Lately, I have been getting into conversations about the philosophy of mass communication. Heady stuff, I know, but there are so many people who come to me asking why their music can’t be ubiquitous, the way music was in the 60s, 70s, and 80s. I would posit that the media delivery system started breaking apart in the late 90s, and the last people to ride it to become ‘household names’ were the likes of Matchbox20, Sister Hazel, Sheryl Crow, all who saw first light of day in that era. Not to say that no one has broken through since then, but back then, there was a system which could be relied on, which has now disappeared from the media landscape.
Photo Credit: Cheyenne EllisToday, there are lots of alternative paths to finding your audience. Each artist is tasked with finding his own way. There are no rules. You do it however you can. And yes, it can lead to a satisfying decades-long career. I am heartened by the artists that ply the festival stages to become known. There are TV shows that feature new music in their soundtracks, from which the artists can ascend to carve out a place for themselves in the pantheon. The White Buffalo is one, having exposure on the TV show Sons of Anarchy. His EP The Lost & Found came out in December, and come February there will be a full length album out called Once Upon A Time In The West.
Here is a tasty morsel.
- Jessie Scott
