🌷 Making Choices
And: Share Your Artistic Journey; Industry News You Should Care About; Upcoming Events
🙏 I’d like to open this newsletter by acknowledging the challenging situation faced by Ukraine over its invasion by Russia, and I am proud to see the music industry taking action over it (These are the major music acts canceling shows in Russia). A list of resources on the conflict and how you can help can be found here.
🌵 The Economy of Selection
Last week we were exploring the ‘Artists Don’t Fail’ topic, highlighting how the creative process is valid for all its outcomes, good or bad. It all builds up towards a better artistic expression.
Once we agree on that, another problem quickly surfaces: making choices. In the whirlwind of artistic creation, what’s the value of choosing a certain compositional solution instead of another? Curtis Roads seems to believe it’s a prerogative of the human mind and a key aspect towards a successful artistic formula.
In his words: “Economy of Selection: Choosing one or a few aesthetically optimal or salient choices from a vast desert of unremarkable possibilities.
It’s instantly obvious how this “Economy of Selection” corresponds to the popular saying “Less is More”, seen as a way to prioritize a certain solution over another.
“Long seen as a gift from the gods, inspiration seems difficult to teach to human beings, and even more so to computers. Indeed, what makes a choice inspired is hard to define, as it is particular to its context. Sometimes it is the surprising or atypical choice, but other times it is simply emotionally satisfying, optimal, or salient in a way that is not easy to formalize.”
“Economy of selection is an important concept because it emphasizes the role of subjective intuitive choice in all compositional strategies.”
Roads then closes the argument by explaining how, even before making artistic choices, it is necessary to pick the general landscape in which a particular choice is set:
“Choices in the moment create our lives. I would go so far as to say that the talent of a composer lies primarily in his or her ability to listen and understand deeply enough to make optimal choices. This begins with choosing the right compositional problems to solve - a question of strategy, tactics, tools, and materials.”
☀️ Share your artistic journey with the community!
Send us pics, audio bites or short videos from your experience navigating the music scene… we’ll pick the best submissions and share them with our community! Our goal is to inspire each other. (gabriel@weareymx.com)
🎸 Upcoming gigs
We’ll be at the Finsbury on March 13th, curating an exquisite line-up that includes up-and-comer Gabrielle Ornate and others… free tickets via DICE.
🎙 Keen on trying your hands on a podcast or a radio show?
Our online radio platform AFX Radio is looking for podcast presenters and playlist curators! No experience required, just willingness to learn and explore the medium. If interested please contact: ymx4you@gmail.com.
📻 Radio Show Interviews
Every Saturday afternoon we are running our own radio show on Caffe’ Latino Radio, where we interview up-and-coming artists, host solo live sessions, or just chatting over a coffee. Our host Giack Bazz is keen to speak to you so get in touch! (hey@weareymx.com)
Industry News You Should Care About
🕹 Bandcamp Acquired By Fortnite Maker Epic Games - MBV
“Announcing its acquisition today (March 2), Epic states that “Fair and open platforms are critical to the future of the creator economy”. It’s exciting to imagine how the two companies can work together to develop a music-driven metaverse. And it also signals the growing synergy between the gaming and the music business.
📀 Dua Lipa Sued For Alleged Copyright Infringement Over Hit Single Levitating - MBV
There is a track by ‘Artikal Sound System’ that contains a very similar topline to ‘Levitating’, at least in the chorus. Seems a little too similar to just be a coincidence :)
Submit your music to us
A reminder that you can submit music to us here