Folk Music and the Economics of Musical Heritage
The heritage of a nation is both a precious and a precarious thing. On the one hand, it is visible through the daily activities of the ordinary man as folk culture, but time does flow on, obscuring the past and the ideas that make a people who they are. Even if fleeting, the understanding of a cultural heritage is necessary to understand the present. A veritable source of lore on this commonwealth of culture present within a country comes from the collective song of the common people, known as folk music. By its definition, it is necessarily diverse and expresses everything from the political ambitions of an age to the private desires of the individual. Its preservation can thus capture the spirit of a generation in time and in space, and allow their influence to continue on through the presence, into the future. However, the understanding of a cultural value within a music can be extended to have an economic value; an interest in the past comes at a price. Folk artists need to have an audience to tell their stories to in order to survive, requiring money for publicity and distribution. The artist�s relationship with the hand that feeds it � from corporations to public funding sources � has a direct impact on the atmosphere and perpetuation of one�s own cultural heritage, and affects how people will come to terms with what they understand themselves to be.
Folk culture exists as a collection of traditions that are disseminated orally and behaviorally, which make up the diverse and enduring identities of a group (American Folklife Center). Everything that a people does comes from centuries of repetition of a cycle, wherein a pattern which has value to the group as a whole is continually absorbed and assimilated, generation by generation. By discovering one�s own sense of cultural expression, one discovers the basis of a common humanity that exists to bind all individuals in the group together (Greenway 21). However, it is often hard to understand the essence of folk culture by viewing the disparate elements of text and art within an age; it is often necessary to find the common threads that are most clearly articulated in music.
Originally, folk music was understood as the song of the common people and was thus supposed to use colloquial language, be indigenous to a region, be vaguely older, and have very simple forms that could be performed with little accompaniment (Neff, �Definition�). Its source of lore stemmed from the various lyrics that were written to be sung along with the melodies. Today, the lyrics still possess the emotional and political charge associated with folk music, but the defining qualities of the music itself are no longer as they once were. Musical dilution, blending, cross-pollination, or simply expansion, depending on which way one would look at it, has allowed what is known as folk music to become too expansive (Spalding). Where in the past, folk would have been considered independent of blues, Cajun music, Gaelic music and other such indigenous styles, the folk umbrella now covers all of those categories and other influences such as rock and roll, pop and jazz. Gradually, the music community has moved away from using the word �folk� to label their music; contextual differences and a lack of understanding of the term in modern society has usually provoked confusion and a distaste for the label, and so a negative connotation is attached to the word. Furthermore, artists and producers seem to agree that the folk music label has no longer any meaning musically; they find that it is better suited as a label for the community that prepares and performs the music (Neff, �Definition�).
The existence of folk music or any music in general, is supported by a community that actively creates a relationship with the artists and their messages by paying to see performances, buying their music, and supporting the survival of the message so it can take its place in the accepted musical heritage of the nation (Greenway 9). The utility of music as a publicity tool serves as its own reason for its presence � it exists in every human society and mirrors the desires and ambitions of a community by its strong ties to region, racial identity and even time (Lornell 7). An endearing song from one region or race may not induce the same sentiment in others and so earns its own unique identity, an important requirement a prospective purchaser would look for. The sometimes important distinction of time can also affect the community�s willingness to provide financial support for certain artists; certain songs have lasting power and can thus invoke nostalgia, and sampling of such a song by other artists increases that lasting power. The development of mass media, industrialization and urbanization has also affected the bond between a music and its supporting community. The ability of technology to allow split-second distribution of music has allowed it to gain a value somewhat higher than that of textual and artistic ideas, which require more time for analysis in an increasingly impatient world (Pfeffer). Changes in music by the continuing creativity of folk artists are able to spread rapidly, as are changes to a music�s dependence on geography by a process called creolization, in which industrialization and urbanization in effect cause a cross-pollination of the music of two different cultures (Lornell 11).
