Is This What It All Boils Down To

[thebes]

Selling your talents off in bits and pieces, because the internet has hijacked any living you could ever hope to make apart from touring.  Your own personal musical journey peddled for ducats so you can continue your dream, express yourself, let all that nuance and emotion out upon the land and the listener. The great capitalist money machine grinding the artist under a juggernaut of poverty and penury. Leaving you to sidle up to some suburban grouper on a meet-and-great after you've sung your heart out on the three hours of sleep you  got going from town to town and all around.

 

In August, if I"m lucky, I'll go see Rickie Lee Jones and major talent,  She had to crowd source her latest album, and will peddle a handshake after the show for an extra hundred bucks on the ticket.

 

It appears that singing, like coal mining has become an extractive industry.

 

**** it. Eventually it will change. I'll be walking down a street on a warm day in some small town and hear somebody strumming a tune, sit down and pass sometime and wonder why I ever bothered to chase the dream of musicana nirvosa.

 

So what  set you off this way, oh Thebes. Curiosity. Played an album by the Pupinni Ssters tonight and really loved one song so looked them up to see if they are touring. Here's the website, a tribute to the modern musical extractive industry for a group that should be appreciated and remunerated everywhere they go, without  this base crassness and desperation to fund their talents.

 

http://www.pledgemusic.com/projects/thepuppinisisters

 

Scroll down a bit, this is so common for all groups today.  Enjoy your streaming folks. You've helped bring this to pass.

 

[BigStewMan]

it’s almost like Mr. Haney from Green Acres…they’ll take care of anything you can think of…does make you wonder, what if you shelled out the scratch for that personalized song and you hated it.

Puppini Sisters salt & pepper & pepper shakers?

[jacksonbart]

I like iIcky Lee Jones.  Enjoy the show.  Two weeks ago  I was with the wife getting a bite to eat and I noticed a concert Prevost bus parked on a side street. I checked out the local theatre and it was Leon Russell, so I was able to get two tickets.  The dude is great, the record business has changed greatly.  Now a days you need to break out on some reality TV show.

[twk123]

Here is an artist that has thrived in the download/streaming music generation. I remember seeing one of his first shows back at CU and bought his most recent album on Vinyl. Granted the realities of an EDM producer vs a traditional band is different but at least it may provide some insight on how to survive in today's world:

 

http://www.hypebot.com/hypebot/2013/12/pretty-lights-gave-his-music-away-now-has-a-grammy-nomination-should-you-do-the-same.html

 

In any case, I think that once artists figure out the new landscape. its going to be better than the old hegemony of the record industry giants that took advantage of artists and the consumers.

[thebes]

Here is an artist that has thrived in the download/streaming music generation. I remember seeing one of his first shows back at CU and bought his most recent album on Vinyl. Granted the realities of an EDM producer vs a traditional band is different but at least it may provide some insight on how to survive in today's world:

 

http://www.hypebot.com/hypebot/2013/12/pretty-lights-gave-his-music-away-now-has-a-grammy-nomination-should-you-do-the-same.html

 

In any case, I think that once artists figure out the new landscape. its going to be better than the old hegemony of the record industry giants that took advantage of artists and the consumers.

Boy I sure wish that was true, but if anything the artists and copyright holders are getting screwed even worse under the new enlightened, silicon valley, were-good-guys-because-we-wear-jeans types.

 

Don't get me wrong, it's not like the artists, were always honored, and certainly they most are wise to the jaundiced world of performing for a buck, but it just seems much more desperate somehow, any semblance of dignity and true appreciation being stripped away.

 

Now the "Pretty Lights' example cited, may work for a few, hey think of how  many artists perform tributes and charity events for the exact same reason.  If that' your path fine,but for most marginal players, it's fold the band and get a job hanging drywall.

Edited June 22, 2015 by thebes

[thebes]

I see from this evenings news that Apple's new streaming thngy decided it was OK to not pay royalties while it fished for customers.  apparently they felt, and it appears it's perfectly legal to play someone else's music to build your business for free.

