Roger Daltrey Bored by Rock Band; Laments Digital Music
By Stephany on Wednesday, July 16th, 2008 at 12:04 PM PST In Game Companies, Game Consoles, Game Platforms, Gamer Life, Games, Games Industry
The Who happens to be one of my favorite bands. Roger Daltrey is also one of my favorite rock icons because not only is he talented, he is also funny, can poke fun at himself, and tells it like it is.
Recently, Daltrey was speaking to CNN about how The Who recently licensed downloadable tracks for Rock Band, which according to Daltrey, he grew bored of very quickly. No kidding. He is a ACTUAL rock star, he lives music, breathes music, and creates music – he does need a video game to fantasize about a lifestyle that he currently lives. So, his reaction to the game is to be expected.
During the course of the interview, he went on to lament the way the digital music revolution has changed music:
“They’ve destroyed the form, as soon as it went digital. The CD was a confidence trick. It wasn’t just music that people used to buy, it was a total art form. … I think that’s what people like. They like it personal. They like vinyl because if you scratch vinyl, it’ll be scratched, but it’ll be your scratch. It will only be on your record.
Now for people, (music) is just not a big part of their lives. It’s like background noise. There’s just so much else going on, isn’t there?”
Yes, Roger, times have changed indeed. However, I cannot agree with your sediments on music being ruined nor can I agree with it being nothing more than background noise. The only thing ruining music today are record companies shoving crap artists down our throats and basically telling us what is good and what is not. Radio stations owned by monopolistic corporations force feeding the same songs over and over again and not allowing the DJ any freedom is also ruining music.
The reason people like to buy digital tracks is because they get exactly what they want and only pay for what they consider good. Seriously, what was the last CD anyone bought that encompassed a multitude of great songs all around? That is the beauty of digital music. I may like one song by (insert any band name here), but not enough to buy a whole album of theirs and it’s not my fault that I do not like the whole CD, but the band’s and their record company.
As far as records being scratched, I may be missing your point, but I never liked having one of mine scratched because they skipped afterward. With an MP3 CD, if I scratch it, I can remake the CD and not spend another $17 on the purchase of a new one. Granted, I feel that compressed digital formats can ruin the sound, and yes, vinyl does sound a bit better, but with digital music you can hear nuances that you could not on vinyl. I remember the first time I bought Led Zeppelin IV on CD – I heard so many different effects, chords, and vocal nuances than I ever heard via my LP.
I suppose times change, and some of us lament those changes, but in reality, this sort of change is a good thing. Thanks to games like Rock Band and Guitar Hero, The Who’s music is being exposed to an entirely new generation. All age groups play these games, some that for instance were only originally interested in country music and therefore only listened that style are finding that they like a broader spectrum of music than they originally would have. These music games are a boon to the music industry, they help artists sell more music, which in turn makes their record companies happy which in turn gives them the green light on a new project which benefits the fans. Don’t knock change just because you are afraid. Embrace it, and be thankful that you are still relevant after all these years, especially to the youngest of generations who were exposed to you through videogames.
This is a very interesting topic and, as a freelance music critic, I’m glad it was brought up. I believe both you and Daltrey are right, Stephany. Personally, I think what this comes down to (oddly enough) is what genre of music you prefer. Hear me out on this. The Who have always been a great music for creating classic rock tunes, but also for creating what I like to call music as art. With music now being released as single tracks over things like iTunes and whatnot, the music scene seems to have split into music as art and music as entertainment. Where have we heard this before…ah yes! Video games. There’s games like Halo (sorry haters, it’s the first game that came to mind) for players who want entertainment and games like Shadows of the Colossus for players who want immersion. There’s music like The Foo Fighters (whom I have nothing against) for people who just want entertaining music and music like Radiohead for people who want immersion.
So getting back to the topic at hand, I believe (this is just a guess) you, Stephany, see music as entertainment and only want songs you love when you want them, how you want them, while Daltrey sees music like some of their classic albums (nearly everything after Quadrophenia doesn’t count), where the whole album was like a journey or a story (see Tommy/Quadrophenia and OK Computer/Kid A).
Nowadays, like you said, we get the same songs over and over shoved down our throats by the radio stations. This is why I think we’re ready for the next Sex Pistols or Nirvana movement. Indie Rock is getting bigger and bigger by the day. Bands like The Shins and Iron & Wine, who started out as nobodys, now have huge followings. The website Pitchfork Media has become, to me, just as influential as Rolling Stone was back in its hayday.
Well, I’ve written a ton here, but I’m just really glad someone brought up this topic. Nobody in my school seems to really follow music, and I usually just post articles like this as filler. *Sigh* Perhaps someone here will notice this piece.
I love the whole “art” concept for an album, but unfortunately albums like this are no longer released. Foo Fighters are great for just wanting to rock out, Radiohead is great to sit back with a glass of wine with the lights dimmed and listen to. I am all for immersion, I really should have been clearer, but I was in full on rant mode when I wrote this.
I only buy singles for songs I hear on the radio or at a friends that I just KNOW I would never buy the full cd of. For example, I have downloaded P!nk, Snoop, Bang Camero, and a few metal hits from the 80’s recently. I would NEVER consider buying the full Cd’s because I would not be pleased with them. However, I just recently bought the full cd for Coldplay’s latest, the complete works of U2 via iTunes (set me back loads)which the originals in CD and LP are scattered to the four winds, and I bought Radiohead’s InRainbows because I did not wish to download it for free because it is so awesome and they deserve the cash.
The main singles I buy are usually top 40 nonsense that I would never spend more than the single price on, because while the majority of it is fun, I honestly have not purchased a full cd that I have listened to over and over again since (until recently) Depeche Mode’s last release a few years back.
Wow…now -that- was something worth reading, seriously
“Now for people, (music) is just not a big part of their lives. It’s like background noise. There’s just so much else going on, isn’t there?”
I totally agree with this statement! talk about hitting the nail on the head.
I totally agree with roger daltrey,actually, music played on radio is horible, and even if the MP3 are very convenient I prefer purchase old vinyls in old shops,I’m from the new “generation”(like the song my generation of the who^^)
and if one day,when the journeys in the time will be possible,I will return in 60’s,the mordern world make me feel ill!
sorry if you don’t understand,I’m french,my english is poor^^
very interesting topic, I’m glad to have found it
ciao