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Davesax1965 
Forum Senior Member
Joined: May 23 2013
Location: UK
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Points: 2826
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 Topic: Does money ruin music ?
Posted: December 11 2014 at 07:38 |
Hi folks - Money is that green, foldable stuff which is used to buy hamburgers, drugs, prophylactics and saxophones. Music is an artform.
When a musician starts thinking in terms of money, is it absolutely inevitable that his "music" becomes "product" and is artistically compromised ? ;-)
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Davesax1965
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Joined: May 23 2013
Location: UK
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Posted: December 11 2014 at 08:01 |
PS Forget "absolutely inevitable", that's a bit leading. ;-)
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Neu!mann
Prog Reviewer
Joined: January 21 2005
Location: United States
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Points: 688
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Posted: December 11 2014 at 08:17 |
Maybe just forget the word "absolutely", and keep the "inevitable". Money can certainly be a boon to an artist if he or she isn't beholden to it...but if profit is the only motivation the art will suffer. I direct your attention to the Theory of Obscurity, extolled by The Residents, which (more or less) says any act of creativity, whether music or painting or poetry, is immediately compromised when considering a possible audience...the purest forms of artistic expression are therefore always produced in a commercial vacuum. So I voted 'yep', but on the other hand there's been some great music written about the corrupting influence of money on art...see the album Dark Side of the Moon for the obvious example.
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"we can change the world without anyone noticing the difference" - Franco Falsini
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JD
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Joined: February 07 2009
Location: Canada
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Posted: December 11 2014 at 08:22 |
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Way too specific a question to answer anything but NO.
When it comes to music, money can be thought of as just another tool. Music is the process of creativity. Money comes into play to some extent during Recording (how much can one spend on gear or facilities) and Marketing (how much can one spend on getting the word out in specific markets. Where it really ruins music, I suppose, is when those evil suits get their claws into it and only think of music as a product and not an artistic endeavour.
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Thank you for supporting independently produced music
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twseel
Forum Senior Member
Joined: December 15 2012
Location: abroad
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Posted: December 11 2014 at 08:28 |
 Neu!mann wrote:
the purest forms of artistic expression are therefore always produced in a commercial vacuum.
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Which doesn't exist, and therefore all music will be on some level consciously or at least unconsciously affected by the credits the artist could gain, in the form of both honor and ca$h. You must remember artists are still humans and no matter how strange and unattractive they are trying to be, they will always partially be trying to entertain or satisfy any audience for their own and other people's pleasures.
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HolyMoly
Special Collaborator
Retired Admin
Joined: April 01 2009
Location: Atlanta
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Points: 26133
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Posted: December 11 2014 at 08:38 |
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I'm going to be wishy-washy and say "don't know". There's so many variables to consider that it's hard to really answer. I had a response typed out supporting the position "yes", but then it seemed a bit reductive when I read it back. But the answer's not really "no" either. I guess then, I will just say,
YO
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My other avatar is a Porsche
It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle if it is lightly greased.
-Kehlog Albran
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Davesax1965
Forum Senior Member
Joined: May 23 2013
Location: UK
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Points: 2826
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Posted: December 11 2014 at 08:40 |
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I made $300 off my last album. I can tell you, it completely ruined me. ;-)
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Rick Robson
Forum Senior Member
Joined: September 03 2013
Location: Rio de Janeiro
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Points: 1607
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Posted: December 11 2014 at 08:48 |
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Not the money itself but the music industry greed for money (and sometimes power and fame too) is continuosly ruinning music.
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 "Music is a higher revelation than all wisdom and philosophy." LvB
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Walton Street
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Joined: November 24 2014
Location: Canada
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Posted: December 11 2014 at 09:46 |
years ago I would have said 'yes' based on when Genesis went commercial For a while Collins tried to make Gabriel flavoured albums but seemed to give into the call of top 30 and just made Phil Collins records after Then There Were Three. That's how it seemed to me back then - but what the hell, all bands change/evolve sooner or later. Especially as the members get older.
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"I know one thing: that I know nothing"
- SpongeBob Socrates
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Friday13th
Forum Senior Member
Joined: April 30 2013
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Posted: December 11 2014 at 10:00 |
Money allows musicians to make music that is more complicated than clanking two rocks together and grunting like a caveman...unless that's your thing. Cromagnon comes to mind  Like Jesus said, it's the LOVE of money that is the root of all kinds of evil...not money itself.
