Music is incredibly useful as a tool for communication. It has the potential to make us happy, make us cry, make us get up a dance.
Last week I chose to watch the MTV 25th Anniversary Special for The Rolling Stone magazine. I couldn’t help but notice that Nirvana was not only anti-corporate music, but also anti-corporate magazine, and anti-corporate everything. While I cannot claim to be an avid listener of Nirvana, I can claim to hear their messages in other music.
One of my favorite songs is the Hymn of Acxiom by Vienna Teng.
When I first heard it, I thought it was a beautiful hymn about a dysfunctional matchmaking experience. It wasn’t until I looked up the lyrics later on that they revealed the more haunting message behind it. (I’ve posted them below)
Somebody hears you. You know that. You know that.
Somebody hears you. You know that inside.
Someone is learning the colors of all your moods, to
(say just the right thing and) show that you’re understood.
Here you’re known.
Leave your life open. You don’t have- you don’t have-
Leave your life open. You don’t have to hide.
Someone is gathering every crumb you drop, these
(mindless decisions and) moments you long forgot.
Keep them all.
Let our formulas find your soul.
We’ll divine your artesian source (in your mind),
Marshal feed and force (our machines will)
To design you a perfect love—
Or (better still) a perfect lust.
O how glorious, glorious: a brand new need is born.
Now we possess you. you’ll own that. you’ll own that.
Now we possess you. you’ll own that in time.
Now we will build you an endlessly upward world,
(reach in your pocket) embrace you for all you’re worth.
Is that wrong?
Isn’t this what you want?
Amen.
I didn’t even know that Acxiom, a huge data collecting company, had millions of files of data on individuals and groups, all ready to be sold in order to most efficiently sell products to them. Like we learned in our social media units, “we are not the customer […], we are the product”.
This song is the result of Teng questioning the status quo, of data mining and collecting, and then using it to create a world of want and “need”. For those people like me, who enjoy a beautiful song, it’s an educational experience, and an eye-opener to the reality of our internet-filled society.
Vienna Teng’s independence as a musician has allowed her some independence, and the capability to express these without fear of her label’s backlash. I believe that this work fits the bill of being productive, honest, and independent all at once. However, not all artist are so lucky. Many, like Nirvana suffered from “a corporate entity using its power for censorship of an uncomfortable message”.
While the internet and cheaper audio editing software is allowing many artist to self-produce their work, we may be able to void the corporate control all together and,”music [may] be a productive cultural force, helping audiences become united in the goal to be better ancestors” yet.
Adventure Onwards 