An Artsist Perspective - Jack Johnson

Rollingstones.com has published interviews with some of the top artists out there today. They broke down how different artists feel about what is going on, and their thoughts on what is going to happen in the industry.  Here are some excerpts from those interviews:

(source: www.rollingstones.com)

What has music done for you in your life?
Music generally makes me want to go outside. Music makes me want to get out and go on a hike or take my kids kayaking or motivate to do something extraordinary. I think music has the power to break through. Like Kurt Vonnegut said, "God bless music."

What changes do you see coming in music, stylistically or technologically?
The difference now with technology is there's the ability for people to hear any kind of music they want to hear. Whatever type of music you're into, there are resources to find it and to find all the good stuff. Before, it seemed a little harder to get turned on to really good stuff. Now, with the Internet, by word of mouth you can say, "Have you heard this band," and type it right in and there it is. Before, you'd have to be like, "Oh, I'll try to pick that up next time I'm at the record store." And then you probably forget. It's just right at our fingertips now, so that's the positive side of it.

What advice do you give to young musicians?
It seems like a really good time to get into music, as far as trying to get your music heard. You don't really need to have the backing of a major label anymore, you can do it, get your music on the Internet, and that word of mouth thing can happen. That was a huge part for me before I even had a record out. People started trading our stuff online. Once we had a record, people would have me sign a burned copy and say, "Sorry it's burned," and I didn't really care. If people were getting the music, I was cool. I thought technology was helping spread it around. I always hear people say the music industry is in trouble, and it probably is, but as far as getting your music heard, it seems easier nowadays.

Are you optimistic or pessimistic about the future?
Very optimistic. It's an interesting time and it's so hard to tell what's going to happen. Whatever we have to deal with, I believe in joyful participation. Quoting Joseph Campbell, "No matter how down you can get or how overwhelming the world can become, you have to have joyful participation and just try to make the best out of every moment that you have and do the most positive work you can in the world."

source: www.rollingstones.com