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friso
Prog Reviewer
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Location: Netherlands
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Posted: December 11 2014 at 10:10 |
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I'd rather say that the lack of money ruins music. Otherwise every-one could make the music he/she loves.
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Walton Street
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Joined: November 24 2014
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Posted: December 11 2014 at 10:14 |
Friday13th wrote:
Money allows musicians to make music that is more complicated than clanking two rocks together and grunting like a caveman...unless that's your thing. Cromagnon comes to mind Like Jesus said, it's the LOVE of money that is the root of all kinds of evil...not money itself. |
"guns don't kill people ...." :)
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"I know one thing: that I know nothing"
- SpongeBob Socrates
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SteveG
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Posted: December 11 2014 at 10:26 |
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Without knowing the context in which the money is/was utilized, I cannot answer your question.
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Hercules
Prog Reviewer
Joined: June 14 2007
Location: Near York UK
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Points: 7024
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Posted: December 11 2014 at 10:53 |
If Martin Orford was given enough money so he was able to afford to record another album as good as The Old Road, I for one would be delighted.
But no-one has, so lack of money is what's destroying music - those b*****ds who illegally download music for free (which they consider is somehow their "right") are destroying music for many musicians and those of us who enjoy listening to them.
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A TVR is not a car. It's a way of life.
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Davesax1965
Forum Senior Member
Joined: May 23 2013
Location: UK
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Points: 2826
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Posted: December 11 2014 at 11:11 |
I've got to agree with Hercules, here. I don't release music for money: I donate all my profits to charity. Not that I make much, but there you go. I am motivated to create music, not make money for myself. It allows me complete artistic licence, I'm no one's slave and I'm really not bothered if it sells or not. That's my choice.
However, not everyone subscribes to my views and fair enough there, too. However, with $0 in the bank, a band is just not going to have the ability to tour live. So music stagnates.
Other side of the coin. Look at what happens when bands go out to be commercial, to make money - what is normally produced is more likely to be "product" rather than money. So. That's hardly healthy too, is it ?
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Wanorak
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Joined: December 09 2006
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Posted: December 11 2014 at 12:35 |
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Not necessarily, though there are instances where it is true. Every musician wants to make money after all.
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A GREAT YEAR FOR PROG!!!
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siLLy puPPy
Special Collaborator
PSIKE, JRF/Canterbury, P Metal, Eclectic
Joined: October 05 2013
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Posted: December 11 2014 at 12:51 |
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Money ruins everything! And then again it nurtures everything. Life is balance. Balance is obtained through wisdom and making good decisions. Greed can ruin music as can success obtained too quickly. I don't think money ruins music but i do think that there are cases of when artists becomie too wealthy they can lose their drive and hunger for making good music. Living in the lap of luxury does seem to stifle creativity and the art of struggle to a certain point keeps the pilot light burning. There are exceptions to every generalization but i have found these to be true for the most part
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rushfan4
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Posted: December 11 2014 at 12:56 |
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When you're young and poor as a musician you can think and come up with the idea "All I Need Is Love". Once you are successful those lyrics become "All I Need Is That 70" high definition plasma curve TV". Same concept, but not as catchy.
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tamijo
Forum Senior Member
Joined: January 06 2009
Location: Denmark
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Points: 4287
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Posted: December 11 2014 at 13:06 |
Don't care - its too complicated too dig into.
No money-No food-no gems left in the wood-starve-no music.
Edited by tamijo - December 11 2014 at 13:08
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Prog is whatevey you want it to be. So dont diss other peoples prog, and they wont diss yours
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richardh
Prog Reviewer
Joined: February 18 2004
Location: United Kingdom
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Points: 26171
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Posted: December 11 2014 at 14:09 |
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I say no. Money is not that big a turn on for musicians as being able to reach a wide audience and have their music acknowledged. Pink Floyd had more money than they could shake a stick at but still came out with their most interesting and artistic works after DSOTM imo. Genesis just got lazy to some extent so perhaps that's the problem with having made it. You don't have to try all that hard if you don't want to. Its not chasing the money that's the problem though.
Edited by richardh - December 11 2014 at 14:09
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Does money ruin music ?
