ironies of writing about large social events from a digital ivory tower is attention-grabbing and, like this entire post, establishes an intriguing intellectual environment that encourages return visits to your blog. Furthermore, I praise the structure of your second paragraph in which you provide journalistic support as a method of framing your sociological opinion that as social introversion increases, "the importance of social events that bring large amounts of people together in a peaceful manner is growingly important."
I would be remiss if I did not point out some areas where the style of your writing could be refined--for starters, the word "growingly" is tagged as a misspelled word by the spell-checking application. There are a couple other instances where the phrasing is somewhat awkward, as in the last sentence of your second paragraph or near the end of the fourth paragraph where we are asked to "be sure and keep them [music festivals] from becoming too corporatized." The corrective is rather easy: be mindful of parallel structure in your sentences and avoid vague verbs that suggest inaction rather than active engagement with the topic. Also, make sure you provide a link to each source; the quote you pull for your fifth paragraph floats past the reader's radar without a citation.
I would like to emphasize that you have created a clear, concise, and appealing mission statement with your first post--something that is not easy to do. I encourage you maintain this tone (though it is fine to remove attention-drawing quotation marks from some colloquial phrases like "batteries to charge") and the multifaceted nature of your arguments, which are introduced, expanded, and summarized in textbook fashion.
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