In my view: The evolving face of Jewish music

Over five decades ago, one man emerged to awaken the Jewish world from its post-holocaust depression and re-ignite the soul through the fire of his singing. These songs would later become the virtual sound track of the Jewish people, forever changing the genre we know as Jewish music.
The new sound was different than the largely cantorial and klezmer melodies of prewar Europe, and would now appeal to the masses, melodies that can be sung by anyone, anytime. The melodies contained elements of the American folk scene, but were also distinctly soul melodies, simple yet profound, and bursting with Jewish life. Much as Yankee stadium was called “House that Ruth Built,” Jewish music has been dubbed “the Genre that Shlomo built.” As the world commemorates the 17th yahrtzeit of the late Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach, much of his incredible musical legacy continues to inspire, reaching a global Jewish audience. On a personal level, Shlomo’s music continues to teach me and his message resonates deep.
Some of Jewish music today remains true to Shlomo’s legacy, while in many respects the genre has shifted dramatically. We live in a whirlwind of different sounds that we are bombarded by constantly, whether from the radio, television, internet, or cars waiting at the red light with their windows rolled down. These sounds range from pop, to reggae, to techno, to hard rock, and classic rock. Now more than ever, Jewish music seems to be sounding more and more like contemporary popular secular music. Some musicians made their careers from spoofing secular chart-topping hits. Their words remain Jewish, while the melodies and general “sound” carry the flavor of pop music. Some embrace this “new sound” in Jewish music, while others bemoan it as cheapening what Jewish music was meant to be. Regardless of how one feels toward this phenomenon, the “new sound” has become increasingly popular in the teenage world, which often are seeking something Jewish, but enjoy the sound of the secular world as well.
Just as Jewish music has changed, so have the buying habits of Jews buying Jewish music. In a difficult economy, most people think of purchasing music as a luxury, and not a necessity. In an increasingly digital age, compact disks have gone the way of the LP, a storage device heading towards extinction. Our age is all about digital downloads, buying songs straight from websites like iTunes, or Mostly Music for the Jewish set, directly to their smart phones.
Often the songs are emailed to friends and copied. While many of the practices may be forbidden according to Jewish law, unfortunately they are quite widespread. Sadly enough these trends have hurt the business of Jewish music considerably. It has become virtually impossible to actually make a profit from CD sales alone, when one factors into the equation the enormous costs of music production, everything from studio time, paying other musicians to play on the album, as well as mixing and mastering.
This new trend has resulted in Jewish musicians relying mostly on performances at concerts and simchas to earn a living through Jewish music. The CD is almost seen as a “business card” a very expensive business card at that, to attract a larger audience to one’s music, so the group or individual may be hired to play at a concert or simcha. However, even this has proved to be difficult, since there are many freelance musicians willing to play for less money than those who have put out albums, making for fierce competition. Many people involved in Jewish music today have different jobs altogether to help support themselves and their families.
The emergence of YouTube has also changed advertising for Jewish music. While traditional advertising was largely print ads, and then later online ads, now YouTube seems to be the most effective advertising platform. While uploading a YouTube itself may be free, making a high quality video with potential to go viral certainly is not. However, many groups are willing to accept the expenses of video production for the chance to achievep popularity through a viral video. Groups such as the Maccabeats and 8th Day have certainly shown us the effectiveness of YouTube marketing.