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Looper's Delight
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God, I didn't know what kind of nickel I was dropping in the jukebox.... My entire point with all this is based in the fact that I am coming from (I would assume from the other posts to this list) a somewhat different background, a more extreme-music and punk-rock background. I started to wonder, when I started getting into punk, why the metal bands I listened to sold their lps or discs for $10-$15, t-shirts for $15-$20, while I could go to a punk show and pick up lps' and shirts for $6, 7"'s for $3 and cd's for $7-$8. Far from making me think "boy, they really don't value their work", it made me think "wow, I can pick up this lp I was looking for, as well as these that look interesting from bands I've never heard". It also impressed me that these people could make a decent product, sell it to me for a decent price, and not gouge me for an extra $7 just because I might be used to paying $15 for a cd. I think the Fugazi argument is the perfect example - here's a man (Ian MacKaye) making good music, supporting a scene he has roots in, helping other bands and labels get their start, and charging $8 or $9 for a disc, postpaid. And he makes enough to spit in the eye of major labels that come offering him blank checks for the privelage of releasing (and profiting off of) Fugazi records. I stand by my arguments - I think that M. Peters has a valid reason for selling his stuff at a premium, as he has almost $10 US invested in each disc. For him, I'd suggest investigating other sources, if at all possible, for obtaining your discs. But for someone like me, who has acess to ADAT's, DATs and a disc burner.... I'd feel bad about charging more than a few dollars for someone to hear my music. If I can release something so people can hear it, and make enough to cover my costs, then I'll be happy. If you want to make money off of the fruits of your labor and the investment you've made into your art, then you have trancended the realm of art for arts' sake and are involved in commerce. It's that simple. If you make stuff and sell it, or accept money for performance, you are involved in commercial transactions.... AND THAT'S FINE!! I THINK THAT'S A WONDERFUL SITUATUION, and god bless anyone that can pull it off. But don't give me an argument that says "my art is worth more than your art"... what you're really saying is "my product is worth more than your product". Art is in the doing and the enjoyment, either by and for yourself or anyone else who hears you. Making a living off of it is commerce. - Bill *somehow, I don't think this is the end of it* Crossedout@aol.com