someonecompletelyrandom

Oldest cliche in the book! Whether or not it's true, I have no idea.

Sneer

As others have said, unfortunately we currently lack the privilege of retrospection and hindsight that brings with it analysis and compartmentalisation. I think this decade will become known for the growth in power of the internet and the galvanising effect it had on self-promotion, empowering th individual as oppose to the company if you will.

As i said, we do not have the luxury of hindsight yet so i cant say whether the internet has blurred the presence of time and space(obviously we know this to be true in terms of communications, but for music i'm not sure) , the media publifications that contribute a great deal to the genre mill have seen their influence weakened due to the increased accessibility of music, so readers arent turning to NME for the next album (and ubiqitous classification)) to buy. They're discovering and downloading them for themselves from the comforts of their own room, as opposed to going out and participating in the ritual of buying and sharing music with people face to face. That's how movements would start, with the gathering of like-minded people, and im not sure if this is taking place anymore to such an extent.

It'll be interesting to see what this decade means to people in 10 years.

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someonecompletelyrandom

But that's where I think you're wrong. I think the we've simply moved from buying and sharing music face to face to the realm of the internet. I mean, look at what we do here at MB... share music, discuss music, discuss trends... etc. The gathering of like minded people has never been easier now that a punk from china can talk to a punk from Rhode Island.

I think musical movements have simply found their niche in the online world instead of the physical one.

This is what I'd like to see come of this decade, which to me seems more revolutionary than any of the previous...

Most people discover music online, which I think it'll eventually lead to a more eclectic society of music fans not nessicarily associated with any one particular movement... instead, they'll leave movement and genre breeding to the musicians and they'll become exactly that - musical styles, rather than any particular fashion or attitude along with them.

Sneer

The reason i said 'to an extent' at the end of my post was because i'd already taken what you're saying into account, and i agree that there is this virtual world that now exists wherein micro-societies can develop and share. However, i do not think it has the same potency or impact as when this takes place in the real world, because ultimately you are aware that you're in a room on your own isolated and detached from those you are sharing with, and this idea of belonging just isnt as powerful as when you are actually in the flesh experiencing something with other people.

This is beginning to veer off topic, i agree with you in that i think the whole notion of genre and 'era' is blurring because of the internet. Movements and periods in musical history have been dictated by the relationships with the status Quo (charts, mainstream TV etc), even in what is dominating the masses or in what is eschewing them altogether as alternative, 'underground' and subverting. These days people are just illegally downloading songs and albums for free, you wont have the documented history to fall back on soon.

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