MusicTank: Too Much Choice?
Event Info
Description
Whereas the public once received their weekly dose of music via the all-important Top 40 and Top of the Pops, they are now faced with a head-spinning level choice. Indeed, TOTP's own demise is growing evidence that the 'old guard' of trusted mass musical filters and channels are becoming less relevant in an age where people are free to follow their own paths into the musical wilderness, rather than swallow the industry's prescribed diet. Most people would agree that choice is a good thing, but there is a flip side to this vision of a musical consumerist's paradise. When the consumer is king and we can access over 420,000 rock acts and 400,000 hip hop acts via MySpace alone, can we really be expected to sort the wheat from the chaff amidst the clamour of a thousand different advisory voices?
This think tank explores the idea that the liberalisation of digital media, whilst entirely democratic, serves to confuse the consumer with a bewildering array of choice and quality. With so much content vying for our attention, does this merely cloud the picture, making it harder to find great music? And with the accompanying explosion of hype over substance, are we at risk of losing the tradition of nurturing our talent to its fullest potential?
