Says that it’s “destroying good music” and “stopped people from going out and being with each other, creating stuff.”
In a story from the British tabloid newspaper “The Sun,” music legend Sir Elton John has posted comments online that call for the internet to be closed down.
He apparently laments the way that the internet and the emerging industry of digital music has created a cold and impersonal world for artists to create new music in. He says that it is “destroying good music, and that “The internet has stopped people from going out and being with each other, creating stuff.”
He continues:
Instead they sit at home and make their own records, which is sometimes OK but it doesn’t bode well for long-term artistic vision.
It’s just a means to an end.
We’re talking about things that are going to change the world and change the way people listen to music and that’s not going to happen with people blogging on the internet.
I mean, get out there — communicate.
Hopefully the next movement in music will tear down the internet.
Let’s get out in the streets and march and protest instead of sitting at home and blogging.
I do think it would be an incredible experiment to shut down the whole internet for five years and see what sort of art is produced over that span.
There’s too much technology available.
I’m sure, as far as music goes, it would be much more interesting than it is today.
I don’t have a mobile phone or an iPod or anything.
I am such a Luddite when it comes to making music. All I can do is write at the piano.
I searched to find the original excerpts from his official website to no avail, and posting in his forums require a $40 fan membership, but irregardless I do think Sir Elton John has a good point.
I remember when CDs were first released and everybody lamented about how cold they sounded in comparison to records and cassette tapes. Digital music has not only increased the “coldness” of the recordings in my opinion, but has changed the way in which artists interact with the public and one another.
Sure they now have a global audience and can circumvent recorded labels for the most part giving them unprecedented access to prospective listeners, but at the same time it has removed the personal and physical level which artists previously had to have when interacting with other artists and their fans.
It may not be that bad for music in the long run, for it seems that all of society is going the way of impersonal communication with the rising use of IMs, e-mail, text -messaging, cell-phones, etc., to interact with one another, but it does point to an ominous turn on a societal level in that the human touch is slowly eluding us.
Now I don’t think he really meant to suggest that the internet be closed down, though I do think he longs for a more simpler time, when a majority of artists used actual instruments to make music, and they collaborated IN PERSON in jam sessions to explore new sounds and rhythms.
Though to be honest, there are still plenty of artist who do “jam” and don’t use the internet and digital music distribution as their sole means of reaching their audience. Artists like Jack Johnson, Jack White, Mason Jennings, The Roots, and Slightly Stoopid, all still use living, breathing instruments and regularly team up to jam with other musicians to create quality music.
The good old days aren’t over Sir John, they’ve just changed a bit.
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I don’t even care enough to read what the dumbass has to say but all I know is that EJ can go screw himself!
I’m glad that Elton is shaking things up a bit that he has an opinion and is willing to share it. Notice
that his views are more fundamental he doesn’t bring up the BPI record companies or revenues.
It sounds to me like he is above all of that and that shows class.
@Boomer
Yah he doesnt talk about piracy but just that he misses the days when bands and people interactd with one another on a more personal level.
That’s a point of view…I believe that the internet allows people from all around the world to communicate with each other but as far as music and bands are concerned yeah maybe the internet has changed things but I still see a lot of people in concerts and in festivals and I still hear good music I even hear more because the internet allows everyone to post their music and I personnally discovered a lot of new bands on the internet it’s a good way to reach an audience.
irregardless != a word
if the internet is taken away then we will go back to watching tv and loafing
@nobodaddy
Actually FYI irregardless is an actual word. I use it constantly and it’s even in the dictionary (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/irregardless).
O.K. I was a long-time Elton John fan. I am no more (no not because of this article.) I am of Elton John’s generation but Elton has–as they say–”Jumped the Shark.” (That’s a reference to the television show “Happy Days” which–just before it was canceled–tried desperately to improve ratings by having ridiculous episodes like the one in which Fonzie jumped a shark on a dare.) Many singers have “jumped the shark:” Neil Diamond Paul McCartney Linda Ronstadt etc. Singers who have not “jumped the shark”: Tom Jones the Rolling Stones Bob Dylan etc. What I mean by not “jumping the shark” is that they have maintained the original flare for doing an excellent performance. They also know how to change with the times.
