The new iPhone is available to buy today at GBP499 for the most basic model. The iPad appeared a few weeks ago at a couple of hundred pounds more than that. G. remarked on Saturday morning, while we were having coffee after a long night selling records at the 'Yes we Can' album launch, that what has replaced buying music is buying Apple products. Steve Jobs has convinced us all that owning an iPad (3 million of which have been sold in the last 80 days) will make us happy. When I was growing up, it was owning a record that made life exciting.
We all know that no one buys music anymore; very few people actually think the recorded product is worth anything. Most people think music should be free. Why do we keep going then? Maybe we in the music industry are as unfailingly optimistic- with no reason to be- as the migrants the musicians talk about on the compilation. But then, many migrants get to Europe, find that the streets aren't paved with gold, but make it work anyway, despite the misery and hardship.
Hello Rose,
ReplyDeleteMy name is Zach Rosen and I was a Peace Corps Volunteer in The Gambia for 2 years. I was based in a rural village near Basse and I experienced very vividly the sentiment and consequences surrounding the obsession with emigration. I was intrigued to hear that a CD was addressing the same subject. I too had wanted to somehow creatively document the issue and the journeys. Having listened to the Songlines podcast where you explained the coalescence of the CD, I discovered that your experience in West Africa is quite rich and deep. I was wondering if I could communicate with you about my idea to capture the Quest for Babylon, the Search for Greener Pastures, the Journey to Toubabadou that so many West Africans dream of and embark on. Please get in touch if you can. My email is zach.rosen@gmail.com Thanks, I look forward to hearing the CD. I'm a big Daara J fan so I'm excited to hear a new track.