From an article Sherry posted in another thread (thought it might make for an interesting discussion):
http://www.newyorker.com/online/blog....html?mobify=0
This could make for an interesting discussion, but I think the author made a mistake by bringing The Beatles into the discussion. In fact, youth, energy, inspiration, and many other factors have played into the creation of music such as rock and jazz.
This is not to say experience is not important. The article relates it to "The Sporting Scene" - but uses chess as the example, which is a bit ironic considering so much of sport relies on an athletic or physical pursuits. Ultimately, I think in this context, what the article is suggesting is that is does take time to master skills. But in many sports, the players who are younger are the ones who exceed. And an older player who could be the most skilled player in the game can't execute the physical skills necessary to continue to compete at the top level.
Getting back to music, same thing could be said. If a young artist/band has the inspiration and energy to record and release music, maybe they can perfect that skill over time with practice, but there is no guarantee the music will be better as a result. In our own microcosm (while some of it is a product of the time), we often laud an artist's first few albums than we do their later work. And there are rare instances in which we'd take an artist in his/her 60s and, while they may be better experienced musicians/artists than ever, it doesn't mean it translates into better music.
I think the larger point to drive about "hobbyists" vs. "professionals" is that, while there's an abundance of great music out there being made today, it's not being recognized as most people - even hardcore music fans - can only digest so much. As such, artists which may have gone on to produce continued great works get discouraged at the lack of recognition and think twice about the value in creating more. In the end, it's the music "gone unheard" that's the greatest struggle for an aspiring artist/band.
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