The Internet has opened up such a world to me that I would fight to the death anyone who would try to take it away. What’s Elton afraid of? Competition? The more musicians the better as far as I’m concerned. Today I have so much to choose from. Back in the 1970’s–which I assume Elton is talking about–radio stations had ridiculously limited play lists and you’d hear the same artists on and on. Elton of course was one of them. “Crocodile Rock” is a great song but I’m sure that there were many others that we never heard.
Now with the Internet we can. And we–not some program director–can choose what we want to hear. I guess it’s all in how you look at it. But take away my Internet? You’ll have to pry my cold dead mind from around it!
Ugh I sure don’t want to go back to a time when it was just TV for home video and radio for music. Wait until TV is gone for a while folks will look back and be pining for simpler times watching the lonely old TV sitting there. That’s what I don’t like about the TV it just sits there but the computer is interactive.
Another thing I wonder if Elton’s opinion came from something that was posted on his blog if he has one..
well HE can have HIS opinion BUT my friends live TOO far and the price of Airplane tickets are insane.
so I’ll keep sending my “Pro tools/Logic/Live projects” in the mail on over the net on to our FTP servers.
I don’t care WHAT HE says.
crap music has existed before the NET so he must realize that he doest speak for everyone.
hes getting old and HIS artistic OPEN MIND is fading due to the many slow songs that came out of his mouth in the past 10 yrs.
he’s thinking TOO much and that alone destroys creative flow so in the process hes “Nitpicking” things that DON’T fit HIS vision.
Elton John. Yes.
The perfect authority for communication and cooperation theories for the Internet generation…
Ha Burd-Dog..
It seems odd that radio repeated the same songs when it was the format that everyone would listen to. You would think that would be the height of experimentation when they are new and had everyone’s attention. FM music stations repeat songs constantly and I can understand it because the format jumped the shark. If you see visions of Wolfman Jack DJ-ing a set on giant turntables and rapping on a mic like in those movies just forget about it. There’s no one even there at stations now or the DJ is in another time zone.
At least the music didn’t go dead it’s just being heard in a different way than what Elton seems to be thinking of. You trade just playing music in your own city for the more global experience and of course you can’t meet all of the friends on your Myspace page it’s a long distance relationship.
Remember that Al Gore invented the internet and the one who invented it can take it away.
Tom Petty’s “The Last D.J.” says it all. If you haven’t heard it (and I find that inconceivable) give it a listen. Terrestrial radio used to be good (up until the early 1970’s); then the big corporations started to take over. After that it all went south (yes “jumped the shark!”) Now they want to do the same with the Internet and satellite radio if they can get their hands on it. We just can’t let that happen.
To me it is like old timers wanting to go back to the days of the covered wagon! It simply AIN’T GONNA HAPPEN! No matter how much you pine for it. And the 70’s are over…….though I DO have fond memories of them. But I have learned to adapt to the net and I have not looked back since.
In the 70’s I could not get all the music that is available today….simply because I was limited to where I lived and how distribution was controlled there. It was also known that the music industry controlled radio….therefore making what you heard on the radio a handful of artists like Elton John over and over again.
