"Change Your Tune While raising several important points, Luc Rinaldi's "The Death of the Middle-Class Musician" (July/August) suffers by putting a misplaced emphasis on reforming a broken system rather than existing outside of it. As an independent musician myself, I understand railing against paltry Spotify payouts, SiriusXM gutting CBC royalties, and so on. But the only two prospective solutions Rinaldi explores-universal basic income and celebrities advocating for fair pay from streamers-are broadly insufficient and politically uninspired."
"I'm more drawn to the idea of success that Rollie Pemberton details in the final paragraphs: pressing a small run of records, touring to sell them, and playing to a decent crowd in each city you pass through. This idea of music as a labour of love, a modest living driven by community engagement, provides the clearest path forward under the current circumstances."
"Private Practice Bruce Brady's letter to the editor in the July/August issue, responding to Monica Kidd's cover story, "Need a Knee Replacement? You Can Get It at the Mall" (May), misses the point. It is all fine and wonderful that he got good private care in the UK; the question is how he would fare if he did not have the means to pursue private options. Or, to put it more bluntly, how did everyone else do?"
Independent musicians encounter inadequate streaming payouts and diminished public support, prompting some to favor operating outside broken systems rather than seeking broad reform. Small runs of records, targeted touring, and playing to engaged local crowds can yield modest, community-rooted livelihoods and preserve music as a labour of love. Large-scale remedies such as universal basic income or celebrity-led advocacy are viewed as politically insufficient for artists. The erosion of the middle class extends beyond music and requires wider economic solutions. In health care, private options advantage those with means while underfunded public systems struggle; full nationalization is proposed as the remedy.
Read at The Walrus
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