True Artist - Devin Townsend

[Genius Gone Insane]

EverythingRock: What are your thoughts on illegal downloading? Do you see the possible benefits in it?

Devin Townsend: Fill your boots. Take it all. Money fucking sucks! I make music for people to hear it so get it however you want! If you want to buy a shirt somewhere, that's cool, if you don't, that's cool. If you're making music strictly to make money, you might as well find another job. I make it because I want people to hear it and I tour my ass off and we make a living, but ours is not the position to complain. If you do a good enough job, then eventually it'll work out for you.

 

[JeffTD]

While this is a commendable and 'noble' position, it's not one that non-established bands can afford to take. People forget that Devin cut his teeth with Steve Vai - not everyone has that luxury.

 

[egan.]

How many people really get into music for the money?

 

[LeSedna]

Exactly my thought, he certainly lives decently with what he sells with Strapping Young Lad and his different solo projects. He certainly makes more money out of touring, but it's easy to say in his position. He should say that for his own case, not talk generally.

 

[Brandon E.]

Agreed with Devin...I would rather the whole world pirate my stuff than nobody buys it, and get $1.50 split between a whole band for each record sold.

And I would assume most artists would feel the same way unless you're in Metallica or something. If your royalty check would be big enough to make any big difference in your life you're probably already doing fine. Tour your ass off, try to sell stuff on the road, and have a ton of fun doing it. If you're worried about your bank account, don't be a musician, that simple...

 

[::XeS::]

Mmmm in my opinion it's not an easy talk...
Devin said that he doesn't earn money recording bands, selling albums, doing tours....so, where does he earn money to live and to mantain his family?
In my opinion if you can record a full orchestra, record in that studio in vancouver and organise those fuckin amazing london shows....you already have money.
If you don't have money you do nothing. Period.
Said that, it's all about the quality. Devin create high quality music since the 90's...and everytime is a fuckin' masterpiece (or very close) and this is the reason why he's so respected and followed.
So you have to create hi quality music if you wanna receive something back....if you write/copy riffs already listened thousands of time you're totally wrong and you can't pretend to be paid as we came back in the disco music era.

 

[CubanDude]

haha.. i remembered the kid who had the same position.. and he got bashed here like crazy...

 

[DanLights]

so many people seem to act as if money is simply something extra that we don´t really need, mostly young people who apparently don´t understand we need money to live. No money in music means you need a day job, which means not enough time to dedicate to music (and don´t even mention touring, how are you supposed to tour if you´ve got a monday to friday full time day job?) which means your musical activities are insignificant, never giving you a good enough to breakthrough. It´s not as simple as "I don´t do it for the money so whatever"

I don´t make music because I thought it was a great business idea, I do it because I love it, but I certainly wish I was able to have more time to dedicate to it, but I can´t because... surprise, I NEED MONEY TO LIVE. So I have a day job that pays for my rent, food, car, etc. If I made actual money from music (not saying I deserve to, I´m not in a big touring band or anything close to that, but generally speaking) I could spend more time practicing, writing, recording, touring, etc etc etc

 

[Ermz]

I don't understand his viewpoint. It doesn't make sense to me, nor does it seem sustainable in the economy-driven society we're a part of. Just about any service or product has an assigned intrinsic monetary value. If some douchebag sporting a pair of "Beats™" is paid $500 a night to remix songs on the fly, and set up playlists, why is a person who spends years writing, arranging, producing, recording, pressing, promoting & touring their product supposed to just be in it 'for the joy'? Saying 'money sucks' is all good and well, but I hardly think that letting kids rip you off on your hard work is the most apt way to protest the status quo, especially if you're a young band and have barely any income to subsidize the expenditures. We're not even talking about profit - most young bands barely ever break even.

Then again, I never got Devin's music, so maybe it figures I don't get his mindset either.

 

[egan.]

so many people seem to act as if money is simply something extra that we don´t really need, mostly young people who apparently don´t understand we need money to live. No money in music means you need a day job, which means not enough time to dedicate to music (and don´t even mention touring, how are you supposed to tour if you´ve got a monday to friday full time day job?) which means your musical activities are insignificant, never giving you a good enough to breakthrough.

I'll just say that --being in a much smaller band than Devin where everyone has regular jobs -- album sales are what allows us to make future records while merchandise is what enables us to tour and not lose our homes. No one is making a living but album sales make the band as an entity beyond the individuals sustainable.
Devin's position is fine for a guy who has been major underground famous since 18 but it's pretty unhelpful for those of us in between his status and the bedroom warriors. Actually, it's hard to imagine that DT isn't getting a big advance that his album sales pay back even if he isn't getting giant royalty checks.

