Originally Posted By: musiclover
Originally Posted By: Pat Marr

I think it has always been true that the only people who really make any money in the arts are those who "sell the dream" to the artists. In a world where "starving artist" is a cultural cliche, the vendors who sell them their tools are likely to fare better than the actual artists. And now the paradigm has shifted from brick and mortar shops to online tutorials and software.


Surely our beloved band in a box doesn't fall into the above category?

smile


Of course it does. But that's not a bad thing. The people who sell tools to the people who use those tools make money for a specific reason: They get paid immediately for offering a tangible product, and people are accustomed to paying for things they want.

But the commonality between the gold prospectors who buy picks and shovels, and artists who buy art supplies and gear is that they buy before they have a product to sell... HOPING the tools will help them achieve what they're looking for.

The vendors' customers include not only capable prospectors , artists and musicians, but also all of the dreamers who WANT to be in those groups. The world is a bottomless pit of dreams. Conversely, there is a worldwide glut of creative content, so its an uphill battle for artists to differentiate themselves from the herd in order to get anybody's attention.

To continue the prospector analogy: most of us are digging in a mine that was depleted years ago. But the local hardware store will still be happy to sell you a pick and shovel.

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/ey71h8ep047758h/AAC12jNM0Hz9Q8zsh5iDeqNHa?dl=0