Iggy Pop and Money in Music

Yeah. I thought songwriting was about the glory, I didn’t know you’d get paid for it.”

by Walter Price

I’m late to catching on to Iggy Pop’s brilliant and meandering thoughts on the money in the music business. I say meandering for the simple reason that this his first lecture and having to fit 40 years of experience in about a 40 minute talk must have been difficult. But what rings true with Pop and with most of us music lovers is that someone is going to make money from music and it probably isn’t the artists.

“The record companies are almost always out to get you for everything you’ve got. Even the ones you think are great will eventually sell you out to someone who doesn’t care about you. And the ones who once offered you a great deal will snap you up for cheap when you’re at a low ebb.”

At points Pop advises to diversify. Which is his way of saying make the money where you can. Be honest and do what you got to do to have your music heard and a earnings streams flowing. There is no total embarrassment in earning money in potentially ‘uncool’ ways, if don’t do it someone else will do it in your name.

“I only ever wanted the money because it was symbolic of love and the best thing I ever did was to make a lifetime commitment to continue playing music no matter what, which is what I resolved to do at the age of 18.”

NEW ALBUM POST POP DEPRESSION OUT 18 MARCH 2016
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2YU1k8Nmms