Technique vs. Genre vs. Propaganda

ORIGINAL: Philip

(Today I worked (not-too-hard), juggled my 4 children, laid a few semi-inspiring guitar tracks, and pondered ‘vital questions’ ...)

I've perceived that there may be another trichotomy in music-technique.

I’m hoping any of you will elaborate (without turning this into a spamming trolling extravaganza)

Propaganda is a dirty word: wholesale whoring of commercials, politics, science, religion, sex, and who knows what else? Perhaps, I’m most guilty. Is singing propaganda? CCM and worship genre may be equally guilty … no different than Stalin’s socialist anthems, whose purpose seems oft to lull false security into others.

Technique seems (to me) merely the scientific medium we use to communicate our pet-agendas … that targets the most audience (or something like that).

Please help me elaborate on what you perceive about ethics of technique, genre, and/or propaganda in music.

If you've perfected your inner voice and the medium, I think that deserves respect not criticism dude.

It just happens that musicians have a particularly palatable mechanism to do it with, and some really learn to use it well. Nothing wrong with that I think.

Lots of songwriters fall into this trap, especially after a first phase of their careers and some success, once they've run out of things to say but have a sense of obligation that they should still say something

… Satin Doll requires an entirely different technique, as does the One Way Out like the Allman's played in in 1969.

Technique is genre specific -- you either have it or you don't. And propaganda has nothing to do with it.

To some speakers and writers, propaganda is an instrument of the devil. They look on the propagandist as a person who is deliberately trying to hoodwink us, who uses half-truths, who lies, who suppresses, conceals, and distorts the facts. According to this idea of the word, the propagandist plays us for suckers.
Others think especially of techniques, of slogans, catchwords, and other devices, when they talk about propaganda. Still others define propaganda as a narrowly selfish attempt to get people to accept ideas and beliefs, always in the interest of a particular person or group and with little or no advantage to the public. According to this view, propaganda is promotion that seeks “bad” ends, whereas similar effort on behalf of the public and for “good” ends isn’t propaganda, but is something else. Under this definition, for example, the writings of the patriotic Sam Adams on behalf of the American Revolution could not be regarded by American historians as propaganda.
The difficulty with such a view is that welfare groups and governments themselves secure benefits for a people through propaganda. Moreover, national propaganda in the throes of a war is aimed to bolster the security of the nonaggressor state and to assure the eventual well-being and safety of its citizens. No one would deny that this kind of propaganda, intelligently administered, benefits every man, woman, and child in the land.
The experts have plenty of trouble in agreeing upon a satisfactory definition of propaganda, but they are agreed that the term can’t be limited to the type of propaganda that seeks to achieve bad ends or to the form that makes use of deceitful methods.

In general, a message designed to persuade its intended audience to think and behave in a certain manner. Thus advertising is commercial propaganda. In specific, institutionalized and systematic spreading of information and/or disinformation, usually to promote a narrow political or religious viewpoint.

ORIGINAL: Philip

(Off Topic: Spaceduck, Magicshow is some truly amazing work (with the Cello work, potent lyrics, wide panning, majestic drum-work, etc. ... and your final guitar riff) ... where did you get such astonishing depth of music? You are one inspiring composer-singer, IMHO)
I listened to “Gates of Delirium” (You-Tube versions did it no justice to my ears). Yes turned it into a full-blown concert … no offense, but Spaceduck’s Magicshow inpires me much more than “Gates of Delirium”-live, though having a full orchestra and war-images.

In general, a message designed to persuade its intended audience to think and behave in a certain manner. Thus advertising is commercial propaganda. In specific, institutionalized and systematic spreading of information and/or disinformation, usually to promote a narrow political or religious viewpoint.

Knowing most of you, I think you don't want to be labeled as propagandists. Nor do I.