I went to a thanksgiving party yesterday
i met a guy who said that nowadays all films can be seen online
cuz there are people who are taping i.e. "videotaping" them etc. and putting them online
even the ones that are out currently etc.

it made me feel sad and also appalled
it seems like all musicians have their stuff on youtube or wherever so that anyone can listen to it just for looking it up

visual artists have their stuff online and it can be copied or downloaded etc.

films are online

it seems like even people's books can be downloaded copied by someone else then put online

there seems to be zero rules or regulations

it's a wonder that artists continue to be creative and produce

especially musicians

without them doing their tours
they couldn't generate any income nowadays

it should be illegal to post or videotape other people's work etc. without their permission

what are everyone's thought on this?

how are visual artists, musicians, performance artists, writers etc. supposed to make a living?

its obvious that it is nice for those who get things for free

but everyone else gets paid to do a job

why shouldn't artists be granted the same respect?

where are the boundaries?

IMO the only boundary is an individual's conscience.

It's tough on the artists. And to add insult to injury, a lot of clubs now CHARGE the musicians to play. A lot of musicians are having to pay $5 or more to play at open mics, and many clubs now demand that you give them $25 if they hire you for a gig and you don't bring in at least 25 paying customers to watch your set.

Sharrhan:


[www.facebook.com]

Transforming Art Into a More Lucrative Career Choice
By Marci Alboher
Published: November 26, 2008

[www.nytimes.com]

Interesting article, Omega-- thanks.

Another really great opportunity for musicians is to sell your music to production companies. You keep your copyright and you can make good money just making MP3s of your music available for films and TV programming.

Sharrhan:


[www.facebook.com]

Sure you can read books online but I like to keep them on my shelf too. I have some books that I would never have bought if I hadn't read them online first, and how about giving them to other people, it's hard to giftwrap a computer file.

IMO even if a lot of people are reading your book for free, at least they are reading it, and not someone elses book, it's like the freebees and samples that people give away to promote their product and get them hooked.

But Utube IS a ripoff, at least for me, I have listened to so many artists that I have never bought anything from.

The industry will have to change. The luddites in the music industry aren't letting go easily but they can't take away the freedom of the web, even though they are trying as hard as possible.

The reason it's a good thing is that there is a much wider range of music about now. You wouldn't be able to get Japanese stuff 50 years ago where now it's very common. I love Japanese ska.

Also dispite what some are doing, there is more of an emphasis on live performances now than previously. This is good for your local area and there are also big concerts etc which are doing better than ever.

Still, back in the day 'artists' weren't these rich spoilt brats and that's what helped music as a whole. We currrently want to think of our artists as people who will never work and be able to afford all the coke in the world. Money isn't a good incentive for real art, only the love of the art is. You hear that a lot from current artists but I doubt many actually believe this and you'll see that in the future.

Creativity comes as a rebelion from the norm and annxiety for change. How can we say that we need to arrest 15 year olds just because they don't think it's worth spending £10 on an album with only 2 half decent Beatles ripoffs?

As for movies, this too is also a good thing. The movies have put more money into them than ever before and they've sucked like no other. Decent films are much lower budget which are much more interesting, these kinds of films people want to have in their dvd collection becuase it gives them a sense of self expression.

At the moment we are in a transitional phase...Both the mainstream music and movie industry are really putting huge money and PR into their productions with deminishing returns. Soon they'll realise that the competition about is far more aggressive, in small niche markets that cator for the individual moreso than the collective. Overall this is a good thing because it will open the markets up for more actors/resses that will not be spoilt rotten and turned crazy by a crazed papparazzi.

Dispite this fact, the movie industry is actually changing into 3D types of movies...James Cameron is focussing on this and it'll be impossible to pirate these types of films, for now that is...In my opinion, it's in natural evolution.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/29/2008 08:14AM by Kombaiyashii.

My dvd collection is actually half chinese and japanese films and then has cult types of films like Napoleon Dynamite, Cube, what's eating gilberts grape, waking life, a scanner darkly and films like that...Not exactly high budget films...

After Terminator 2, blockbusters have sucked apart from The Matrix that is.

Jonathan and I tend to appreciate the 'budget' independent films a lot more than the big blockbusters, too. High tech stunts and special effects just don't do half as much for me as a thoughtful story line.

