Our wallets getting Beat by Dre

I came across a funny little article on the Daily Mail a few weeks ago.
They reported that according to multiple headphones experts, "it might cost more to get your haircut" than to make a pair of Dre Beats headphones.

How much exactly? $14. Yep, you read it right. 1-4. Fourteen. 2 x 7.

Yep. The price of Beats range from $200 to $700, and cost MAXIMUM $14 to make.

Now, I have to admit that I'm guilty of buying a pair. When I bought them about 4 years ago, they weren't available in Australia. I had to buy them from the official site, for $500! Ridiculous, right?

I remember the exact reason I wanted a pair. My favourite rapper, 'The Game' had a film clip walking through a subway, rapping, wearing Beats by Dre. It was love at first sight. I had to have them! From then on, pretty much every rapper and American sports star you see would be wearing them. They were a symbol of the elite, of being 'hip' I guess. Who doesn't want to be like their favourite rapper?

On an audio test that Time Magazine did, Dre Beats came second last in their rankings. It shows public perception is everything, with Beats by Dre being worth 3.2 Billion dollars and controlling 57% of the headphone market. It's insane. The headphones I use now are $300 Sony Wireless ones, and they're amazing. I guess the motto of the story is not to get caught up in celebrity fashion - these people get paid to endorse the products and get them free. For the cost of the cheapest Beats by Dre, you could get 2 pairs of better quality headphones.

I guess as long as people see celebrities wearing these products, the money will keep rolling in. I know it won't be mine though.

Why the market isn't working

Did you ever think that Justin Bieber would team up with Jaden Smith? That's ok, no one with half a brain did either. If you didn't hear this song and are curious, I would advise you not to, it is a horrible attempt at a cover of Frank Ocean's song. This song in the movie world would go straight to DVD.

Unfortunately, you would have to admit that Justin Bieber is a very successful musician in his own right and has built up a fortune. Jaden Smith on the other hand, has not, living off his father's success, he has no musical talent, some would argue 'any talent' to warrant him as a recording artist. A song like this for any musician would cripple their career, but this is where some artists flourish.

Justin Bieber's music appeals to a niche market, namely teenage girls who 'are obsessed' and 'in love' with him, yet his popularity has soared seeing him 'earn' a comedy central roast. Ultimately, it does not matter the quality or type of music that he produces, these teenage girls will flock to their stores with their parents money and buy his music. It is a flawed system that is driven purely by lust and does not operate in the same spectrum. You won't see teenage boys go out and by the latest Katy Perry CD because they think she is good looking. Unfortunately, mainstream media will always play his latest hits, promote him as an artist because for them, he brings a large audience and more revenue.

Influence of Music on Children

There has always been the question of how much does music really influence society today? Man groups have claimed they have done test after test proving that children who listen to such genres as Rap and Hip Hop are more likely to use drugs and drink alcohol and partake in illegal activities. Where some parents are worried if their child is listening to genres like heavy metal and death metal. Some individuals say that these genres are children more depressed and suicidal.

In my opinion music can have an effect on a person but not a huge impact like these parents and organisations are saying. In my opinion I believe that the way a child is raised and the people they surround themselves with is what really determines them as an individual. I would lean more to saying that they choose the music to suit the lifestyle "image" they have chosen.

In doing a little bit of reading to get an understanding on this topic it did occur to me that music can have maybe a larger impact on someone's life. Music can desensitise the listener to things such as violence and suicide. It can give the impression that the world is actually a harsher place than it really is.

The effect of music is a very controversial topic. The website (http://www.positivemusicassociation.com/resources/article_lijequist1.htm) talks about the effect of violent music in the more younger children and how it has been shown in studies that these children are more prone to peer pressure by friends and less influenced by their parents. The article explains that children are spending only very minimal time on a day twenty minutes with their mum and less then 5 minutes with there dad in conversation. My view is that if this is the case, I hardly believe that music is the cause and more lack of communication from the parent. They are showing a lack of care in the child's life, which if it isn't rectified, the problems will start.

In conclusion the top of how much music lyrical content effects society is a grey topic. But after reading a few articles on research done I am able to see both sides of the table. But as myself I do believe the effect that is claimed to have been made by music is not just the music having an effect but the way the child was raised and the people they had in their life.

Songs with a message...do they still exist?

Hozier's "Take me to Church" is an interesting song to compare to other current 'hit' songs. Its concept and message are vastly different to the norm. In a time where over 90% of songs are talking about either sex or drugs, a ballad about the treatment of homosexuals offset in a style of a church ballad is not only a juxtaposition but very left field. It is this difference that makes it refreshing for the audience to see a different style of song portrayed and thus its overwhelming popularity. Whether you like the song or not, you have to appreciate an artist who takes a different approach to their music. 

Hozier, a relatively new artist in regards to mainstream media has achieved a lot with this song, he has shown that there is still some respect and popularity for real artists who move away from the generic style of mass media. This will provide up and coming artists with the motivation to be bold and different to make their way into the market and secure the same success as Hozier. You get the feeling from the song that we can see an artist  who is passionately conveying a message to society on the treatment of certain minority groups.

Music videos and Short films

Music Videos. What is a  music video? A music video is a short film production that is put together and has an artist or bands song played over the top. Constantly artists and producers are working together to create new and exciting different short videos to engage the audience. A good video is an excellent marketing ploy. Not only a catchy song, but a catchy song with a good video is one way to embed the music and video into the onlookers mind.

