Re: [ARSCLIST] Musican's compensation, wa CD versus Download was "All hail the analogue revolution..."

[Steven Barr <stevenc@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Bob Olhsson" <olh@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Steven C. Barr wrote:
> >I'm wondering...based on Mr. Olhsson's Nashville location, if he might
> >not be thinking more in terms of country music (the best-known output
> >of Nashville)...which seems to follow a slightly different "set of rules"
>
> I probably know less about country music than any other genre. I began my
career in Detroit at Motown followed by 30 years working with jazz, classical,
experimental/electronic and rock music in San Francisco. We moved to Nashville
five years ago.
>
> I learned "the rules" in my high school radio drama class. What's always for
sale in the entertainment industry is access to the performer's fans. I've
always found this to be the case no matter how obscure or esoteric the genre.
The degree to which it has proven true was far beyond my expectations.
>
Thanxes muchly for the explanation! I knew there was substantial recording
done in Nashville...mostly country (as I assumed)...and thought I was putting
"2 and 2 together" by guessing you were active in that field (my mistake!).

I'm not sure exactly what you mean by "access to the performer's fans,"
though. Do you mean that the industry sells those "fans" access to
the performer (or at least his/her/its work)...or sells the "performer"
access to the "fans?" I'm guessing the former...

But...if the saleable product is "access to the performer," then its
intrinsic value is dependent on the number of "fans" (the more there
are, the more money the performer can make...) and one way to
increase that number is to use the Internet (or, in fact, any available
media insofar as they can be accessed...which is usually up to
whomever runs those media?). Of course, this only works well if
the performer's work appeals to the demographic represented
by "typical Internet users"...

Steven C. Barr