Probably not, because there hasn't been one in ages. I love small labels. I love the people who still believe in music. I love the people who listen to music. I love musicians who hone their skills and dedicate their lives to their craft. I love music.
Put on "Axis: Bold as Love" and then look for today's closest offering... maybe Lady Gaga? Sure, Hendrix was a showman. But the dude just played his fingers off first and foremost. What about Marvin Gaye? Listen to "What's Going On" all the way through - not the song, the album. Then find me something from a major label nowadays that can even come close.
You know what I think is cool? Practice. Devotion. Commitment. You know what else I think is cool? Being able to reward practice, devotion and commitment. That's where the next "Axis: Bold as Love" will happen - when an artist can be free to push their boundaries and express something that might not be commercially viable. What will happen when patrons can easily gather around compelling artists not because they wrote a song that got played on the radio, but because they are really moved by what that artist is doing?
Let's look at "What's Going On" I'm going to gloss over a lot here... but in a nutshell Berry Gordy, Jr over at Motown cranked out a lot of hits, and resisted Marvin Gaye almost all the way on the release of this album. He didn't hear any hits, and certainly no radio-friendly short songs. But they finally released the album and the rest is history. Here's a snippet lifted from Wikipedia: "The critical and commercial success of the album was immediate and significant. What's Going On remained on the Billboard Pop Album Charts for over a year and sold over two million copies until the end of 1972, making it Marvin Gaye's best-selling album to that date until he released Let's Get It On in 1973."
Why did that happen? Not because of marketing. Because it's good. It's compelling. It's masterfully performed and well produced. It's expressive. Now... what might happen if another Marvin Gaye came along? Since CD sales have dropped by half, record labels are spending even less money on fewer artists; albums like this have an almost zero chance of being created, let alone released. But with Patron support the next Marvin Gaye can earn a living, and share his music directly to the world without marketers and label executives telling them what to record or how to play it. What might happen if 100 new Marvin Gayes were out there just waiting to make great music?
Because... they are. We just need to find them, and fund them. Together.
Loving your blogging, John & especially proud to see the Patronism project chugging along. Big hugs from Canada & looking forward to more of your writing, announcements & releases!
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