« Punching the Clock... | Main | good ol' fashioned barn raisin' »
May 25, 2006
every picture tells a story don't it?
hey.
just wanted to distill the uproar regarding our recent announcement concerning digital cameras at our shows. we have made it our policy for years to allow photography while prohibiting video recording (does anyone remember the fallout when we announced no more video? how about when we discontinued soundboard patches?).
despite the fact that we have made it clear that we do not allow video taping, there have been many videos distributed over the last year. due to technological advancements, we are left w. no choice but to restrict all photography to disposable cameras. I'm sure over time, we'll eventually have to ban them too (once they start making disposable video cameras for $5) - right after we ban cell phones. & then there will be a restriction on the types of microchips one can have in his/her neck while being allowed to save show to internal hard drive...
in this day & age, when musical recordings are so cavalierly traded free of charge w. little or no concern for the artist, it is difficult to know where to draw the line. do you pay for all of your music? should you? radio is free. some tv is free. should downloads also be free? cds? videos? concerts? where do you draw the line? if there is no art patronage, there will still be art. it just won't be as widely available to you. it will exist only as local folk art - the stuff of backyards, garage sales, & hobby shops. people will still make it. it's what we do. I'm going to make music regardless of whether or not it also happens to be my career. it's just that it happens to be my career. it happens to be a music business. sure, $250 may seem like a lot to pay for that photo hanging in your local cafe or restaurant, especially when you could just get it as a free download or email attachment. maybe art should be free. but where do you draw the line? what about other creations? recipes? building design? furniture design? which ideas should be free? perhaps anything above & beyond the mundane & utilitarian? it's difficult to know where to draw the line in this modern capitalist world in which everything is a commodity, including food, shelter, clothing, education & healthcare. ideally, all of these things would be free, including the creative spirit which ultimately leads to advancement. we are a long way from the days hunting & gathering. I digress. I also need to go run so I am not late for rehearsal (so we can play better. so we can make better music. so we can make more money. so we can have more time. so we can rehearse. so we can play better. so we can create better music. so we can make more money. so we can have more time. so we can rehearse. so we can play better. so we can create better music...)
we apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. i wish there was an alternative. if you have a better suggestion, email me. (al@moe.org).
meanwhile, we will still allow audio recording. we will still allow photography. if you are a professional photographer & need a photo pass, please contact our management.
Posted by al at May 25, 2006 10:54 AM