Sunday, 15 March 2009
Can popular music ever really be unplugged?
Due to the technological advances that we have witnessed, with the invention of the microphone in 1827, the electric guitar in 1932 and the amplifier in 1904, how can music ever really be unplugged? If defining unplugged as without the use of these inventions then surely it is very difficult for music to be unplugged nowadays. Without this technology, artists would not be able to perform live concerts to thousands of people, as their voice would simply not travel far enough to reach every person. Unplugged music is therefore acoustic music, thus meaning without the use of these technological devices. Effectively, recording is not unplugged meaning that any attempt at making music that is unplugged would have to be done purely with a live, acoustic performance with only the strength of the artist’s voice to reach its mass audience. As we can see, this is very unlikely to happen therefore leaving me to the conclusion that popular music can be unplugged, but with great difficulty. With the technology that we have now, it is more than likely that music will not be unplugged as it is much easier with the use of microphones, instruments and amplification.
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As you suggest, popular can be unplugged but the real question is at what scale does this become counter productive?
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