Many artist these days are taking the route of going the extra mile and starting to create short films. Lady Gaga is a prime example. Her song G.U.Y is a short film about modern age feminism.

Artists use short films to get across their view on political and non political subjects. Its a way for artists to bring awareness about issues that they hold dear to them or are very passionate about. Some people feel it's a cry for help and artists only do it as a publicity stunt, where others believe they are trying to bring into light major issues in society to date.

Personally I believe that artists should be able to express themselves and beliefs through music freely without being scrutinised for it. And i think it is a fantastic way for these social issues to be brought up in a more positive and enlightening way, without people having to have views forced upon them.

What's The Go With TIDAL?

Jay-Z's new premium streaming service has a long way to go before it even thinks about competing with Spotify.

TIDAL sees a group of mega star musicians beginning their own premium music streaming service with "high-fidelity sound", along with other "exclusive" items which no one really asked for or wants. The entire idea is to protect the artist behind the music, which Spotify has been guilty of neglecting.

Jay-Z bought Swedish tech company Aspiro earlier this year for $56 million, who originally operated TIDAL. It boasts 25 million tracks and 75,000 music videos. ABC'S tech guru Mark Fennell says that, well, TIDAL kind of sucks, calling it "the most profoundly embarrassing circle-jerk" he's seen.

"They're offering marginally better audio quality (at) a hugely inflated price on an app with extremely poor functionality and added content that no one wants or will ever make use of - no, i don't want to read your #longread on songs that inspired Usher. I just don't."

There is no doubt Spotify is a great service, for an amazing price. hell, you can use the majority of features for free, though the paid service has changed my life. Spotify plain and simply doesn't pay artists enough... They pay artists 0.007 cents PER PLAY! Doing some simple maths (which I'll admit isn't my strong point, thank god for iPhones) that equated to about $7 per 1,000 plays! Pretty ridiculous, right? I mean huge artists will survive without the money from Spotify, but for the little guy it's a tough gig. I would definitely pay more money to support my favourite artists. Honestly, Spotify could be $30 a month and still amazing value.

TIDAL aims to support artists more, with the whole 'for artists, by artists' thing going. It sounds pretty cool in theory, though I don't really think it's something to be too interested in at the moment. Jay-Z did say in an interview with Billboard, that they hope to explore new content and "see something we haven't seen before". It sounds pretty familiar to those videos that Jay was releasing around the drop of 'Magna Carta Holy Grail', talking about how it was going to be ground-breaking and change the game. I was actually a fan of the album, but although the videos were cool it was really just another album. As much as I love certain artists like J Cole who has put himself behind the movement of his Roc Nation boss, it seems like a pretentious group of the mega rich attempting to cut out the middle man and take not just a slice of the pie, but the whole thing. I have a feeling that's exactly what this will be - just another way for the rich to get richer.

Nothing is better than music!

Music is one of those things that almost everyone likes. Everyone has their genre, and everyone has their favourite artist. Some individuals may have more than one favourite artist or more than one genre of music they like. As for me I don’t have a favourite artist but more a favourite style / genre of music, which is electronic. Such genres as Electro, House, and Trap, are some of my more desired genres.

Everyone listens to music for a different reason. Some listen to it to relax them, some to hype themselves up others even as a concentration tool, but there is no right or wrong reason for listening to music.  As for me I listen to music to release my mind from thinking. Music relaxes me, allows me to set my mind free and concentrate with out distraction.

Youtube has been one of the biggest hits on the internet as a social device within the last 5 years. Youtube was a massive step in music sharing and has effected the music industry immensely. The service has allowed anyone that has a passion for music and creating music to upload tracks and videos and share them with the rest of the world. Stay tuned for a greater insight into how Youtube has effected the music industry.

Pitbull & NeYo - Time of Our Lives

Music is often a contentious topic to blog about, differing opinions means that some people absolutely adore a certain song whilst others cannot stand it. With the development of Web 2.0 many artists receive comments about their work, whether it be on twitter, blogs or YouTube comments, these comments illustrate how different people view certain songs. Pitbull is one of the more talked about artists on social media, mainly on the satirical side illustrated by an array of Memes including; 

His most recent song with NeYo, is once again testament to his popularity in the market, for some unknown reason he is a tangible, marketable asset for his record label and this song has been very successful. It is repeatedly played on mainstream media and will continue to be for weeks, hopefully not months.  The song itself is a typical Pitbull song, his shrill voice takes attention away from an actually talented artist like NeYo and focuses the song on himself. Although he has been listening to his critics, he simply cannot resist throwing in some Spanish lyrics to show 'where he came from.' This song will continue to garner mainstream media attention even though it has the same tempo, beat and general lyrical themes that 90% of pop songs exhibit.

Welcome To Mad Jams!

Mad Jams Blog is a group of dudes that has an interest in music. Jack, Dean, Akhil and Matt came up with the idea on the 31st of March in their ISYS100 Uni tutorial. This blog allows us to review new and upcoming music and artists, and basically talk all things interesting to us in the music industry. Each one of us has a genre we are most passionate about and artists we don't like. This gives us a unique range of musical genres in which we can focus our thoughts on. Posts will be focused on critically analysing all different music videos from all the different genres. So sit back and kick it. Let's enjoy some good old fashion rants.

Regards,
Crew @ Mad Jams Blog