Bryan on his departure from GPN via Seven Days Blogs (where Bryan is a sometimes contributor).
In my mind a lot of the enemy is that people decided that they’re going to stop paying for music. And really, that fucked up a lot of things in music. It forced the music industry to get a little more “Sporanos” on artists, you know? And that’s kind of why things get so fucked up. Everybody decided to go off the black market and meet someone under the Bay Bridge and get their music for free, rather than go to a mom and pop shop and buy the record. And when people decided they were going to start getting it for free from the crooks, the crooks changed their strategy and became powerful doing it that way. And it became a whole new game.
It’s messed up. And it sucks to get caught in that trap. It just sucks. This is the thing that’s killing music. And that’s what I wanted to break out of. And I believe in my heart that there’s a way to make music that matters and is cool and powerful and means something.
Delta Spirit – “Strange Vine”
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
“Saint Peter doncha call me ‘Cause-I can’t go…I owe my soul to the company Store”
Makes me think about all those bands signing 360 deals with labels or Livenation. They’re never gonna break out of the cycle of indebtedness. I always thought one of the bennies of being a musician was NOT being a corporate employee.
amen brother…AMEN!
Very good read with some excellent points about the business of music . . looking forward to part 2.
Bryan’s simply expressed thought on a complex thing like personal growth = change stood out for me . . .
[i]It’s sort of like when you go back and read a poem that you read in middle school or something. And you thought you understood it. But then you go through all this shit and you re-read it and you’re like, “Wow. This means something else entirely to me now.” And the poem didn’t change. You did. And that’s kind of how I feel right now.[/i]
arrg .. forgot have to use here
K.C. . . how about a short term edit option ? . . please
what seems to be a bit baffling to me, all came together listening to RadioMargaritaville a few minutes ago – this song:
Makin’ Music For Money by Alex Harvey
When I woke up this morning
I was tired as I could be
I think I was counting my money
When I should have been counting sheep
My agent he just called me
and told me what I should be
If I would make my music for money
Instead of making music for me
Chorus
I said I know that this may sound funny
But money don’t mean nothin’ to me
I won’t make my music for money, no
I’m gonna make my music for me
He said that people only buy the love songs
Rock and roll and not too long
He said son you got to be commercial
If you want to turn the people on
And I said turning on the people
Now that’s a beautiful place to be
But if I spend my time makin’ them a rhyme
Well who’s gonna turn on me?
Chorus
Well now, I went up the country
And I’ll tell you all about the scene
I found a place with much charm and much grace
That was untouched by the music machine
Well the people where havin’ a good time
Makin’ music all day long
And nobody cared if they ever got paid
One penny for playin’ a song
Chorus
when I went and pulled these lyrics above – I was struck by this part:
“I found a place with much charm and much grace
That was untouched by the music machine”
kind of eerie the way it hit me.
Money it’s a crime
Share it fairly but don’t take a slice of my pie
Money so they say
Is the root of all evil today
I printed the entire interview and read it at lunch. There’s a lot there to process in one reading. I love “Strange Vine.” Downloaded it from Amazon. The guitar in the recorded version has a twangy sound that immediately reminded me of the rubber band guitars I used to make as a kid – love it.
Very appropriate song, Joester — eerie and ironic.