 

Ah, yes that's the Apple that builds your cellphones in factories that have to string suicide nets outside their dormitories.  Not those British mop top guys.  These are also the guys that will sell you a perfectly execrable mp3 recording for 99 cents.

 

Kattie (SP) Perry raised a stink and now they will actually pay some royalties.  Of course, what the streamers pay are a joke.  Some guy last year got a check from Spotify for $2700 for his hit song that had been streamed on Spotify 43 million, yes that million, times.

 

I wonder if the thieves who run these companies value their own work so slightly and remunerate themselves accordingly. Somehow I doubt it. 

[LarryC]

In any case, I think that once artists figure out the new landscape. its going to be better than the old hegemony of the record industry giants that took advantage of artists and the consumers. Boy I sure wish that was true, but if anything the artists and copyright holders are getting screwed even worse under the new enlightened, silicon valley, were-good-guys-because-we-wear-jeans types.   Don't get me wrong, it's not like the artists, were always honored, and certainly they most are wise to the jaundiced world of performing for a buck, but it just seems much more desperate somehow, any semblance of dignity and true appreciation being stripped away.   Now the "Pretty Lights' example cited, may work for a few, hey think of how  many artists perform tributes and charity events for the exact same reason.  If that' your path fine,but for most marginal players, it's fold the band and get a job hanging drywall.

It's an old story in a changing landscape:  workers have to wrest wealth and power out of the hands of the privileged.  Many don't like unions, but that may be what it takes.

 

Here's what I mean -- Taylor Swift has her head on straight and is amazingly misstep-free:

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/22/business/media/taylor-swift-criticizes-apples-terms-for-streaming-music-service.html?_r=0

[cradeldorf]

Ever since the radio stations were taken over by the corporate scumbags Citadel, Cumulus, and IHeartRadio  things haven't been the same.

Edited June 23, 2015 by cradeldorf

[AllenTacey]

Cradeldorf you are right on. I listened for hours to FM until about 1975 when the music died and FM Stereo Music became late night rerun music. Public radio filled a niche while Classical remained true to this day. PBS play an hour or two of real Blues old and new on Sunday afternoon but what happened to Jazz? It split into Soft Jazz and Jazz and lost me. Now in the Detroit area we have no Miles Davis or whoever those Soft ones are. Then at 5am Monday I was driving the little one to have surgery and to please her we listened to FM. I still have preset music set to the stations I listened to in the 60's. Right from the first song we listened we were guessing the artists famous ones that we did not hear in years no commercials one song after another very listenable tunes. We did not change the station. We found the genres changed which fits my extremely varied taste all very listenable. Why did it take almost 38 years? Finally no commercials no hype. I believe someone with deep pockets now owns this pearl but I fear it will be like always build up a fan base go commercial. Oh Well... I had a neighbor I used to make high quality CD's, about 78 songs (might give you ideas?) for his week at work. After the third week he asked "what is the theme?". "I am listening but the music goes over here over there"? I asked him if he didn't like the songs and he said it is all great but what made you include Britney Spears? I said you don't like the tune? He liked it but after listening to the Band then Britney then Sly and the Family Stone he wanted to know if I was "going somewhere with it?" So I asked "you didn't like that Britney tune"? He said it is great. I said that is my theme it is all great music...

I have a lifelong friend an educated Sound Man that sat in a few times for Mac Arnold who plays a cigar box guitar. Mac played bass once in studio for Muddy Waters and Buddy Guy for instance. This friend sends URL's on Facebook to hidden pearls. Many of my friends are musicians some are studio musicians and a few are unknown original artists. So my take on this thread? It is original, just Tuesday the mentioned friend sent a original just like this but three ladies in dresses taking turns each performing a chorus all sounding great on their own and I wondered "How would they sound in harmony"? Then realized my question is much like my neighbors. I have an answer and it is; "It's all good"!

[CECAA850]

Kattie (SP) Perry raised a stink and now they will actually pay some royalties. Of course, what the streamers pay are a joke. Some guy last year got a check from Spotify for $2700 for his hit song that had been streamed on Spotify 43 million, yes that million, times.

