I'm Writing A Manifesto

I'm going to write a manifesto.

That's right. I'm going to write a manifesto. A music manifesto to be exact.

Why? Because i love music. This blog is dedicated to it. And it bothers me deeply when i see musicians who have tons of heart, soul, and talent getting passed over by corporate America in favor of those who are willing to sacrifice their art in exchange for becoming rich and famous. It drives me crazy when i hear a great, heartfelt song on a podcast or a friends Ipod then turn around and hear somebody's streamlined mediocrity on the radio.

So what is a manifesto exactly? It's defined as a public deceleration of intentions, opinions, or motives. Mine will touch upon all three of those, but will mainly center upon my opinions. I intend to state what is wrong with the music business, and what is right about it. I will state my opinion on what could be done to improve it. I will also state what i personally intend to do to help deserving artists and songs get recognized.

This manifesto will take aim at the music business and its gatekeepers. The people who are more concerned with the marketability of an act than the quality of his or her art. It's wrong, and it's brainwashing a generation that knows nothing besides what they are force fed by the radio, MTV, and CMT.  It will also target fans in an attempt to turn them against the gatekeepers and desk (not disc) jockeys who are in the music business for all the wrong reasons.

I'm just one voice in an ocean of millions, but i hope and intend to write something that will inspire people to turn off mainstream radio, buy music from their local record store, attend live shows at their local venues, and generally open their hearts and minds to the thousands of quality musician's who making music for the right reasons. And it will only take a handful of people changing to make my manifesto a success.

Here is my promise to myself, to you, and to the the music that I love. My music manifesto will be published by July 4 2010. That gives me a little more than three months to write, edit, and format it before it gets released. So guess it's time to get to work. I've got a manifesto to write.