[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

(TV) Artist expectations



Time, I think, for a little explaination of my explosion a half-hour ago
and a new essay on artist expectations.

First, I'd spent a lot of time getting a machine running Windoze and the
Windoze Media Player working.  Since Windoze is not my usual OS (I'm a
Unix guy) this involved a little more than turning on the machine and
downloading the player.  After all that, I spend hours trying to connect
to the site thanks to overloaded servers and debugging the setup.
(Especially annoying was the feed with video and no audio - I thought
for sure it was my machine - nope, bum feed.  Another 45 minutes trying
to reconnect after that.)  Then, as I keep trying to connect as the
magic hour approaches, there's the word that TV's asked to not have the
performance broadcast.  Well, damn, they could have told us earlier; I've
known for days that Boards of Canada refused that permission.  OK, all
that effort down the drain.

So why am I so pissed off?  I mean, what did I expect for nothing?  A
rubber biscuit?

I posted this morning on the Pere Ubu newsgroup a reply to a person who was
asking David Thomas to listen to his music on the 'net and tell the poster
what he (David) thought of it.  Well, on the PU website, there's a FAQ that
says you're free to send David your music, but please don't expect a response
of any sort, and I posted that fact.  I followed up with a comment that this
seemed perfectly reasonable, and that expectations of an artist should not
extend beyond the right to purchase what the artist has sanctioned for that
purpose.

So where do I get off getting cheesed at Tom for not allowing the webcast?
I don't have a leg to stand on.  The timing of the announcement sucked, but
it's entirely possible that that was ATP's webmaster's fault.

As a Television fan, my anger was really a manifestation of the lack of
product available to me, the willing consumer.  I don't necessarily
suggest that Tom or TV go to the Pearl Jam extreme of releasing
close to every inch of tape available, but dammit, Tom, throw us a 
frikkin' bone from time to time.

It's tough being a cash-wielding music consumer wanting to buy product
from these guys.

Asking a question like "What harm is there in a webcast?" is pointless;
someone thinks it's detrimental to them professionally, so it doesn't
happen.  That's their call.  As a professional musician, though, these
folks need to understand that most people won't wait forever.

Richard's got some performances that he released on the website, and I
really appreciate that!  Finding those releases gives me the feeling that
I'm hip to the scene, and more, that my effort to listen to RL's music is
appreciated.

So fine.  Tom can keep everything he's got under wraps, and never release
another note to the world.  That's his perogative.  It's the perogative
of the rest of the world to go "Huh?" when his name is mentioned because
there's nothing available from him.


--------------
To post: Mail tv@obbard.com
To unsubscribe: Mail majordomo@obbard.com with message "unsubscribe tv"