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The modern music industry could have learned a valuable lesson from Ian Curtis.

It would be an understatement to say that the late lead singer of the ’70s band “Joy Division” was passionate about his music. Curtis’s songs and performances weren’t merely parts of his life or representations of his life – they were his life. A life that was sadly comprised of a failed marriage, was weighed down by medication due to poor health, and was ultimately ended far too early by suicide. Curtis’s songs didn’t just entertain people, they inspired them. His deep and poetic lyrics forced his listeners to actually consider the song’s meaning while relating it to their own lives. His twinging facial expressions and eccentric dance moves during performances weren’t made in order to play to the crowd or draw attention toward himself, they truly replicated the strength of his emotions toward the music he had helped to produce. Ian Curtis believed in his music, and for this reason, his followers believed in him.

The problem with the music industry is that it rewards those who sacrifice meaning, individuality, passion, and emotion for individual wealth and popularity. Anyone can turn on the radio and listen to an array of songs comprised of a safe, broad and catchy sound. After all, safe, broad, and catchy appeals to the masses, gains popularity, and sells a lot of CDs. This isn’t because the music is actually that good, it’s because it appeals to the most people. There’s a difference. (more…)