Narcissism: The Fuel that Drives Web 2.0 (I)

Be afraid! Technology is the enemy!

In researching and blogging on the topic of narcissism in the classical music business I have run across one belief more than once. Web 2.0 -- blogs and social networks in particular -- are driven by narcissism.

Social media is to blame for this growing trend. It's all about me, me, me -- the notion goes -- so much so that Generation Y is many times referred to as "Generation Me."

An interview of Jean M. Twenge Ph.D, author of The Narcissism Epidemic: Living in the Age of Entitlement, on NBC's Today Show sums it up the fear:

Ms. Twenge places some of the blame on the self-esteem movement that started in 1980's. She suggests that the rising trend in narcissism is getting worse due to the widespread availability and usage of social networking.

Brand names like Facebook, YouTube and MySpace are synonymous with selfish attention-seeking, she asserts.

» Taking a step back

There is nothing new or shocking here really. In grasping for answers, society loves to blame its social ills and moral issues on the media and at technology.

A few examples from history:

• Jazz music is amoral and it encourages drug use and premarital sex.
  

• Video games induce random, violent behavior.

• The horseless carriage (the automobile) will lead to social anarchy and the ultimate extinction of the horse.
  

• The birth control pill will lead women into promiscuity and will destroy the family unit.

• Surgical anesthesia in its advent was considered repugnant, because it made surgery painless. Pain was considered at the time as inseparable from life and existence. Doctors using ether and nitrous oxide were considered cranks and profiteers.

These are just a few examples. Technology and the media have always been popular scapegoats for society’s perceived failings.

Is this fair and accurate? Perhaps not.

Tomorrow -- Part II

Local University Caught Red-Handed

A Jaded Clam for predatory behavior and breaking the rules.

From page 14 of the April 2009 International Musician -- the trade journal for the American Federation of Musicians -- comes a story alluded to in the last Random Monday post. Until recently, it was an open secret among musicians in the local scene that a professor at a local university was operating a booking agency.

When Local 586 musicians and officers reportedly became aware of this booking agency -- being run out of the orchestra department at the School of Music at Arizona State University -- it was uncovered that the agency was underpaying, if not undercutting, standard wages.

Right-to-work

Needless to say, this created a strong discourse among local musicians and contractors.

For one gig in particular last December that I had been engaged to play, the ASU agency was rumored to have low-balled as much as $100 per musician in a counter-offer.

For a 60-piece orchestra this adds up to $6,000; a big difference that proved irresistible to the concert presenter.

Normally, competitive practices like this are not a issue in Arizona, which is a right-to-work state. The difference in this case was that resources at a state school were being used to compete with local musicians and gain an unfair advantage.

This, according to union officials, was in direct conflict with state laws and university regents regulations.

Fait accompli

Thanks to 586 president Jim Nelson, this issue was put to rest in cooperation with the director of ASU's School of Music. In an interesting turn of events, Mr. Nelson had been engaged to play the same gig through a local contractor and through the (now-defunct) ASU booking agency.

Lessons

Without question it is of value for students to gain professional experience, but this specific event raises a few questions:

• From an educational perspective, what does this practice teach students?
  

• What were the students paid, and if any money was left over, where did it go?
  

• Are audiences sophisticated enough to tell the difference between professionals and students?

Side note

To the ASU orchestra department -- a Jaded Clam.

A New Major Horn Quartet

The number of truly great horn quartet pieces can pretty much be counted on one hand ... okay, maybe two hands. Thomas Bacon wants to add one more major staple to the quartet repertoire with a special commission project.

The piece will be a serious work for 4 horns to be composed by Anthony Plog. Well-known to the brass universe as an accomplished trumpet player and composer, Mr. Plog has penned several horn compositions, including Postcards for Solo Horn (a personal favorite), Aesops Fables for Horn, Narrator, and Piano and Animal Ditties 3.

Mr. Bacon is aiming to complete the commission with a consortium of contributors. By giving $200, individual Consortium Members will contribute towards the total commission amount and in return, will be listed in the printed music. The manuscript is to be completed by next January and Jomar Press has agreed to publish the piece.

Please join in this worthwhile project and help Mr. Bacon coordinate the creation of what promises to become a great new horn quartet. For more information, contact Thomas Bacon via his Facebook page or his online contact page:

» Contact Thomas Bacon

And speaking of horn quartets...

If you do not own this collection already, I would highly recommend the 88 German Quartets collection, available at the Hornplanet Store.

Random Monday: Phoenix Symphony, Cannibalism and Miss Mussel

» Mixed messages at the Phoenix Symphony blog

A 6/24/09 Phoenix Symphony SoundPost blog notes that Conductor Michael Christie was bestowed an American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) award for Programming of Contemporary Music for the PSO’s 2008/09 Season. This is a very nice feather-in-the-cap for Mr. Christie, who is also known for his adventurous programming at the Brooklyn Philharmonic.

Interesting that this announcement fails to mention the third-place status of the award, within a broader category of eight levels. Not to rob Mr. Christie of his thunder -- 3rd place is a great honor -- but this omission might implicitly lead a reader to assume that the distinction may be something other than what it is.

Mr. Christie is in excellent, world-class company with this ASCAP award -- why omit that fact? This is an honor among estimable colleagues that is not to be underestimated. Was this a simple oversight or was it a misguided attempt at spin?

An unrelated blog post on 7/2/09 -- "Marketing Mania" -- raises other questions. It is unfortunate that the copy in this post comes across as very self-absorbed.

With every piece of promotional material that's hung or propped up this season, you can be sure our Marketing team had a crafty hand or inspective eye on it!

Feel free to drop the Marketing staff words of encouragement in the comment section below!

While this appears to be an attempt to elicit public support, from an outside perspective it made this reader wince. In light of the organization's recent financial troubles, self-aggrandizing of a Marketing team -- with a capital "M"! -- seems both poorly-timed and obtuse.

In either example from the PSO blog, this style of copy sends a confused, mixed message. Of course it is important and relevant for an organization to laud its successes, but isn't it risky to fudge details and openly solicit the public for praise? Might this be perceived as a bit heavy-handed and disingenuous?

The PSO marketing team would do better to take a cue from an excellent article mentioned before at the Horndog Blog: "Is Self-Centered Web Copy Hurting Your Websites?"

Good copy for marketing purposes always needs to keep the customer perspective up front.

» Musical cannibalism

In a separate issue somewhat related to the PSO, I have been talking with colleagues in town about troubling trends in the local music scene here in Phoenix, Arizona.

In a town where two opera companies duel over the same donors, a symphony orchestra makes its zero sum game abundantly clear and where a local university music office undercuts the local union musicians for work, how does a freelance musician stand a chance?

I posted this provocative statement as my Facebook status last Thursday in the hopes of eliciting a dialogue. This question will be a topic for some future blogging.

» Miss Mussel gets horn-tastic

Something more horn-related -- in a June 30th post, The Omniscient Mussel features three very nice videos of the Berlin Philharmonic Horns, including the one embedded below. This arrangement of the overture to Ruslan and Ludmilla is actually my favorite selection from The London Horn Sound recording.

Principal horn Stefan Dohr makes its look so darned fun and easy -- just like it should be.

PHOTO CREDIT: http://www.flickr.com/photos/pediddle/327757472/

Happy 4th of July

A command from Uncle Sam.

Tomorrow is the Fourth of July. In the U.S. this is the day Americans celebrate the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

In another declaration, the character Uncle Sam -- a symbol of American spirit -- wants you to get busy.