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- Voices 2023
Voices 2023
Each edition of The Avenue’s annual VOICES compilation album creates a snapshot of the year. Recorded at Avenue concerts, monthly August Haven Live broadcasts, studio visits, or during our Mile of Music coverage, the following 18 exclusive tracks create a document of a year where musicians and the music business were trying to define how the last 2 1/2 years had changed things. After the isolation reflected in the music of the pandemic, and the flood of activity that marked the return of live music, 2023 was neither overly introspective or frantically trying to make up for lost time. The common theme – how do we navigate the new economics of making music when technology has removed most options for selling merchandise?
Many heartfelt thanks to the artists who played Avenue events or visited our studio in 2023, and allowed us to include them on this compilation. Their music always makes life better.
Artist’s websites are included in the liner notes. We hope Voices 2023 inspires you to dig deeper into these artists and support their work. That’s never been more important as the music industry changes.
Mark Erelli, one of the artists making his debut on a VOICES compilation summed up the effect of music industry changes this way: “Not long ago, listening to an artist’s music meant taking some satisfaction in ‘supporting’ said artist. With streaming now the dominant mode of music consumption (verses cd or vinyl purchase), ‘listening’ no longer necessarily equals ‘support.’ Multiple millions of streams can help certain kinds of artists. Anything less than that only supports the streaming platform. Streaming platforms have devalued music while also decoupling consumption and support. By ‘support’ I mean music consumption covering artists’ cost of living or the expense of recording a new album. Notice how profit isn’t even part of the equation. This is offered to inform conscientious music fans that it will take more than streaming if you want to support art.”
A great reminder for those of us who consider ourselves “conscientious music fans” who hold music and the musicians who make it so dear.
Thanks to Nicolet Bank for making this collection possible with their support. And thanks to our listeners who support The Avenue and make independent radio a reality in our community. Let it play!
Click here to view liner notes and learn more about each song and artist
Click here to learn more about digital downloads