so if you dont mind me asking
how do you make enough money to live as musician?
(, Tue 7 Jun 2011, 13:31, Reply)
I most certainly DO
not.
:)
You see a lot of the illegal download crowd arguing that all music should be free free and that artist should subsidise their own output. And that they should be grateful that anyone wants to listen.
I don't really agree with this (and strongly object to the second bit), its obvious why they think that, but I don't have a problem with the idea of having to do a number of things to make sure I can always pay the bills, not just rely on creative output.
"Classical" / "Serious" / "Art" music has been dealing with this for a long time (I seem to remember studying a long and boring essay by Boulez or Babbit about how composers would have to rely on a range of activities to enable their creative work). Folk who wanted to spend all day writing, but had to teach etc. as well.
For me it translates to a mixture of writing, recording and performing my own stuff which doesn't always pay for itself and probably never will consistently (side argument - would I change it if it meant it did? probably not), teaching, producing and recording other people and a few days a week of non-music work.
It's bloody hard work and I inevitably have to take a lot of risks with money and time.
Would it be nice to do nothing but create full time? Yes. I don't have any ethos about not signing to a label or anything, I've just sort of started from the position of assuming that won't happen and if I want to put my stuff out I have to do it myself.
(
Throat And Ice Pie I see dem tatties dere., Tue 7 Jun 2011, 13:44,
Reply)
then you need a record industry right
maybe a better run not so fucking greedy one, but a recording industry would enable you to generate more income from doing what you love no?
but i sympathise man, i'm a comedy-ish writer and work for an ad agency, i pay the bills and get some of my ideas made without hideous changes...
but im glad there is such an industry that says "are you creative, would you like some proper money to live and that...come do this for a bit...just dont take it too seriously"
sadly its the last part people forget and become massive arseholes!
(, Tue 7 Jun 2011, 13:55, Reply)
I think
You're sort of touching on a middle ground which I think is what I hope will happen. I almost see the music industry splitting in two and there will be one model which deals with fast-food music and another that deals with the stuff the creators and consumers genuinely care about. I think its sort of happening already, but with the funding imbalances you're describing. And I agree with you, I'm glad about a lot of what the traditional industry has done for various people.
The way I see it, there's nothing to worry about from either side of the coin. As a music consumer I see no reason to rage about x-facor, overproduced R&B or the downfall of the traditional industry model - its become something that hold no interest for me whatsoever and just plain doesn't affect me:
As an audience, the music I want to listen to (what I describe as "honest music", a pretentious genre I made up for when people ask me what I like :)) still gets made and I still get access to it, I just have to work a bit harder to find it and accept the occasionally lower production values - something I have absolutely no problem with and honestly prefer.
As a musician I can still make the music I want to make. I just have to try a bit harder to make it 100% what I want it to be :).
(
Throat And Ice Pie I see dem tatties dere., Tue 7 Jun 2011, 14:06,
Reply)