Canard
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- Sep 30, 2020
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Musicians Reduced to Begging - Just say "No" to digital in general (but "Maybe" to CDs).
Musicians reduced to begging, great musicians at that - Norma Waterson, Martin Carthy and Eliza Carthy.
Norma Waterson was a major UK cultural figure, a giantess in the world of traditional Folk Music. She received an MBE from Queen Elizabeth in honour of her cultural service to the UK. Norma just recently passed away.
en.wikipedia.org
en.wikipedia.org
Her husband was Folk Revival pioneer, Martin Carthy, another giant. He was also awarded an MBE.
en.wikipedia.org
Without Carthy we might have somewhat different versions of Bob Dylan and Paul Simon - both were inspired by Carthy when they visited England in the early 60s.
Simon badgered Carthy to teach him a traditional Yorkshire/North Umbria [Edit: Northumbria - Thx PoD] area song he had heard Carthy playing and singing. Carthy showed Simon his arrangement and gave him the words. Simon took it all home, did a minor bit of rearranging, merged it with one of his own earlier pieces, and claimed authorship of it.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/photo-of-art-garfunkel-and-simon---garfunkel-and-paul-simon-and-simon-and-garfunkel-86117459-59e77e2b0d327a0010cff553.jpg)
www.liveabout.com
en.wikipedia.org
Carthy and Waterson's daughter is Eliza Carthy, another performer of huge stature in the Folk world. She has also been awarded an MBE.
en.wikipedia.org
Eleven years ago, she, along with her two children, moved in with her parents to help support them in their old age. Martin and Norma were in poor health and were unable to perform.
In the last two years, they have approached destitution.
Collectively, Norma Waterson, Martin Carthy, and Eliza Carthy have a massive back catalogue of recordings. This is even larger if we add in the back catalogue of The Watersons.
en.wikipedia.org
The back catalogue does not produce enough revenue for a conformable life.
Reduced to Begging - "Spare change for a coffee, Mister?"
Musicians used to earn decent money from vinyl and tape sales and radio play. Collectively they got screwed over a bit with CDs. The industry was given a royalties break by artists in order to help launch the new format which required expensive changes to studios and the development of new manufacturing facitlites. Nobody, perhaps not even the Industry iteslf, could foresee what would happen. Nobody imagined that CDs would displace vinyl and tape. Nobody imagined the massive piracy that would ensue - copying of CDs, fake illegal CDs, and the Internet distribution of pirated MP3 files. iTunes is an extension of the transition to CDs - my understanding is that an iTunes sale does not give an artist as much money as a CD sale. And Spotify revenues are an insult for anyone less popular than Taylor Swift or Ed Sheeran. At multiple live concerts in the years before the pandemic, I have heard musicians begging from the stage - "Will sell CDs at the merch table for food!"
We all like to laugh at the musician jokes - "What's the difference between a musician and large pizza? A large pizza can feed a family of four." - but really, they're not all that funny, are they?
If you like an artist, buy a CD. If you really like them, buy new vinyl. Just say "No"to Spotify. Don't pirate music - it is definitely not a victimless crime. When it is safe to do so, support live music with a vengence and do go to the merch table.
Musicians reduced to begging, great musicians at that - Norma Waterson, Martin Carthy and Eliza Carthy.
Norma Waterson was a major UK cultural figure, a giantess in the world of traditional Folk Music. She received an MBE from Queen Elizabeth in honour of her cultural service to the UK. Norma just recently passed away.
Norma Waterson - Wikipedia
Order of the British Empire - Wikipedia
Her husband was Folk Revival pioneer, Martin Carthy, another giant. He was also awarded an MBE.
Martin Carthy - Wikipedia
Without Carthy we might have somewhat different versions of Bob Dylan and Paul Simon - both were inspired by Carthy when they visited England in the early 60s.
Simon badgered Carthy to teach him a traditional Yorkshire/North Umbria [Edit: Northumbria - Thx PoD] area song he had heard Carthy playing and singing. Carthy showed Simon his arrangement and gave him the words. Simon took it all home, did a minor bit of rearranging, merged it with one of his own earlier pieces, and claimed authorship of it.
History of the Folk Song 'Scarborough Fair'
Simon & Garfunkel's 1960s version is famous, but this old folk song dates back to medieval times in England.
Scarborough Fair (ballad) - Wikipedia
Carthy and Waterson's daughter is Eliza Carthy, another performer of huge stature in the Folk world. She has also been awarded an MBE.
Eliza Carthy - Wikipedia
Eleven years ago, she, along with her two children, moved in with her parents to help support them in their old age. Martin and Norma were in poor health and were unable to perform.
In the last two years, they have approached destitution.
Collectively, Norma Waterson, Martin Carthy, and Eliza Carthy have a massive back catalogue of recordings. This is even larger if we add in the back catalogue of The Watersons.
The Watersons - Wikipedia
The back catalogue does not produce enough revenue for a conformable life.
Reduced to Begging - "Spare change for a coffee, Mister?"
Musicians used to earn decent money from vinyl and tape sales and radio play. Collectively they got screwed over a bit with CDs. The industry was given a royalties break by artists in order to help launch the new format which required expensive changes to studios and the development of new manufacturing facitlites. Nobody, perhaps not even the Industry iteslf, could foresee what would happen. Nobody imagined that CDs would displace vinyl and tape. Nobody imagined the massive piracy that would ensue - copying of CDs, fake illegal CDs, and the Internet distribution of pirated MP3 files. iTunes is an extension of the transition to CDs - my understanding is that an iTunes sale does not give an artist as much money as a CD sale. And Spotify revenues are an insult for anyone less popular than Taylor Swift or Ed Sheeran. At multiple live concerts in the years before the pandemic, I have heard musicians begging from the stage - "Will sell CDs at the merch table for food!"
We all like to laugh at the musician jokes - "What's the difference between a musician and large pizza? A large pizza can feed a family of four." - but really, they're not all that funny, are they?
If you like an artist, buy a CD. If you really like them, buy new vinyl. Just say "No"to Spotify. Don't pirate music - it is definitely not a victimless crime. When it is safe to do so, support live music with a vengence and do go to the merch table.
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An area of north east England, which includes Northumberland. The name is taken from an old kingdom which covered a large part of Northern England and extended deep into Scotland. It is where I was born and bred
