"I don't believe that rock 'n' roll can really change the world, As it spins in revolution - spirals and turns.." U2

Well, it came and went, the "greatest concert" ever broadcast live. In July, Live 8 was broadcast on TV, Cable, radio and the internet to an estimated 5.5 billion people. Organizer Bob Geldof said Live 8 provided "a unique opportunity to save a continent from humanitarian disaster." The continent in question is Africa, a continent that www.One.org people say is in desperate need of "debt relief."

I'm sure that you have seen by now the One.org promos with Brad Pitt and a score of other celebs telling us that they don't want our money, but a commitment to send an e-mail and pledge our voices to this campaign of compassion. I watched the video online again to try to get a handle on what they were really asking for and I noticed that even Pat Robertson was included in the slick video promo. Wasn't this the same guy that said the 9/11 attacks on the US were God's punishment for homosexuals and abortions? Anyway, what I get from this One.org campaign is just a 2005 version of WE ARE THE WORLD. Remember that one? How could you forget Cindy Lauper singing with Bob Dylan! Well, the Live 8 concert was just a contemporary version of that weak ass distraction from the reality of poverty in places like Africa.

Live 8, while making claims of debt cancellation and fair trade, missed the whole point of poverty to begin with - that economic policies are primarily what makes people poor. Mandarins like Bono do not challenge the WTO, IMF or World Bank policies which creates and perpetuates institutional poverty all over the planet. These "artists" do not challenge these institutions or policies, because if they did they would never get close enough to the likes of Bush, Blair or World Bank president Paul Wolfowitz for a photo op. Bono and Geldof have just a slightly more sophisticated approach to social change than Hands Across America. Symbolic, charitable actions will not relieve suffering, nor will simplistic notions of why 35,000 children starved to death today on this planet. Or as Michel Chossudovsky says "Live 8 creates an aura of optimism. It conveys the impression that poverty can be vanquished with the stroke of the pen. All we need is good will. The message is that G8 leaders, together with the World Bank and the IMF, are ultimately committed to poverty alleviation." Ultimately, what Live 8 did was to take the focus off of real criticism of the G-8 Summit, criticism that was coming from the Anti-corporate globalization movement and the anti-war movement. (See Media Mouse posting for July 9).

Just look at who some of the entities who made out from the Live 8 event as an indicator for whether or not it will actually change anything. There was huge corporate sponsorship of this event. Some of the biggest advertisers were Ford, which took advantage of the targeted audience by promoting Volvos. That's it, buy a Volvo, end poverty. Ad industry publication Advertising Age certainly understood that Live 8 was primarily a tool for marketing. Their June 30th feature article was entitled "LIVE 8 AS AN ADVERTISING VEHICLE." AOLTime Warner has the rights to broadcast in the US, as well as online rights. Cell phone companies also got in on the act, as did music industry giant EMI, which has secured exclusive rights on the DVD of the concert. Apparently the hype around Live 8 has even boosted EMI's stock value, triple its 2003 level.

Anticipating criticism of his role in the "greatest concert" ever, Geldof has even labeled those who would not shower him with praise as "irrelevant." I wonder if Bob would actually say that to Africans who have taken him to task for his charade. Here are comments from Cameroon writer and activist Jean-Claude Shanda Tonme:

"We have nothing against those who this month, in a stadium, a street, a park, in Berlin, London, Moscow, Philadelphia, gathered crowds and played guitar and talked about global poverty and aid for Africa. But we are troubled to think that they are so misguided about what Africa's real problem is, and dismayed by their willingness to propose solutions on our behalf. Don't insult Africa, this continent so rich yet so badly led. Instead, insult its leaders, who have ruined everything. Our anger is all the greater because despite all the presidents for life, despite all the evidence of genocide, we didn't hear anyone at Live 8 raise a cry for democracy in Africa."

Don't get me wrong, I'm not suggesting that music can't play a role in social change. In fact, I think it plays a vital role. If you haven't seen the documentary Amandla! A Revolution In Four-Part Harmony (2002), I suggest you do. It beautifully demonstrates the power of music in the South African anti-Apartheid resistance. Musicians don't have to follow the path of fame and fortune, they can be a vibrant part of communities and struggles. They can be either audio historians, as in the case of Joe Hill, or they can be charlatans for corporate greed. Here, you can fill in the blank with any number of musicians and cookie cutter bands hoping to get the latest soda pop endorsement.

We have a rich history in this country, where music was woven with resistance movements - worker's rights movements, civil rights, anti-war and now the anti-corporate globalization movement. (See Rockin' the Boat: Mass Music and Mass Movements) The fact that we are less familiar with social change musicians has a great deal to do with the major corporate shift within the recording industry, concert promotions industry and the radio industry. Fewer and fewer companies own the mechanisms for music distribution, promotion and airtime. An issue that is well documented in Mat Callahan's newest book The Trouble With Music, from AK Press. There are also great online resources such as the Future of Music Coalition and Rock and Rap Confidential. And everyone should get down with the poetic analysis of west coast DJ Davey D. All of these resources critique the same basic elements of music and the music industry, by asking what is music for? Is rap music authentic if it pimps for McDonald's? Is Eminem really a rebel if he is a poster child for Nike? Are we aware that Levi's misuses a song from the Mexican insurgent band Control Machete? These are questions we must ask ourselves if music is to be saved from being just another commodity to be packaged and sold like candy bars.

So the next time someone tries to sell us the idea that if we just attend a concert the world will be a better place, don't buy it. The next time hucksters like Geldof try to equate their actions with those of Dr. King or Nelson Mandela, don't buy it. Unlike King or Mandela, Geldof and company aren't willing to put their ass on the line to make change. By way of ending I leave you with more comments from Cameroon writer and activist Jean-Claude Shanda Tonme:

"But the truth is that it was not for us, for Africa, that the musicians at Live 8 were singing; it was to amuse the crowds and to clear their own consciences, and whether they realized it or not, to reinforce dictatorships. They still believe us to be like children that they must save, as if we don't realize ourselves what the source of our problems is."