A folk artist�s worth to the community and to the national cultural anthology to which he serves is assessed through the message that he carries. The mission of the folk artist is to depict life as it is; consequently, the words of the songs are very important, as they store references to ideas that can be understood in full or in part by those who view it later. One producer put it well: �to me, what distinguishes folk are the words. In all the genres, there's not any better writing, communicating thoughts and feeling, than in folk music�� (Neff, �Definition�). The ideas that must be expressed can change, but the essential nature of folk music means that it continues to represent the common man. �The subject matter and the musical style have changed with the changing times, but the fundamental principle of folk song and its relation to the people have remained the same� (Rhodes 15). However, a commitment to truth does not negate the need for a unique stance; folk artists must establish a voice from which to project a thoughtful message or risk being hard-pressed to obtain and deserve the respect accorded to an individual who by action, represents the entire generation. Unlike the aesthetic and often bland pop singer, folk artists must be differentiated by some sort of social commentary evident in the words of their ballads. Folk artists, unlike pop artists, usually aren�t built into legends by their producers, and thus the responsibility for obtaining their own cultural identity rests on themselves alone. This separate cultural identity not only would ensure that the folk artist would be remembered and respected as an individual within folk circles, but that they would be successful when exposed to the world market.
The folk artists� choice of theme often dictated their economic and political survival. Some chose to be protestors: Woody Guthrie, of �My Land is Your Land� fame, was a noted union supporter whose trademark song was shorn of later verses for their often wildly angry tone. His earlier ballad �The Ludlow Massacre� recalled the early-century wanton labor atrocities as a commentary on the state of unionism in the Forties and Fifties (Greenway). His renowned connection with Communist politics severely limited his popularity and well-being during his lifetime; the House Un-American Activities Committee made it possible for artists like Guthrie, Seeger and other folk artists to be implicated as conspirators in an imaginary Communist plot to �ensnare and capture young minds� (Jackson, Reuss 2) . However, these artists, in return for a lifetime of annoyance and constant watching by the government, eventually earned large acclaim and enormous respect after their deaths and were finally included in the pantheon of great folk artists. Others chose to be entertainers: there have always existed unabashed representatives of filth and licentiousness � though their audiences adored the smutty lyrics of the bawdy song, the performers rapidly disappeared from sight, never to be heard from again, or hid their authorship well (Cray xvi).
By its definition, folk music has been around as long as there has been music. Its linkage to the economic traditions of cultural heritage is also as old; however, the rapid advance of technology, governmental support for the arts and public ideological movements within the 20th century have strongly affected our relationship to our �own� music. Starting in the mid-19th century, a great folk revival commenced, which, through the expending of much effort, concluded with the collecting and publishing of folk songs stretching back to the 17th century (Hyde). It wasn�t until the 20th century that contemporary styles of folk music were taken very seriously. Even though minstrel shows, vaudeville and medicine shows illustrated that the common man would pay to be entertained with contemporary folk music, the elements of racism and condescension presented a distortion of the mainly black music that was performed. The artists were often white men in blackface; however, many black artists were able to build a start to their careers through the medicine shows which were similar to circuses (Lornell 32). Though the traveling show was economically successful, the start of jazz and blues proved to be a better musical model for economic health and cultural integration.
The Great Migration into the North after World War I brought many black traditions into the North, starting with a form of music called the blues (PBS). Its similarity to ragtime, its easy syncopation, and verbal illustration of hard times allowed its audience to sympathize, identify and enjoy the music and culture being offered through the music. Many blues groups chose royal names in this period of economic musical success to point out their self-importance, betraying the commercial nature of their music, but also their pride in being representatives of the black race in such racist times (Lornell 35-36).
