Consensus Kills
Kathy talked about this concept a while ago with her brilliant, Death by Risk Aversion post. The image just rocks...
Yes...crap happens when fear occurs...but crap also happens when success occurs.
Ever notice that stuff (music, products, blogs, ideas) that is really awesome gets less awesome when it hits the mainstream? Much related to my, "I always want to be on the fringe" post (which is both a conscious and non-conscious effort), I see so many bands and bloggers and other more public-type figures compromising their own genius to please a wider audience.
That's too bad.
I can think of loads of examples of musicians who never really 'sold out' into this idea who made oodles of money, continue to have loyal fans and will continue to be celebrated for eons, mostly because they stuck true to their natural voice.
Radiohead...Leonard Cohen...Pink Floyd...Nina Simone...Elvis Costello...Parliament...Jane Siberry...etc. etc.
What happens is that one gets a bit popular and realizes that it is certain songs, posts, features, whatever, that seems to get noticed. When this is recognized, it's perfectly natural to think, "Man, people dig this, so I should keep producing this." Popularity soars. Tall poppy syndrome occurs (thanks Rachel). The next big thing comes along. Popularity fades.
I don't know...being on the edges, being authentic, being true to oneself, being satisfied with strong relationships within your own niche...that's art. That's beauty. Well, at least it is to me.
I just really really hope that Joshua Radin stays Joshua Radin. I heart his stuff. Big time.
3 Comments:
I think this is true and it isn't.
You're right, many times when something hits the mainstream, success causes a person/band/entity to "sell out."
But sometimes, the mainstream may shift to fit that person/band/entity and then people see them as selling out when the mainstream just adjusted to meet them. It's hard to know which is the case in any situation because everyone will say, "No, I'm staying true to myself. It's about the art. (Pass my bag of money please!)"
I think you see this a lot in sports especially. People lose their love of playing a game (yes, it's still a game) and focus on the money. They make their decisions based on the money. Would I like to have a pro athlete's salary? Absolutely. But I would hope it wouldn't be at the expense of why I'm doing it in the first place.
Many in the UK argue that The Stereophnics and The Arctic Monkeys is one great illustration of how becoming mainstream can affect a bands' view on life.
The Stereophonics had a similar angle on life as the Arctic Monkeys - i.e. gritty everyday life and stories of love, drinking, and life in a normal British town.
But as The Stereophonics'popularity rose, they were not living the life that inspired so man of the sings that gave themn their popularity.
By creating a vast catalogue of songs before they hit the mainstream, they will ensure that the sound that made them famous will be the sound that carries their success for much longer.
I also believe the same can be true with ad agencies - one good campaign does not a good agency make, yet the ego has flown the nest!
Concensus is what drives the best open source software development. I certainly hope it doesn't kill.
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