Dingos Forum 
Man hears what he wants to hear then disregards the rest
(Back to list)Posted by Darien on 2007-Aug-12 18:21
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| Comment by David Chan on 2007-Aug-13 12:11 It has always been the case that notoriety (or fame) can be converted into cash. It happened in the past and it will go on happening in the future. This has nothing to do with digital technology. Any creative artist suffers from this problem. You do work because you are impelled by an inner vision or drive, yet, you have to earn a living. In the past, the great masters were subsidised by their patrons and could create the art/music etc according to their inner artistic creativity. Sponsorship still occurs but now you have additional possibilities such as appealing to funding councils such as The Arts Council in the UK. Would Damien Hurst have made it if he did not have the patronage of the Saatchis? Talent does not necessarily equate to success. I am sure over the sixties and seventies there have been bands and artists who were technical better, artistically more creative and potentially more appealing than those that made it. Talent needs opportunity and luck. One of my favourite musical artists was Nick Drake. He had limited commercial success but never made as big as the people who he influenced. I have gone to open mike nights where I have asked to play but was not allowed to. I have sat through some turgid performances but the people knew the organisers. Is this wrong? Perhaps, but I do believe that they have a right to play. There are multiple motives for people putting on events and venues. Some do it for power, some do it for money, some do it because they believe in what they are doing. For anyone to 'make it', they have to be in the right place at the right time. It was forever thus and it is unlikely to change. In 1978, NASA sent off the Voyager spacecraft to pass by all the known planets. They could only do it then because the planets were in alignment. Perhaps for an artist, the planets have to be in alignment before they can make it. As to your last question, if someone did have a big following on the web and they do have a lot of good feedback, don't you think their fans would want to pay to see them live? I can safely say most eveeent organisaers will let you play if you can bring a dozen paying customers! |
| Comment by David Chan on 2007-Aug-28 13:39 A further twist to the arguments above, my nephew Rodney Henderson was the lead singer in a group called Violent Delight. The achieved some notoriety as their single, 'I wish I was a Girl' was banned by Radio 1. This single made it to the Top 25 of the hit parade. The band produced an album and then folded. Recently, Rodney has been approached by a number of event organisers for venues across the country to get Vilent Delight back together, Apparently, there have been videos of people performing karaoke to 'I Wish I was a Girl' and VD has become something of a cult. Rodney has struggled in the last two years to get gigs with his new band but he is being approached to play as VD. They have now played two reunions both of which made a modest profit for each of them. They will be doing a few more. The point is by giving the content away, you can raise your profile. If you achieve the right profile, you can always convert this into money. |