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Ok , so i said I wouldnt be talking on this topic... but I have spent all day enthralled in the to's and fro's and just had to chime in. let me start by saying that My view, while differant to many here is not intended to annoy anyone or down play others opinions, it is more a theory of mine that will never be realised in this world we live in, but is just a thought. Basically I started to think of both sides of the argument and taking them to their logical conclusions and started thinking... Why should musicians be paid,why has our (western) society decided this is correct? would the benifits to the world in a society where no musicans are paid outweigh the benifits to the fewer musicians who do get payed....? ok lets extrapolate this... lets think of other things that no one gets paid for, no one gets paid to teach their own child to speak or walk but we do it instincivly because its in everyones interest that we can communicate, similarly gossip and down the pub conversations...we are giving knowlage about the world around us and we are doing it withoutever thinking of a fee that that infomation could earn us, because it feels natural to do so there are many other examples of activities where the person doing the activity does so with no thoughts of renumerations, indeedmany areas where pay is the "GOAL" now did not have any such incentive for the pioneers of said activity, think about surfing/skateboarding none of the first guys dreamed of sponsors and events they where just doing it cos it was fun, the rest came later. I then held this thought in my mind and started thinking about the negative aspects of paid music....someone earlier said if we don't support musicians through pay, all we will be left with are the corporates favourates like Britney et al....Au contraire... if NO ONE throught that music was something society paid for these creativity-sucking-money-whores would be the first off the boat, what would remain would be, in my opinion, the people with things to say, the guys and girls who get this stuff out of themselves in song because they HAVE to , they will burst if they don't share there feelings. I can't imagine Nick Drake, Thom York or Bob Marley ever stopping to think about marketing angles and airplay-ability when they where penning the heartfelt songs that I love them for, they did it instinctivly , cos they HAD to. Now I know the arguments against this includes that you gotta pay for whatever materials you need to get your message out to people, your instruments / studio etc.. but lets be honest theres never been a time with more free-roads to an audience with the internet/ home cd burners / podcasts etc and think how many more people could access EVERY work if there was no fear of prosicution for downloading and swapping freely. Also if you look at many other things that people do cooking / angling / football etc, almost all of these activitys require equipment that in turn require financial investment with little to no hope of material return, so people do it....BECAUSE THEY LOVE IT. Ok, so in summary, im not saying this will ever happen and i have tried hard to not work this as to demean anyone who does work as a full time musician, i just simply think if ou took away ALL financial incentives to play you would be left with the people who play with a passion because it means as much to them as any other form of interaction that we define humanity by. Ok, I've got my tin hat on so I will press send and brace myself Phill MyOneManBand st playing for free runs that it > devalues the market for everyone else who may NEED to be paid. Maybe so, > but the commercial music industry and lack of government arts funding > deserve much more blame for their lack of support, and further, anyone > who needs to be paid for their music has to know that they're going out > on a highly arbitrary limb in relation to their survival. Even more so > if they're playing unusual stuff. > > I know for a fact that these coffeeshops that somehow survive charging > $1.75 for their brown water don't have the cash to front for my unknown > ass to sit in a corner and do what I love. I'd rather be playing than > anything else, so I provide them some atmosphere and get a world of > enjoyment in return, $20 or no $20. > > As a side note, every experimental/arts venue I've played at or talked > to so far has, actually, made a point of charging a cover and then > giving the bulk (if not all) the door to the musicians. > > Daryl Shawn > www.swanwelder.com > www.chinapaintingmusic.com > > Never play for free. > News, Sports, Entertainment and Weather on your mobile. Text MSN to 63463 Now. |