Gary Newman: android in La La Land
Discussion
I've just finished watching this, it was pretty good. I'm not a massive Numan fan, and to be honest I didn't much like the newer stuff over the popular stuff, but it does sound like there's a lot in between. Him and his wife seem to understand each other well, he came across as very normal. The bit about the serial killers was funny, though I imagine it wouldn't stand up to recital.
Just watched this and really enjoyed it. He's far more normal than I expected but in other ways exactly what I expected. His wife is amazing and they have a great relationship, doubt he'd still be with us if she wasn't with him, they both seem fully aware of who they are and what he represents which is really refreshing.
Might even see if the new album in on Spotify as it sounds like there might be a few good tracks on there.
Might even see if the new album in on Spotify as it sounds like there might be a few good tracks on there.
On the flip side, I go to Spotify to try something out that I'm not sure about. If I like it then I buy it properly. If I don't, well, I'd never have even listened to it in the first place if it weren't for Spotify, so nothing lost. I accept that I'm probably one of a minority though.
MitchT said:
On the flip side, I go to Spotify to try something out that I'm not sure about. If I like it then I buy it properly. If I don't, well, I'd never have even listened to it in the first place if it weren't for Spotify, so nothing lost. I accept that I'm probably one of a minority though.
Yeah its good for that - like youtube or soundcloud or bandcamp for smaller artists. But the idea that people should pay for music is dying, rapidly. Flip Martian said:
... But the idea that people should pay for music is dying, rapidly.
Unfortunately. It's a shame those who think they are entitled to freely avail themselves of the work of musicians can't be forced to work for nothing themselves. Contrary to popular belief, artists don't receive free food, shelter and utilities!MitchT said:
Flip Martian said:
... But the idea that people should pay for music is dying, rapidly.
Unfortunately. It's a shame those who think they are entitled to freely avail themselves of the work of musicians can't be forced to work for nothing themselves. Contrary to popular belief, artists don't receive free food, shelter and utilities!They can also charge large amounts of money for concert tickets.
When I see Adele on the checkout at Tesco I'll chuck her a few quid.
Zoon said:
Although they do receive rather handsome royalty cheques for TV and Radio airplay.
They can also charge large amounts of money for concert tickets.
When I see Adele on the checkout at Tesco I'll chuck her a few quid.
Yes, a small minority do very well. The 99% have to keep up a day job.They can also charge large amounts of money for concert tickets.
When I see Adele on the checkout at Tesco I'll chuck her a few quid.
Yes, all musicians are paid just as well as Adele obviously...
A better analogy might be that premier league footballers earn an absolute fortune, while the rest don't.
If people decided to stop paying for football, the rest would suddenly be playing for free or for pennies, while the premier league footballers would still be raking it in through other means (paying for autographs, watching them get off the bus before a game, etc).
An artist's main income is record sales - dress it up all you like but not buying music just means you're taking something for free.
A better analogy might be that premier league footballers earn an absolute fortune, while the rest don't.
If people decided to stop paying for football, the rest would suddenly be playing for free or for pennies, while the premier league footballers would still be raking it in through other means (paying for autographs, watching them get off the bus before a game, etc).
An artist's main income is record sales - dress it up all you like but not buying music just means you're taking something for free.
Flip Martian said:
An artist's main income is record sales - dress it up all you like but not buying music just means you're taking something for free.
Is that still the case? I recall reading that while in years gone by, artists would do a tour as a means to get people to go out and buy a new album, nowadays they do a new album to have an excuse to go out on tour, because the live stuff makes them more money. We can't all make money from gigs. Some of us make very niche music which might have the potential to sell enough globally to earn us a living, but within any one geographical location doesn't have enough fans for the overheads of doing a gig to be covered by ticket sales.
The artists who do really well out of gigs are big stars who fill large venues, despite high ticket prices, because they have the might of major record labels behind them ... huge marketing budgets, huge promotional budgets, the right connections to get their artists play listed on national radio, appearances on the Jonathan Ross show, Graham Norton show, etc, product endorsements ... I could go on.
Also, I've noticed that, increasingly, major artists are getting their music used on TV adverts, programmes, etc., further undermining a previously effective revenue stream for less well known musicians.
We really are reliant on sales, whatever the media might report about the burgeoning popularity of new ways of monetizing music which, in reality, are only available to people who are already famous.
