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The Golden Age of Infinite Music

Posted by kdawson on from the in-the-air dept.

Over at the BBC, music journalist John Harris speculates on what may become of the music business now that we have entered the golden age of infinite music. "I've just poured the music-related contents of my brain into a book, and I would imagine that 30-ish years worth of knowledge about everyone from Funkadelic to The Smiths has probably cost me a five-figure sum, a stupid amount spent on music publications, and endless embarrassed moments spent trying to have a conversation with those arrogant blokes who tend to work in record shops. Last weekend, by contrast, I had a long chat about music with the 16-year-old son of a friend, and my mind boggled. At virtually no cost, in precious little time and with zero embarrassment, he had become an expert on all kinds of artists, from English singer-songwriters like Nick Drake and John Martyn to such American indie-rock titans as Pavement and Dinosaur Jr. Though only a sixth-former, he seemingly knew as much about most of these people as any music writer. Like any rock-oriented youth, his appetite for music is endless, and so is the opportunity..."

7 of 294 comments (clear)

  1. All you need to know about music... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Funny

    MADONNA IS THE BEST!

    MADONNA FANS DO IT BETTER

    Now go fuck off while I listen to Madonna - Celebration. =)

  2. Careful now... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    That kid is likely destined to become an "arrogant bloke who tends to work in record shops".

  3. Re:I'd Rather... by MindlessAutomata · · Score: 4, Funny

    Okay, maybe you can't use them, but that doesn't preclude you from actually telling us what they are.

  4. I am also an AC... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    And I love Madonna!

  5. Re:It's yhy anti-piracy is a BAD thing... by jamesh · · Score: 5, Funny

    Life + 70 means the creator's life + 70 years

    So... to give our (great?) grand-children a free world, we should be killing off all the creators now right? :)

    "Well you see son, there used to be this thing called a 'rock star', and they made music. But we had to kill them all to set the music free. It was the only way."

  6. Re:It's yhy anti-piracy is a BAD thing... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    ...this thing called a 'rock star', and they made music. But we had to kill them all

    Where can I sign up for this insanely great plan of yours?

  7. Over at the BBC by jedigeek · · Score: 3, Funny

    I like the way this article starts with "Over at the BBC", as if Slashdot is a publication of equal professionalism and reach.