Innovation and its antecedents

I'm a big believer that certain countries are adept at particular things and weak at others. You cannot be an excellent sumo wrestler and ballet dancer at the same time. It is this simple fact -- and the trading derived from it -- that drives global business. It's a win-win situation. Or to be more topical, a lose-lose situation. Sure, India, Brazil, India and China (the BRICS) are developing fast in certain areas, but do they have the essential elements in place to produce the next Mick Jagger? What importance is placed on the art's contribution to innovation in these countries? When assessing a nation's innovativeness, this metric needs to be considered. Another important metric is the nation's ability to accept and assimilate new migrants. Japan is now suffering economically from its desire to be "Japanese" in its post-war development. By contrast, the Roman empire got this one right.

Nationalism in combination with a rapidly aging and shrinking population are lethal to economies. Schumpeter was right when he argued that the dangers to capitalism stemmed not from its weaknesses but its strengths. The "rationalization of life" and the childless nations that this produces are the lethal by-product of capitalism's successes.

Back to music. The singer below, Aruna, sings her vocal line from an electronic track produced by The Thrillseekers (compare the two versions). This is a great example of how innovation occurs at the intersection. Analogue and digital. Robots and angels.



[Link] There is an interesting series on music and technology on the YWNC radio station. Issues include IP ownership, distribution, sampling etc. Good stuff!