After the advent of fascism and Nazism in the early Thirties, the interest in folk music grew accordingly, especially in left-wing circles. The support of the Communist Party for democratic New Deal programs to counter the rise of fascism and Nazism as opposing political forces resulted in a change in outlook for many people, and a subsequent gain of acceptance and respectability in American life. The move away from the ideals of the proletariat to a collective security by strengthening the �homeland� revitalized interests in native American traditions, as opposed to more ethnic traditions. Many folk music groups became acutely interested in American forms (country, Western, as well as the lilting bleakness of the Delta blues) and started to perform in the workers� chorus style, which had its roots and influences in prison labor songs and union calls (Reuss 116). These groups earned their living by playing at the numerous rallies held around the nation, as well as on radio shows and at outdoor festivals. The �Lomax� singers, who performed in the left-wing tradition of the urban milieu, included such famous folk artists as Pete Seeger, Leadbelly, Jelly Roll Morton, Burl Ives, and the Golden Gate Quartet (Australian). However, the combined effect of political suppression, limited interest in such politically charged music and the Depression meant that folk artists were often poor.
After WWII, the disillusionment or depression of being involved with a violence of such magnitude found a kind of extroverted interest in the trappings of a material culture that could easily slip away. Few people were trying to find solace in folk music and were more into popular music styles, such as early rock and roll. The growth and popularity of black gospel music differed in that it had a strong religiosity to its message that black people took to heart, even with the lushness characteristic of music during this time (Lornell 223). It wasn�t until the stunning release of Harry Smith�s �Anthology of Folk Music� in 1952 that the nation would become introverted and self-studying once more (Good Music Guide). A major folk revival started at this time, with the founding of the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago to develop and support up-and-coming folk artists, such as members of the Byrds and Steve Goodman (Moore). The discovery of folk music by rock and roll artists through the �Anthology� created a whole new kind of artist that was interested in singing about the world around them, with a whole new cross-section of the population to be potential supporters of the music.
Interestingly enough, folk music began to be commercially oriented once more, as a result of the �Anthology�. Harry Smith had chosen the songs on the recordings in a purposeful manner: he stuck to songs that been recorded and sold for profit (Good Music Guide). The usage of this anthology to build up the repertoires of the fusion artists started a trend in having key songs used as appropriated covers by most of the artists, with Bob Dylan being the most prolific borrower. This precedent was shown in the later usage of other collected songs as thinly disguised versions of the originals. Fans readily accepted the new music and celebrated the political tensions inherent in the lyrics. The growing popularity of the hippie movement and rebel culture increased the sense of alienation away from the rest of the country during this period of unnecessary war, sexual freedom, racial issues and the modernist/traditionalist clash; the folk music that criticized and lamented the situation of the new generation became naturally popular, as it ensured remembrance for these people as well as a sympathy with their problems during their lifetime. Woodstock �69 celebrated some of the most popular folk artists, such as Joan Baez, the Band, Joe Cocker and Crosby, Stills & Nash, as well as folk/rock and roll fusion artists Jerry Garcia & The Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, and Janis Joplin (Barnes). Other folk artists such as Tom Lehrer, Peter, Paul & Mary and Simon and Garfunkel started their careers during this time (Stambler). The extensive support that these artists received from the fans that bought their records, attended all their concerts and frequently followed them around on tour gave the folk artist something of a super-stardom that wouldn�t have been possible in an earlier age, thanks to improved technology in musical distribution.
In the Seventies, folk artists began to move even farther away from the traditional folk music paths and chart their own; their lyrics still were cynically or broodingly descriptive of life in America, but their musical styles were more ingrained with popular culture. Bruce Springsteen, Neil Young, Cat Stevens and James Taylor were folk artists who were also soft rockers, a distinction that seemed too thin to mean anything solid (MSN). Joni Mitchell, unlike the rest, seemed to have a more traditional feel to her music, though her topics were radically different from anything that had been done before (Stambler). The line between popular music and folk music were blurred once more; folk styles had developed well beyond their grassroots status and were now functioning as a manifestation of popular culture. Consequently, a psychological distinction between those that were making good money as a tool of popular music and those that were unknown began to develop. The support of the folk artist by a recording corporation seemed to imply that the folk artist was a sellout; with the passing of the serious politically charged atmosphere present in the last two decades, the importance of the message that these folk/popular artists were projecting decreased. As it lost its profitability and identification with public ideology, folk music began to recede once more into the world of the bohemian.
