MrGMauro
“Il web e la democrazia musicale”

“The Web and Musical Democracy”

Since all of us as DebaserNauti are somehow involved, maybe we haven't thought about it yet, I would like to point out with this piece how the web, impacting our musical behaviors, has quickly and positively reset the rules of the music world, making it more democratic, accessible, and available to anyone who, with an internet connection today, can freely express their ideas in a manner similar to the most renowned critics.

Since it's no longer just newspapers and specialized magazines connecting us with the world of music, but mainly the web and media, everything is immediately accessible thanks to streaming platforms, which have contributed to a "bottom-up" democratization of music. This perhaps caused a decline in record sales, especially in the traditional sense; however, that's yet to be proven, as the traditional sales business has given way to downloads, e-commerce, and concerts, freely sponsored by the thorough media and web saturation, thanks to social and music reality shows; given this, big profits may indeed still exist, perhaps even more than before, even though those involved (musicians and record companies) often hypocritically complain, pretending not to know that their profits now depend not on record sales, but on everything revolving around music in general.

Even before the internet, reviews were transmitted only through newspapers and specialized magazines. The number of music critics was limited, and their reviews were the sole means of evaluating the quality of a record, serving as guidance and direction for music lovers; these critics were the "epicenter" of musical information, and once we identified our reference critic, we could more or less blindly trust their work; however, sometimes there was an annoying twist to their work, as some blatantly put marketing and a certain cultural-ideological hegemony ahead of the music deserving to be reviewed; back then, a good review often guaranteed the success of an album, causing one genre to prevail over another, a fact that producers knew well, as it happened in the last century (note: the '70s) when two equally important and deserving musical strains, like progressive and a certain American rock, received from us unequal treatment and opposite responses that still persist today.

The profession of a music reviewer, prior to the grand arrival of the web, was a precise craft that gradually declined, given the myriad of streaming services, forums, blogs, and music sites that now allow you to freely listen and inform yourself first, and then decisively purchase a record, without necessarily referring to the "musical informers" as it was in the past; thanks to these initially almost artisanal and somewhat adventurous websites, the voice has been given to the people, the Music Lovers, eager to share their favorite music and opinions online, who, acting without filters, sometimes uncritically and inexpertly, have suddenly replaced the old world of music journalism, made up of correspondents, coordinators, proofreaders, and at the center, writers and reviewers, now found online as ordinary web writers.

Thanks to online musical conversations, everything evolves towards more enjoyable listening and new trends, right at one's fingertips or rather a click away, because while reading a review, you can also listen to the album being discussed and even voice your opinion about it; this has flipped the perspective, because we no longer chase music critics with their reviews, but, while still recognizing their merit if authentic and free, for some time now, they themselves are chasing the web, changing their perspective based on the opinions of "nobodies" and their followers.

In the past, a positive review was enough to intrigue us and push us to buy that album, without even hearing it, and it could spell its end otherwise; fortunately, with the advent of the Internet, everything has changed for the better, and, whereas before the purchase of a record could turn out to be a rip-off, today choosing a product of any kind, including music, has become a more conscious and free act, even though this has moved reviews from print to the web, that is, from the narrow circle of professional reviewers to the online world open to everyone; while previously reviews usually preceded the release of a record, constituting an ideal anticipation, now they have become, besides a free selection criterion, a posterior validation about the purchase made and our love for that work.

Faced with a record crisis, largely attributable (I would say) to their too high costs, download and streaming services only do good for an otherwise stagnant market, as for piracy being the cause of their decline, it's not true at all, because whoever downloads music (or movies) is an enthusiast, who, in addition to downloading, will sooner or later buy that music (or film), or go to a concert (or cinema), while those who do not download are far from any interest of this kind.

Such an "enchanted state of affairs," although better than before, sometimes reveals a weak side where polemicists and casual commentators indulge in personal outbursts and swear words, far from music and made to draw the attention of others, which can be quickly ended by appropriately selecting one's followers.

If we want to draw a final balance on music on the web today, I would say that the current situation is very different from before the web's inception, as it now allows free and infinite listening to anyone, in any musical field and without choice limits; thanks to dedicated engines, it is now possible to listen to any kind of music, from any latitude and era; consequently, for some time now, the role of the reviewer has been greatly scaled down, in front of a multitude of online music magazines and dedicated sites, where anyone can express themselves about any record and event; with that said, I would like to conclude this by posing one last question to you: “Does it still make sense to write a review today?” And immediately after, I add here what my answer is: “Of course it does, because now any Music Lover can use it to argue online about their favorite Music, doing it in real time and in a lively way, because dialogue and comparison with others' opinions is an important, vital, enjoyable, enriching, and stimulating value.”

Stay tuned, or better yet, “Stay Tuned!”