I had, like, four or five responses to this particular
thread in various states of editing and composition
(all scrapped now); please forgive me if I
accidentally sent one that was in embryonic form. Shit
happens...

Stewart Mason wrote:

>And yet...you're still here...

Yes, I'm still here because even though my musical
heart resides in prog/fusion land, I LOVE classic pop
changes and artists who are able to blend various
influences, and, occasionally, something mentioned
here -- like, for instance, Self's "Subliminal Plastic
Motives", or, more recently, Jeff Carlson's Sonata
Form project "Harmony, Courage, Joy and IQ" -- will
pop up and grab me my the danglers.

So, yeah, I'm still here, listening -- critically. Got
a problem with that? Wait, I just remembered you're,
like, 6'5" -- I take that back!

Why are YOU still here, Stewart? Seems like your
tastes don't mirror those of the majority of this
board either...not that there's anything wrong with
that.

Anyway, my whole point with regard to the indie
musician/commerce thread is this: if you are an
artist, and your goal is to make money via your art,
I, personally, will call into question your motivation
for creating. I believe that lasting art is created
from desires of the heart, not the needs of the
pocketbook (get a day job!). I believe there is a
difference between inspired writing and by-the-numbers
songcraft (do your own thing!). I believe that there
are innovative writers in all genres, and that there
are even more who are hacks trying to ride their
coat-tails. My conscience demands that I separate the
two, if only for my own musical sanity.

Having said that, I also realize that I am painfully
in the minority here, where a majority of folks could
care less if it's original or not, as long as it
sounds like [name of classic pop band here]. I gots no
problem with that, but I choose not to listen to that
stuff because, you know, I've heard those changes
before. It's like eating leaf lettuce for lunch every
day -- that stuff gets boring FAST, gimme some pickled
beets once in awhile.

Lastly, for those who scream "hypocrite!" because I've
been a musician/co-writer in some overtly pop bands,
remember, there's a difference between actually
playing the music, and just listening to it as a fan.
I won't listen to a lot of stuff that sounds obviously
derivative, but if there's a level of complexity to
the stuff, hell yeah, I'll play it! I love a
challenge.

Again, I am sorry if my original un-thought-out post
bothered anyone here. After all, it's just music: if
YOU like it, then it's good. That's all that matters.
Don't let anyone sway you otherwise.

kErrY
www.myspace.com/kompost



       
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