As do you. Personally if I were a musician I wouldn't look at it as a company trying to piggy back off my creativity, but rather a chance to use my creativity to fund my passion, to keep working in the business, and not have to worry about money while I focused on my passion.
As always Bill makes good points, but as always he's very over the top about it, as was his style.
My question is this, how do you survive in music without selling something for somebody? You go on a TV show there are commercials and corporate sponsors, same for radio, you get a write up in a music magazine with ads falling out of it and your picture wedged between two cologne samples. You tour and you're selling overpriced beer and parking. Maybe you don't sell any songs at all, don't put yourself in any TV shows, etc, just make records. Let's say you sign with Sony Music, owned by Sony America, part of the Sony multi-national conglomerate. Sign with Universal and you work for Vivendi. It seems to me, and maybe it's just me, no matter what you do you're working for the advertising companies, or selling something.
is the write up in a magazine an interview or a review of your album? one is controllable, the other less so.
overpriced beer and parking? where are you touring? in what venues are you playing? do you make available for sale your shows as 'bootlegs' or do you allow the punters to tape your shows and circulate them amongst themselves? do you sell 7 different tshirts at your merch stand? do you consider that overkill?? or is selling 1 tshirt and your albums/EPs/singles enough for you? why sell tshirts at all? at what point do you throw your hands up in the air and declare its all too difficult to hold onto your integrity so your not even gonna bother trying anymore?
hear my name
take a good look
this could be the day
hold my hand
lie beside me
i just need to say
As always Bill makes good points, but as always he's very over the top about it, as was his style.
My question is this, how do you survive in music without selling something for somebody? You go on a TV show there are commercials and corporate sponsors, same for radio, you get a write up in a music magazine with ads falling out of it and your picture wedged between two cologne samples. You tour and you're selling overpriced beer and parking. Maybe you don't sell any songs at all, don't put yourself in any TV shows, etc, just make records. Let's say you sign with Sony Music, owned by Sony America, part of the Sony multi-national conglomerate. Sign with Universal and you work for Vivendi. It seems to me, and maybe it's just me, no matter what you do you're working for the advertising companies, or selling something.
is the write up in a magazine an interview or a review of your album? one is controllable, the other less so.
overpriced beer and parking? where are you touring? in what venues are you playing? do you make available for sale your shows as 'bootlegs' or do you allow the punters to tape your shows and circulate them amongst themselves? do you sell 7 different tshirts at your merch stand? do you consider that overkill?? or is selling 1 tshirt and your albums/EPs/singles enough for you? why sell tshirts at all? at what point do you throw your hands up in the air and declare its all too difficult to hold onto your integrity so your not even gonna bother trying anymore?
It seems to be turning into more and more of a slippery slope
You're right, why sell t-shirts at all? A concert T seems innocent enough, and I like them, but at that point you're using your music to sell something that isn't music. If you get technical about it, at this point a band is selling out. And if you're going to sell a shirt with your band name on it, it probably doesn't seem like too big of a leap to sell one that says "Old Navy".
"See a broad to get dat booty yak 'em, leg 'er down, a smack 'em yak 'em!"
As always Bill makes good points, but as always he's very over the top about it, as was his style.
My question is this, how do you survive in music without selling something for somebody? You go on a TV show there are commercials and corporate sponsors, same for radio, you get a write up in a music magazine with ads falling out of it and your picture wedged between two cologne samples. You tour and you're selling overpriced beer and parking. Maybe you don't sell any songs at all, don't put yourself in any TV shows, etc, just make records. Let's say you sign with Sony Music, owned by Sony America, part of the Sony multi-national conglomerate. Sign with Universal and you work for Vivendi. It seems to me, and maybe it's just me, no matter what you do you're working for the advertising companies, or selling something.
is the write up in a magazine an interview or a review of your album? one is controllable, the other less so.
overpriced beer and parking? where are you touring? in what venues are you playing? do you make available for sale your shows as 'bootlegs' or do you allow the punters to tape your shows and circulate them amongst themselves? do you sell 7 different tshirts at your merch stand? do you consider that overkill?? or is selling 1 tshirt and your albums/EPs/singles enough for you? why sell tshirts at all? at what point do you throw your hands up in the air and declare its all too difficult to hold onto your integrity so your not even gonna bother trying anymore?