Sharrhan:


[www.facebook.com]

kombayashii:

u also saw :

<<What's eating Gilbert Grape>> ?

yeah, i saw that film
too hilarious
in certain respects
but kinda sad too

though i luv to watch johnny depp
cuz he doesn't even seem to be acting LOL

not all artists are spoiled brats who make heaps of money and do coke all day
that perhaps represent .001 percent of the artists

the rest of them are extremely hard working
but don't get compensated what their expressions are worth ( not that it can be measured monetarily)

i too agree with what kwan said
special effects and all don't really impress me

a fantastic story line does

anyhow

welcome to the world of representation and simulacra
and endless maze of mirrors that will collapse into itself

until everyone has shards glinting out of their ribs

which they can use as tools to cut into that meaty pulpy dehydrated carrot raisin cumin flaxseed bread leftover from thanksgiving

LOL

I went to a thanksgiving party yesterday
i met a guy who said that nowadays all films can be seen online
cuz there are people who are taping i.e. "videotaping" them etc. and putting them online
even the ones that are out currently etc.

it made me feel sad and also appalled
it seems like all musicians have their stuff on youtube or wherever so that anyone can listen to it just for looking it up

visual artists have their stuff online and it can be copied or downloaded etc.

films are online

it seems like even people's books can be downloaded copied by someone else then put online

there seems to be zero rules or regulations

it's a wonder that artists continue to be creative and produce

especially musicians

without them doing their tours
they couldn't generate any income nowadays

it should be illegal to post or videotape other people's work etc. without their permission

what are everyone's thought on this?

As you probably know I think that respecting private property and intellectual rights is one of the fundamental principles on which a free osciety should be based.

Everyone should be able to keep the fruits of their labour, and taking someone else intellectual property is theft, just as taking any other of their property would be.

However, these things aren't very well understood or respected these days unfortunately, much to the detriment of artists and most others amongst us.

Cheers,
J

to me its all good. even good actually

art ultimately is about (first hand) experience.

so music is changeing from a product based industry to a performance based one . the methods for recording and distribution of music has changed and those concerned have payed for it by having a larger group of competition with a shrinking market for products, but an increased audience for quality live music. so the age hasn'so much offered more opportunity but like with many things has flattened the playing field.

its really indicative of a larger change where life and expression themselves become the medim and the materiality of the old either becomes discarded or the creme' becomes ritualized (in a good way). so now we have both the HD movment and people watching cropped pixilated bootlegs with poor sound quality. just as people thought the the age of mechanical reproduction would destroy painting whereas in the contemporary art world painting is actually stronger then ever.

I know a few very successful visual artists and having someone else reproducing their image is not even remotely on their radar of concern. yet on the art internet sites people with no market at all for their work attempt to block others from downloading their image or watermark it in some way. umm ok?


the bootlegging of films is nothing new, just a wider audience. anyone in a major city has the same access to films (even before they come out) for a few bucks in the subway stations. If the major studios can create an experience that you can't replicate on your computer screen then people will continue to go. judgeing by the facts that there has not in any way been a drop in box office for the blockbuster films even though internet pirating has been around for many years now. I CAN see dvd sales/rentals dropping int he future unless stricter standards are enforced.

as for 'independent' film all this means is the larger studios hand off projects to smaller satellite production. its similar to all the organic and natural companies i.e. kashi that are subsidiaries of Kraft foods or whatever. very few people self fund films and even less of these films even make the festivals nevermind wider distribution. IMO generally indies are stories that have a more 'human' and specific audience and I think are usually more mediocre then the 'fake' cinema.


people shouldn't assume that their art is going to finance their lifestyle. but what WOULD be nice for individuals to be able to afford to support themselves working part time at regular job and getting payed a decent wage so that they can pursue their creative dreams. These are more the issues I am concerned with, as often many times the people who can afford to live the lifestyle of an artist or touring musician have some kind of trust fund or inheritance of some kind.

other then that

everyone now has to hustle. that's good for art



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/30/2008 12:41AM by anaken.

um.

"As an objection to the patent laws, some people cite the fact that two inventors may work independently for years on the same invention, but one will beat the other to the patent office by an hour or a day and will acquire an exclusive monopoly, while the loser's work will then be totally wasted. This type of objection is based on the error of equating the potential with the actual. The fact that a man might have been first, does not alter the fact that he wasn't. Since the issue is one of commercial rights, the loser in a case of that kind has to accept the fact that in seeking to trade with others he must face the possibility of a competitor winning the race, which is true of all types of competition."

