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The Art of Compromise
Music Connection Magazine - March 26, 2007
Article by Dan Kimpel
The major music business is one of commercial art’s most cooperative creative ventures. But where should an artist draw the line in maintaining his or her vision while making concessions for the marketplace? In this feature MC speaks with a cross-section of musicians, recording artists, and executives about the potentially bumpy road of compromise – the delicate art of choosing battles – and how to balance artistic vision with a lucrative future.
NOTHING NEW ABOUT COMPROMISE
There’s this story about a gentleman who approaches a beautiful woman at a cocktail party with a request, “Would you have sex with me for a million dollars?” When the woman answers in the affirmative, he counters, “Would you do it for 10 dollars?” Insulted, she spits back, “What do you think I am?” To which the gentleman explains, “Madame, we both know what you are. Now we’re just haggling over the price.”
Ah, economics. For musicians, recording artists and songwriters, there are critical decisions deeply attached to economics that often require finding a middle ground. Sometimes the originality in a band or artist, what makes them appealing to the industry, will often come under the intense scrutiny of record labels, managers and marketing experts who might want to mold what they perceive to be “raw materials” into an artistic force capable of connecting with a wider audience.
MAKING IT STICK WITH PORCUPINE TREE
Guitarist John Wesley, now a touring member of the band Porcupine Tree, has a decidedly philosophical overview of what it takes to be a working musician. As a single father raising a daughter, he determined that the choices he made would also affect the life of his child. “I had to take gigs that weren’t as artistically rewarding as I wanted, just to stay alive and stay in the business,” he says.
“Being a guitar tech,” he continues, “got me out there earning an income, and almost every tech gig I ever did opened a door into a playing gig. People would get to know me and see what I had to offer as a musician and a person. I’ve never been pushy. I always did the gigs with integrity. If I were your guitar tech, I’d be the best tech I could be instead of thinking I should be up onstage performing. If you’re paying me, I’ll bust my ass for you.”
Wesley was on the road teching for the band Marillion when their opening act cancelled. Wesley covered the preliminary slot for the band on a borrowed acoustic guitar, “which led to doing a record with some of the guys in the band. And that led to 400 more shows as an opening act. On some of those tours I also did tech work, because I couldn’t afford to do the tour; if I was a tech, they’d pay for my hotels and flights. So I’d tech all day, change clothes, be the opening act, then keep on teching.
Wesley notes that since he never wanted to work a straight job, he has often taken gigs doing cover songs just to pay his bills and allow him to keep his chops up. He says it was his positive attitude that made it work. “I approached those cover gigs not so much a gig as being paid $50 an hour to practice. It kept my daughter and me alive. When I get off the road with Porcupine Tree I still have bills. If someone offers me cash to sit in the corner and play tunes, I’ll do it. It’s all about playing music.”
The veteran musician has friends who disdain the concept of performing covers, but are instead trapped into relatively well-paying steady jobs that have nothing to do with music. “They’ll be playing maybe a gig a month in town, working some straight job. And then an interesting opportunity will come up that doesn’t pay a lot of money, they can’t leave their jobs. But if I’m doing a cover gig and I get a call on Wednesday, ‘Can you be in Dallas on Saturday?’ I can cancel my cover gigs and I’m out.” > Back to In the News Page | ^ Back to top
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