Some Thoughts on Genre
It’s happened again, apparently. I saw a video this morning from former Christian artist, Alisa Childers, explaining to people how a drag queen could top the Christian charts. Same thing that happened some time ago with Lil Nas X topping the Country charts. Both were marketing ploys that played off social divisions in order to gain media attention. It doesn’t mean Christians are listening to the drag queen nor did it mean country fans were listening to Lil Nas X, it simply means they placed their music in those categories where their mere presence would attract attention.
When you’re uploading music through one of the distributors, in my case, DistroKid, you’re given multiple genres and sub-genres to choose from and rarely, if ever, do I feel like they fit. Unless, as previously mentioned, you’re intentionally trying to not fit, and then, I suppose, it’s easy.
This sort of thing had already been on my mind because I’ve hired a marketing firm to help me with the upcoming dbcooper release, the four song EP, Everyone is Alone, All the Time, out Tuesday, August 8. They asked for long lists of artists that both influenced me and who I sound like. Well, influences are easy, but once I got past Depeche Mode and Killing Joke, it was a lot harder to find artists that sound like dbcooper.
I’m also struggling with what to do with all the music I’m writing. I can only dilute myself so much, so I’m sticking with dbcooper and Mountain Climer, but with Mountain Climer, I’ve already gone from pop rock and pop punk to post-punk and have Americana songs ready to go. I also have a lot of piano and strings pieces, harder rock pieces and even some straight up pop pieces, that at least the pop stuff, I will need to find someone else to sing. The dbcooper stuff ranges from weird, downtempo instrumentals to full-on homage to Depeche Mode and Killing Joke. My influences are wide and when an idea comes, I let it decide where to go, I’m not beholden to fitting a “sound” or anyone else’s expectations.
Artistically, this is great. I love being able to go wherever I want, sometimes even surprising myself. But you have to find your audience and your audience relies on classification in order to find you.
But on a grander scale, while I understand that these terms are used to better describe the music to people with words, but it’s gotten kind of out-of-control. I’m not sure if this is a product of so many people being able to make music at home and the diversity of the offerings are just widening that much or if it’s a product of our culture’s desire to over-classify everything right now. I saw a video the other day where a person described themselves as an asexual bisexual. I don’t even know where to begin with thinking about putting that puzzle together.
Maybe I’m being Walt Kowalski here, telling you how much better it used to be, but when we had fewer genres we had more musical diversity within them. For the week of August 18, 1990, you had the following artists all in the Top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100: Mariah Carey, Janet Jackson, Poison, Jon Bon Jovi, Faith No More, Bell Biv Devoe, MC Hammer, Billy Idol, The Time, Wilson Phillips, Bruce Hornsby and 2 Live Crew. The further down the list you go, the more diverse it gets with showings by Motley Crue, Depeche Mode, Madonna, Don Henley, Gene Loves Jezebel, Sinead O’Connor and others.
I’m not saying one way is better than the other, especially from a marketing perspective, because I think it’s definitely easier to find your niche markets these days than it was back then, but it was definitely nice to turn on the radio back in the day and hear all these great artists in one place (not to mention MTV). Even as a rock fan, you couldn’t help but sing along to Janet Jackson or “Could This Be Love” by Seduction. I’m more well-rounded musically because of the limitations of the time (also falling in love with deep cuts on albums because fast-forwarding on a cassette was a pain in the ass).
I’m a capitalist, I’m fine with consumer demand driving innovation, but sometimes what consumers want right now isn’t so good for them in the long run. I love being able to put out my own music without a major label behind me and reach people, but as a listener, I’m not so sure I’m better off. Tell me what you think in the social media comments.