Today at 6 PM, the NPR show Sound Opinions will be hosting an event for free at The Mill. While saying something is free is enough of an appeal on its own level for some (myself included), I am reaching out to the music fans. I should make one thing very clear from the start: this is not just going to be Greg Kot and Jim DeRogatis talking at the audience for an hour about music as if they were recording an episode of their regular radio show. On the contrary, this event will be a discussion with the audience about the nature of the live performance. Audience participation is actively encouraged, as this will be a very lively discussion on the future of music in the digital age.
Let me give a small framing of the larger discussion that will occur. As the Internet has become a larger role in music, the relationship that fans and bands have to it is very different. Fans are no longer just fans. They are now the tastemakers and help in the distribution of music now. How does this effect the role of the musician in the system? Can musicians live off of making albums or will they have to tour constantly to pay the bills? Is there even an interest in live music anymore? Seeing as this event is happening during the festival, there are a number of questions to ask about the festival as an institution as well. These are only a few of the questions that can be asked about the state of live music in the digital age.
Anyone with a stake in music, either as a band, promotor, or fan, has answers to these particular questions. Sound Opinions will offer a chance for all of these various opinions to be heard as well as provoke some thought about our own usage of the Internet in music appreciation. I hope to see many of you there, so we can talk about one of the cores of the Mission Creek festival: music.
Sound Opinions // Doors at 5, Show at 6 // The Mill // FREE
