Just had a rather extensive twitter-rant about art, commerce, indie, labels, work, commerce… that sort of stuff. Here are the tweets:
the reaction to @colfaxsound & I releasing 11 hours of music is interesting. Some people are amazed, others see it as ‘the new normal’ …
— Steve Lawson (@solobasssteve) May 16, 2013
It’s going to take us a while to extricate ourselves from the single/EP/LP release format strictures. They *are* useful, just not compulsory
— Steve Lawson (@solobasssteve) May 16, 2013
Finding ourselves with 10 complete improvised shows of music that we love, and not having to whittle it down for a label to release is fab.
— Steve Lawson (@solobasssteve) May 16, 2013
Indie musicians seem to have gone from naivety to disillusionment to, hopefully, a pragmatism that sees our priorities shift back to MUSIC.
— Steve Lawson (@solobasssteve) May 16, 2013
…instead of music just being the manure that grows money in a finance/debt industry cloaked as being about art…
— Steve Lawson (@solobasssteve) May 16, 2013
Indie-diehards are realising that there are things that labels/’the machine’ do very well that are next-to-impossible to replicate…
— Steve Lawson (@solobasssteve) May 16, 2013
…or at least rely on just as much of a lottery as ‘success’ in that old system. Slow growth frustrates our pre-millennial dreams of stardom
— Steve Lawson (@solobasssteve) May 16, 2013
it’s OK to be angry that the story we’ve been told for the last 60 years is mostly BS. Also OK to *want* to earn more/do more gigs…
— Steve Lawson (@solobasssteve) May 16, 2013
…but pretending that you *deserve* success, that anyone does, leads to a whole world of hurt. Do good work, make beautiful things.
— Steve Lawson (@solobasssteve) May 16, 2013
Hard work is hard. The clue’s in the name. Deep art is a life-long pursuit. Find a way of making it possible to keep making art.
— Steve Lawson (@solobasssteve) May 16, 2013
The metrics of premillennial ‘success’ were gamed to shut out those who wouldn’t play by their rules. There are no more ‘rules’.
— Steve Lawson (@solobasssteve) May 16, 2013
If making music becomes a high profile media career that stops you making art, that’s failure raiding the costume department of success.
— Steve Lawson (@solobasssteve) May 16, 2013
If you get a job making ‘commercial music’, go for it. It’s a job. Don’t pretend it’s something it isn’t. Do good work, hold on to your soul
— Steve Lawson (@solobasssteve) May 16, 2013
this isn’t really about the ethics of art. It’s the reality of the artist mind, & the likelihood of making a living from art-by-committee.
— Steve Lawson (@solobasssteve) May 16, 2013
if you just want a career in music, form a wedding band. If you want to make art, think about how to keep making art. Prioritise that.
— Steve Lawson (@solobasssteve) May 16, 2013
There are people who make a living from their art. There are people who make a living for their art. If the art matters, both are fine.
— Steve Lawson (@solobasssteve) May 16, 2013
most musicians are making less money than you think. The smart ones learn how to live cheaply. The unlucky ones gamble and lose.
— Steve Lawson (@solobasssteve) May 16, 2013
the hard work of making your art viable isn’t negotiable. Web design, artwork, promo, press, gigs, equipment repair, flyering. Do it.
— Steve Lawson (@solobasssteve) May 16, 2013
when you can afford to pay for help, pay for help. Until then, get resourceful, skill swap, learn, study, sweat, practice. Make better art.
— Steve Lawson (@solobasssteve) May 16, 2013
Things that’ll kill your art/creativity: debt, jealousy, pride, laziness. Things that feed it: collaboration, practice, hard work, a day job
— Steve Lawson (@solobasssteve) May 16, 2013
Worth noting that there’s a direct correlation between the music I make and the way I think about the economics of art. They are symbiotic.
— Steve Lawson (@solobasssteve) May 16, 2013
It requires the death of a whole load of myths & sacred cows to prioritise improvised music & house concerts. The trade-off is an epic WIN.
— Steve Lawson (@solobasssteve) May 16, 2013
Excellent. Totally true.
Quote: “it’s OK to be angry that the story we’ve been told for the last 60 years is mostly BS”
This is not just the case for music people, though you have been among the first to feel the impact of web-led technological change. Many of us who grew up in the late twentieth century, and formed our understanding of the world in that context, will really struggle to cope with this “disruption” thing that so many people are talking about.
I found this blog post of yours thanks to a retweet from @davidlyonmusic. His wife Yvonne has certainly found a way to survive in the brave new world, as described in this very positive piece by Colin Kelly:
http://colinkellyblog.com/2013/05/01/singer-songwriter-yvonne-lyon-and-what-we-can-learn-from-her/
In the old twentieth-century world she might have remained a school teacher – a very worthwhile thing to do – but a wider audience would have been deprived of hearing her wonderful songs. So there are many positives in the changing music business.
I saw Neil Gaiman’s talk about making good art. I feel some of that sentiment here as well.
But what happens when the art I would LIKE to make is in a battle with the art I am ABLE to make? This isn’t about being incapable of making art in general. I can still make good art, just a different kind from what I want.
Of course, you know exactly what I’m referring to. I just thought I’d generalize it a bit here.
“Do good work, make beautiful things.”
Perfect