-Ayn Rand

lol

Libertarians Divided on Intellectually Property Rights


[libertariannation.org]

hmmmmm...... interesting

Interesting quote from Mat Gleason, L.A. art critic and friend of Charles Bukowski:

"The present trajectory is so clogged with poseurs and careerists that it is too difficult to tell who is an artist. Oh, I forgot, everyone is an artist. Then why bother? Oh, because YOU are an artist. Perhaps everyone is a narcissist.

Worst are artists with arts-related positions in education and arts media who leverage their clout for slots in exhibitions. Who would have gotten in that group show if Mister Connected hadn’t engaged in the mutual backscratching that is the central activity in today’s art world? What artist will we never see because Miss Tenurecommittee wanted a show and called in some favors.

I would like to see the end to all financial support for artists from trust funds, wealthy parents, spouses, lovers, sugardaddies/mommas, corporations, universities, institutions and government agencies. How would it feel to be on your own?"


[artscenecal.com]

eric johannes

<<How would it feel to be on your own?">>

kinda like a" complete unknown?
with no direction home?
like a rolling stone?"

ha ha

i dig dylan's lyrics

<<I would like to see the end to all financial support for artists from trust funds, wealthy parents, spouses, lovers, sugardaddies/mommas, corporations, universities, institutions and government agencies. How would it feel to be on your own?">>

It would probably feel like "being on one's own."

which is both scary, terrifying, exhilarating and deeply satisfying

>How would it feel to be on your own?"<

I think most artists ARE pretty much on their own, and therefore have to have another line of work in order to survive. Our military-industrial/high tech-oriented society doesn't throw much cash or concern in the direction of the arts. So I personally wouldn't want to see the state and government grants programs disappear (although with the economic problems of late they will be among the first to go!). Grants are a real life-line for a lot of talented but struggling artists. I have many friends who get small grants every year that pay them reasonably well (though it's still a very small amount of money) for a series of performances in places like schools and nursing homes.

Sharrhan:


[www.facebook.com]

I used to record off the radio & use a VCR to record movies off TV, now I can goto... or, no, I can't. They got rid of watchthesimpsonsonline.com... another site'll spring up.

Not getting paid is part of the game. When I made shareware games I expected about 0% of the people who played my game to pay me. When three people (out of thousands who downloaded) sent me $5 or $10 each I was very surprised & pleased.

>Not getting paid is part of the game. When I made shareware games I expected about 0% of the people who played my game to pay me. When three people (out of thousands who downloaded) sent me $5 or $10 each I was very surprised & pleased.<

I purposely chose to make my MP3 downloads free rather than charge $.75 each for them, so that anybody could listen. Uh oh, does that make me a communist?! ;-p I was surprised when one woman felt 'guilty' for downloading my music for nothing and sent me $20.

On the other hand, when I play music in the subway I charge $12/ea for my CDs. I know people occasionally copy them and give them to their friends, and I don't really care.

Sharrhan:


[www.facebook.com]

Yeah, we wait tables.

Life as a full time artist is not necessarily easy or effortless, but it is possible. I am living proof.

VIVA LA LIVING PROOF!



hey tommy lantern

hows it going?

ThomasLantern Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Life as a full time artist is not necessarily easy
> or effortless, but it is possible. I am living
> proof.


Hey dude, I haven't see you in awhile. What are you doing these days?

he's probably out on the road
with a bunch of musicians

singing his heart out
to a joyful crowd

ThomasLatern--

I LOVE full-time musicians and artists (and writers and actors and entertainers, for that matter)! May they all prosper and thrive.

I'm on the way back to being a full-time musician and artist again myself; the financial sacrifices (if any) are well worth it because of the satisfaction and fulfillment of doing what you love, and not having to do it only in your 'off hours' as a hobby or side line.

Sharrhan:


[www.facebook.com]

Hey guys,

Sorry I haven't been around much. I've been quite busy! But I check in and read from time to time.

I'm full time now as a solo singer/songwriter/entertainer! It's pretty awesome. I'm playing shows all around my home province in Canada. I'm working with a bunch of other guys who do the same thing and it's so great. I really love it.

Best of luck Sharrhan, it's not an easy road but I admire your tenacity!

Cheers guys, talk to you soon

Thomaslantern--

Thanks! I think my musical path just got a lot clearer as of this week. I've joined forces with a seasoned, much more experienced and well-connected professional musician to form a new jazz fusion/rhythm 'n blues group, so my schedule has suddenly gotten really busy, and I couldn't be happier.

Sharrhan:


[www.facebook.com]