Music influences everything–from how products are designed to why we buy them. In any sort of creative process–or process of creation–music is there. Technology is no exception. You’d be hard-pressed to find a developer/programmer/ designer at work without a pair of Bose headphones pumping in the latest Radiohead/LCD Soundsystem/Kanye West. Just look at the insane sales of the iPod and iPhone, spurred by early adopters craving gadget porn to pipe in their daily soundtracks.
Technology also influences the creation of music. There’s the engineered beats of Daft Punk, the on-the-go DJing enabled by the Pacemaker and the social music-making of Indaba. Nine Inch Nails just released their techno-classical epic, Ghosts I-IV, thanks to the freedom, flexibility and prolificity (yes it’s a word, look it up) the digital medium affords.
Mainstream music, though, directly reflects our popular culture, and a sampling of lyrics
shows that mobile has seeped into our collective psyche. Chromeo sings “Nevermind an SMS, what you need is a sweet caress” in Bonafide Lovin’, Will.I.Am raps “Cyberspace is a place to see my lady, baby we can SMS it on the daily”) in Chrisette Michels’ Be Ok and the aptly-names Modern Talking sing SMS to My Heart. Likewise, cell phones are becoming as ubiquitous as bling in hip-hop videos: Rihanna, 50 Cent, and other stars are shown texting, talking or watching video on a phone while singing. In more Emo/Indie there are often rapid young fans texting to screen, taking photos, waving their phones at the stage, just like they are increasingly doing at real shows (check out these impressive figures from HipCricket and Vibes in-venue programs).
This all dovetails into how the music industry is adapting to mobile, something we’ve talked about before and will continue to. In the meantime, the young tech-infused generation will keep SMSing on the daily, discovering and sharing new music, syncing it onto their MP3 players, and reaping inspiration along the way.
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