I am a long-time subscriber of Rick Beato on YouTube and today I came across Rick’s interview with Jazz pianist, music writer and futurist Ted Gioia today and it completely blew my mind.

Here are two guys, very knowledgeable in their chosen fields, waxing lyrical about a swathe of topics ranging from “AI and it’s role in music and culture” through to “the impact of streaming platforms and formulas”

I was glued to the screen hanging on every word spoken. The best part was that the video was part 2 of an earlier interview Rick did with Ted about 2 years ago.

Below is the video of the interview and a couple of the major takeaways that I got from the interview were…

  1. Cultural Stagnation and the Need for Renewal
  • Simplicity Over Innovation: Music has become increasingly formulaic, with fewer chord progressions and a reliance on large songwriting teams. This diminishes creative spontaneity and originality.
  • Historical Cycles of Creativity: Gioia outlines recurring cultural cycles where creativity emerges as a response to periods of stagnation, suggesting a new renaissance in music and culture may be on the horizon.
  1. The Future of Creative Industries
  • Tech-Driven Change: AI, algorithms, and virtual reality are reshaping culture, often prioritizing passive consumption. Gioia warns that this trend risks reducing the humanistic and creative essence of culture.
  • The Role of Independent Artists: Independent creators are well-positioned to lead this cultural revival by prioritizing originality, risk-taking, and audience connection.

Next is the video of Part 1 of the Ted Gioia interview which happened 2 years ago and in this video Ted chats to Rick about…

  • The decline of depth in media and music
  • The power of music creating a trance-like state
  • Cultural stagnation and likening the music industry to the movie “Groundhog Day.”

Below is Part 1…

Now, the videos are not all doom and gloom for the music industry and society at large.

Yes we’re facing some tough challenges at the moment but there is a light at the end of the tunnel and that light will be carried by the creatives of the world.

How is this the case? Well, you’re just going to have to watch the videos.

They can be a bit on the long side but they are certainly not boring so grab a cuppa, sit back and allow your mind to be blown too.

Let me know what you think because there will be some pretty amazing conversations that can be started from these videos.

Peace,

Corey 🙂

May 2025 be the year that we all find the external peace that the world so desperately needs right now and the internal peace inside ourselves that will allow us all to be the change that we want to see in the world.

Peace,

Corey 🙂