Lately I have been experimenting with alternative methods of income generation. In one of these experiments, I contacted a gentleman (via Craigslist) who needed writers for Search Engine Optimization (SEO). In this case, SEO meant writing articles tenuously related to their purported subject for the purpose of directing people to sites and gaining ad revenue. That’s what I assumed per my understanding of SEO. Not knowing what to expect, I went ahead and applied for the promise of $10 per 400-600 word article. I received this response:
Hi Jose,
Thanks for submitting your application. I enjoyed reading a couple of your articles from Rub Raw Press. You have beat out most of your peers and made it to the second and final round of interviews for the gig. Since this is a writing job, and the needs I have are fairly specific, the best way to pick 1-2 people to write for me, is through a sample. I am asking you to submit one actual article to me, but first I want to explain a few specific requirements/suggestions I have about writing them.
1) They must be between 400-600 words in length.
2) They must follow the finite subject fairly closely.
3) Using a thesaurus is a great way to go.
4) Using themes, places, people, locations commonly associated with the subject is great for SEO.
5) Using the exact subject phrase is good 1-3 times, but not more than that. Using variations of the subject phrase is good.
6) Absolutely no copying, or plagiarizing. These articles will be checked using google searches.
7) Having an insightful opinion in each article is not necessary, but using a wide variety of subject related words is. Whatever gets you through to the end of a detailed, articulate, article.If you get the job, I will most likely submit a list of 10 article subjects to you at a time. Once those are delivered, I will submit another 10. For this application, I want you to choose one of the following three topics:
a) diamond flower earrings
b) prayer and music
c) medical insurance childrenI’m hoping to make my final decision by Friday night (Pacific time).
If you get the gig, payments will be made by Paypal.Thanks very much for taking the time to apply, if you have any questions before beginning, feel free to contact me directly.
I chose “b) prayer and music”. I wrote the article and sent it and received a reply that I could have the job if I wanted, but with a higher minimum word count (700+) and no change in compensation. Furthermore, I would not be paid per article, but for every “batch of 10″. All that from a dude who runs a website promoting the use of homeless people as billboards. I told him that I was concerned, that I wanted to be paid for each article individually. He said that he couldn’t do that and offered to pay me for my example (via PayPal) if I took the job. I didn’t take the job, and I didn’t get paid for the “article” I had spent an Intense half-hour conceptualizing and writing. Presented for your consideration, therefore, is a BS article tenuously related to the keywords “prayer” and “music”.
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What is the relationship between prayer and music? Both prayer and music hold special meaning for their practitioners, and some would say that music is in itself a form of prayer. The backbone of Western classical music such as that written by Bach and Mozart was attendant to the spectacle of the organized mass. The music accompanied and intensified the services—particularly well known are the Gregorian chants written to contemplate God. A song can be understood to glorify God and His creation or to express joy or thanksgiving. In other traditions, the song does not accompany worship or prayer but is in and of itself a form of worship. One such example is Indian classical music, the basis of which can be found in the Vedas, some of Hinduism’s oldest texts.
In the modern context music appears to be worshipped by some as a religion. A devotee of a certain genre of music exhibits behaviors similar to that of a devotee of a religion. Instead of a church or temple, services are held in clubs, all-ages spaces, and stadiums. Non-denominational meetups find their doppelganger in multi-day festivals such as Bonnaroo or the Reading festival. Religions have clergy that interpret the faith. Like early Christian, DIY communities hold meetings in their living rooms and basements. Music fans have figures within their ‘scene’ of choice, as well as overarching arbiters of musical taste, such as Pitchfork, to whom they can turn for interpretations of what makes a certain type of music good or authentic. To a certain extent these figures mediate a collective figuring of what is good in music or what ought to be found in music.
An argument for music-as-religion may find its clearest expression in a comparison to personality cults. Figures such as David Koresh and Tom Jones find their doubles in The Grateful Dead, The Rolling Stones, and more recently Animal Collective in terms of the fervor fans display in not only following their favorite band but organizing a lifestyle around their dedication to the band—this is to say nothing of Charles Manson, who was literally both a musician and the leader of a religious cult. Religious music can also become popular, as has been the case with Bob Marley.
Whether music is employed as part of worship or sought as a direct connection to the divine, it is clear that there is something about music that pulls the listener towards a state that, while perhaps not best described as ‘contemplative’, puts the listener in a state outside of the everyday. It is difficult to outline what makes music satisfying in this way, especially when considering how many different types of music can serve a similar purpose as prayer to so many different people—is it the total sound of the song? The words? The harmonic composition and song structure that makes music so compelling? These are questions are impossible to answer with a formula or written argument. They are, however, answered whenever someone connects with a song.
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While writing this post I took to thinking more deeply about music and prayer. Here are some notes.
Panda Bear has an album called Young Prayer.
Some dude wrote a song called “Livin’ on a Prayer”.
I recently heard about this New York buzz band. They are called Madonna and sound a little like Lady Gaga. They wrote a song about prayer.
Popular proto-ternative pop group Brian Wilson wrote a song about prayer.
Here is a video of breakthrough British band the XX playing a song about prayer.