It seems to be turning into more and more of a slippery slope
You're right, why sell t-shirts at all? A concert T seems innocent enough, and I like them, but at that point you're using your music to sell something that isn't music. If you get technical about it, at this point a band is selling out. And if you're going to sell a shirt with your band name on it, it probably doesn't seem like too big of a leap to sell one that says "Old Navy".
im not saying don't sell band tshirts but how many different ones do you need to make available? how many tshirts of one band can someone possibly need? its like when you go to the supermarket and are confronted with half an aisle of toilet paper or tampons. I don't need to be having to make a decision between upteen different products that in the end are all the friggety same anyway.
heres a little anecdote...
back in January I was cruising the south pacific and whilst wandering the ship this woman walked past me wearing a tshirt of one of my fave local bands. I commented on it and she was genuinely stunned that someone else recognised the band. she said none of her friends know the band. of course theyre losing out cause the band is awesome live.
Post edited by catefrances on
hear my name
take a good look
this could be the day
hold my hand
lie beside me
i just need to say
I know you weren't saying they shouldn't sell them, but you brought up the rhetorical question of why sell them at all in making your point, and it does kind of go back to the point of where the line of integrity is drawn. As band merch might be the first dilemma many bands have to face when heading down this path, it's the moment they decide to use their music to sell something that isn't music.
"See a broad to get dat booty yak 'em, leg 'er down, a smack 'em yak 'em!"
I know you weren't saying they shouldn't sell them, but you brought up the rhetorical question of why sell them at all in making your point, and it does kind of go back to the point of where the line of integrity is drawn. As band merch might be the first dilemma many bands have to face when heading down this path, it's the moment they decide to use their music to sell something that isn't music.
personally I see nothing wrong with a band selling a tshirt with their name emblazoned on it cause it is a representation of the music theyre playing and trying to get known. I wonder how many of us would buy music blind not knowing who the band is other than their name... or are we more likely to buy an album or listen to a song based solely on the bands name? I know if someone came up to me and said hey listen to this new song by radiohead id do it without hesitation.. but if someone came up to me and said hey listen to this new song by limp biskit im likely to tell them to fuck off. and absolutely im most likely to give a song a listen if I don't know the bands name.... if only not to prejudice my opinion. so many times ive heard people say listen to this song and the reply is always who is it? so like it or not band names are brands. and we form opinions on the music based purely on the bands name. but that doesn't mean they need to satuate the market with non musical product. but if they wanna do that then go right ahead cause it wont make me want to buy it.. its just more likely to confuse me.
hear my name
take a good look
this could be the day
hold my hand
lie beside me
i just need to say
but that doesn't mean they need to satuate the market with non musical product. but if they wanna do that then go right ahead cause it wont make me want to buy it.. its just more likely to confuse me.
And that's just sort of how I feel about bands putting music in commercials. I don't feel the need for it, but I'm not going to buy anything just because a song is used in a commercial or a group is somehow attached to some non-musical product. Blister In The Sun didn't make me eat at Wendy's, Sympathy For The Devil didn't make me buy a Mercedes (not that I could afford it), Small Town didn't make me watch Rescue Me although I hear it was a good show, and I wouldn't pay $50 for a bottle of beer just because they slapped the word "Faithfull" on it. If they feel the need to do it, so be it. It just doesn't really affect me in any way so I have a hard time arguing with it.
"See a broad to get dat booty yak 'em, leg 'er down, a smack 'em yak 'em!"
Ed returns for the second encore alone and talks a bit about Jewel and how if he messes up a lyric, it is because he is so highly anticipating her new record release. He goes on about how one of her songs will be part of a commercial for ladies’ razors or a feminine hygiene product and how exciting that is because he won’t have to buy it, he can just watch TV and wait for the commercial. He talks about PJ’s best commercial offer that was for Viagra. “It was a singing penis … a little singing cock singing I’m still alive. Six million dollars we turned down to prevent our song from being sung by a cock.” This leads to ‘Blue Red Grey’ sung for Pete.