These days, the general public takes folk music for granted. Folk music has returned to being an underground art form, in some ways caused by capitalism and a vicious cycle in the economics of the music business. Courtney Love, in a speech to the Digital Hollywood online entertainment conference, commented on the supreme position of the profit motive in the music business � more specifically, she was discussing how the entertainment companies degrade the quality of music throughout the country by essentially ripping off the artists (Love). Her main point was that capitalistic ideals had replaced those of musical and cultural ideals in the music industry, and that the removal of incentive (when the true value of goods and services are not reimbursed) creates a lack of production in �pure� music, thus allowing more opportunity for �trash� to take its place. Though she presented the case in a mildly denigrating way, �pure� and �trash� music represented folk and pop music respectively. The vicious cycle is seen when the national depression in �pure� music equates to lower demand for its kind, signaling a concurrent lowering of incentive.
Unlike in past decades, folk music has lost most of the active participation that had made it so exciting and sympathetic to public currents. The folk community, however, has stuck together in the face of such desperation in their industry, even taking an absurd pride in the fact that they are still folk artists when others are afraid of the label. One writer in the Folk Alliance newsletter commented that �to most popular media writers, folk music was a �60�s fad that almost caught on� (Mabus). There are some popular artists that have a small devoted following, like the Indigo Girls, Ani DiFranco, Tracy Chapman, Dar Williams, Pete Yorn, John Gorka, Shawn Colvin and Sarah McLachlan. These artists make up the fringe of what is usually identified with folk music in the United States: the singer/songwriter. Their music appeals to crosscurrents in the national diaspora, appealing to feminists, avant-gardes in the Village, aging bohemians, as well as adolescent teens that look for beauty as a measure of musical skill, though the majority of listeners are ages 35-44 (Neff, �Business�). Sometimes, their music dabbles in the mainstream for a little while. It is of note that these artists don�t use the term �folk� to represent themselves; more commonly, they and the media use the term �indie� and �indie rock� to describe that particular musical community. However, the majority of listeners refrain from listening to these modern folk artists: �the biggest players in folk music make barely a blip on the sonar of popular music� (Mabus).
It is at this point where the shift from active public support of folk music to federal financing of culture becomes apparent. A little over thirty years ago, the government started supporting programs for the arts, including the Public Broadcasting System (PBS), National Public Radio (NPR) and an organization known as the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). PBS and NPR, with shows like World Caf�, air the music and thoughts of folk musicians to the rest of the world, as both guide and marketer. Even so, folk music is usually relegated to late-night or off-peak hours when considerably less people are viewing or listening. In recognition of the lack of a central body of support for individual folk artists struggling to make a living, the National Foundation on the Arts and Humanities Act of 1965 established the NEA (NEA). Along with the National Council on the Arts, which advises and makes recommendations to the NEA, the organization provides arts groups with grants and national recognition every year. In effect, they are responsible for supporting the work of folk musicians and artists throughout the United States in recognition of their cultural importance when the public provides little or no support. In the Midwest, the establishment of the Western Folklore Center in 1980 and the donation of seed money by the NEA in 1985 for the Cowboy Poetry Gatherings (which include many folk musicians as performers) rejuvenated the dying local support for folk artists in that region (Seemann). Even though the public indirectly supports all of these programs through taxes, many are ambivalent or even negative toward these programs. Since 1995, funding for NEA and the Corporation of Public Broadcasting that supports NPR and PBS has been slashed in half by Congress under pressure from Conservative Republicans and lobbyists. A quick comparison with Finland leaves a sense of embarrassment at our disdain for our own culture: the US spent $6 per citizen on the arts with a GDP of 8.5 trillion in 1998, while Finland spent $91 per citizen on the arts with a GDP of $100 billion (Bunk).
