Musicians needing real instruments? Pssh! That's sooo 2000 and late.

What do you think of when you hear the word "orchestra"? Like most people, you probably envision a group of people dressed in tuxedos and black dresses holding polished and expensive instruments, such as violins and cellos. Pretty standard, right? Well...maybe not for much longer. An article in Wired Magazine brings to light a new wave that is cresting in the music world.

For several years, modern musicians have used devices such as GarageBand, ProTools, and Sony Acid to technologically create and modify their music. It may not come as such a surprise then what Ge Wang is doing. He has assembled a "Mobile Phone Orchestra" where the members use an application on their iPhones to create unified music.

Wait...they're an orchestra without instruments???

Yep.

Personally, after listening to the YouTube clip provided on the article's webpage, I have no fears about the downfall of the traditional symphony experience. The flute application which Ge Wang uses as an example sounds entirely too much like a Sesame Street flute toy I had when I was five. To me, the music the Mobile Phone Orchestra has made so far is less than impressive. It may be signaling a trend, however, that will be honed and refined over the next few years to produce a good-sounding electronic orchestra experience.

Free samples might not be so free

What's your usual process of buying music? Most likely, you open up iTunes on your desktop and search for the artist you want, select the album, and double-click on a song to hear a 30-second sample of what you're about to purchase. The last part in this process has become kind of a second nature for music patrons, but recent developments in the online music business might eliminate the quick double-click option for a free sample.

In an article by columnist Greg Sandoval, the issue of songwriters and musicians not making enough money by regular online downloads alone is fleshed out. Those behind the music complain of making far too little money while those on the other side of the coin accuse their opponents of whining and to stop crying, basically.

I don't think there is a valid argument for songwriters to push their royalty-collecting onto song samples and the other music playing scenarios discussed in the article. Although they hold an important position in the production of all things entertainment, they are not God's chosen children who deserve more attention and pay than the rest of the struggling entertainment business. If they suck it up for a little longer, their pay influx is sure to improve, and they'll probably feel a tinge of regret for their present behavior of acting like bullied school children.

Stop complaining and do something!

In any given situation, there are two types of people: those who complain and those who choose to try and solve the problem. With the issue of overpaid musicians and celebrity figures, it is safe to say that basically all of us are the complainers. We are quick to criticize what we see but do not even consider the possibility of trying to improve the situation ourselves.

Here, Daily Nexus contributor Jason La presents the idea of changing our attitude towards the overpaid celebrities. He presents the problem and offers feasible alternatives to our normal behavior that will aid in turning around this situation regarding the outrageous financial gains of public figures.

Personally, I find La's perspective to be a refreshing one. Angry articles that vehemently blast Hollywood up one side and down the other are a dime a dozen, but very rarely is there a constructively critical take on the issue. La is also very balanced; his proposals are achievable, not "let's all hold hands and sing kumbaya under the oak trees while the bulldozer approaches". Hopefully, more people will latch onto this idea of balanced, positive action in regard to changing the way celebrity payroll is handled.

Overpaid Actors

This clip provided by ReelzChannel poses the issue of actors being paid more than what they technically should have received. The most overpaid actors are compiled into a list, with the issue of the numbers not connecting as a front and center point.