Blue bass Ed from Cali, hello.
Juniper-Hendrix fan.
but some people when asked to wear a condom sing,,frank's song PLASTIC PEOPLE,,, o baby now you're such a drag,,,,was frank embalmed to become the ultimate plastic person?
The labels realised long ago that instead of finding a bunch of talented musicians and promoting them and investing in them and helping them nurture their talent, they could use their financial influence and command of PR to convince us to buy any old corporate horseshit. Worst of all; the music press goes along for the ride, dutifully dressing up all manner of corporate bilge with silly superlatives (like 'iconic', 'provocative' and 'role model') in exchange for the latest juicy "exclusive".
The music business - similar to the Health Care Industry - is all about one primary thing now...money
@fordachevy music promoter=/= executive
Have your own music or band that's unique and want some feedback or more connections let me hear it!!!!
Don't get any of this *beep* on ya!
Now, potential musicians know that they won't get paid (noone wants to pay for an album) unless they conform to a formula... and this applies to touring too, in a way now. Formulae work. so they think, screw it, I'll be a finance guy or work in IT... unless they are willing to make formulaic garbage like "Gurl I wanna squeeze ya, ooh etc" with similarly terrible formulaic music made by a computer on a digital deck. Unless ISPs have legal power to off the net of a thief, this'll stay.
@fordachevy You were a music director for a LOCAL radio station. He`s talking about the ones running the big record labels. the ones who decide wich videos are gonna be aired on MTV. But you also got to remember that this was in the eighties. Now we have alternative record labels. and internet + home rcording.. things are getting better:) But making it BIG today- beeing aired on MTV etc. is close to impossible if you do something very experimental and out of the ordinary.
Even thought you can't generalize about people I know what he's saying about the old school guys as opposed to the new, younger, "smarter", "hipper", school producers. Old school would give you a chance to fail. New School think that somehow they know what will sell and what people will like. Truth is no one knows that and never did.
Hahahahaha. What's up with the stupid censoring? White stuff? masturbation? Did uncle Frank do this himself as a joke to show the stupidity of censoring, or did some moron in some office actually do this for a serious purpose?
@fordachevy you haven't been listening. he hasn't said a thing about promoters. he is talking about the people who put up the money for musicians to even have a voice in the first place. you don't get a say till you know what you're talking about.
@Iodoify Frank always remained a proponent of free thinking & originality. That is why he resonates with you so much. Also, he was very direct. He liked to cut the crap & get straight to the point. More young people should be like you & listen to what he said.
@fordachevy I understand what he is saying,You play Zappa all the time,but it is not cutting edge.Its what YOU think is cutting edge.He is saying its better to have somebody that doesnt have any idea about music at all and they take a chance on EVERYTHING,not just what one person thinks is cutting edge. He is saying that if you get one guy that thinks he knows everything about what is cutting edge then you will never have cutting edge.
Frank speaks a lot of truth about this. I'm a huge Garage Rock fan and the reason all this Garage Rock was put out on record was the older execs had no idea what is was about or anything but they knew it was hot and said "Here's the studio boys, have at it!" And what that also does is it keeps the artists music the way they wanted to hear it, no tinkering by "Younger" studio execs who think they know better but actually don't.
He was frustrated with the "hip" guys controlling what music people listen to. I think if he was here today, though, he would reverse it. Today music is made to sell. Get a personality, make some simple catchy music, play the fuck out of it on mainstream radio so people recognize it—and you have a hit.
do you have the version with subtitle?
@fordachevy he hates them, but he realizes that the current attitude of the music industry is worse the the old one
I can't believe they had to censor the word masturbate
I think he is right. What he is saying is that the cigar munching guys released 'whatever'.. without an opinion... nowadays... the young guys choose what should or should not be released..hence perpetuating used up ideas and trends cos they know they sell. It's simple economics really. Bands do the same (they are called sellouts). I think John Peel was similar to the cigars-but he did have a clue but played everything anyway! Not swayed by what's in vogue. All you trendies..think on.
Wow, i'd never even heard of Frank Zappa till today when i watched his opinions on schools, i'm only 19 but i've never found a person whose political and philosophical opinions resonate with me so much
@fordachevy
There are exceptions to every rule, but I think he's talking about the major labels.
todays musicianship is at its best good talent out there. memorable music? well that another issue. not too much music out there that grabs you at least to remember or sing along. thats just me though.
@srvgtr Nah. Like I said, it's not that anyone's "getting old", it's that people are too lazy to find good music. I'm 14 and love Zeppelin.
@razorath92 Yeah, music went down hill in the year 1997 for me. The last good year of music for me was 1996. That year and any year before that was when music was good.
That wasn't his attitude in the 60s! In an article in Life magazine, he said: "I remember Mike Maitland who was then vice president and sales manager of Capitol Records. He was decrying the fact that they couldn't get any hit singles, and I said to him, 'Well, Mike, tho reason is because you have the wrong people working for you.' 'Well, what do you want me to do? Get some of these fellows with the tight pants to produce these records?' I said, 'Exactly.
they censored masturbation?
With the Internet we don't need cigar chompers.
I can dig what he is saying. These guys like Jon Landau get in the studio and they sometimes ruin the music, a damn critic from the Rolling Stone.
just aging, that's nooormal, everything was better b4 W Zappa ! TX 4 sharing your genius.
11 people ate the yellow snow.
remember kids, don't get any of the white stuff on ya!
Thank God we have Steven Wilson.
@trdegreenia so sad... Luckily anyone can put out their own music now with out a major label. A lot of it might be shit, but some good stuff is coming out of it.
I think his point is this: Nowadays, the big guys are concerned more about what pleases the masses and what makes a quick buck. This means more bland and repetitive music, whereas they used to take chances with more "obscure" music and leave the outcome to chance rather than statistics.
@razorath92
You are spot on there. There are a few people working with me at the moment who are in their late 20's and early 30's. If I mention Led Zeppelin to them they have no idea what I'm talking about. Maybe I'm just getting old :-(
I got backstage to a Zappa concert one, he was a beautiful man.
I hate how people love to point their fingers at hip hop, sure the majority of hip hop you hear on the radio is trash, but its the same with every genre of music at this point. Record executives simply dont take risks any more, in today's market where people dont buy records it is safer for them to invest in an artist with a tried and true sound.
Well here's my theory, people and in particular children and teenagers and even most adults have lost all sense of taste and class, they're too lazy to search for good music so they go with the shit on the radio. Radio DJ's no longer play songs that speak to people and instead they play useless pop trash.
R.I.P Good Popular Music: 1900-1996
@fordachevy haven't watched the video in a while, but I'm pretty sure he says label executives, not promoters
I"m a big Zappa fan, I don't agree with Frank on this one, I was music Director, for local radio station, and I"m a musician, I play hours of Zappa music on my shows it was all Zappa & Zappa and the Mothers. I don't know WY he said this, likes the promoters that chomp cigars, and don't know music? I believe Zappa hates music promoters.
He was so spot on with the music business.
This is fucking awesome.
Bands likes Zeppelin, Floyd, Doors, Hendrix give you chills? Are you physically attracted to music? I AM! But If you think this is good well...Introducing my channel. IT attempts to open your mind up to a whole new world of musical truth. Don't forget to CHECK it OUT & subscribe IF U LIKE IT! <3muchlove
Interestingly, Zappa's comments about the recording business have parallels to the movie industry during the same period. Frank was a sharp one! We're very lucky to have had him!
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