Athens 2006 / Milton Keynes 2014 / London 1&2 2022 / Seattle 1&2 2024 / Dublin 2024 / Manchester 2024
Comments
GO DEMOCRACY!!!
is the write up in a magazine an interview or a review of your album? one is controllable, the other less so.
overpriced beer and parking? where are you touring? in what venues are you playing? do you make available for sale your shows as 'bootlegs' or do you allow the punters to tape your shows and circulate them amongst themselves? do you sell 7 different tshirts at your merch stand? do you consider that overkill?? or is selling 1 tshirt and your albums/EPs/singles enough for you? why sell tshirts at all? at what point do you throw your hands up in the air and declare its all too difficult to hold onto your integrity so your not even gonna bother trying anymore?
take a good look
this could be the day
hold my hand
lie beside me
i just need to say
It seems to be turning into more and more of a slippery slope
You're right, why sell t-shirts at all? A concert T seems innocent enough, and I like them, but at that point you're using your music to sell something that isn't music. If you get technical about it, at this point a band is selling out. And if you're going to sell a shirt with your band name on it, it probably doesn't seem like too big of a leap to sell one that says "Old Navy".
im not saying don't sell band tshirts but how many different ones do you need to make available? how many tshirts of one band can someone possibly need? its like when you go to the supermarket and are confronted with half an aisle of toilet paper or tampons. I don't need to be having to make a decision between upteen different products that in the end are all the friggety same anyway.
heres a little anecdote...
back in January I was cruising the south pacific and whilst wandering the ship this woman walked past me wearing a tshirt of one of my fave local bands. I commented on it and she was genuinely stunned that someone else recognised the band. she said none of her friends know the band. of course theyre losing out cause the band is awesome live.
take a good look
this could be the day
hold my hand
lie beside me
i just need to say
personally I see nothing wrong with a band selling a tshirt with their name emblazoned on it cause it is a representation of the music theyre playing and trying to get known. I wonder how many of us would buy music blind not knowing who the band is other than their name... or are we more likely to buy an album or listen to a song based solely on the bands name? I know if someone came up to me and said hey listen to this new song by radiohead id do it without hesitation.. but if someone came up to me and said hey listen to this new song by limp biskit im likely to tell them to fuck off. and absolutely im most likely to give a song a listen if I don't know the bands name.... if only not to prejudice my opinion. so many times ive heard people say listen to this song and the reply is always who is it? so like it or not band names are brands. and we form opinions on the music based purely on the bands name. but that doesn't mean they need to satuate the market with non musical product. but if they wanna do that then go right ahead cause it wont make me want to buy it.. its just more likely to confuse me.
take a good look
this could be the day
hold my hand
lie beside me
i just need to say
And that's just sort of how I feel about bands putting music in commercials. I don't feel the need for it, but I'm not going to buy anything just because a song is used in a commercial or a group is somehow attached to some non-musical product. Blister In The Sun didn't make me eat at Wendy's, Sympathy For The Devil didn't make me buy a Mercedes (not that I could afford it), Small Town didn't make me watch Rescue Me although I hear it was a good show, and I wouldn't pay $50 for a bottle of beer just because they slapped the word "Faithfull" on it. If they feel the need to do it, so be it. It just doesn't really affect me in any way so I have a hard time arguing with it.
P.S: Just for fun: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZNS9ujWHLM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ha4DVpzoXiE
Ed returns for the second encore alone and talks a bit about Jewel and how if he messes up a lyric, it is because he is so highly anticipating her new record release. He goes on about how one of her songs will be part of a commercial for ladies’ razors or a feminine hygiene product and how exciting that is because he won’t have to buy it, he can just watch TV and wait for the commercial. He talks about PJ’s best commercial offer that was for Viagra. “It was a singing penis … a little singing cock singing I’m still alive. Six million dollars we turned down to prevent our song from being sung by a cock.” This leads to ‘Blue Red Grey’ sung for Pete.