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Pay attention Quote by Anonymous

“People in bands often have this well-intentioned but misguided notion that, somehow, the payin' customers have some sort of responsibility to... y'know... pay and be customers - that the general populace has some kinda cultural duty to provide an audience for musicians, so their latest bit of…” quote by Anonymous
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““People in bands often have this well-intentioned but misguided notion that, somehow, the payin' customers have some sort of responsibility to... y'know... pay and be customers - that the general populace has some kinda cultural duty to provide an audience for musicians, so their latest bit of creative brilliance may be dutifully appreciated and validated. The truth is nothing of the sort. No one has a duty, real or implied, to pay attention to ANYTHING. A band isn't entitled to an audience just because they put in the effort required for being a band; a band isn't really entitled to anything ((other than free beer. Fair is fair! )). This ass-backwardness of the highest order. The only entitlement in the whole band-crowd dynamic is on the part of the crowd, who, by paying their cover ((or, at bare minimum, showing up)), are ENTITLED to being ENTERTAINED. Conversely, the only cultural duty in a crowd-band situation is incumbent on the BAND, not the crowd - it is the band's sworn duty to ENTERTAIN THE CROWD. That's how it works. The BAND are the ones with responsibilities and duties; the crowd can do whatever the fuck they want.””

Anonymous

About This Quote

Source Blog post: Music culture commentary, 2019

Artists have no inherent right to an audience; audiences choose to engage and reward.

In simple terms: Fans decide what to support, not artists.

Key Takeaway

Create value that listeners choose to pay for.

Themes

culture economics artistic responsibility

Mood

critical analytical

Type

philosophical commentary

When to use this quote

  • concert promotion
  • streaming platforms
  • crowdfunding
  • live events

Key Concepts

audience agency value exchange creative labor

Questions to Reflect On

  • How can musicians build sustainable audiences?
  • What responsibilities do listeners have to creators?
A Different Perspective

Artists may struggle without guaranteed support.

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