The Cure
FREE MUSIC FOR ALL
i posted this on the forum yesterday - please see http://www.thecure.com/forum/default.aspx?cid=621&tid=321181 for the initial responses... on reflection i thought i would go more public - widen the debate!
rs
(gulp... i found the caps lock off button? oh nooooo!)
SO
IT SEEMS A FEW PROFESSIONAL APOLOGISTS (YOU HAVE TOLOVE THEM!) OUT THERE DISAGREE WITH MY "EVERY ARTIST SHOULD VALUE THEIRART" MUSING
AND THINK ITS OK FOR ART - MUSIC IN PARTICULAR - TO BEMADE AVAILABLE FREE FOR ALL...
NO I AM NOT CONFUSING 'ARTISTIC VALUE' WITH'COMMERCIAL VALUE'
MERELY QUESTIONING THE DUMB ACCEPTANCE OF THE 'FREEART IS THE 'NEW' PARADIGM - THATS JUST THE WAY IT IS' MANTRA
IN THE WAY OF OUR BRIGHT AND BRAVE NEW WIRED WORLD
THESE IDIOT CRITICS HAVE TRIED VERY HARD TO TURN MYGENERAL POINT - A POINT I MADE USING RADIOHEAD'S 'IN RAINBOWS: PAY WHAT YOUWANT' MARKETING RUSE AS IT IS THE MOST WIDELY KNOWN EXAMPLE - INTO A MOCK SHOCKHORROR "HOW DARE ANYONE QUESTION THE FAMOUSLY INDEPENDENT ANDANTI-CAPITALIST RADIOHEAD, THEY SELL MORE 'PRODUCT' THAN THE CURE SO THEIRSTRATEGY OBVIOUSLY 'WORKED' (HUH?!!)... AND ANYWAY, ROBERT SMITH IS WAY TOO OLDTO COMMENT ON CONTEMPORARY CULTURE" MOMENT...
MY POINT IS NEITHER PARTICULARLY NEW NOR ORIGINAL
NOR EXCLUSIVELY ABOUT RADIOHEADS 'IN RAINBOWS'
BUT IT IS I FEEL STILL COMPELLING
ANY FAMOUS ARTIST WITH A HUGE AND DEVOTED FAN BASE(OFTEN ARRIVED AT WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM A WEALTHY AND POWERFUL 'PATRON' ORTWO?) CAN AFFORD TO DO WHAT HE, SHE OR IT WANTS...
INCLUDING GIVING THEIR ART AWAY AS SOME KIND OF 'LOSSLEADER' TO HELP 'BUILD THE BRAND'
ALL WELL AND GOOD (WELL... NOT REALLY! 'LOSS LEADER'?'BUILD THE BRAND'? AAGH! BUT THIS IS THE LINGUA FRANCA... )
HOWEVER
IF THIS 'ART FOR FREE' IDEA BECOMES THE CULTURAL NORM
THEN HOW DO ARTISTS EARN THEIR LIVING?
HEY
HANG ON
WHAT WAS THAT ABOUT A WEALTHY AND POWERFUL 'PATRON'
LIKE... A BIG RECORD LABEL?
EXCELLENT!
ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS SIGN UP AND AGREE TO ITS TERMSAND CONDITIONS
AND IT WILL MARKET YOU DECISIVELY
AND IF YOU PLAY IT RIGHT ITS EVEN WEALTHIER AND MOREPOWERFUL PARENT COMPANY WILL AIR YOUR WORDS AND PICTURES AND VIDEOS AND MUSICAND ADS ON ITS MANY AND VARIOUS WEB/TV/RADIO CHANNELS
AND CHARGE ADVERTISERS HUGE AMOUNTS TO ADVERTISE TOTHE MILLIONS OF PEOPLE CONSUMING ALL YOUR FREE ART...
AND YOU THE ARTIST WILL OF COURSE GET A 'FAIR' REWARDFOR YOUR EFFORTS... ?
BAH
SOME 'NEW' PARADIGM!
SO
I STAND BY MY POINT:
AN ARTIST HAS TO VALUE THE ART THEY CREATE
OTHERWISE I DONT BELIEVE THEY CAN BELIEVE IT TO BE ART
I AM MORE THAN HAPPY TO PAY AN ARTIST FOR HIS OR HEROR ITS ART
AS IT OBVIOUSLY HELPS ENABLE THAT ARTIST TO KEEPCREATING
AND QUITE HONESTLY
AS ANYONE THAT DISAGREES WITH THIS POINT
IS UNLIKELY TO BE AN ARTIST
I DONT REALLY CARE TOO MUCH WHAT THEY THINK... !!!
I JUST WROTE ALL THIS BECAUSE I GOT PARTICULARLY FEDUP TONIGHT WITH THE SQUEALING HIGH DRAMA OF THE 101 STORIES A DAY AND NONE OFTHEM PARTICULARLY TRUE BRIGHT AND BRAVE NEW WIRED WORLD MEDIA THAT WHINES ONAND ON WITHOUT RESPITE OR REFUTATION…
CRETINS!
