Larry Slavens wrote:
>
> What's got me about this discussion is the doublethink. I'm not
> supposed to have this live music that I didn't "pay" the artist for--
This was not my, at least, point. Whether a live tape is free or not is
not the issue with me. All I ask is the courtesy of a veto over a bad
show, or for that matter for any reason whatsoever, since I insist on my
right as an artist to control what happens with my art. Pretty simple
concept. While I don't have any passionate feeling about tapes floating
around out there and consider them mostly harmless in practical terms, I
do have an uneasiness about them insofar as they may violate my right to
control how my art is exposed to the public. this is such an important
and fundamental concept that it almost takes on a kind of holy aura with
me, like the right of free speech, etc.
>It seems to me that it's pretty
> easy for industry weasels <g> who enjoy lots of free music to cast
> stones at a music exchange medium that they don't participate in.
I don't really see how promo music relates to tape trading. Promos fall
entirely within the confines of what I am talking about, the artist's
right to control how his music is presented.
> (And I'll join the musicians in their everyone-should-pay-for-every-
> note-they-hear argument if they join me in my campaign, as a
> writer, to close down every library, used book store store, copying
> machine, scanner, and the like, so that every person who reads my
> work has to pay for it. It's only fair.)
I have often wrestled with this similarity. How is a used book store any
different than a used CD store? It seems to me that to be entirely fair
there should be some way of assessing a royalty at the point of sale of
all books/CDs/art.
One last thought. Even though tape trading may be harmless and not for
profit, there is still something there that bugs me. All I have to sell
is my music. If my music goes around endlessly for free, am I not being
deprived of compensation for what I do? I am not angry or blustering
about this, just slightly confused by it.
--
Joe Gracey
President-For-Life, Jackalope Records
http://www.kimmierhodes.com
