Creative industries' impact on music

Abstract

Have the grey men finally taken over? What will the musician's role be in the future? Do we overrate our status, assuming priest-like attributes when we are merely caterers of sound? Is our function to supply lengths of musical material in a raw or semi-cooked state to an entertainment and computer games industry, to be cut up, recontextualised and remixed into a saleable cake with other ingredients? Was it ever different? Are the composers of today wondering where the next meal will come from, rather than becoming more industry focussed by supplying the demand? For instance is there really any economic demand for opera and Western classical music in Australia? And as the creative industries intersect and converge, are the requirements to be an effective musician changing? At the join of two fast-moving centuries, is multiskilling the way forward or does interdisciplinary practice demand a more specialised artist? Should a Bachelor of Music comprise a few music subjects with emphasis on knowledge of copyright, technology, finance. and some cross-art practice? The rest could surely be learnt on the job. Should we just get out there and do it, bypassing a university system unsympathetic to the methods of the arts and which uses up some of our most creative years on skills such as writing referenced essays? On the other hand, given that for most people during their lives, consumption will be far greater than production, should we be teaching our children to appreciate music rather than create it? However, if we do create, should we be making music for Australians, or be a supplier for the more lucrative American and European tastes? Time is overdue to address these issues to enable the musician to find a place in a world market.