Also, I generally don't like the implication that expecting that if someone wants your music they pay the asking price it is any less "true art." I actually find that assertion absurd. You could far more easily argue that charging your openers a buy-on, endorsing products for money and selling t-shirts make someone less of an artist b/c those things are all 100% about money and zero to do with music. Is that the stance?

Everyone I know in this business is about music for the sake of it. No one I know is actively trying to make comercial music, but rather creating the best stuff they can that they love. The truth is the vast majority of artists I know just want you to buy the record if you really like it even if you d/l it initially. That's all. A tip of the hat to allow is to continue making music. A donation box in the museum lobby.

 

[Wohma]

I don't understand his viewpoint. It doesn't make sense to me, nor does it seem sustainable in the economy-driven society we're a part of. Just about any service or product has an assigned intrinsic monetary value. If some douchebag sporting a pair of "Beats™" is paid $500 a night to remix songs on the fly, and set up playlists, why is a person who spends years writing, arranging, producing, recording, pressing, promoting & touring their product supposed to just be in it 'for the joy'? Saying 'money sucks' is all good and well, but I hardly think that letting kids rip you off on your hard work is the most apt way to protest the status quo, especially if you're a young band and have barely any income to subsidize the expenditures. We're not even talking about profit - most young bands barely ever break even.

Then again, I never got Devin's music, so maybe it figures I don't get his mindset either.

I think it's related to his attitude to music, not his economic or political "beliefs". Maybe I'm too much reading between the lines, but it sounds to me like a big "fuck you" to Metallica and similar famous bands trying so hard to kick some money out of filesharing kids. He's in a position where he doesn't have to care that much about his stuff being on torrents or rapidshare, so he doesn't. Why does Metallica? (I'm using Meatallica just as an example, I'm not really following the filesharing suits, but I know there are artists saying stuff like filesharing is another deadly sin etc. etc.) It's not like they'll have to split up and get a day job if someone downloads their album from bittorrent.

 

[Harry Hughes]

Count me in as someone that doesn't quite get his stance on the issue

 

[LeSedna]

The thing with him is that he got to a point where his 'business plan' permits him to say such things. He does a lot of stuff himself, I'm even sure he sells things directly from his home sometimes (eBay etc) which of course is more profitable. He works more than the average can even sustain in the long term. And he tours now every year or so, which probably is where his money comes from, or from the occasional endorsing (and his peavey contracts, etc etc). His natural talent probably is why in any case it would have worked for him even with such a mindset, which is not the case of 95% of artists. He didn't even think of the real meaning of what he was saying, or it is probably calculated, even lightly.

That said, I don't think he would even disagree with everything said here and is probably well aware of how the musical industry works. Maybe he said that lightly, or maybe it's one of his ways to have free publicity and have people say "have you heard ? this guy is crazy, he even said download my music, what a cool and modern point of view" which probably works.

OT, I don't get how people wouldn't like at least one of his albums (or SYL's), considering they are all totally different. In fact they are so much, that I love half of them and loathe the other half (almost litteraly like Physicist), and that's why I always awaits his albums cause there's 50% of chance I might find gems in it, and most of the time a year later when I have another point of view on them. In the middle of all that, he has written some songs that are just ridiculously magic, and that don't get old after years of listening to them. Unless someone doesn't like his voice (cause it's the only constant, obviously), there is no chance one wouldn't get in love with at least some of his work.

 

[MKS]

Perhaps he's smart enough to realize that no matter what he believes or we believe; nothing is going to change. Piracy will not stop. Make the best music you can and hope they fill the seats when you come to town.

 

[Loren Littlejohn]

I don't get it either.

 

[ze kink]

Wise words from a wise man. The message is in between the lines, quite clearly too IMO.

 

[::XeS::]

The point is that he already has some money and that he earn money from something. Because you can stay at home practicing everyday, mixing your own stuff or doing very big shows in London if you don't have resources.
In other interviews he said he doesn't see money from recording, selling, touring.....so? How can he lives? Ho can his family live? How can he pays big studios or big show logistic?
It's not so easy to say "fuck money!"....ok you say that because it's evident that you can play, record, practicing and go on tour with no problems and live with that. If I have no incomings...yes I could stay at home everyday to do my stuff, but I'll have no money to eat or to organize big shows or record big record with the best sessionist in the world (you know...Dirk doesn't play/record for free....Jens Bogren doesn't mix for free....) and if you sell albums by yourself, there is no label paying all these things for you....
So yes, fuck the money...but without money you do nothing