Week 99: The Futility of Flogging Music
The lure of money and the pressures of our society to make money and to not “waste” our time on non-profitable activities are not forces to be taken lightly. Making money is the easiest answer to our obsession with results (science would be the more difficult answer).
So it’s not easy telling someone, even oneself, that one has no financial ambitions. No desire to make a million. No interest in investing in stocks or even playing the lottery. No financial wishes beyond what one already has, and maybe an occasional pay increase at the day job. It’s hard to explain in a way that seems rational that ones dreams and ambitions have nothing to do with money and that money even seems to detract from those dreams and ambitions.*
Add a family and a child to the equation, and any semblance of rationality one might be able to muster goes out the window and the lack of financial ambition begins to sound at best like a selfish idealistic conceit, and at worst like a mental disorder for which one should seek treatment. Such is the world we live in.
So here’s an article about The Futility of Flogging Music
In today’s music “industry” the subject of new ways to market and sell music is constantly being thrown around, the model is broken, they’ll say, new models are emerging every day, this is the great opportunity to define a new way to profit from music…. Blah. The world’s greatest salesmen can kiss my penniless poems. There is more music when two kids play jacks, than in all the combined achievements of all the Donald Trumps in the world.
*of course I am referring here to the making of more money than one needs for basic necessities. I would say that someone trying to make enough money to eat, pay rent, buy clothing, etc is someone looking after financial necessities, not financial ambitions.
So it’s not easy telling someone, even oneself, that one has no financial ambitions. No desire to make a million. No interest in investing in stocks or even playing the lottery. No financial wishes beyond what one already has, and maybe an occasional pay increase at the day job. It’s hard to explain in a way that seems rational that ones dreams and ambitions have nothing to do with money and that money even seems to detract from those dreams and ambitions.*
Add a family and a child to the equation, and any semblance of rationality one might be able to muster goes out the window and the lack of financial ambition begins to sound at best like a selfish idealistic conceit, and at worst like a mental disorder for which one should seek treatment. Such is the world we live in.
So here’s an article about The Futility of Flogging Music
In today’s music “industry” the subject of new ways to market and sell music is constantly being thrown around, the model is broken, they’ll say, new models are emerging every day, this is the great opportunity to define a new way to profit from music…. Blah. The world’s greatest salesmen can kiss my penniless poems. There is more music when two kids play jacks, than in all the combined achievements of all the Donald Trumps in the world.
*of course I am referring here to the making of more money than one needs for basic necessities. I would say that someone trying to make enough money to eat, pay rent, buy clothing, etc is someone looking after financial necessities, not financial ambitions.
Labels: Thursdays
6 Comments:
I have a confession - I published this post (although Carlos wrote it) because Carlos is at the beach this week.
But I do have something to say (of course). In the words of Charlie's (of Willy Wonka fame) grandfather - What is more common than money?
I do see a fine line though between playing music for yourself and desiring to play music in front of people. I think of musicians like Carl Perkins and Bob Wills who played what they loved but also studied their audiences attentively to see what was a hit, what made them dance. They did this I suppose for more than money but other things just as common and desirable.
And I think about how Carl Perkins and Bob Wills loved the stage and how that means so much more to me than manufactured music and the recorded music industry and I do hope that it falls quite a bit. It interests me very little, the money side of it. And I think it has overall corrupted more than it has done good.
I read in iconoculture that 51% of americans would rather be doing some kind of art than what they are doing now and finances are the reason they aren't.
http://www.iconoculture.com/Approach/WhatWeIdentify/Observations/GenXers/index.aspx?DocName=oa_TradeYourJobToBeAnAr_99821
they thought that number was low, while I think it's high.
for me, it relates to the other things I've been reading about, how to educate so that we're using all parts of our brain, not just the parts good at language and math. Sir Ken Robinson did that fantastic talk that opened my eyes to that world.
so, is it that industry is so narrow and everybody wants to be doing something more interesting and creative? or people would just rather be playing at the beach and making music and it would be nice if money came in at the same time?
brings into question what is success, what is failure, what is doing your own thing - more stuff I like to ponder.
I do know there is something magical about music. Did you see the NYT article yesterday that said music lights up your whole brain, regardless if it's music you like or not? Is there anything else that does that? I don't think so unless it's a freaking stroke.
As a side note, listening to music while studying does help.
Interesting post.
Wednesday, thanks for publishing this. I realized I should've said something about that on the post itself, but i realized it too late as i sat on the beach with no internet access.
At any rate, I do think desiring to play in front of people and studying audiences are both good things to aspire towards, and I dont think either one is necessarily common, nor do they necessarily have anything to do with money. I think you agree with me, but i wasnt sure from your statement.
and Stacey, I would just rather be playing at the beach and making music and it would be nice if money came in at the same time. But who knows, maybe if i did that for a few years, i'd want to do something else... and yes, i think industry (at least the capitalist, western definition of industry) is just dull. Too much focus on results.
I think thinking about this leads directly to the question - do you play music for a pure reason (i.e. one's own enjoyment) or an unhealthy desire (i.e. fortune and fame). And I think that "pure reason" has some falseness and I think that desiring to please people (which may lead to fame and fortune) isn't wholly evil.
I do think some of the desires behind wanting a successful band are common desires - being liked, being popular, being skilled. I'm not saying that is bad. But yeah you're right in that many artists go out of their way not conform to an audience, or so they say.
I think it's funny when an artist goes on about how they write for themselves (Neil Young is good at that). Ultimately no matter how King-like you become as a musician, you're still the joker.
Still I've always grappled with these magnetic forces, disbanding Texas Guinness Lovers when we became a sought after Wedding Band. But then we were a pretty unreliable bunch at that time and I didn't like the pressure of disappointing somebody on their Big Day.
It seems to me that if you view music as a common enterprise where both performers and audiences are contributors, then the question of whether or not you should please or consider the audience is moot. The audience is taken into consideration, not for fame or being liked or some other motive extra-musical motive. the audience is considered because that is what is best for the music. Because the music is best when everyone involved is at their best, audience included.
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