Billy Corgan on today's music industry

[kurdy]

I'm not a big Smashing Pumpkins fan, but someone posted a link to this on my facebook, and I found it to be a fascinating, thought-provoking interview. It touches upon a lot of things we talk about in this forum, but it's interesting to see a famous musician not just going on about how record companies are evil and music should be free, or that music consumers are a bunch of thieves, but actually giving nuanced, intellegent responses about how musicians will need to navigate the changing industry. Lots to chew on here:

 

http://mashable.com/2012/05/01/billy-corgan-revolution/

[BenDuncan]

wow, i thought that was great. the guy interviewing him was a douche bag though

[Kreatorkind]

Yeah, that was a good interview. I'm still trying to think of ways to make it work though.

[beatpoet]

Billy can talk from experience as well, as the Teargarden project has fallen on its arse. Single songs, given away for free, and still nobody outside the Pumpkins community really seemed to be interested.

[daddymack]

he also openly admits that had the Pumpkins come along today, they would likely not have been successful. And yes, the Teagarden was not the rousing success they expected, so even the people with connections are having trouble moving into a new direction in the current 'non-system'.

[beatpoet]

Looking forward to Oceania, though I couldn't make much of the songs which were played off it on the last tour. There was one which stood out on the first listen, could have been My Love Is Winter.

[MargeHowel]

I think I'm on a different page, to me, the TearGarden is the LPD / Skinny Puppy collaboration

[AJ6stringsting]

I think the world out grew Mr, Corgan and the Pumpkins, The "Lalapaloser Nation " had it's day, don't get me wrong but with the advent of Alternative, there were no virtuosos, good songwriting and musicianship was lowered, the bar to the point that any guy that knew three chords was signed. Yes, there was some good music but ... not much.

Something will come along to shake the industry like Mtv did in the early 1980's. As for the suffering of the record industry, I have no sympathy for them .... look at how they ripped off generations of songwriters and performers.

Another key factor that lead to the beginning of the death of the industry in 1993, they killed the diversity of music and signed up disposable mediocre artist including M.r Corgan, Punk ( pre packaged Rebellion) and Rap ..... no wonder Counrty music was so big beginning in the mid 1990's.

[Markdude]

I think the world out grew Mr, Corgan and the Pumpkins, The "Lalapaloser Nation " had it's day, don't get me wrong but with the advent of Alternative, there were no virtuosos, good songwriting and musicianship was lowered, the bar to the point that any guy that knew three chords was signed. Yes, there was some good music but ... not much. Something will come along to shake the industry like Mtv did in the early 1980's. As for the suffering of the record industry, I have no sympathy for them .... look at how they ripped off generations of songwriters and performers. Another key factor that lead to the beginning of the death of the industry in 1993, they killed the diversity of music and signed up disposable mediocre artist including M.r Corgan, Punk ( pre packaged Rebellion) and Rap ..... no wonder Counrty music was so big beginning in the mid 1990's.

 

Uh, give Siamese Dream a spin and tell me that Corgan is a disposable, mediocre artist. If that still doesn't work, give all of Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness a spin.

 

If you don't like the music, that's fine, but calling him a disposable artist is one of the most ridiculous claims I've ever heard. Corgan is a lot of things, many of them negative, but disposable is not one of them. Mentioning him in the same musical context as punk and rap is asinine. His music may not be your cup of tea, but he can write the hell out of a song.

[soundgardener75]

I think the world out grew Mr, Corgan and the Pumpkins, The "Lalapaloser Nation " had it's day, don't get me wrong but with the advent of Alternative, there were no virtuosos, good songwriting and musicianship was lowered, the bar to the point that any guy that knew three chords was signed. Yes, there was some good music but ... not much. Something will come along to shake the industry like Mtv did in the early 1980's. As for the suffering of the record industry, I have no sympathy for them .... look at how they ripped off generations of songwriters and performers. Another key factor that lead to the beginning of the death of the industry in 1993, they killed the diversity of music and signed up disposable mediocre artist including M.r Corgan, Punk ( pre packaged Rebellion) and Rap ..... no wonder Counrty music was so big beginning in the mid 1990's.

 

[Kreatorkind]

I think the world out grew Mr, Corgan and the Pumpkins, The "Lalapaloser Nation " had it's day, don't get me wrong but with the advent of Alternative, there were no virtuosos, good songwriting and musicianship was lowered, the bar to the point that any guy that knew three chords was signed. Yes, there was some good music but ... not much. Something will come along to shake the industry like Mtv did in the early 1980's. As for the suffering of the record industry, I have no sympathy for them .... look at how they ripped off generations of songwriters and performers. Another key factor that lead to the beginning of the death of the industry in 1993, they killed the diversity of music and signed up disposable mediocre artist including M.r Corgan, Punk ( pre packaged Rebellion) and Rap ..... no wonder Counrty music was so big beginning in the mid 1990's.

 

Corgan is anything but disposable and mediocre. He's the only artist from the 90's still doing anything other than leaning on their old hits. Anyone with at least a modicum of understanding of music can tell that he is and has always been the real deal. The new Smashing Pumpkins album Oceania is incredible... as has been most of his creative output. He is a virtuoso in musicianship as well as songwriting.

[The Professiona]

I think the world out grew Mr, Corgan and the Pumpkins, The "Lalapaloser Nation " had it's day, don't get me wrong but with the advent of Alternative, there were no virtuosos, good songwriting and musicianship was lowered, the bar to the point that any guy that knew three chords was signed. Yes, there was some good music but ... not much. Something will come along to shake the industry like Mtv did in the early 1980's. As for the suffering of the record industry, I have no sympathy for them .... look at how they ripped off generations of songwriters and performers. Another key factor that lead to the beginning of the death of the industry in 1993, they killed the diversity of music and signed up disposable mediocre artist including M.r Corgan, Punk ( pre packaged Rebellion) and Rap ..... no wonder Counrty music was so big beginning in the mid 1990's.

 

Huh, I don't think I would call Corgan even remotely "disposable" and "mediocre," but I do think that could be said about 99% of the rest of the music from his same era of fame.

[BlackBelt]

I think Billys view is one correct vision of the future of our industry, but there are probably other equally correct visions out there also.

I guess we'll know when we get there which one was the right one.

One thing he said I know to be true among my professional friends...they are on the road and not making money. They are breaking even and not really expanding their fan base. And they are banging their heads against the wall to try to figure out how to get out of that cycle.

[Matximus]

BG - bright guy. Driven guy. A true Alt-Rock-and-Roll legend. One of the few people on the planet that's ever been able to make a great album track to track.

 

He sees things clearly - it's clear why he was so successful. And he'd probably be quite successful had he come out today - he's a hard-minded fellow and has really special technical & musical gifts & a killer knack for making his ideas reality. Driven as hell.