Anyway, as all musicians of my status ask, "would you like fries with that?"
The artists who do really well out of gigs are big stars who fill large venues, despite high ticket prices, because they have the might of major record labels behind them ... huge marketing budgets, huge promotional budgets, the right connections to get their artists play listed on national radio, appearances on the Jonathan Ross show, Graham Norton show, etc, product endorsements ... I could go on.
Also, I've noticed that, increasingly, major artists are getting their music used on TV adverts, programmes, etc., further undermining a previously effective revenue stream for less well known musicians.
We really are reliant on sales, whatever the media might report about the burgeoning popularity of new ways of monetizing music which, in reality, are only available to people who are already famous.
Anyway, as all musicians of my status ask, "would you like fries with that?"
droopsnoot said:
Is that still the case? I recall reading that while in years gone by, artists would do a tour as a means to get people to go out and buy a new album, nowadays they do a new album to have an excuse to go out on tour, because the live stuff makes them more money.
You're talking about a small number of musicians - the ones up there at the top of the tree. Live music venues available in the UK to smaller artists are dying out, through strict licensing and noise abatement laws, among other factors, so where are the thousands of musicians in the UK meant to all play?I know loads of musicians who release their music on the internet and don't play many gigs. It costs them money to make music but they do it because they love doing it, knowing it will never make them loads of money. I've done the same. That doesn't mean you can own a copy for free, if we're trying to make back some of our production costs. We should at least expect if someone likes our stuff enough to want a copy, that they buy it. I released an EP which was less than 3 quid - and still had a friend, who always seemed to be eating out most nights of the week, tell me he couldn't afford to buy it so had ripped it from the website it was on. He seemed to think that was ok. Beats me. Ultimately, some time later he decided to pay for it.
Just because not all musicians can play live regularly, doesn't mean they deserve to be ripped off. Arguments that "Well Beyonce has enough money" are rubbish ultimately, its just excusing theft. Most musicians aren't at that level or anywhere near.
On a related note, one of the best music documentary type programmes recently has been Rhod Gilbert's UK's Best Part Time Band. I suspect it was a pretty good reflection of most "real" musicians in the UK today, showing them at work, rehearsing in mates houses and hauling their gear around.
Zad said:
On a related note, one of the best music documentary type programmes recently has been Rhod Gilbert's UK's Best Part Time Band. I suspect it was a pretty good reflection of most "real" musicians in the UK today, showing them at work, rehearsing in mates houses and hauling their gear around.
I enjoyed that - some superb bands out there. Some friends of mine were one of the bands auditioned in the "Bristol and Wales" segment. Full band (and a good band) but a lot of their stuff is on laptop backing tracks and that ultimately meant they didn't get past the audition stage. There was a shot of a photo of his old house with a Ferrari and a Corvette outside.
That said, I wasn't trying to suggest that music piracy is anything other that theft, I didn't make the comment to back up that argument. I guess I'm sufficiently far out of the music "scene" that I'm just not thinking of bands between the pub-playing covers bands and the O2-Academy and upwards-dwelling bands. You're right about venues - I'd maybe see a few more bands if it wasn't such a pain to get to somewhere to see them. It's not thousands of miles, but it's enough that I need to want to see the band before going, and that doesn't really work for new bands.
Flip Martian said:
You're talking about a small number of musicians - the ones up there at the top of the tree.
The one I was particularly thinking of - and the one I think I'd read the quote from - isn't anywhere near that size. Once quite popular, but a long time since any noticeable chart success. The Stranglers, for the sake of clarity - and not for any other reason than it's a band that I'm into and therefore read about more than most others.That said, I wasn't trying to suggest that music piracy is anything other that theft, I didn't make the comment to back up that argument. I guess I'm sufficiently far out of the music "scene" that I'm just not thinking of bands between the pub-playing covers bands and the O2-Academy and upwards-dwelling bands. You're right about venues - I'd maybe see a few more bands if it wasn't such a pain to get to somewhere to see them. It's not thousands of miles, but it's enough that I need to want to see the band before going, and that doesn't really work for new bands.
Edited by droopsnoot on Tuesday 29th November 19:54
Gassing Station | TV, Film, Video Streaming & Radio | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff