Could artistic patronage ever work in pop?
The High Court case involving Michael Jackson and the son of the King of Bahrain makes me wonder if we might yet see a return to the system of financing artists via patronage. There are plenty of arguments for it. Record royalty revenue is no longer enough for most artists to live on. Tours waste the planet's resources. It's impossible to plan from year to year.
So if you're an artist, why not let some rich person adopt you? They pay your bills, top up your pension plan, maybe even give you a house in the grounds of their massive country pile in which to compose. In return you have to knock out the odd tune at their daughter's wedding. How painful can that be?
And please don't say that it will corrupt the pure relationship between the artist and his work. Patronage is precisely how lots of the great paintings and musical works of the past got done. In 1791 a complete stranger turned up on Mozart's door and asked him if he'd write a mass for a bag of money. Even though the mysterious donor was probably going to pass it off as his own work, Mozart wasn't phased. He said "how big a bag of money?" And what came out of that tawdry exchange? The Mass In D Minor, that's what. Now whether you're a fan or not it probably edges the new Oasis album.
Think about it. It doesn't have to be limited to one individual. What about if five hundred fans of, say, John Martyn each threw in about £600, the price of a Premiership season ticket? That would give John revenue of £300,000 a year. Don't know about you but I could live on that. In exchange they would get a copy of his new album with their name on the cover, free attendance at one very special fans-only show, an advance listen to the new record, priority booking at whatever tour he's doing and, er, their picture taken with him. By a proper photographer. No red eye. Think about it.
This is only one way to take the idea forward. I'm sure people can think of lots of other benefits that could be practically delivered or even further models that could be put into practice, from the adoption of a particular artist by a municipality or commercial organisation up to and including actual artist-purchase arrangements in which you get, say, Chris Difford living in a shed at the bottom of your garden or Rick Astley serving dinner to your guests.
Your thoughts?
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Is it that new a development?
What with the likes of Elt and Wino nipping over to Russia to perform at private birthday parties or the Mighty Max Weinberg's stint as musical director in the court of King Conan. Sammy Cahn spent the last 50 years or so of his life writing tailor-made lyrics for anyone at all who was willing to meet his fee. He'd even put on a tux and sing it for you too if you could come up with a piano.
Twenty years ago I wangled an invitation to a private bash for advertising executives at the Grosvenor to celebrate or commemorate I remember not what. The food was forgettable as well, but the after-dinner entertainment certainly wasn't - it was Ella Fitzgerald backed by Nelson Riddle and his orchestra.
who has the whip as far as quality control?
I was thinking about this recently during a film review where mark kermode was suggesting we should state sponsor certain national treasure directors. Which sounds fine but would they ever make a another decent film? Look at woody allen he's paid to make anyfilm he likes and since he has they are all rotten.
So if Morrissey was at the sway of his fans could we tell him to pull his socks up? Also when commisoning paintings your medicis had a constant abck forth with their artist about who much of each colour they could use so could we get stephen patrick to produce 34% solemn mournful slowies and 76% up beat witth catty bottom swingers?
Interesting point
It could be that if the artist knew the names of the patrons he might be a bit more careful about pleasing them.
I read in a magazine
I read in a magazine somewhere that Marillion have a relationship with their fans that is along these lines.
Spread the Word
Sounds like an interesting magazine...
The only stumbling block as I see it
relates to how these people get their brand awareness out in the first place. If you have a group of loyal fans then they are loyal because of the artists history. Rich people seem to go after statement acts - getting Mariah Carey or Elton John to sing at your party is showing people how much wealth and power you have. It may work for fallen heros such as Jacko but how does it develop the new stuff from new bands?
Music is different from many forms of art that gets patronage because the recording is not a unique item - its easy to copy etc. Concerts, on the other hand, are one off events and I could see these being corporately sponsored more and more. Lets face it, most gigs can't get much more expensive than they already are.
Unless
We consider the idea that music is not a route to become fabulously wealthy, just a way to make a living. For example, I'm going to see the excellent Show of Hands (plus support) on Thursday. It will cost me £15 for what I know will be a superb evening of songs and instrument playing by two people (plus guest bass player) at the top of their game.
I don't know how much Phil and Steve make in a year. I expect it's several times what I do but they're not going to be in the Elton/McCartney/Jagger class. But their gigs are reasonably priced, they're doing what they enjoy and making enough money to make it worthwhile to carry on doing it.
