Are you in the business of sugar rushes or goose bumps?

Does music have a monetary value and if so, what is it? People disagree wildly on the subject. That in itself is a sign that there is value in music I guess.

On the one hand you have the Freetards, spineless thieves who are on some kind of conspiratorial and neurotic mission to protect themselves from having to pay for their favourite consumer product besides beer and Red Bull.

On the other extreme side of things you will find a bunch of disconnected music industry execs some of whom do not read email, but have it printed out and delivered to them. These guys still think it is their god given right to extort musicians with contracts the artist has no chance of understanding and no choice but to sign.

Both sides are of course insanely far off the mark. Freetards are no better than the guys who come to a party and immediately start bumming beers and cigz off everyone and as for the old school record men, well If you haven’t read Frederic Dannen`s “Hit Men” yet, please do.

So what is the real value of music recorded or otherwise? The answer of course is that there is no single correct answer to that question. Some music can have the power to stop a person from killing himself, but may not be of any use to anyone else. Other music could sell millions of bottles of fancy water that is no better than what comes out of my tap at home, and yet another tune might be someone’s only memory of a summer or maybe just a single evening that made a huge impression lasting a lifetime.

The point is that the whole discussion of whether or not its fair to charge 0.99 cents for a song is ridiculous. Several bands I know charge over twice that and actually sell more doing it. It is not about the price, it is about the fan and what he/she feels when confronted with the artist and his/her music.

So if Britney gives people goose bumps for the right reasons she will sell a bunch of tickets music and merch. If she just makes everyone feel numb everyone who wants the sugar rush of one of her poptunes will just steal the damn thing listen, to it for a day or two and then dump it when the rush is gone.

In other words you do NOT want to be in the business of sugar rush music any more. Be in the goose bumps business. Large or small, if you can make an impression, create an emotional response, then you are creating something of value and the money will follow right behind it. Cos lets face it, most of us are still in it for the glory, and there is not much glory in being broke.
Until next time….