[!@#$%!]

so here's a podcast with "greg saucier" (lol, it's his instagram) where he discusses corporate takeover of music in light of bandcamp developments. with a writer i don't know but maybe you do

https://www.levernews.com/lever-time...from-bandcamp/

if like me you have no patience for the spoken word (lol) here is the transcript:

https://share.transistor.fm/s/0bbbab07/transcript

[The Soup Nazi]

Originally Posted by !@#$%!

so here's a podcast with "greg saucier" (lol, it's his instagram) where he discusses corporate takeover of music in light of bandcamp developments. with a writer i don't know but maybe you do

https://www.levernews.com/lever-time...from-bandcamp/

if like me you have no patience for the spoken word (lol) here is the transcript:

https://share.transistor.fm/s/0bbbab07/transcript

Thank you.

We're gonna die.

[The Soup Nazi]

Moves so slowly
Grows so smoothly
Takes so neatly
It's as if they belong
And they've been here all along

Grows so smoothly
Moves so slowly
Takes completely
It's as if they belong
And they've been here all along

This one's ours
Let's take another
This one's ours
Let's take another
This one's ours
Let's take another
This one's ours
Let's take another

Check the math here
Check in ten years
Clusterfuck theory
Buy them up and shut them down
Then repeat in every town

Every town will be the same

[The Soup Nazi]

It looks like we can at least count on a Bandcamp Friday this November 3:

https://isitbandcampfriday.com/

[!@#$%!]

Originally Posted by The Soup Nazi

Thank you.

We're gonna die.

yeah

and i'm one of the murderers. just confessing my crime.

i don't do it on purpose, but my seminomadic lifestyle makes me averse to gathering possessions.

when i was younger i didn't have money to buy a lot of records. we traded cassettes, which tended to die frequently. also there was radio and some radio was good (not anymore).

but then i had to go and left my records behind. who has them now? no idea.

years passed, cds happened, pain in the ass boxes, limiting. but then we had napster! and napster had it all. just crap quality. but you could listen to anything you could think of. and piracy exploded because above all it seems that people want access.

now i get more music than i can shake a stick at, all legal, in high res lossless quality, some of it now remixed for dolby atmos even, playing out of a pocket thing. and a dedicated classical music app. no shit.

i... really like having access. i like paying for it. i like that i can even control the thing from my wrist. i'm a horrible man, i know, buying access and convenience like a mindless drone. i jack it into the car too and vroom. road trip.

but i really like convenience snd don't want to have to carry around and manage possessions.

even my books, my original true passion since age... ooof.., 3, no joke, i used to travel with suitcases filled eith books, i used to send boxes on cargo ships, i used to mail them on m bags at library rates.

now...? i don't care to collect as "objects" anymore, and i buy kindle versions of stuff i already own so that i can read them. because yeah, i can take them all with me anywhere on a tablet. which has its own light.

"sad," i guess, but that is my life today. i wouldn't want to be stuck where my books and records and "cds" (haha cds) live today (stored, in crates, on shelves, in forgotten rooms).

and if i don't want physical clutter--why would i want to buy files? i have files that are 100% forgotten on some dead hard drive. i would gladly pay NOT to have files. files need storage. management. updating/transcoding, fucking headache, i don't have a secretary or a clerical department. i'll pay someone to do it.

i love books, but i have always loved libraries the best. they keep more books than i can ever own.

so i also prefer musical libraries too. and i guess most other people do too ("streaming is the model" sez greg. or something to that effect.)

i don't mind paying for a library subscription. they do all the filing.

so for musicians i think it's self-defeating to look for solutions in "what was." it used to be this way, it used to be that way... sure, it was, but that is not where we are now. i would love to have jazz 90 back in udc but that was 3 lifetimes ago. the thing is now a cspan (blech, but it fits the town).

anyway, we're now in the land of total access, and with total access come massive network effects. deerhoof has to work hard to eke out a working class living, while taylor swift is like, officislly a billionaire or something (can't be avoided. she gets mentioned like 10x a day on bloomberg. they have something called "the taylor swift effect" on the economy. i shit you not. like metalocalypse but lame)

oh, and what ever happened to tidal? damn... that was a kind of well-funded co-op, i think. artist-owners and what not.

anyway, i have no solutions. sorry. just trying to lay out the problem as it is. as a contributor i mean.