Perhaps that's the way forward.
Smash Hits did a great article once...
... comparing the concurrent tours of Wham and Half Man Half Biscuit (so it must've been 1983/84-ish.) Wham of course were doing the enormodomes, loads of articulated lorries, dancers, entourages etc. etc. HMHB were doing pubs and student unions in the back of a van, sleeping on fan's floors.
At the end of each tour, Wham had lost tens of thousands of pounds, but HMHB took home about 10 grand each as far as I remember... of course the record sales tipped the scales way back in the other direction, but it shows that there is (or was) a living to be made on the road...
I think it was Q who did an article some years later where a forensic accountant went through the publicly-available finances of musicians who had registered themselves as companies and had to declare their earnings. If I remember correctly, China Crisis in particular were far wealthier than their record sales would suggest, and the accountant was very impressed with how their finances were handled...
Didn't Frank Sinatra
Have some sort of patronage arrangement with some legitimate businessmen?
Patronage
Perhaps fans could club together to ensure certain artists never release another record or go on tour. I'd be willing to remortgage Chez Mouse if it guaranteed that I'd never have to hear Muse again.
1000 True Fans
This is just a variation on the "1000 True Fans" theory (worth reading at http://www.kk.org/thetechnium/archives/2008/03/1000_true_fans.php if you have 10 minutes) which seems to be the way things are going, though how new/future artists are going to build up a fanbase like this in today's environment is an open question...
And Supertramp were actually completely funded by a millionaire music lover (no jokes please!) for their first few years, so patronage isn't a completely alien concept in the rock world...
Some, probably not many, record companies....
...believe sufficiently in an artist to keep them going. This was nicely summed up in an aricle about John Martyn in Rock'n'Reel, his record sales being insufficient otherwise to warrant the continues faith in him. This was probably quite rife in the 70s and 80s. Cooking Vinyls patronage nowadays of Jackie Leven must be another case in point.
As to the more direct (Marillionesque) patronage, several months back there was a flurry of posts about Jill Sobule, including from her manager. Time for an update. (Like many, I investigated her worth then, and she's certainly pleasant enough, but I didn't invest beyond downloading a few tracks)
I don't want my artists adopted by some rich person.
I want my artists to lead the storming of the grounds of rich peoples' massive country piles, to liberate them for the people, to turn their croquet lawns into allotments, their orangeries into internet cafes and their ornamental ponds into paddling pools.
Sorry, I got carried away, I was listening to Robert Wyatt on the way into work this morning.
Alex James, in his biography,...
...points out that when he finally got the big country house, the farm, the plane and the royal friends, he then realised that an artist spends his formative years trying to smash the system then the remainder of his life trying to keep the system exactly as it was all along
If I eat enough enchiladas this evening,
perhaps I'll dream of Alfreda racing Robert through the gates of Alex's mansion, Robert with a 12 gauge, loosing off shot at the fop as he tries to reverse his Aston Martin out onto the drive, the other members of Soft Machine torching the barns and waving their Little Red Books triumphantly at the fop's sobbing hangers-on who are stumbling off into the distance towards the pheasant feeders, wondering where their next glass of champers or foie-gras sandwich is going to come from.
Nothing Alex James has said has ever surprised me. He seems to be exactly what he always was, his success having changed him little. I do think I ought to read the book, but I can't bring myself to contribute more to his bloated coffers.
Far be it from me
to suggest you do anything illegal, but might I point you in the direction of Abbie Hoffman's tome 'Steal This Book' (pub. 1971), if the vision of Alex James's bloated coffers is too much for you?
NB
Any ambiguity in the preceding post is entirely intentional....
PS Nice dream, Foxy.
Random thought that entered my mind
You might enjoy "Dead Babies" by Martin Amis. The film version was critically panned but I liked it.
It's definitely worth a read...
...but if you don't like hearing about successful young men conspiciously enjoying their wealth and success then be prepared for steam out of the ears :-)
Might actually have to do some work
Because most people giving an artist a certain amount of dosh per year are going to want to see some sort of short term return on that investment. So hanging around three or four years while waiting for inspiration will not be hugely popular.
Might see an increase in output and a fairly rapid decline in quality control...
Personally can just about imagine paying someone upfront the price of an album, but more than that no. There isn't a single artist out there whose new work I can't live without - there's so much else, both old and new to discover.
Further to this...
Most people give their football team a certain amount of money per year, for which they get little but pain. That's the price of loyalty.
