Music and musicians were a more rarefied group, or so it seemed to me. Not only did one have to practice on their own while everyone else was out playing, but it also required a certain expertise with esoteric information in order to learn and get better. It all felt like we were reinventing the wheel each time as we tried to figure out how come we didn’t sound as good as professionals on records. I still am trying to figure that out! But the production of the art, and the audience at gigs that consumed the art were able to share something cool in the same room. And that magical “live” feeling in a room where this is going on is important, and I believe it is the core of what has kept musicians in the game while the music business continues to crumble all around. Today as musicians “produce” a song it is only half realized by someone downloading it, and listening to it on their IPOD. I think that there is something missing in this formula. It’s the live experience. Half drunk and listening in a room full of half drunk and listening people having a “moment” together. It’s like popular cultures’ equivalent of church, and there is something ritual and powerful about it. It’s the same reason that while watching a movie in a darkened theater is a different experience than watching a movie on your TV. The trick is that even though the person next to you is a stranger, you have both come to the party to “make believe” in one way or another. If it’s a movie, then you suspend your disbelief, if it’s a music show, you believe in the “poetry” of the music.

The Internet is stocked these days with many websites and tools to help musicians, but I believe the first one that can actually help facilitate creating a social network that can get people out to shows will be the one that wins out. Each one is taking the place of the record labels that used to control many aspects of the music industry. Each one has a different take on how we might produce or consume music in the future and now. In the coming months, I hope this site becomes something of value to readers by providing biased reviews of Internet sites and how they are trying to redefine the music industry. It’s just my opinion, but I’m interested in how they will translate what happens when you strum a chord and someone listens.