Streaming, Patronage, and the Era of Free Art — The Brown Mountain Lightning Bugs

The internet changed our world and it changed us, changed what it means to be a human being in some dramatic ways, not the least of which is how we access music and art in general. In the 1990’s this meant that peer-to-peer file-sharing programs like Napster and Kazaa created a paradigm shift in the way people heard music by making the “pirating” of music easier than it ever had been. Companies like Apple responded to this with programs like iTunes, allowing users to download single tracks at a time in a legal fashion.

Later, internet-based companies like Netflix, YouTube and Spotify revolutionized the world again by helping to usher in the mass popularity of streaming. It was now cheaper than ever, and in many cases free, to access a wider variety of art—be that music, film, books, podcasts, etc.—that it ever had been. Accessing art and creative work as a user no longer has a paywall in the way it once did.

Many artists, and especially musicians, decry this rise of free access to art as an undermining of the “industry” and the death knell to their livelihood. I don’t fall into that camp. I firmly believe that taking the access of art out of the hands of only those who have the luxury of paying for it, and instead giving an infinite amount of it to anyone who has an internet connection is just the kind of revolution this world needs.

In the last couple of weeks, I’ve discovered three new bands through random clicks on streaming services: Khruangbin, Los Bitchos, and Mdou Moctar. I’ve listened to a TON of the first two especially. If you like evocative, surf-y guitar music, then give them a chance. They’re fantastic! Here’s the thing, though: If I had needed to pay for their album to be able to hear them, or if I’d had to buy a ticket to a show before knowing anything about them, I’d have never given them the time of day. Like many folks right now, money is hard to come by. Even a paywall of $1.00 would have been too high.

But…because I clicked on them, listened to them, fell in love with their music and became a fan, I’m now more likely to follow them online, buy tickets to their shows if they come through in the future, and buy their music when I’ve got the chance.

There’s no surprise to any of this. This is exactly why the rise of free art is a good thing. Each living person has access to more creativity with the click of a finger than someone living forty years ago would have ever had the chance to experience.

This revolution has two sides, though, and this other side is the real kicker. The mechanisms of archival and delivery have already revolutionized and will only continue to evolve. That’s settled. The other side of the coin is being a patron of the arts. Now, for better or worse, we’re ALL patrons. For artists to thrive and survive, we have to be be supportive in a direct, individual way when it’s possible.

We’re no longer feeding our money through an “industry” that trickles so much of every dollar off here, and so much more of every dollar off there, before some small fraction arrives to the artist. Artists now survive on our direct contributions, and we have to change our outlook and understanding of our place in this process.

Does this mean buying albums? Going to shows? Buying merch? Leaving tips? Sharing links? It can mean all of these things or none of them and something else instead. If you love an artist, if you love a band, please consider supporting them every chance you get. If you can support them financially, please do, but if money’s tight, show them to a friend, take people to a live show or tune in to a live stream.

The art is all free now, and that’s a beautiful thing, but patronage is going to be the difference in whether your favorite artists survive. When you give your money and time to an artist, you’re no longer “buying” art in the way we all used to, because there’s no need for that now. Instead, you’re funding the future of it, ensuring that this era of free creativity continues. We no longer pay for art. We pay for the artist.

The Brown Mountain Lightning Bugs have been helped along by so many great people who know the truth of every word I’ve said above, and that means the world to us.