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.• 109 •E X I L E I N G U Y V I L L EThat changed after Nirvana became so monumentallysuccessful on an independent label, Sub Pop.For a shortwhile, the sonics of independence didn’t necessarily bara band from “going major”; in addition to the profusionof Nirvanbes (as the industry called them), other kinds of quirky and unusual acts—acts like Liz Phair—had a shotat success.That lasted for a few years, through the death of KurtCobain and a little bit longer, to the turn of the twenty-first century.But then … surprise! Along came Napster,the peer-to-peer file-sharing program that allowed usersto download songs from other people’s record collec-tions without purchasing them (or even asking theirpermission).Instead of more and more bands gettingtour buses and fancy hotel rooms and playing big arenasand buying mansions and becoming rock stars, theopposite happened.Today, nearly famous singers andsongwriters and bands of all stripes and genres have hadto downsize.They take to the road in cars and vans, stay in low-budget hotels, and market their own music.Thesuperstar economy ensures that a very small number ofacts stay in high rotation on children’s radio stations: the already-famous (Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen,U2, etc.) and the synergistically multi-branded act(Britney Spears, Beyoncé, Jay-Z, Miley Cyrus) get tomake lots of money touring.But for those artists juststarting out, or who were somewhere in the middle oftheir careers when file sharing began, the trajectory has changed somewhat—and changed across all genres.There are a thousand sad stories of musicians whowere dropped from their labels in the early 2000s, afterthe record industry realized the implications of the new• 110 •G I N A A R N O L Drecording format.But there are hundreds of others whoadapted, by starting their own downloading websites,where they get 100 per cent of the profit from eachdownload, or by creating artistic cooperatives or oppor-tunities that look nothing like the old model.Acts fromboth major and independent labels have had to adjustto the new reality of music dissemination, and some ofthem resent that, but the new reality isn’t all bad.In the twentieth century, what was popular was decided by ahandful of humans who heard music, guessed what mightsell a lot, and then went about seeing that the music was marketed and distributed.Now the equation starts at theother end, with music fans finding music they like anddownloading it.But it’s a two-edged sword.On the onehand, fans get to hear more music for less money.On theother, artists are being under-remunerated, making artistry less appealing.After all, the science of amassing click-throughs, downloads, and followers is a very differentbusiness from recording in someone’s home studio,practicing in a loft, and touring the country in a van.I do grieve for the bands who deserve better andmore.I do think that artists and musicians are animportant part of our cultural economy, and shouldbe paid as if they mattered, rather than asked to givetheir art away for free.But if there is an upside to this particular economic model, it is that the mechanismsthat made Guyville what it was just aren’t working verywell.It no longer exists in the form that it once did for three simple reasons:1.✒ The pay scale for a rock musician—even for asuccessful musician—is now so precarious and so• 111 •E X I L E I N G U Y V I L L Elow that it has become, like nursing, teaching, andmajoring in English, a less-male-dominated field.This is not to say that a conscious decision is takingplace in the hearts and minds of men everywhere toforego the joys of band-dom.But times are toughand it’s a far riskier decision than it used to be.Byand large, I’d say most women who joined bandsnever saw it as a permanent career path, whereasmany men did.Today, both genders are equallyclear on the impermanence of the position, and theshaky economy has made joining indie bands far lesspossible for everyone.2.✒ Being in a rock band is less romantic.Once upona time, it may have seemed like a pure profession,akin to being a poet in the olden days.No oneexpected Percy Shelley to work the printing pressthat stamped his chapbooks, nor did Nick Drake putpacking tape on the airmail boxes sending out copiesof Pink Moon.In other words, you played your music, and other people lifted them bales by providingstart-up money, selling records, moving units, andtoting amps [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
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.• 109 •E X I L E I N G U Y V I L L EThat changed after Nirvana became so monumentallysuccessful on an independent label, Sub Pop.For a shortwhile, the sonics of independence didn’t necessarily bara band from “going major”; in addition to the profusionof Nirvanbes (as the industry called them), other kinds of quirky and unusual acts—acts like Liz Phair—had a shotat success.That lasted for a few years, through the death of KurtCobain and a little bit longer, to the turn of the twenty-first century.But then … surprise! Along came Napster,the peer-to-peer file-sharing program that allowed usersto download songs from other people’s record collec-tions without purchasing them (or even asking theirpermission).Instead of more and more bands gettingtour buses and fancy hotel rooms and playing big arenasand buying mansions and becoming rock stars, theopposite happened.Today, nearly famous singers andsongwriters and bands of all stripes and genres have hadto downsize.They take to the road in cars and vans, stay in low-budget hotels, and market their own music.Thesuperstar economy ensures that a very small number ofacts stay in high rotation on children’s radio stations: the already-famous (Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen,U2, etc.) and the synergistically multi-branded act(Britney Spears, Beyoncé, Jay-Z, Miley Cyrus) get tomake lots of money touring.But for those artists juststarting out, or who were somewhere in the middle oftheir careers when file sharing began, the trajectory has changed somewhat—and changed across all genres.There are a thousand sad stories of musicians whowere dropped from their labels in the early 2000s, afterthe record industry realized the implications of the new• 110 •G I N A A R N O L Drecording format.But there are hundreds of others whoadapted, by starting their own downloading websites,where they get 100 per cent of the profit from eachdownload, or by creating artistic cooperatives or oppor-tunities that look nothing like the old model.Acts fromboth major and independent labels have had to adjustto the new reality of music dissemination, and some ofthem resent that, but the new reality isn’t all bad.In the twentieth century, what was popular was decided by ahandful of humans who heard music, guessed what mightsell a lot, and then went about seeing that the music was marketed and distributed.Now the equation starts at theother end, with music fans finding music they like anddownloading it.But it’s a two-edged sword.On the onehand, fans get to hear more music for less money.On theother, artists are being under-remunerated, making artistry less appealing.After all, the science of amassing click-throughs, downloads, and followers is a very differentbusiness from recording in someone’s home studio,practicing in a loft, and touring the country in a van.I do grieve for the bands who deserve better andmore.I do think that artists and musicians are animportant part of our cultural economy, and shouldbe paid as if they mattered, rather than asked to givetheir art away for free.But if there is an upside to this particular economic model, it is that the mechanismsthat made Guyville what it was just aren’t working verywell.It no longer exists in the form that it once did for three simple reasons:1.✒ The pay scale for a rock musician—even for asuccessful musician—is now so precarious and so• 111 •E X I L E I N G U Y V I L L Elow that it has become, like nursing, teaching, andmajoring in English, a less-male-dominated field.This is not to say that a conscious decision is takingplace in the hearts and minds of men everywhere toforego the joys of band-dom.But times are toughand it’s a far riskier decision than it used to be.Byand large, I’d say most women who joined bandsnever saw it as a permanent career path, whereasmany men did.Today, both genders are equallyclear on the impermanence of the position, and theshaky economy has made joining indie bands far lesspossible for everyone.2.✒ Being in a rock band is less romantic.Once upona time, it may have seemed like a pure profession,akin to being a poet in the olden days.No oneexpected Percy Shelley to work the printing pressthat stamped his chapbooks, nor did Nick Drake putpacking tape on the airmail boxes sending out copiesof Pink Moon.In other words, you played your music, and other people lifted them bales by providingstart-up money, selling records, moving units, andtoting amps [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]