I could write on this issue, but I’ll save the time and point you toDavid Newhoff over at Illusion of More. In this post, Mr. Newhoff discusses the differences and, importantly, the similarities facing artists in the USA as compared to the Canadians when it comes to the (false) promises made by tech to improve the lives of artists. Miranda Mullholland made a wonderful and passionate speech to the Economic Clubof Canada about her (and others’) life as a musician–one who works her ass off but who barely makes a living. Watch her video and read Newhoff’s comments. I won’t reiterate it all here.
I will say this, though:
- You make the art, be it music, photographs, design, illustrations, and it is art–the platforms can’t be successful without you.
- Stop calling the art you createcontent and stop letting people rip you off both directly and by devaluing what you do (like, by calling it content).
- Don’t rip off anyone else and support all other artists, yes, even (especially) when it costs you more.