--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What a strange thing - that musicians…" description: "\"What a strange thing - that musicians grant permission to places like Ubuweb, and then because it's free, it'll probably be listened to more often than..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/985/david-grubbs-27090_free_what-a-strange-thing-that-musicians-gran_683405.jpg" --- # What a strange thing - that musicians grant permission to… ![“What a strange thing - that musicians grant permission to places like Ubuweb, and then because it's free, it'll probably be listened to more often than something that is still wrestling with this idea of making a profit.” quote by David Grubbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/985/david-grubbs-27090_free_what-a-strange-thing-that-musicians-gran_683405.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/985/david-grubbs-27090_free_what-a-strange-thing-that-musicians-gran_683405.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/985/david-grubbs-27090_free_what-a-strange-thing-that-musicians-gran_683405.jpg) > “What a strange thing - that musicians grant permission to places like Ubuweb, and then because it's free, it'll probably be listened to more often than something that is still wrestling with this idea of making a profit.” [David Grubbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-grubbs/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Artists often share work freely, leading to wider exposure but less profit, highlighting tension between accessibility and sustainability. **In simple terms:** Free sharing boosts reach but can hurt earnings. Key Takeaway Balance openness with fair compensation. Themes art music distribution economics digital culture Mood reflective critical Type analytical commentary When to use this quote - indie musicians - online archives - streaming platforms - educational use Key Concepts intellectual property open access artist sustainability Questions to Reflect On - How can creators monetize while keeping work accessible? - What models support both exposure and income? A Different Perspective Free access may devalue creative labor if not paired with supportive models. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [Musician](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/musician/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) [Wrestling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wrestling/) ## Related quotes > [Grant yourself permission to have all that life has to offer, and you will discover it has more to offer than you've ever imagined.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neale-donald-walsch/grant-yourself-permission-to-have-all-that-life-has-to-offer-and-you/) [Neale Donald Walsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neale-donald-walsch/) > [No one can manage you if you don't give them permission to do so. But if you are interested in accomplishing as much as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-maister/no-one-can-manage-you-if-you-don-t-give-them-permission-to-do-so-but/) [David Maister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-maister/) > [In a personal way, to do with family and the father-son relationship, in a kind of artistic way with regard to him being an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-serkis/in-a-personal-way-to-do-with-family-and-the-father-son-relationship/) [Andy Serkis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-serkis/) > [I know a lot of people that have had fake Twitters... actors and musicians that I know. It's sort of a problem. There are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zooey-deschanel/i-know-a-lot-of-people-that-have-had-fake-twitters-actors-and/) [Zooey Deschanel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zooey-deschanel/) > [If lawyers are disbarred and clergymen defrocked, doesn't it follow that electricians can be delighted, musicians denoted, cowboys deranged, models deposed, tree surgeons debarked,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-wright/if-lawyers-are-disbarred-and-clergymen-defrocked-doesn-t-it-follow/) [Steven Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-wright/) > [My best business decision was to be independent as a musician and artist. My worst was compromising on certain aspects of a deal for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ziggy-marley/my-best-business-decision-was-to-be-independent-as-a-musician-and/) [Ziggy Marley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ziggy-marley/) > [My identity shifted when I got into # recovery . 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To us, it's just like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-land/we-have-to-keep-in-practice-like-musicians-besides-there-are-still/) [Edwin Land](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-land/) > [I started off playing by ear, and being around a bunch of musicians and playing in the streets and in the different parades and,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/troy-andrews/i-started-off-playing-by-ear-and-being-around-a-bunch-of-musicians/) [Troy Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/troy-andrews/) > [Musicians talk of nothing but money and jobs. Give me businessmen every time. They really are interested in music and art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-sibelius/musicians-talk-of-nothing-but-money-and-jobs-give-me-businessmen/) [Jean Sibelius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-sibelius/) > [The old men of the village of Mahotière say that the Mistress of the Water is a mulatto woman. At midnight she comes out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-roumain/the-old-men-of-the-village-of-mahoti-re-say-that-the-mistress-of-the/) [Jacques Roumain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-roumain/) ## More by David Grubbs > [My experience that undergirds that observation comes from punk, where people might have scraped together the money to be in the studio for an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-grubbs/my-experience-that-undergirds-that-observation-comes-from-punk-where/) [David Grubbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-grubbs/) > [I recall improvisational drummer and composer Michael Evans telling me a story of someone who had the opportunity to meet Cage and give him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-grubbs/i-recall-improvisational-drummer-and-composer-michael-evans-telling/) [David Grubbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-grubbs/) > [For me, it's good to have those dissimilar modes of songwriting sit side-by-side on a record, because they yield such different results.