help me solve the songwriters' dilemma

I am an advocate of open-sourcing and the freedom of information -- generally. However, while I appreciate the arguments of, for example, Grateful Dead lyricist (and otherwise occupied) John Perry Barlow, to the effect that the freedom of the "information" inherent in his lyrics is remunerative to the songwriter by means of live performance of the associated band, I remain uneducated as to the benefit of the mere songwriter who is not associated with a particular [successful] band. I broached this topic briefly with Barlow at a conference, but, like most others, got lost in the shuffle. Years ago, part of the reason I chose to become a lawyer was that I'd determined my particular contribution to music (the vocation I'd theretofore pursued) was to be a songwriter. I'm not tied to a juggernaut like the Grateful Dead. How am I to make any money off of any good song I write, unless I get tied to a juggernaut like the Grateful Dead? Mr. Barlow's answer (as I heard it -- and, apologies if I misheard it) boiled down to "tough for you -- get with the new paradigm." I sincerely apologize and am open to correction if my take on this was wrong -- yet I've yet to hear a defense, under the "information should be free" argument which accommodates the [mere] songwriter (I, for example, do not expect to perform a heck of a whole lot). It doesn't seem to me that I should have to undertake a tour in order to make a dime off of a well-crafted song that others perform. I am not seeking to be adversarial. I'll positively entertain any reconciliation of this dilemma. Just to restate in brief: "What if my particular contribution is purely as a songwriter, and I'm certainly not already tied to a successful juggernaut musical group, and, thus, performance, and sales of CD's of performances or studio recordings of that group is not yet available to me?" I can think of arguments, but I'd appreciate anyone else's, which I hope will be better. Thanks. RC

Roger Cloud
<rcloud[_at_]surfnetusa.com> Received on Wed Feb 02 2000 - 05:48:30 GMT