 

What if all artists collectively got together and refused their art to be streamed (at current compensatory rates)?  It seems that they could wield some power that way.

[Guest Steven1963]

Not sure I can rummage up some sympathy for Katie Perry, Taylor Swift or any of the others. They still seem to do much better than 99 percent of us.

If it is the life you choose you either work hard and make it or you work hard and don't. Or you don't work hard and don't make it. Just like anything else.

Yup, sorry. No sympathy at all.

[Max2]

Ever since the radio stations were taken over by the corporate scumbags Citadel, Cumulus, and IHeartRadio  things haven't been the same.

 

 

No one knows music anymore. It seems to be a loop of 17 songs whatever the station is.  I can remember in the 70's being a kid and just enjoying being in a car headed to school or wherever and listening to the GOOD music and the DJ personalities.  It seems all this mainstream crap sounds like some sort of Anthem for beauty products or some cute commercial involving summer camp.  No more song writing, no more real artists and writers, just a barrage of collaborators with a bobble head singer Poofing it out for the masses. Cant blame these so called "artists" as they are the ones taking down the big bucks, but you can try and educate your kids not to fall for this crap....hah, good luck with that!

[Sancho Panza]

Like streaming music & don't give a tinkers |_'b!

Edited June 25, 2015 by Sancho Panza

[cradeldorf]

Cradeldorf you are right on. I listened for hours to FM until about 1975 when the music died and FM Stereo Music became late night rerun music. Public radio filled a niche while Classical remained true to this day. PBS play an hour or two of real Blues old and new on Sunday afternoon but what happened to Jazz? It split into Soft Jazz and Jazz and lost me. Now in the Detroit area we have no Miles Davis or whoever those Soft ones are. Then at 5am Monday I was driving the little one to have surgery and to please her we listened to FM. I still have preset music set to the stations I listened to in the 60's. Right from the first song we listened we were guessing the artists famous ones that we did not hear in years no commercials one song after another very listenable tunes. We did not change the station. We found the genres changed which fits my extremely varied taste all very listenable. Why did it take almost 38 years? Finally no commercials no hype. I believe someone with deep pockets now owns this pearl but I fear it will be like always build up a fan base go commercial. Oh Well... I had a neighbor I used to make high quality CD's, about 78 songs (might give you ideas?) for his week at work. After the third week he asked "what is the theme?". "I am listening but the music goes over here over there"? I asked him if he didn't like the songs and he said it is all great but what made you include Britney Spears? I said you don't like the tune? He liked it but after listening to the Band then Britney then Sly and the Family Stone he wanted to know if I was "going somewhere with it?" So I asked "you didn't like that Britney tune"? He said it is great. I said that is my theme it is all great music...

I have a lifelong friend an educated Sound Man that sat in a few times for Mac Arnold who plays a cigar box guitar. Mac played bass once in studio for Muddy Waters and Buddy Guy for instance. This friend sends URL's on Facebook to hidden pearls. Many of my friends are musicians some are studio musicians and a few are unknown original artists. So my take on this thread? It is original, just Tuesday the mentioned friend sent a original just like this but three ladies in dresses taking turns each performing a chorus all sounding great on their own and I wondered "How would they sound in harmony"? Then realized my question is much like my neighbors. I have an answer and it is; "It's all good"!

On Sunday Mornings between 9 and 12 we get Jazz Brunch on WLAV out of Grand Rapids It's a great listening session as for the rest of the day it's usually pretty good. A lot less Bubble gum music that the corporate stations that only seem to have a Bon Jovi, a Def Leopard, and a Styx CD.

Edited July 2, 2015 by cradeldorf

[Rivernuggets]

For $468 I could play an instrument on their next album?!?  What artist would want that?

 

It seems all this mainstream crap sounds like some sort of Anthem for beauty products or some cute commercial involving summer camp.

Agree 100%.  I try to listen without judgement but they all sound the same.  Is it the older me?  My parents often said 'it all sounds the same' when hearing my music when I was young.  Autotune is also to blame.