Roger Waters ‘Angry’ Over State of Music Industry: ‘It’s Just Stealing!’

[MYSTERIOUS TRAVELLER]

it is sad indeed that musicians can not make a living doing what they love these days

[Brian Griffin]

I'm disappointed, as I expected he was referring to Progression magazine

BG

[Plasmatopia]

It's been a steady decline since the dawn of the digital age.
A lot of great music, and my opinion is that the music was better before all the Protools and sampling, looping, fixing madness.

I'm intrigued. I've never heard that before. Can you elaborate?

[bob_32_116]

Gotta admit I was shocked the word "Jews" didn't make it onto his blame list.

What, if anything, does this have to do with the topic of this thread?

[moecurlythanu]

I'm intrigued. I've never heard that before. Can you elaborate?

You naughty boy you.

[Casey]

I'm amazed everyone missed the most jarring note of the OP: "Waters' words echo those spoken by Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons of Kiss." Reminds me of the time Frank Zappa & Donny Osmond teamed up to go toe-to-toe against Tipper Gore.

[Scrotum Scissor]

^

[BarryLI]

What, if anything, does this have to do with the topic of this thread?

Well, when Roger gets cranky nowadays it's usually over the ME, was a tad surprised is all.

[smackiepipe]

When I read the threat title I could only picture this:

oldmanyellsatcloud-350.jpg

[Vic2012]

c) The Band of Gypsys album exists largely because Hendrix signed a contract in 1966 and the people who owned the contract demanded he fulfill it. All those horrible albums released after he died with session musician overdubs are a direct result of his business affairs being a disaster.

Bad for Jimi, I guess but good for his legions of fans. We'd never have "Machine Gun" (that particular live version) if it wasn't for the contractual obligation. I've never been a big fan of live albums but BOG is my favorite live record of all time. At one time it was my favorite Hendrix album. Don't read this as if I'm defending those scum-sucking, corporate swine (the record bizz), I'm just saying that for an album that was a quicky, live, contractual obligation, Jimi produced one HELL of a live record.

[Classic Progressive]

Yeah what could he know about it.

[Drake]

Amazing music is being made right now all over the world.

[izz_brian]

I don't want to come across as negative, especially because I am at peace with the fact that I will not ever be making a living from music. However, it occurs to me that the "lucky" artists who did so well in their own eras either show no concern for current artists' plight, or (like Roger Waters and the KISS gents) lament the current state but offer no alternative models. The only artists with $$$ that I see trying to "fix the system" are only addressing their own revenue streams (e.g., Jay-Z et al's Tidal), with no mechanism to support the yet-to-be established artists. It's like saying, "Glad I'M not homeless," as you walk past a starving man while you chomp down on a footlong hoagie.

[GuitarGeek]

Like all good Eurolefties Rog uses the codeword "Israel" to mask his antisemitism.

Oh yes, I keep forgetting that anyone who criticizes Israel government is immediately branded antisemitic. I guess there's no chance anyone could have a legitimate beef with the Israeli government, huh?

[at least 100 dead]

So typical of Roger – he’s always looking for things to complain about. Why doesn’t he take comfort in the fact that PewDiePie earns $4 million dollars a year with his youtube channel instead?

If you’re any good, you’ll make your millions. Look at Katy Perry. Find a positive role-model. If those Cuneiform “artist” (translation: losers) got off their asses and bothered to write actual songs with real melodies and decent beats, they’d be partying on a yacht too. Complain’ ain’t changin’

[Phlakaton]

The writing has been on the wall for a long time. I think a lot of the artists getting boned over their cut of things have some responsibility to recognize that it isnt like it used to be. I dont think you can rely on a label in the same way now - and you need to be independent to an extent with your craft. There are lots of ways to market yourself and your music now (free too!). Its why I use bandcamp more than any other site for discovering and buying music now. The artists (as I understand it) at least get a decent cut of the money. Trying to fit a square into a round paradigm now is basically gonna strangle you. Roger can be a good mouthpiece and people will notice because he is a large scale figure in this business... if he sheds light on an obvious problem - more power to him and people to take it in. The shift is happening now and tech is driving a huge pile of crazy at the moment.

[MYSTERIOUS TRAVELLER]

last month I saw Billy Cobham and he mentioned the CDs that they had for sale after the show saying 'On the CDs is just us 4 you see right here. We are now the record company'

I thought it was cool and bought a CD, but I sure hope he's making more than just the money from the 25-50 CDs he sells each night on the tour

[Scrotum Scissor]

Oh yes, I keep forgetting that anyone who criticizes Israel government is immediately branded antisemitic. I guess there's no chance anyone could have a legitimate beef with the Israeli government, huh?

I won't get into this - but just who exactly said anything of the sort?

[Skullhead]

Wow. Being someone who collects, writes about, plays and performs fairly 'progressive' rock since I was in my teens, I can tell you that some of the most exciting, innovative and creative music I've heard these past 30 years (including stuff from 20 years before that) - is actually being made right now. The fact that artists are no longer earning any money from their craft is a wholly different matter, and a severely problematic one at that - meaning that the music is no longer "brought out" but must be seeked out; through word, knowledge and sheer enthusiasm and curiosity on the part of the listener/consumer. Why are people even expecting former "stars" to produce interesting art when these are in their 60s/70s?

Don't you think the bar has been lowered though?
One can make insanely complex music now without even picking up an instrument and have it sound perfect to untrained ears. So therefore, no one cares anymore because it's a given now. 30 or 40 years ago, you could impress people with great music, now it's a yawn.

[Skullhead]

last month I saw Billy Cobham and he mentioned the CDs that they had for sale after the show saying 'On the CDs is just us 4 you see right here. We are now the record company'

I thought it was cool and bought a CD, but I sure hope he's making more than just the money from the 25-50 CDs he sells each night on the tour

Recording music professionally used to be a real art in and of itself. Just because you are Billy Cobham, doesn't mean you know how to make a recording that can really move a person emotionally. All the modern gizmos make editing and fixing things a breeze, but there is more to it than that. A lot of great music was made before computers got involved.

[Gruno]

It's no different than painters being shoved under the bus for digital posers pretending to be the real deal. Techo music is the digital version of poster art.

MitM…. Paging MitM!

[at least 100 dead]

Don't you think the bar has been lowered though?
One can make insanely complex music now without even picking up an instrument and have it sound perfect to untrained ears.

I doubt that. Can you give one example?

[Skullhead]

So typical of Roger – he’s always looking for things to complain about. Why doesn’t he take comfort in the fact that PewDiePie earns $4 million dollars a year with his youtube channel instead?

If you’re any good, you’ll make your millions. Look at Katy Perry. Find a positive role-model. If those Cuneiform “artist” (translation: losers) got off their asses and bothered to write actual songs with real melodies and decent beats, they’d be partying on a yacht too. Complain’ ain’t changin’

Cuneiform is more of a role model than Katy Perry. There is something called quality.

[Skullhead]

I doubt that. Can you give one example?

Just listen to some of the new techo music. 100's of tracks blended into a sonic web of complex sounds where no one plays anything.

The kids love it because it sounds so amazing to them.. just like Tales from Topographic Oceans did in 74.

[Scrotum Scissor]

Cuneiform is more of a role model than Katy Perry. There is something called quality.

There's som'tn called big breasts as well, and for that we'd take Katy.

But yeah - Cuneiform's easily the best and greatest damn music label in the whole friggin' world, and I mean that from the bottom of my heart.