Published September 29th 2015
The discussion about the use of Autotune and backing tracks during live performances is an ongoing one. This video below recently showed up on my Facebook timeline as “proof that the music industry is fake”. It states that the use of autotune now and miming on stage by the world biggest stars, is nothing different from the Milli Vanilli scandal years ago.
While the Milli Vanilli scandal immediately sparked a demand for live singing on TV shows and concerts, it also helped the popularity of unplugged performances, led by the MTV unplugged sessions in the 90s. A trend that clearly didn’t make it to the digital era we’re currently in.
It’s human nature to want to improve what’s been done before. Any tool that can enhance the sound of music and vocals is something we’ve embraced fully. Whether that’s the electronic versions of instruments like the guitar, drums or piano, or recording from analog to digital and now we’re electronically modifying our vocals to get a better sound.
Whether that’s the reason why the music industry has a questionable future is arguable. There are so many other factors that are playing a part, like finding your audience. That’s currently not as easy as it was before as radio and tv have lost some of their market shares to YouTube, Vevo, Spotify and other online media sources.
If the music industry is going down, due to our search and need for perfection, is going to proven right or wrong over time. It’s a fact though that the music industry is dynamic and ever changing, as is the music itself.
