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1% Of Musicians Make 77% Of The Money
  • 40 Replies sorted by
  • Vitaliy_KiselevVitaliy_Kiselev

    I don't agree with the conclusion the author makes - "Instead the marketplace has shown us that humans are just as much wandering sheep in need of herding online as they are offline." The data in the chart simply shows the % of money earned by acts such a Spears, The Rolling Stones, etc. There's nothing in that data that proves/disproves a herd mentality.

    It is not this numbers alone. Knowledge of humans really suggest that people like to behave like hamsters (or sheeps) in guided properly. They like to turn off their mind and just follow the lead or suggestion.

  • brianlbrianl

    Beethoven and Mozart were child prodigies that were prodded and pressured and as kids, it's alleged Beethoven was made to practice while standing to impose discipline. They both toured Europe as kids performing like human organ grinder monkeys for aristocrats.

  • brianlbrianl

    There are the socalled "Tastemakers", the suits, that tell people what to consume, what to download, and what to like on their Instagrams. The sheep analogy is very much a reality.

  • jrdjrd

    Beethoven and Mozart were child prodigies that were prodded and pressured and as kids,

    Forget "great" composers. If "prodding and pressuring" kids produced even passable composers, there would be as many accomplished composers as there are accomplished musicians. But even that's self-evidently not true.

  • Vitaliy_KiselevVitaliy_Kiselev

    If "prodding and pressuring" kids produced even passable composers, there would be as many accomplished composers as there are accomplished musicians.

    It is now not very common to have parents who pressure their children to do something really useful. Most of the time under pressure they understand short home lectures that they must do during watching TV in parallel.

  • jrdjrd

    It is now not very common to have parents who pressure their children to do something really useful.

    True, but I mean parents who are professional musicians themselves, and kids who get good training from them -- or with the best hired teachers. Which produces large numbers of technically accomplished musicians, a few good ones, and the occasional great one. But no Mozarts or Beethovens.

  • Vitaliy_KiselevVitaliy_Kiselev

    Which produces large numbers of technically accomplished musicians, a few good ones, and the occasional great one. But no Mozarts or Beethovens.

    How do you know? Today life is just different, first you have much more to do with your time, and second - it is very hard to live writing music, such thing as rich and personal sponsors is very rare.

  • jrdjrd

    it is very hard to live writing music, such thing as rich and personal sponsors is very rare.

    All the greats were writing astonishing music in their teens, before there was any need to earn a living at it, which we don't see today. And a lot of the greats had students or had to waste time at court, they weren't "full-time" either.... Could be there are other reasons we don't have "great" composers today, but I don't think it's for lack of time or training.

  • TheNewDealTheNewDeal

    For most people, if they are being constantly feed, there is little motivation to hunt/gather. The entertainment business is similar. Many people are happy with their choice of 15 station on their car radio, rather than hunt/gather music when not driving.

    The record labels are like fashion models. It's not that you have a bad face, it's just not the face we are looking for today. Music or media is the same. It's more cost effective to market styles than individual artists. Most small labels get a few relative artists, and are bought up by larger labels, who can package similar artists, and leverage their marketing/touring relationships. It's just good business. They are making a ton of money. They just aren't telling the artists.

  • brianlbrianl

    Hippomachus, a noted gymnast, when an athlete who was being trained by him had performed some feat with the applause of the whole assembly, struck him with his staff. "You did it clumsily," he said, "and not as you ought, for people would never have praised you for anything really artistic. " AELIAN

  • spacewigspacewig

    Because 77% of the mass listens to only 1% of the music available. The mass is an ass, no doubt, so herding is not the hard part.

    As for Beethoven and the trifecta of German geniuses, the difference is while kids today are learning smoke on the water or Bach's prelude in D minor, they were learning composition (harmony, counterpoint, etc) and were writing for multiple instruments when they barely beyond the sperm stage. Drilling a kid to play Chopin at the age of 3 just makes him a very precise machine but does nothing for his creativity.

  • Mark_the_HarpMark_the_Harp

    What @spacewig says! I think a lot of times people confuse creativity (producing something original) with recreativity (reproducing something).

  • Vitaliy_KiselevVitaliy_Kiselev

    @Mark_the_Harp

    Also a lot of people think that "creativity" comes from nowhere or is hardcoded in DNA only.
    And also same people think that potential talent is enough, while in real life ability to produce high quality (or even outstanding) product in time and with certain constrains is much more important.

  • TheNewDealTheNewDeal

    Experienced kids have the possibility of building their talents. Inexperienced kids may never notice they have talent, let alone build on it over time.

    Michael Jackson, a very successful entertainer from a young age, rehearsed heavily, performed heavily, and grew up with a clear understanding that this is not easy, to surround yourself with talent, and to keep people talking about you. You may not like him, but yeah, that clearly worked. I had the pleasure of working rehearsals with him, while he was in his a game, "pre-Pepsi." Everyone in the room knew to bring their A game. Amazing and breath taking experience.

    Why aren't there many like that, or Mozarts? So few spend that intense time on that side of the stage today, surrounded by talented hard working people. Is it a special talented gift? Or from lots of hard and often unpleasant work? We live in a "ribbon for every kid" world these days. Do you really expect true greatness to develop when any crap is rewarded?

  • brianlbrianl

    Kids, starting around age 10 give or take, who compete in festivals and contests are not rewarded gratuitously. It's cut throat and if you screw up you're out. 5 year olds however, are encouraged as much as possible. Slamming them with failure isn't productive and teaches nothing. I'd say the same thing about kid sports.. I don't agree with the Waiting For Superman framework. Tiger moms abound. I went to an elite college, said college wouldn't admit me were I applying today. The pie has gotten smaller, and people are fighting harder than ever to make it to the top of the scrap heap.

    Also, it's mystery why Beethoven, Bach, and Mozart (and the others) emerged in a short time frame. Genius's tend to show up in batches throughout history. Some confluence of environment and luck. There's the golden age of physics and other examples of brief periods of creativity. History we tell us what golden era we now inhabit. I'm guessing we live in the golden age of mobile phone apps.

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