[The Soup Nazi]

Originally Posted by !@#$%!

i think it's self-defeating to look for solutions in "what was." it used to be this way, it used to be that way... sure, but that is not where we are now.

It's not where you are now. And I admit it: it's not where millions and millions, the majority, are/is now. But that doesn't erase the rest of us - it's not like we're going from town to town hunting for original Polaroid instant film. New product IS there: hundreds of thousands (millions?) of artists, of all generations, getting their art (OK, I'm stretching the terms "artist" and "art", but you know what I mean) pressed on vinyl, captured on tape, digitized to CDs (yeah dude, CDs, we dig 'em ), AND the demand is there as well - why do you think some records, even those not pressed in ultra-limited quantities, fly off the shelves and later reach degenerate prices on Discogs and eBay.

My take on your post is that you took two cases, the one for accepting/digging (even surrendering to) the mainstream technology, and the one for decluttering, and as eloquent as your writing usually is you mixed 'em up. The fact that your personal preference for a, um, decluttered life (a preference shared by tons, I'll give you that, and more power to ya) aligns with today's preeminent way of distributing audio and audiovisual content doesn't mean we've reached the end of history. (Francis keeps moving the goalpost. ) And we're not even touching the issue of environmental impact - the "cloud" is obviously no cloud, it's billions of solid computers sucking up power in Norway and Iceland...

[The Soup Nazi]

Elliott Sharp covers Dylan's "Masters Of War", a great song that unfortunately does not get old. Mr. E# says:


Recorded in response to the recent events in Israel and Gaza: the barbaric attack by Hamas on innocent civilians and the brutal and disproportionate response by the Israeli military resulting in the deaths of nearly 4000 children in Gaza not to mention thousands of other Palestinian civilians as of this day.

Any proceeds from this track will be donated to the Palestinian Children's Relief Fund.
www.pcrf.net

(or please donate yourself directly)


https://elliottsharp1.bandcamp.com/track/masters-of-war

[The Soup Nazi]

From Hyperdub: "[this] bandcamp friday all label proceeds go to Medicine For Palestine".

https://hyperdub.bandcamp.com/

[!@#$%!]

Originally Posted by The Soup Nazi

But that doesn't erase the rest of us - it's not like we're going from town to town hunting for original Polaroid instant film. New product IS there: hundreds of thousands (millions?) of artists, of all generations, getting their art (OK, I'm stretching the terms "artist" and "art", but you know what I mean) pressed on vinyl, captured on tape, digitized to CDs (yeah dude, CDs, we dig 'em ), AND the demand is there as well - why do you think some records, even those not pressed in ultra-limited quantities, fly off the shelves and later reach degenerate prices on Discogs and eBay.

no, i'm not trying to erase collectors, a special breed of people, who unfortunately seem to be the only ones reliably feeding non-hit musicians these days, when there should be other revenue streams (greg proposed government support... )

what i wrote was not a question of "me", the "me" was just a device to look at what is going on in the market. i was just looking at the market forces, and the capacity of musicians to make a living in the market, and i described my part in that market, in which i'm buying from the big capitalists because they really sell me what i really want: ubiquitous universal access (but be careful what you wish for...).

the collector reselling at astronomical markups is also a capitalist, just a small one, and closer to the musicians, but unfortunately i have zero use for their product. and i would venture most of the market is like that. collectors are a special breed. not everybody is one, but we all know some.

but anyway my intended focus really was on the ability of musicians to make a living under current conditions.

however, another thing to consider in such economy is that the public preference for the disembodied lifestyle might be an adaptation to having no security, no fixed home, and perhaps even no body (since everything is reduced to data now, what is a body?). this has been decades in the making now, and perhaps those not affected yet can sense it in the air anyway.

personally, i chose this nomadic lifestyle. i like it. it's genetic. my paternal line is scattered all over the world, while my maternal line is all clustered in one city--it's hilarious for me to see this. so i take after my father's family and just pick up stakes and go. anyway, mine is a choice of sorts (i did not choose my genes, but my genes get their choice).

however: not me: millions of people have no choice and are forced into dislocation by disasters like job destruction, financial stress, and private equity buying up the neighborhood. and war of course. maybe they would even like to be collectors, but just can't.

so those choiceless people are no different than the musician dislocated from markets and from the ability to make a living at their craft. which for me is the big question here. (i am actually more worried about the millions of people with insecure lives, but this thread was about bandcamp)

can collectors alone enable musicians to make a living? maybe, i don't know really, i think probably not. i'm sure they help, just not sure how much. so it seems musicians need another business model, beyond just relying on support from collectors, because streaming is the new model but the new model is clearly not enough.

i am not worried about the fate of collectors themselves. i honestly think they will be fine. they have money to spend in their delicious vice, and will get their product one way or another. but i am actually worried about the musicians who depend on those collector dollars. and i'm trying to figure out what's happening so that i can figure out what can be done. not that i will solve this problem, but i enjoy the attempt in itself. looking for choices when there are none left. because what else.

anyway, speaking of disasters and homelessness and war, i'll stop blocking the gaza relief ads which are more important than my ramblings about economics.

so here now reissued:

================

Originally Posted by The Soup Nazi

Elliott Sharp covers Dylan's "Masters Of War", a great song that unfortunately does not get old. Mr. E# says:


Recorded in response to the recent events in Israel and Gaza: the barbaric attack by Hamas on innocent civilians and the brutal and disproportionate response by the Israeli military resulting in the deaths of nearly 4000 children in Gaza not to mention thousands of other Palestinian civilians as of this day.

Any proceeds from this track will be donated to the Palestinian Children's Relief Fund.
www.pcrf.net

(or please donate yourself directly)


https://elliottsharp1.bandcamp.com/track/masters-of-war

================

Originally Posted by The Soup Nazi

From Hyperdub: "[this] bandcamp friday all label proceeds go to Medicine For Palestine".

https://hyperdub.bandcamp.com/

=================

[The Soup Nazi]

All (well, most) Linda Smith and Sleater-Kinney albums are available for a name-your-price this Bandcamp Friday. Seven hours left!

[The Soup Nazi]

Originally Posted by !@#$%!

i am not worried about the fate of collectors themselves. i honestly think they will be fine. they have money to spend in their delicious vice, and will get their product one way or another.

I do like to think I'll get my shit one way or another, but in my case you got the money part wrong - I'm broke as all that is fuck! I'm not kidding one bit; I live on Coca-Cola and cereal. (By the way, can anybody help me get the Obscure box set before it flies off the shelves? Any and all contributions are welcome. Drop me a line and I'll send you my PayPal address... )

[!@#$%!]

Originally Posted by The Soup Nazi

I do like to think I'll get my shit one way or another, but in my case you got the money part wrong - I'm broke as all that is fuck! I'm not kidding one bit; I live on Coca-Cola and cereal. (By the way, can anybody help me get the Obscure box set before it flies off the shelves? Any and all contributions are welcome. Drop me a line and I'll send you my PayPal address... )

that's the fate of all collectors. you have money, but just spend it on records, lol. doesn't matter how much. same as erasmus, who said something like "when i get a little money, i buy books. if there's any left i buy flood and clothes."

anyway, have you ever read walter benjamin on book collecting? i think you'll relate hahahhaa. look for one of his texts, "unpacking my library." it's a short read, but too much good stuff to quote, and works best in non-soundbite form. not sure if you read german (i don't) but if you could find the 1931 original text... i unfortunately have to rely on eengleesh translations.

[The Soup Nazi]

Not related to Bandcamp, but to our "collecting" discush:

‘No one else is saving it’: the fight to protect a historic music collection

Look at Andy Rourke checking out those amazing, beautiful Smiths sleeves... Awesome!

[c#9]

There’s quite an interesting avant/psych scene growing in Tbilisi, Georgia. Not much reaches western listeners from there but these two bands are worth checking out:

https://georginabeastly.bandcamp.com/

https://grb3.bandcamp.com/

[The Soup Nazi]

Opinion by Damon & Naomi/Galaxie 500's Damon Krukowski in The Guardian:

Spotify made £56m profit, but has decided not to pay smaller artists like me. We need you to make some noise

What its Wrapped campaign doesn’t say is that indie musicians and labels are treated terribly, and deserve a better deal

[!@#$%!]

Originally Posted by The Soup Nazi

Not related to Bandcamp, but to our "collecting" discush:

‘No one else is saving it’: the fight to protect a historic music collection

Look at Andy Rourke checking out those amazing, beautiful Smiths sleeves... Awesome!

yeah, it's an idealistic pursuit. of the various board members mentioned, most are dead and the rest is on the verge. hopefully a university will take him on... maybe keef gave the million bucks?

[The Soup Nazi]

 

I wonder if this means no more Bandcamp Fridays or "we'll let you know when the next Bandcamp Friday is".

[_tunic_]

totally unrelated to bandcamp, but it's an interesting article and I never realized that this was an issue:


The Fight Between Musicians and Venues Over Merch Profits Is a Big Deal With a Simple Solution

[The Soup Nazi]

 

[!@#$%!]

tearing down a gate is easy enough; deciding what to build in its place is the harder part

that reminds me of michel foucault's support for the iranian revolution lololol. he had a big surprise with the results

but anyway yes, what to build after the deluge is the real question

about that piece though: the final thesis about the wisdom of antiquated systems is wrongheaded. it was not a "wisdom," it was whatever ecosystem developed after things were negotiated by many participants for a very long time. it still had many fuckups and abuses and all sorts of problems

and we have lived in the age of mechanically reproduced art for a long time. walter benjamin already dealt with that issue a century ago:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wo...Reproduct ion

digital increased reproducibility and diluted the aura an extra step. this caused new developments clearly

but anyway what people have been buying and selling in those sites is not music anymore, but auras. because after their technological obsolescence, the mechanical reproductions had acquired auras of their own, became basically just auras, to be kept in their wrappers/altars/whatever

benjamin might have been surprised at this development, but likely not too much. he collected books after all, which were mechanically reproduced objects themselves. funny how all this reeks of plato...

it also reminds me of hesse and steppenwolf and the radio, hahhahahahaaa. snobby steppenwolf could only attend live music performances of cultured music. i think he liked schubert? i can't remember exactly. but post-orgy steppenwolf could enjoy jazz on the radio no problem (almost) hahahaha

but anyway, how to make a living when music has been commoditized and only the artist's aura has economic value, and too many hands want a piece of it?

the problem must be analyzed and diagnosed correctly to come up with a proper solution though. technologies (not just one, lol) are changing things forever

but calling things for what they actually are is a start

and don't be afraid to get weird with thought and run with it though, because otherwise you're stuck in what already didn't work

I'D LIKE TO BUY AN AURA FOR $5
$50
$10
$45
$15
$40
$20
$40
$20
$35
$25
$35
$27.99
okay $27.99 we have achieved wisdom for today

one of these recent interviews cat power says she's not too enamored of the whiteboy dominated indie rock world, and prefers the world of fashion

i think her aura made big bucks in fashion, i think. lagerfeld? something

perfume?

i'd like to buy an aura for $25
$200
$40
$165
$45...
and so forth

ps- isn't it funny how st. taylor swift returned to spotify only to become the sheriff of nottingham? haaaahaaaahaaaaaaaahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa haaaaaaaaaaaahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahaaaaaaaaa

a reminder for the children who were born afterwards: https://time.com/3554468/why-taylor-swift-spotify/
https://www.theguardian.com/music/20...s-spotify-spat

and now with spotify she steals from the poor to give to herself haaaaaaaahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

as george carlin used to say, "it's all bullshit, folks"