Iggy Pop was once a punk musician, but now he spends his time giving lectures. His recent lecture was directed at the music industry.
Iggy said that he thinks too many people are focused on how much money they will make from a song or album instead of the actual music itself. He suggested that musicians stop worrying so much about the financial aspects of their careers, and focus more on enjoying the music they make.
“If I had to depend on what I actually get from sales, I’d be tending bar between sets,” he said.
“Personally, I don’t worry too much about how much I get paid for any given thing, because I never expected much in the first place and the whole industry has become bloated in its expectations,” he told a live audience at a radio festival in Salford near Manchester.
Iggy was once the frontman for Iggy and the Stooges and performed for sold out crowds all over the world. He said that he always enjoyed being able to have a music career and wasn’t focused on how much money he made.
WATCH: @IggyPop on the music industry, Qigong + listening to the radio under the bedclothes http://t.co/I5K5b8UONk pic.twitter.com/tuaszjimQc
— BBC Newsnight (@BBCNewsnight) October 15, 2014
He also said that he feels like the music industry makes it hard for artists to stay creative and hard for new artists to break into the world of music and entertainment.
“Music was never a for-profit enterprise. The best forms were developed as a kind of job in the community. ‘Yeah, I’m a musician and I’m going to skip doing the dishes or taking the trash out’ — it was more like that. And it’s not surprising at all that the greatest singers and players come from parts of the world where everybody is broke and the old ways are getting paved over,” he said.
While Iggy may be right, it’s not likely that many musicians will be willing to give up their fortunes made from making music.
Do you think Iggy has a point?