If you thought the malaise was particular to the music industry ... well, not so.

The avant-garde isn't what it used to be.

It seems clear to a lot of us that there is a problem ...

What kind of art does the future deserve? How should we advance?

Much of the [current] work is repetitive and derivative in a way that starts to resemble planned cultural obsolescence.

A strange cycle has set in, whereby the most valuable attribute an artist can have is "promise." With a lot of big bets being placed, the artist has to be both young and verifiable. In other words, marketable. But almost none of our superstar artists have delivered on their promise.

This might be of interest to those who read these recent threads:

DRM, Statutory Licensing, Broadcast Flags, and Satellite Radio
Steve Jobs - Thoughts on Music

And, going way back (in MemeStreams years), perhaps even this one:

The Problem With Music

If you thought the malaise was particular to the music industry ... well, not so.

The avant-garde isn't what it used to be.

It seems clear to a lot of us that there is a problem ...

What kind of art does the future deserve? How should we advance?

Much of the [current] work is repetitive and derivative in a way that starts to resemble planned cultural obsolescence.

A strange cycle has set in, whereby the most valuable attribute an artist can have is "promise." With a lot of big bets being placed, the artist has to be both young and verifiable. In other words, marketable. But almost none of our superstar artists have delivered on their promise.

A practical avant-garde is post-careerist. It seeks out low rent and private time, and it concentrates on powerful objects.

It takes real bravery and commitment to one's project to, essentially, take it underground, and eskew the financial resources of the system and their associated strings. Perhaps the art we're looking for is out there, but its looking for a way to find us that doesn't cost money.