Time's Person of the Year: You

TIME.com: Time's Person of the Year: You -- Dec. 25, 2006

I'm still trying to get a handle on what it will mean to music, video, writing, etc., when everyone is more interested in being a star themselves and putting on their own show than being a fan/audience.

Music reviewers are starting to point out the number of young fans at concerts who are on their cellphones rather than paying attention to the performers. They are either calling friends to tell them about the show, text messaging them, or taking photos and recording the show. Trying to turn that into a positive, some bands now allow their fans to send text messages from their seats to a giant screen at the show. Their goal isn't to watch the band but to see yourself on the screen.

The Fray, a Denver band that I know well, is using another technique to involve fans: getting them to sing along. Isaac Slade will sometimes stop singing, turn his microphone to the audience, and then let them take over. Video crews then film the fans and incorporate that into band videos.

I think The Fray is particularly attuned to fan involvement because of their backgrounds with worship music in church. Some of the best pop music being written today is written for the contemporary Christian market. Churches, in turn, are creating more interactive services which incorporate contemporary music and attendee participation, borrowing, and in many cases, improving upon what has worked in pop culture.

Getting back to the "It's all about me" movement in Web 2.0, I think increasingly creative types will be judged not on the quality of their art but their ability to involve others. What will be valued is when you present bits and pieces (songs, software, templates) that others can adapt for their own use. Your own particular creation will be less important than helping others express themselves.

This may be a hard trend to accept for bands who think their primary purpose is to create "art." All too often bands think all they have to do is write and perform great songs, and record companies will find them. Not only was this rarely true in the past, it is even more unlikely now. Fans want to know what is in it for them. And often music alone isn't enough anymore.

creativity