OR MAYBE ITS JUST MY POST BIG GIG HANGOVER TALKING?!!
ONWARDS...
RSX
PS
I WONDER HOW MANY OF THE PROFESSIONAL APOLOGISTS OUTTHERE WRITE THEIR SHIT FOR FREE?
HA!
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| Views: () tourtallpoppysyndromeRobert69 Add [+]
So true
Music is a form of art, but you can't get a Da Vinci for free! And don't anyone go telling me that its not the same, because it is! My cousin is an artist, and she doesn't sell her work for free! Otherwise where would she get the money for materials, as well as food, water, essentials like that. If I was a musician and sold my music forfree, I'd run out of money pretty quickly,the quantity of bass strings I go through is shocking! (Although it migt have something to do with my dad THINKING he can tune it. lol)
I'm not going to just give you something that has part of my soul
I think a lot of people enjoy the idea of not having to pay for music so much that they don't want to agree with paying for songs. I think Robert Smith is one of the few people who knows what the fuck he's talking about.. It's not that he wants the money, it's all of the other artists out there that can't make their own music because the only way for them to make money is by making music based off of what other people want. And that's not art at all.. That's commercialism. Which is why I hated the art teachers I had in high school that used to tell me what to make.
Free! Free!
I want a billion dollars for free! Give me it! Give me it! I got two complaints:1) Singles artwork on the iPod. I do a search for The Cure's "High" and what do i get Jah Cure's High. What the f*ck!!!! 2) Where is Carnage Visors? P.S. Finn Again Wakes
roberts free music idea
He's right you know! And even the free channels of giving your music away are run by the big boys. so in a twisted way they get to use artists to attract people to the sites, then give the music away free. so... they get traffic and revenue form the advertising etc etc and the artist gets exposure but no money. its only the big bands like radiohead etc that can afford to do this approach. new bands need myspace etc to help attract people. somebody somewhere is making cash from the bands, but it's not the bands.. so the system of new world is fawed before its even began. bag of crap if you ask me. So I would rather take advice from a fella who been in the business for 30 yrs than some newbie with a big new idea. Yes at some point the system will have to change, how. god knows. a mix of new revenue streams i imagine rather than a one stop solution like the old days. It's interesting what robert says about the expectation amongst people. I work as a photographer and people blatantly demand photos for free. Makes me chuckle really. Out of all the 'arts' i wonder which area will be stronger in the future. Will writers sufer the same future as bands do now? Will photography, graphics only exsist in the marketing worlds? Maybe it will be like the old old days when an artist has to die in a poor house before they start making cash. which must be a bugger if they are watching from the otherlife. how frustrated must they be?! right im off.
Happy Birthday!
Hi Robert, first of all Happy Birthday! Secondly, I like music sharing simply because of the fact i get exposed to many bands, and I end up going to their concerts, buying their tshirts, and records. I would probably be doing a lot less of that without the capability to "try before I buy". However it has been my tradition to buy The Cure's albums on the day they are released, since 1996. I wish you all the best, I met you very briefly in Dallas, in 2004, I'm sure you don't even read half of these things (how would you have time?!) :) I just thought I'd weigh in on this, because I download a lot of music, however, as I said, if i like the music, i go to the particular bands concert, buy a tshirt, or other merch. I can honestly say I think SHARING music is a good thing, but NOT artists necessarily giving their albums away, as you said Robert, how will the artist make any money? What a toilet bowl the record industry has gone down.. I am The Cure's #1 fan!... as you can see: http://www.last.fm/user/NINCure/charts over 51,000 plays of The Cure! No one on that website is even *near* that. :D Once again, happy birthday!
Noblesse Oblige Doesn't Apply
Robert's talent is a gift, not a privilege. Robert doesn't owe anyone music, just the resistance to marketing schemes that diminish art and the earning capacity of artists.
Professional apologists
"Who wrote their shit for free"? All of us!! I can see what lies behind that flippant comment - you're proposing a BBC-style license or Sky-style subscription fee for owning a computer now? Morally bankrupt psychopath - that's you!
YEA
you are right. in everything you say and do. i kno me as well as others suport you no matter what. as long as your music is in our heart and soul we will be forever in your debt. always remember Love= The Cure, The Cure= Love. ps. if and when you go on tour in the U.S please check out something in michigan.
Sound
Test triphonic "The snakepit" OK ... no more for me now ... all is OK ... kisses . Didier/le Manoir
I'm behind you Robert!
I think you are 100% right!!!! For someone to be able to put words into a song and for anyone to try and put a price on something so close to your heart is a joke. For the few bucks that these places do charge is nowhere comparable to the passion put into what your feeling. I would pay whatever it is just to be able to hear your music, just so I could have a glimpse at what your feeling or thinking. You’re a rare person who can put your heart into words and describe what so many of us are going through.