Damon Krukowski's solution to streaming by giving music away is interesting if not flawed.

There's a very interesting article written by Galaxie 500/Damon & Naomi drummer and singer Damon Krukowski called "How to Be a Responsible Music Fan in the Age of Streaming."

It's a lengthy read with many cogent points on what is wrong with the music industry, and how listeners can potentially solve a crisis perpetuated by streaming services who are not only short changing the artist when it comes to royalties, but actively competing against them by creating and promoting their own music, created in house, which does not have to be licensed.

The situation is as bleak as it's been for the past fifteen years or so. In some ways it's worse. Terrestrial radio, long supported by ads, has been mocked by the more discerning music listener as being lowest common denominator crap served up to an audience that will literally listen to whatever is on the radio. The only exception of course is the left-on-the-dial listener-supported college radio stations where we the listener are the patrons, giving up a yearly donation (often in exchange for premiums like tote bags) to keep the music alive, so to speak.

Streaming services are as centralized as FM radio, playing the same shit again and again. I also include satellite radio as being guilty of this practice, too.

As a personal anecdote, I recently bought a new car that came with a free one-year subscription to Sirius XM radio. At first I was excited Hair Nation? First Wave? Yacht Rock? Liquid Metal? Yes, please.

But in addition to always having faulty reception (maybe it's different outside of L.A.) these stations play the same fifty songs over and over again. There seem to be no diversity involved regardless.

There are two flaws in his argument, at least to me.

The first: Krukowski points to the free model as being better for Galaxie 500 Damon & Namoi.

"But consider this: On Bandcamp, I run a page for Galaxie 500, and a page for the records with my current project, Damon & Naomi. On the Galaxie 500 page, we charge a price for all downloads. On the Damon & Naomi page, all downloads are free, or pay-as-you-wish. And even though the Damon & Naomi albums are generally less popular than the Galaxie 500 ones—and have never sold as well in physical formats—guess which Bandcamp page earns more? The free one."

This might be sound advice for a band with a thirty-year history who blossomed before email became mainstream (let alone streaming services and pirate sites) but I'm not sure an unknown band who formed two years ago, who are still building their audience, will find the same success, Simply because the marketplace is now overcrowded, competition is even higher, and bands have to work harder to build an audience.

Here's an analogy: Say I started a frozen pizza company called Mr E's Pizza. Not only does my brand need to be unique, but it also has to compete not just against the DiGiorno's and Red Barons and California Pizza Kitchens (small and medium price points) but also the Newman's Own (a brand with A-List name recognition thanks to Hollywood) and niche pizzas (Caulipower, American Flatbread Pizza Company, even imported pizzas who are becoming bigger on the scene in America and all of a sudden you realize this is an incredibly crowded landscape for the pizza market. Hell, even Stouffer's French Bread pizza is a threat because for certain demographics it conjures up the nostalgia factor. With this in mind, what chance does Mr. E's have over say, DiGiorno's? Sure, Mr. E's can give out samples at Whole Foods, but where does that leave its business if it gives away the entire batch?

I don't think this is a flawed analogy. Consumers are consumers whether they are consuming media or pizza. The idea that an unknown can thrive by giving away the store is romantic at best, and it's one that I often find legacy artists (whether they are college rock or otherwise) espouse. All well and good if you have a built-in audience.

But giving away the store is still an unproven way to build your business. And make no mistake, bands are small business owners. Even if you wanted to point to someone like OKay Go, I would still point out when they aren't collecting YouTube checks, they have corporate sponsorship.

At the end of the article, Krukowsi offers a bold solution that continues on the give-it-away idea.

"So share your money deliberately when you spend it on music, and it will be a real gesture with a real effect. Share the context of your information online, and its content won’t be stripped from you. And share your music—for free. It’s a powerful action, powerful enough that the biggest corporations in the world feel threatened by it. Let them."

I do not believe for a second that giving music for free would ever be considered a threat from the biggest corporations in the world. Not when they are doing everything in their power to lower the royalty rates. Not when they are deliberately skirting the law to avoid paying royalties already due to musicians.

And like the first point I took issue with, even if you grow an audience, you will only grow an audience who doesn't want to pay for music. This is what a lot of creators like myself have been fighting against for years now.

I appreciate that musicians like David Krukowski, David Lowery and Martin Atkins are all brainstorming ways to solve this issue in their own ways. And I take it personally, not because I am a musician, but because I am an avid music listener who has always paid his way, so to speak and continues to do so, because I know how hard it is to make a living as a creator.

I'm also a creator, too.

As someone who has only just a few months ago published a book, it is even more disconcerting when an artist suggests the answer to my problems is to give away something it took me the better part of two and a half years to complete. Sure, I'll send copies to friends or reviewers. That's different. But there needs to be a sustainable solution especially for those of us independent authors who aren't represented or have a publishing deal. Remember: unlike Damon Krukowski, a lot of artists who work in different mediums can't supplement their income lost by giving their art away for free by touring.

If we can't convince people that art has value and that it isn't unreasonable for artists to want to at least make ends meet on their work, then how long will it be before artists stop creating?

Then again, what do I know? I'm just Mr. E. Want to try a sample of my pizza? I think it's pretty good. A-Sides and B-Sides is available on iBook as well as Amazon and also Kobo and Nook. You can preview the first chapter (you know, for free). Hope you'll consider buying if you like what you see. Here's what the cover looks like.