Thanks for the unexpected response to my words. I knew that it would provoke both positive and negative reactions. I’m happy to have both. We all know piracy is here to stay since nothing is all bad, even piracy. I’m aware that through pirates’ operations, people in Asia, Africa, Latin America and other countries have the opportunity to download music they would otherwise never have access to, and this is necessarily good.
My comments are not even about my own situation any more. Musicians of my generation have been ‘suffering’ since the invention of the audio cassette! We’ve been living with it for decades. In addition, I’m very fortunate to have played with the greatest from East and West, and have an audience who support my work.
What really upsets me is the situation for the younger musicians. It really is rough out there, as most young players will agree. My commentary is about the perception of Internet theft. Whatever anyone may say, stealing IS stealing. What is clear, is that the ‘old days’ are gone forever. We are in a period of transition which always incurs a certain chaos. We need to find a system that will give the opportunity to musicians who want to give their music freely, the possibility. However, the system must include a way that enables musicians who live from their work, to be paid for their work.
Thanks for reading!
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Hi John and All . That would be good to invent a new system . Where musicians can be generous and receive profits enough to make a good living off it at the same time .
Here in the USA gasoline cost around $4.00 a gallon. How can the price of an enjoyable cd hurt the buyer when he / she is spending enormous amounts of money on their car(s) daily ? !
This ‘piracy’ has two aspects: the limitless possibilities of the internet, and a specific attitude of the ‘pirates’. ‘Pirates’ make use of the internet as, say, political activists do in Syria. They just establish and use communication channels which can serve all kinds of purposes. At the same time, the technical means to track and censor political dissidents are basically the same as the ones that are used towards ‘pirates’. Now many of those ‘pirates’ confuse things by thinking they’re fighting a political fight for freedom, their enemy being the music industry, whereas all they really do is to satisfy endless selfish needs and to make profits on the expense of creative people. At this point I totally agree with John about the perception of the whole share-and-download-thing, however you call it.
One thing I really hope for – besides more fair-mindedness and less self-righteousness of the people creating and using the internet – is more possibilities to acquire high-res tracks of the music I love. For years I thought CDs will some day be replaced by something else with better quality, and then the age of mp3 set in. I’m sure there are a lot of people who are ready to pay for good music in good sound quality. I don’t say this would solve all the problems, but it’s a real pity music business takes so long to establish new means of distributing music. So far the industry is more part of the problem than part of the solution. I appreciate all the suggestions that have been made here that would help musicians and fans alike.
With great respect to all the hard working creative people out there, especially to musicians like John McLaughlin and Zakir Hussain whose beautiful and spiritually rich music is a invaluable gift to the world
Viktor Gyoerffy
Hallo John and Afficionados,
first, you didn t suffer by the audio-cassesttes, it was just a start of the system, I buy MO, a friend buys RTF, another Zappa, Miles…and then record it to each other and all buy another record…
You are right according to the situation now, I think, there should be more different versions of a cd, high class with proper booklet and some specials (as it happens) to very cheap, just the cd. But I don t have the slightest idea how to handle an internet commerce…
Best wishes, VBSch
P.S. The guitar-solos on To The One are really fantastic, esp. the second one on Special Beings – stunning!
You were talking about a Shakti Palestine concert at the Skoda Award last year in Bremen, Ger., hoping the best for the Palestine and Israel People, are there any news?
Hello John : once again you’re quite right about the fact that downloading(this time , i wrote the word properly!!)music freely is wrong.But you you forgot to mention that musicians (i mean the good ones ) are quite overshadowded by « the pop stars system » which keeps on promoting so called artists . So that real talentful and gifted are banned from the recognition they all deserve…and i guess you’re quite aware of this : for instance Hadrien Feraud is quite unknown to my fellow citizens..it’s really too bad!!!
it’s the internet John,it’s killing EVERYTHING.it’s not just the music that is suffering but the books, the TV, the cinema,leisure/family time…the list goes on and on and on…..
What’s your point of view about downloads on itunes, deezer…Is it better for you than having your record in a record store?
Hi John,
read both articles on piracy. I think that you are searching for the cause of problem in the wrong place. You have to be aware that yours and similar work is incredible minority in what is music scene today.
Music industry itself, by it’s mediocre mainstream directing, destroyed culture of listening music, (real) value of record and everything else with it. If you would magically put everything right from piracy point of view with some magic wand, young musicians that you are trying to defend would completely loose global reach they have, which they will one day eventually benefit from.
Your words are full of love for young musicians.
So we can only say another time: Thank You Maestro.Blessing and Shining light to Minds:-)
Hello John
Your words about piracy are vey interesting,especially about the concept of « killing » an industry (I think about record stores, here in Rome,Italy,many of them closed)……..by the way, I think the main responsability in this situation is due to discographic enterprises, they are blind to the technological changes (and Internet was perphaps the most wonderful change at the end of 20 century).
I have to say: I’m lucky to have a good job and so I can buy Cds. But I enjoy also all these sites,blogs that have all these unofficial live (bootlegs): I consider this as a musical treasure, because we can hear famous artists and groups play live (sometimes with good sound quality):I think of some Mahavishnu Orcestra performances never officially released, they are wonderful and fan deserve to hear them
John, I’m with you all the way on this one.
There is clearly a change going on, and while the old model seems to no longer work, there doesn’t seem to be a new model that will allow musicians to earn a living.
I follow Robert Fripp’s diary and it is heartbreaking to read about the record company shenanigans that have, in effect, forced him to step away from performance and creativity and dedicate his efforts to gettting hold of what is owed to him.
Best wishes to you!