The spread of mass media has also played a large part in current attitudes toward folk music. The computer revolution has made it possible for anyone to become a creator of their own brand of folk music without knowing how to play a note � music editing, theory and performance can all be handled through differential programming, and musical intercommunications and interaction is as varied, multidirectional and meaningful as the user would like (Spiegel). Thus, the folk artist is no longer as special when someone can design their own versions on their own. Demand is consequentially lower. Distribution has also changed. In 1998, telephone companies began sending more digital data than analog voice information (Pfeffer). Most of this data is in the form of music and video files; at colleges nationwide, the majority of bandwidth is taken up by file sharing. When computers can travel in �perfect copies� independent of physical objects, the relationship of the artist to the consumer is degraded (Spiegel). A lot of the mystique surrounding the folk singer stemmed from the closeness of the listener to expression of the �truth� during live performances; however, the packaged music can possibly be exposed to much wider audiences by digital and online distribution.
Though it is agreed that folk music exists on a smaller scale in today�s society, it still retains quite a presence. Folk music sales totaled more than 12 billion dollars in 1994, according to the RIAA (�Study�). Its success in comparison to the rest of the music industry is unknown because the amount of radio play and successful tours that popular music has is wildly different from methods of distribution in folk music. Folk artists often support themselves through touring, as the business as a whole does not make much money. One modern commentator, Alan Rowoth, commented that �the genre isn�t about the money because it�s not making much, so we immediately eliminate a whole breed of sharks� (Neff, �Business II�) John Gorka, a famous modern singer, averages 130-150 gigs a year to audiences of 200-400 people, at venues ranging from coffeehouses to music festivals (Morris). Music festivals are among the most influential concert locations, as exposure at a festival links artists to a possible fan base and to a region, and also builds the sense of community within the folk music world (Neff, �Business II�). While the number of folk artists in the US is unknown, one folk music magazine has a distribution of 13,000 people, 98% of whom describe themselves as musicians (Sing Out!). These musicians often start with small fan bases in local communities and work to build their influence; they are helped out by national folk musician associations that attempt to raise public awareness of folk music and of individual artists.
While mainly traditional folk music has been discussed, other styles of music fall under the category of folk music. Rap and hip hop, two of the most influential musical styles in public music today, resulted from a creolization of folk and popular styles � a combination of Jamaican �toast� and folk percussion in black music. Economically and culturally, rap has been wildly successful. Cultural depictions of syncopation, protest and insult songs in black folk culture, call and response, and the usage of sampling have heightened the cultural heritage present in this lush and rapidly growing style of music (Lornell 232). Sampling involves using a short selection from another piece of music and inserting it into your own creation. In traditional folk, samples are usually taken from older folk songs (such as the Counting Crows and Vanessa Carlton remake of Joni Mitchell�s Big Yellow Taxi); in rap and hip hop, samples are taken from funk, soul, blues and other black folk music predecessors (such as Sugar Hill Gang�s remake, called �Rapper�s Delight�, of �Good Times� by Chic) (Psycho Jello). The hip hop phenomenon has brought in remixing as methods of sampling and creating new music. This usage of technology to add new elements to existing music has proved immensely popular and breathes new life into older songs, making them at once culturally respectable again and immensely profitable.
While folk music�s position as cultural phenomenon and representative of a generation is continuous and long-lasting, the public understanding of their present cultural heritage is directly related to the economic status of folk music. As a politically and emotionally sensitive musical style, the relationship of the musician to history and due process is that of a mirror to a person, directly reflecting the frustrations and ambitions of each age � labor disputes, the Vietnam War, drugs on the streets and sexual freedoms. Public involvement with its own identity is low during times of less contention; concurrently, folk music as an industry suffers, as it is during current times. The expansion of mass media, the loss of personal responsibility for folk music and the growing importance of capitalistic ideals to society has also lowered the importance once placed on folk music as cultural representation. No longer is folk music needed so much as a tool of expression, because the message is no longer needed. However, folk music will always exist because it is the music of the people; the factors that contribute to lowering the importance of folk music can also contribute to greater musical exposure and spread. Our cultural heritage will live on.
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