Local cafes serve up standardized, corporate music
All cafes with spoke with agree to play local music. In a city packed with local music talent a revolution in café culture is p
The great majority of music played in both large and small retail businesses throughout Salem is created by national artists and distributed by corporations. You might expect something different in our popular, hip cafes, which are some of our only remaining quasi-public spaces. But all of the cafes we visited play music that is produced, paid for and distributed by multinational corporations.
APPEAL: Help create a playlist of local artists. We will present this to local café managers.
It’s the contemporary music that people all know, and it contributes to a culture of uniformity and apathy. It is desensitizing. Commercial music is typically used to manipulate the feelings and thoughts of customers. It stops conversation and makes it hard to reflect.
We talked to managers and baristas at many Salem coffee houses about where their music comes from, and if they would consider using local music instead. All gave an enthusiastic, favorable response. It makes a lot of sense. Salem musicians would be promoted and become more well-known, their music would reach out and entertain people. And it would be far more interesting for café patrons.
One barista at the Break Point Cafe says it would “be awesome to have local music playing all the time.” A manager from Venti’s Cafe says the idea is interesting but replied, “We use Spotify for music and it is working out really well for us.”
Salem is full of local music talent. Generations of music have been produced in Salem, Oregon and the surrounding areas. Some bands perform professionally. Others play music simply because they enjoy writing and performing. But local bands have been neglected and have been ripped off.
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