Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world. - Nelson Mandela

There I was sitting in front of the Christmas tree in 1978 eyeing two gifts in the shape of a record album. I anticipated opening them and racing to my bedroom to listen to some fabulous music crafted by my favourite bands at the top of their game. I really wanted Rush's 2112 but when I opened the first gift, the horror that befell my eyes came in the form of Saturday Night Fever with a picture of John Travolta in a white polyester suit striking that famous pose. My mother and sister snatched it out of my hands and put it on the record player. In an effort to put that moment behind me, I scrambled for the other gift. To add insult to injury, it was Boney M's Night Flight to Venus. I was devastated. No wailing guitars, thundering drums and screaming Geddy Lee for me.

My experience that day was just a microcosm of the music industry of the day and a warning sign of things to come. I didn't know it then but Disco killed Rock and Roll in the shallow pond of the quick fix. Dance clubs were cropping up all over the place. Cocaine, platform shoes, polyester outfits and simple beats killed the band circuit overnight. Live acts couldn't compete against a ten dollar slab of spinning vinyl. Disco heralded formulaic musical composition to an artform and sold records in vast quantities. While disco lasted a short time, the damage was already done. Rock and Roll tried to fight back in the form of the New Wave and Punk movement which led to hair bands and pop schmaltz of the eighties. I was there and it was bloody awful and didn't improve much into the nineties.

The final blow to decent music came in the form of Shawn Fanning and the Napster craze. People didn't want to listen to bands or entire albums. They wanted a three and half minute pop song and didn't mind stealing the songs. Nevermind the effort that the artist put into composing an entire album for listening pleasure. If you want to see a concert today in a big venue, you have to pay big dollars. Why? Because performers don't make any money from CD sales. They now have to make money from touring. Apple in their infinite wisdom started iTunes where music lovers can buy a single for 99 cents. I fear that music will be reduced to 99 cent soundbites and the heart of composition will be lost to composers trying to capitalize on the quick buck.

Tonight, put on your favourite CD and listen to it from beginning to end. Pay tribute to those performers that made you feel something and boycott iTunes. On the weekend, don't go to a dance club. Try a live music venue and appreciate all the work that goes into it. Thank a musician.