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-grubbs/for-me-it-s-good-to-have-those-dissimilar-modes-of-songwriting-sit/) [David Grubbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-grubbs/) > [The danger of these collaborations across disciplines is in having too strict of a division of labor - in my case, of getting stuck…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-grubbs/the-danger-of-these-collaborations-across-disciplines-is-in-having/) [David Grubbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-grubbs/) > [If the records that I make have one thing in common, it's that there is little recapitulation, and the idea is that it should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-grubbs/if-the-records-that-i-make-have-one-thing-in-common-it-s-that-there/) [David Grubbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-grubbs/) > [In eighteenth-century England, there was a practice of hiring a picturesque hermit who would inhabit the beautiful ruin on your estate. To me it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-grubbs/in-eighteenth-century-england-there-was-a-practice-of-hiring-a/) [David Grubbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-grubbs/) > [The word 'archive' seems so reassuring, but I have a lot ofconcern over the longevity of documentary materials.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-grubbs/the-word-archive-seems-so-reassuring-but-i-have-a-lot-ofconcern-over/) [David Grubbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-grubbs/) > [I don't write poetry for the page because my inclination in that area is satisfied by songwriting. "Ornamental Hermit" was a comparatively effortless song…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-grubbs/i-don-t-write-poetry-for-the-page-because-my-inclination-in-that-area/) [David Grubbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-grubbs/) > [The instrumental pieces are compositions, certainly, although that's not the language that I instinctively use. They're not scored, and arrangements are often arrived at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-grubbs/the-instrumental-pieces-are-compositions-certainly-although-that-s/) [David Grubbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-grubbs/) > [When I read John Cage's book Silence, I was growing up in Louisville, Kentucky. For me, records were a mode of time travel and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-grubbs/when-i-read-john-cage-s-book-silence-i-was-growing-up-in-louisville/) [David Grubbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-grubbs/) > [The word "archive" seems so reassuring, but I'm not sure about these things that are now being called archives. Is anything lost by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-grubbs/the-word-archive-seems-so-reassuring-but-i-m-not-sure-about-these/) [David Grubbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-grubbs/) > [As there are more online archives of improvised music, it becomes more like the daily practice of playing it. It lessens the idea of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-grubbs/as-there-are-more-online-archives-of-improvised-music-it-becomes-more/) [David Grubbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-grubbs/) > [Chance in music doesn't have to involve the I Ching or rolling dice or throwing yarrow stalks. It can involve an out-of-tune guitar, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-grubbs/chance-in-music-doesn-t-have-to-involve-the-i-ching-or-rolling-dice/) [David Grubbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-grubbs/) > [Otherwise the history just gets completely flattened out, and people imagine that everything was always available and accessible. One of the things that struck…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-grubbs/otherwise-the-history-just-gets-completely-flattened-out-and-people/) [David Grubbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-grubbs/) > [Records have always been the most extraordinary form of time travel for me, and that's why it matters to know when something was circulated,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-grubbs/records-have-always-been-the-most-extraordinary-form-of-time-travel/) [David Grubbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-grubbs/) [Explore all 21 David Grubbs quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-grubbs/) ## More Free quotes > [The United States cannot and should not discriminate on the basis of religion. 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We want paperless transactions. We will set up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/narendra-modi/we-want-to-free-our-citizens-from-the-burden-of-excessive-paper/) [Narendra Modi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/narendra-modi/) > [All theory is against free will; all experience is for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/all-theory-is-against-free-will-all-experience-is-for-it/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [“She felt wild and unruly, determined and free.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-stabile/she-felt-wild-and-unruly-determined-and-free/) [Scott Stabile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-stabile/) > [Love doesnt stake claims. 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