Re: OT: compensation (WAS Re: Looping venue help)

["Tony K" <bigtonyk@gmail.com>]

I've found this thread really interesting.  I've almost never played for money.  I hardly ever play out, so that's not really saying much.  

I'm not sure I really agree with the thought that something that is free is appreciated less, or has less value.  From my sort-of-idealistic point of view, something that is freely given has a lot of value.  It's done purely because someone wants to and expects nothing in return.  I find that very... attractive artistically.  Jeff gives away Mobius and there's no way anybody can say that doesn't have value or isn't appreciated.  

My grandfather was an artist and made his living from pottery and painting and mosaics.  When I was a teenager I considered doing the same and had several long talks with him about it.  One of the things that he said that really made me think was that he estimated that he spent 95% of his time working so he could spend 5% making art.  In my own perverse way, I am doing that.  I spend my 'working' time writing software, so I can spend my 'free' time playing music.  I get compensated for coding and do the music for pleasure.  For me, it works.  I'm rather glad I don't depend on music to make a living.  Often my interest comes and goes and I go from spending hours playing, to spending a lot of time looking at my guitars and doing nothing.  Or like my latest direction away from looping and re-learning fingerstyle.  I think I have musical ADD.

Having said all that, I certainly think artists should be paid for what they do.  But I don't see anything wrong with playing for free.

It is a shame that musicians don't have the same kind of patrons that many artists of the past had.  It would be great to have young talented musicians be able to just play and not have to be concerned with making a living.

On Tue, Apr 15, 2008 at 1:31 PM, Travis Hartnett <travishartnett@gmail.com> wrote:

Maybe, maybe not.  There's plenty of artists who have that great debut album, which is distilled from five years of writing, while holding down a day job, and then they taper off once they "go pro".  Plus, I'd be spared the likes of Maroon 5...

Musicians like to think that being a musician is "special" and should be specially rewarded, and maybe music is special, but in the marketplace, it's a good or service like any other, and it's worth what other people are willing to pay.  And that's obviously not much, what with supply way outstripping demand.

On Tue, Apr 15, 2008 at 8:06 AM, Per Boysen <perboysen@gmail.com> wrote:

Phillip,

That's right, but I think you're leaving out one important factor
here: None of these players, that love what they they are doing, will
ever become absolutely fantastic simply because they can't finance the
time needed for that to happen. That is my only argument, and the
reason I want to pay for music when it's good.

-- 
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Tony