Why the internet has changed everything

[gurdonark]

I just finished an IM passage with one of the fellows in the ambient recording group Ma Ja Le. What a nice man! He had stopped in to say "hi" by IM, because we both hang out at the hypnos.com forum. His duo's album Seed has gotten rave reviews from folks I've heard. I love that (a) the internet makes it possible for a curious little ambient act from WI to get distributed around the world; (b) the internet breaks down those "celebrity" barriers, so that a fellow can say "hi" to a fellow without anyone worrying that one is a "recording artist" and one is a fan; and (c) eventually, the whole rock star construct will be destroyed, leaving nothing but fascinating music for thinking people. It's a small thing, such nice foreshadowings, but a nice thing nonetheless. I love a lot of classic acts, but I love to support people who make music I like not because they have a BIG contract, but because they love to make the music. It's also some fodder for my position that all truly independent music, in this age when the mammals are only beginning to topple the dinosaurs, must be avocational...no compromises, no dependencies, no fear. But that's another post for another day, or the post from last month, or something. I just want to buy some Ma Ja Le albums. Oh, and be grateful for surprise IMs from unmet friends.