Friday, September 3, 2010

Betrayed

To coincide with the repost of Seth Godin's insightful comments about personal contact and filters (see below) I read a facebook post today from a person that I consider a trusted source of music recommendations. We have similar but not fully overlapping tastes in music. Again: he's proven to be on point in his suggestions.

The music he suggested today, however, is weak and utterly forgettable. What happened? I know that this fellow is, like me, in the music business but he's never seemed like a shill for his clients. If anything he's always appeared to be someone who accepts work based on his love for a particular artist or band.

For me, the idea in recommending music to others is 3 fold.

First, I want to share something I love with others. Some people do this often, some rarely. Some broadcast broadly, others more selectively. To have the most impact I choose to be selective. What's the point of telling EVERYONE that they're going to love the new Cardigan's record when I know that the music isn't for all? The pleasure of sharing successfully is enriching. It's also about building and strengthening bonds with others.

Secondly I hope to benefit from getting something in return from those I share with. In the wikipedia definition of "gift economy" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gift_economy) there are examples of the non-linear / asymmetrical nature of this give and take. I trust that at some point I will benefit from the knowledge of others whether it's directly related to music or not.

Thirdly I want to be thought of as trustworthy, knowledgable and altruistic. These notions are, in the least flattering light, self serving and self aggrandizing.  In the best light they're common and understandable and make me feel that I am of value to others.

So my friend, in posting about this particular new band seems to have missed the mark. In fairness he did give a "RIYL" list, but this too seemed random and sadly inaccurate, making matters even worse.

I'm entrigued by how rattled I am by this tiny experience of feeling "betrayed" by a trusted source.