Concert as play and the new cultural evolution.

Consider evolution. With most animals, older generations die and their offspring carry on the genes. If an animal did not die, it would compete with its offspring for mates and resources. Some organisms which are better adapted to their environments than their offspring still die, even though if they could remain young, they would remain competitive.

There are some relatively ageless organisms which do persist and compete with offsrping. Redwood trees are an example. Ancient trees compete directly with offspring. It is not so bad.

I propose that until recently, music evolved as organisms because there were not permanent ways to record cultural expressions. Music had to be sung or played, and then was gone until sung or played again. Recordings are a recent invention, and excellent and reproducible digital recording very recent. I thought of this after observing some teenagers grooving to rock from the late 70s: this ancestor has not died, but is competing with its descendants: a musical redwood.

How to parlay this into greater commercial success? Realizing that individual songs as initially released remain competitive with later arrivals, I propose that the rest of the apparatus of the music industry be reverse engineered around them. For example, consider Led Zeppelin. Led Zeppelin 4 would be rereleased - not as a sentimental thing or a best of, but with all the press and fanfare accorded a new album. The group would make media appearances and tour in support.

"The group" would not be the original elderly band members. Rather, lookalike actors would play the parts of these band members - in effect becoming Led Zeppelin. This act would continue off stage, with the actor representing a modern avatar of the original star on and off stage: such a continuing "life" act has many parallels. The concerts would be recreatings of the original concerts, updated for the times - the original concert recording remastered and lipsynched. It would be like a Broadway revival instead of an original concert.

Like the redwood trees, reincarnated immortal acts in their purest form would not be capable of innovation, but rely on the aspects which made them popular initially. The redwood trees get away with this.