Wednesday, July 28, 2004
A Different Kind of Vote
I don't at all mean to mock the seriousness of the presidential elections. That's a vote you definitely must rock, but until that rolls around, here's a different type of vote to think about. Maybe it's a bit silly of me to be plugging the MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs), but as much as "serious people" like to downplay MTV, it'd be hard to deny the influence it has on millions and millions of kids, teens, college students, and beyond.
The music industry is a multibillion dollar industry. More and more people (especially youth) are tuning into lyrics and beats these days more than anything else. It's hard to argue that to a certain degree the messages we jam to in our favorite songs can inadvertantly affect our behavior, values, or whatever. So if I have the slightest chance to make a dent in the type of music (or, indirectly, the messages) MTV rewards, I'll give it a try.
One of the VMA awards is the Viewer's Choice Award. This year, for the first time, instead of presenting us with 5 or 6 choices, they're laying out 40 of the year's biggest hits. From 50 Cent to Evanescene to all the pop and punk in between you can vote for 20 as two songs face off at a time. Silly? Maybe a little. But you know how much money gets pumped into this business, and how many people it reaches out to. Sure, this won't change overnight the songs people hear, but it's a start. So go vote! I already have!
The music industry is a multibillion dollar industry. More and more people (especially youth) are tuning into lyrics and beats these days more than anything else. It's hard to argue that to a certain degree the messages we jam to in our favorite songs can inadvertantly affect our behavior, values, or whatever. So if I have the slightest chance to make a dent in the type of music (or, indirectly, the messages) MTV rewards, I'll give it a try.
One of the VMA awards is the Viewer's Choice Award. This year, for the first time, instead of presenting us with 5 or 6 choices, they're laying out 40 of the year's biggest hits. From 50 Cent to Evanescene to all the pop and punk in between you can vote for 20 as two songs face off at a time. Silly? Maybe a little. But you know how much money gets pumped into this business, and how many people it reaches out to. Sure, this won't change overnight the songs people hear, but it's a start. So go vote! I already have!