Why isn´t there a way to « block » free downloads like « blocking » a cd so it can´t be burned? My 1st cd was done this way. My 2nd hasn´t been mass pressed yet (guess why?) but I´ve sold some to groups of poor students at concerts & said « buy it & burn it for the others » because yes, I´m hard up for money & have 2 kids. Giving away a certain amount of cds free is a good way to promote, but why isn´t there a way to control piracy? Is this by design? We have to find a way to eliminate the negatives & keep the positives.
Thanks John
John,
It’s really too bad that you aren’t debating this subject, and seemingly just sticking to your point of view without taking into account an entire culture of the industry that has grown in the past 15 years.
I don’t mean any disrespect at all, because like just about everyone else who has posted anything on your site I’m a life long fan of your music, your melody, your artistry, and exploration.
But I AM the « younger generation » you speak of. The generation that you seem to think is doomed because of the internet. Well, speaking from experience, it’s not doom and gloom at all. It’s actually one of the healthiest times to be a part of the music industry. And if your management, record label, booking agent, or publicist are telling you anything different then I would fire today. You actually don’t need any of them at this point anyway. By employing just one person who has any kind of modern day internet/new media/marketing savvy, you could lower your overhead, streamline your product, create 10 times more traffic in all areas of your business, and of course that works out to be a crap load more profit than you’re currently making right now.
The old school of labels, A&R, press releases, promo tours, record deals, etc etc… is over. I don’t need to tell you that. But anyone who is successful right now in jazz, the way I see it at least, is in one of two situations:
1) they played with MIles
2) they didn’t play with miles
Category 1, which you most certainly fall into, and Jack Johnson is one of my favorite albums of that period, does a number of things for you. It allows you royalty like status in the jazz world along with Chick, Herbie, Stern, Sco, Bill Evans, Leibs, and all the other alumni that still have touring careers. And it’s one of the main reasons promoters will still book acts like that despite the fact some of them aren’t doing anything particularly new, and there are dozens of younger acts all over the world that are actually innovating the music. controversial? eh… maybe. But it’s only my opinion, and we’re all entitled to that right? where would the world be without them?
Category 2 is for the rest of us. And for the « younger generation » you mention it’s the only one available. And boy is it a good alternative when you didn’t happen to be alive when it was possible to come up with Miles, Blakey, or trane… Now what isn’t acceptable in category 2 is whining about the industry or sitting around romanticizing what it must have been like to be on the road with Miles in the 70’s. It’s about re educating yourself after you get out of music school, because no school wants students to actually figure this stuff out while they’re at school… students would realize how much of a waste of time and money school was and leave, bringing down a huge revenue stream in the education system. But eventually it’s going to happen, just because of how fast technology is moving. Those who embrace it and have a hunger for knowledge about it, will have the tools to build careers as successful as yours if they work hard. Those who don’t will become eventual music fans who have days jobs and end up supporting the art in the end.
I would love to talk to you about this. Debate this, show you some data, some stats, help you turn what you have into something 10 times the size, and all without the use of the age old music industry infrastructure. I’m 32 years old, I’ve been on the road with guys like stern, randy brecker, hiram, and many pop acts (as well as my own group) for the past 10 years, and I already know I don’t want to have to hit the road hard until I’m 70 just to make sure my family is provided for. There are just so many ways to succeed in the industry, still make the music you want to make when you want to make it, and not feel like the industry is against you, piracy is rife, or that things aren’t what they could be. Things are what you make them, and right now every single musician in the world who can get to an internet connection and has a few good working brain cells can succeed on a very high level.
Would love to hear your thoughts, and welcome your emails or communication any time.
Janek
If people want to buy it they will, if they don’t want to they wont. Is is wrong for me to buy a CD and burn a copy for a friend? The term pirate itself is another prime example of the « powers that be » manipulate semantics to wash the minds and control the behaviors of the population… « terrorists » « drugs » « pirates » all examples of this rubbish…. Turn on your TV and you might hear that « Cars love shell gasoline… » How can I say « I love you, » (and mean it!) when « cars love shell? » My view on this matter is simply that art and business do not mix. If you are seeks to make money from music or another art form then find another way. Intellectual property laws are about as absurd as the notion of illegal plants and animals. Capitalism will crash and burn soon enough. And, I reiterate, once the notion of « I am doing this to maybe make some money » comes into play the motivations of an artists then he or she ceases to be an artist at that point. There is, never was and never bill any point where true art and (for profit) business cross paths.
Much respect for you Mr. McLaughlin, you are still one my true hero’s in life and a deep source of the purest inspiration! Peace and love!
A comment about this John’s text « I’m aware that through pirates’ operations, people in Asia, Africa, Latin America and other countries have the opportunity to download music they would otherwise never have access to… »
Please, John , reconsider your position about piracy; the world champion in piracy ( many sites with many offers in software, music and video) is USA, not the countries mentioned in the selected quote. Why not discuss the product prices and sucessive economic crisis and technological changes imposed by global companies and their consequences?
I am a brazilian musician and i share the same problems here exposed.
Sorry about my english.
To clarify what i wrote in my last comment: when i said the USA (and Europe too)is world champion in piracy i refer to « peer-to-peer network » that include many brazilians too. The physical black market of software , music and video CD/ DVDs is, probably, more utilized in the countries mentioned by John. One is, inevitably, connected with oder. Thank you.
Hi John, I think one of the solutions is to bring back the market to the stage. There are bands who are recording their performances and selling them right after the concert is done. This way there are no recording companies, no middlemen, and the revenue goes directly to the artist, before the fact that it will be later on posted for free on the internet. I think that the traditional days for a musician of living from the royalties of studio recordings sold are over, but on the other token nowadays anybody (whether a skilled musician or not) can produce quality audio recordings at home. It is definitely a time of turmoil for the recording industry, and it seems that it will continue in turmoil for a very long time.