Stewart's view on fame and music

At the Web 2.0 Conference this morning Stewart Butterfield of Flickr gave a very insightful perspective on how media and its centralized distribution systems changed the way people think about their ability to participate.  He suggested that prior to radio and tv, families would serendipitously gather to play music and that everyone participated on some level even if it was just singing.  He suggested that perhaps more people played instruments in the past, but as radio and tv emerged, the concept of fame made the music experience for most people more about listening and less about contributing.

I really like this view whether its totally accurate or not.  Centralized distribution may have given the world more stuff to listen to and more exposure to different kinds of art forms that could never have happened otherwise.  The value of that influence on humanity is incalculable.  But what I love about the Internet is this premise that everyone can participate in any way that they are able...and that their participation can be contributed to any family you define, anywhere in the world.  The distribution model is no longer centralized and, once again, everyone can play in the band.

Is Warhol's '15 minutes of fame' still valid, or does the younger generation even care about fame?  Perhaps Warhol's own response to the adoption of that quote is more accurate these days, "In fifteen minutes everybody will be famous."

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