I met a studio engineer last Thurs night and he said he's so sick of the business that he's thinking of getting out, because all the record labels want music recordings that are designed specifically for crappy little ipod earbuds, and that he's forced to record music in ways that he knows will sound of poor quality when played on audiophile stereos. Apparently it's the way of pop music these days.
Ah, I understand. When you want to design the sound that doesn't jive with today's industry, it sucks.
I choreographed a number for a finalist in Mr. Gay America not too long ago that was for all intents and purposes a modern dance piece. It was technically difficult with triple turns in odd positions, rolls into handstands, and a discord in the composition that alluded to the "masks" that people wear in life.
The judges didn't care for it, and although the contestant was strong in his technique, it wasn't what they wanted.
I've also put up meaningless crowd-pleasing pieces where the dancers had a couple of "pop it like it's hot" moves, and I was lauded as a brilliant artist. Go figure.
I got paid well in both instances, but there's more demand for the latter.