But one thing I have noticed in recent times is that there seems to be a trend in the music industry to put out “fluff” or “filler” songs in a CD for most of it and mabye one or two decent songs…not even hits…just decent songs…on the CD! In the 60’s and 70’s at least you had people that tried to make it with talent….not a “look” that the industry wants now. There seemed to be a lot of groups that had more than one hit:
ELO (electric light orchestra)
Supertramp
Blood sweat and tears
The Commodores
Bob Seger and the silver bullet band
Journey
Kansas
Steely Dan
Led Zepplin
AC/DC
Van Halen
Steve Miller Band
Jackson Browne
Bee Gees
Meatloaf
Areosmith
Molly Hatchet
Blackfoot
The Rolling Stones
Fleetwood Mac
Pat Benetar
Linda Ronstat
Ronnie Milsap
Little river band
Styx
The Police
Eric Clapton
Cheap Trick
REO Speedwagon
Bread
Doobie Brothers
Chicago
ZZ Top
The Police
Heart
Kiss
Credence Clearwater revival
Lynard Skynard
Rush
Black Sabbath
Alabama
Anything with motown records involved
Chuck Mangione
Guns and Roses
Stevie Ray Vaughn
JamesTaylor
Jim Croce
Gordon Lightfoot
Boston
Rod Stewart
Grand Funk Railroad
The Who
The guess who
Bon Jovi
The Carpenters
KC and the sunshine band
Jimi Hendrix
Bob Dylan….and probably a TON of other artistsfrom that era I left out
ALL of these groups and soloists I posted had more than just one hit….you do not see a lot of that anymore.
Elton John should help young talent evolve and break ground internationally instead of complaining on about the net! These people aren’t seeing the big picture here record companies are promoting rubbish music because rubbish music SELLS. There’s tons of good inspiring artists around that don’t get a chance because the big suits have only one thing on their minds MONEY. The INTERNET actually helps young and upcoming talents to meet up and promote their music instead of the odd stage performance in front of a 30 people crowd in sleazy bar waiting for that talent scout to find them???
Peter Gabriel started up a great venture called we7.com allowing new and known artists to provide their music for FREE WITHOUT DRM protection and bullshit like that. They collaborate with big advertisers to provide and income for the artists and of course the venture itself so it’s a win win situation that would have never been possible without the power of the Internet. And the record companies? well let’s say they are having difficulty with this idea and the worst thing is that it’s giving more power to the artists. No more CONTROL and RESTRAINT on the ARTISTS but TOTAL FREEDOM to create what they want.
If recording companies prefer to release crap music without any substance at all then let them so they can taste the consequences in the future! I’ll put my money on a whole generation of new and inspiring artists coming from the net in the coming years rather than out of record company scheme.
So the conclusion is that community sites and ventures like we7 help music evolve and opens a wider range of possibilities for artists who are not getting the proper attention.
And people like Elton John don’t evolve at all.
At least he admits he is a luddite. The only thing destroying good music are the labels themselves. With rare exception every move the major labels have made has been a shot in their own foot in some form or another.
I have to wonder what Elton John’s definition of communication is because the internet seems to be a boon for it.
With the advent of affordable computers and advanced audio creation and manipulation software it is possible for artist to do in small office etc the kind of editing and mixing that once required at least hundreds of thousands maybe millions in equipment.
The internet lets artists self publish their work. In fact pretty much the only place labels still have an advantage is their marketing power.
I suppose he is open to have his opinion but saying something like “shutdown the internet” and being serious about it affects one’s credibility. Half of the crazy musical genres and subcultures wouldn’t exist today without the internet. Take music from Bemani’s rhythm games for example (Bemani is the division of Konami who produces games like Dance Dance Revolution and Beatmania IIDX). I am part of a seriously booming yet underground community of music lovers who like music that won’t ever see the light of day except for the games that it is found in.
Internet + Music = Works for me and many of you.
He is the next to be forgotten thats why he needs an interview in “the sun”!
what ever I love some of his songs but instead of trying to see the new possibilitys he is a little conservativ looser sitting in his 100 million dollar house and waiting for more money!
Well you know what hes a dumbass. The internet has opened many possibilities not just P2P but the many things we get to create with imagination the excell of business and advertising. Why would we shut that down? We’ve created our own world that holds many sources of information and communication. This guy can go fuck himself if he doesnt notice some of the large possibilities the internet has produced for the world. Fuck you EJ fuck you.
He must be very frustrated that he can’t use a computer so that he projects his anger onto everyone else who actually is able to use the internet in a way that he can’t even dream of. Poor fool everyone should suffer because of his inner frustration. Only the ones that have no idea about how technology works are constantly blaming it because they feeling inferior. Stop crying you stupid retro-hippies and get creative!
He’s a looser!!! They reason he can’t make money is because his music sucks!