Possibly
But even if your team always loses you still get to see a fair amount of football.
But wait three years for a new album with the occasional mp3 or fan only concert thrown your way? Less likely.
As a Leeds fan
I think Mr Hepworth has a point. Of late they have been the footballing equivilant of Johnny Cash's 80's period. I've still maintained an absolute interest despite vowing to not bother after the failed play off in Cardiff. There are bands I love as much (although very few).
didn't we pay them money up front
when we bought their last lp?
also do we get points on it's sales? That's how angles in the theatre work.
Supertramp
They started out being funded by a millionaire I believe.
Dragons Den
Didn't one of them invest in a band in the last series?
I'm not interested in oil wells, shipping or real estate...
Isn't this where Charles Foster Kane got unstuck? And look what happened to him...
White Stripes
White Stripes quote all of this on a track on the White Blood Cells album
Hasn't this kind of patronage existed for years in film?
I seem to recall reading that Monty Python got funding for The Holy Grail from Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd and other assorted n'er do wells and that George Harrison started Handmade Films because he fancied seeing The Life Of Brian. No one could object to the quality of them surely?
On a more dubious artistic note wasn't there also a story that INXS paid for a large stake in Crocodile Dundee as a tax dodge only for its subsequent success to cause them real financial problems later on?
Chris Morris was trying to get funding for his new film by getting random people to chuck him a minimum of £100 as well, in exchange for being an extra in the finished work and various other benefits like that, only to get some actual funding on the back of the publicity. I can't help but feel that £100 to be in a Chris Morris project is money well spent...
Ian McNabb...
...will come round to your house and perform for the small price of a bicycle...apparently
Whilst I know Children in Need is a raw nerve round here
This morning on Wogan, someone had donated £20k to CIN in exchange for a bespoke song written and played by Katie Melua. Bidder seemed thrilled to bits, Katie Melua sounded as if she enjoyed the challenge of writing a specific song to order within a week and a charity is £20k richer.
I'm trying to think of a way...
for Word to act as a conduit between the well heeled reader who fancys a special birthday present and the band with name recognition who wants to play for money. This seems like an opportunity, but how? Advertising supplement perhaps?
Im sure that
John Otway has been doing this for years now. Didnt he get his fans to charter a 747 for a world tour?
Tried to...
...but I don't think the numbers added up and he pulled the plug.
More info at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Otway
In january many people will pay 12m sub to local gym
and only go once ... so it may work . may i suggest you do an article in ' The word ' and ask a few musicians what they think of the idea, then when it catches on in a couple of years as an innovotive idea you can say , we told you so.
ps and thank you Vulpes Vulpes
that made me smile.
I think it´s a great idea
....Think of the possibilities, some-one could pay for Randy Newman or Scott Walker to produce something every two years or less. Or irate investors in Oasis demanding that they re-think it before the bloody release the latest dog´s dinner
Circulus
One of my favourite beat combos Circulus are offering a novel take on patronage involving their new album:
CIRCULUS ALBUM APPEAL/DECLARATION OF LOVE
Dear friends,
I’m sure many of you are aware of the sorry state of the music industry and how much harder it is now to release albums, with major labels teaming up with mobile phone companies and all that desperate nonsense.
We have recorded our third album and many of those who have heard it say it’s the best one yet. Rather than giving it away to some record label we have chosen to release on our own label Mythical Cake (can anyone spot the anagram?)
We have called it “Thought Becomes Reality”. The artwork and songs follow a 2012 theme. In order to meet production costs and bring this album to you we are launching an exciting appeal.
The inside of the cd booklet depicts a drawing of a large extraterrestrial craft. There are portholes along the side of the craft. If you can help us launch this album we will show your photograph peering out of one of the portholes. You will be journeying with us and you will have made this flight possible.
Here it is, take it or leave it. Fifty pounds a seat. We will also send you three advanced copies well before its official release in March 2009.
Please get in touch via circulus.folk@virgin.net or www.myspace.com/circulus, or just use the paypal button above.
Please forward this message on!
Love Circulus
A huge thank you to Spiral Earth for their generous donation towards the craft.
Owsley 'Bear' Stanley
Mr. Stanley financed the Grateful Dead for a few years. Funds originated from his rather successful chemical/pharmaceutical business.
Hilarious aside: when his Denver lab was busted, Mr. Stanley claimed that 250,000 tabs of acid were for personal use.