I've been reading articles like this on techdirt for months, and I have to say, as a working musician and composer, you guys scare the crap out of me. Most of your contentions have an oddly uniformed and misunderstanding of how a working musician pays the rent. I love to embrace new ideas and concepts, but I rarely see that here. Sorry. I want to join the army, I just see nothing in your proposals to pay my rent. Most musicians I know don't want to be small businessmen, sell t-shirts, tour, and musicians like me, composers, song writers, film scorers, well, we're just guys with kids, backyards, college tuition. Music is our day job. We ARE small businesses, yes, and most of us are pretty good at earning a living, but the techdirt blog constantly attacks our livlihood without taking the time to understand; not the push and pull of rock stars selling out arenas, but the journeymen workers in the trenches.
Music has always been a pyramid of talent. If you have it you make a living, if you don't, you don't. Most of us studied for years, have college degrees (and the debt) and work nine to five a these jobs. The royalty societies collect our earnings and distribute them. Are we happy with ASCAP, BMI, etc. ? Not in every case. I spend a lot of time on the phone with these guys. Part of the job. However, the bottom line as misrepresented in your article is correct. If your music is not performed you don't get paid.
What would expect a royalty society to say? The opposite?
Another point overlooked: many of these venues have the jukebox on, or the radio. The music IS being performed. Cracks about 'open mic nights' are entirely disingenuous on your part.
I understand the emotional values behind crusades, however, you may in fact be doing more harm than good.
Techdirt has not posted any stories submitted by chris mchale.
You guys scare me.
I've been reading articles like this on techdirt for months, and I have to say, as a working musician and composer, you guys scare the crap out of me. Most of your contentions have an oddly uniformed and misunderstanding of how a working musician pays the rent. I love to embrace new ideas and concepts, but I rarely see that here. Sorry. I want to join the army, I just see nothing in your proposals to pay my rent. Most musicians I know don't want to be small businessmen, sell t-shirts, tour, and musicians like me, composers, song writers, film scorers, well, we're just guys with kids, backyards, college tuition. Music is our day job. We ARE small businesses, yes, and most of us are pretty good at earning a living, but the techdirt blog constantly attacks our livlihood without taking the time to understand; not the push and pull of rock stars selling out arenas, but the journeymen workers in the trenches.
Music has always been a pyramid of talent. If you have it you make a living, if you don't, you don't. Most of us studied for years, have college degrees (and the debt) and work nine to five a these jobs. The royalty societies collect our earnings and distribute them. Are we happy with ASCAP, BMI, etc. ? Not in every case. I spend a lot of time on the phone with these guys. Part of the job. However, the bottom line as misrepresented in your article is correct. If your music is not performed you don't get paid.
What would expect a royalty society to say? The opposite?
Another point overlooked: many of these venues have the jukebox on, or the radio. The music IS being performed. Cracks about 'open mic nights' are entirely disingenuous on your part.
I understand the emotional values behind crusades, however, you may in fact be doing more harm than good.