I agree with the second part – if someone is consuming music or using it somehow, the artist should be able to be compensated.
But the feeling I get from your writing is that you DO feel like you have a right to make a living with your art.

As someone else already noted it really is a supply and demand issue – and I’m of the opinion that it’s not a worthwhile fight. By all means, make your art. Just don’t expect that the world will pay you for it.

The world demands a very small amount of “good art” and even less “new good art”. Not only is an artist competing with the television set, other living artists, but also all dead artists that left behind work.

It is a luxury of a rich society to even consider “professional artists”. There has to be disposable income (and quite a bit of it) for citizens to spend it on art. I see the trends of the future aiming squarely towards LESS disposable income for everyone for quite a while.

Societies are going to have to be more “local” in the future in order to be sustainable and healthy. This includes art too. More and more, a community is going to be drawing off of the local artist pool. And those artists (all but the most in demand) are going to be having day jobs, mind you. They will do things for which their local economy actually has a large demand for most of their time, and make art on the side. Making art will be a part of their income, but not their whole income.

Hopefully labor standards will develop to make for shorter work weeks and more vacation time so these artistically inclined people will have more time to create. We’ll see.

Also keep in mind that this is only a prediction for the developed world. The “undeveloped” world already lives more or less like this. There will be an leveling out of the world, and it won’t be in the form of every other country becoming like the USA.

This is not to say that artists should give up – the opposite really. As things change, there will be some people who will really crave our (yes our, I’m an artist too) output. We just have to accept reality.

Speaking for myself, I have been much happier with my artistic output since I stopped trying to make money at it. It’s so much work and stress trying so squeeze out money from my creativity, I felt less inclined to create. Now I can come home and relax after a day of work. And art is part of that relaxation. I don’t feel like I have to “pimp it out” after I finish something. I let people call me if they are interested in my work. In effect, people around my hometown know my work and respect it. I make a couple of bucks here and there with my art – but without effort or stress. If tastes change and people no longer want what I can do, oh well. No problem. I’m still quite content sitting here in my home and doing it for myself.

All of us make lovely art. But try to remember – it’s just art. You can’t eat it when you’re hungry and it doesn’t keep you warm in the cold (I’m speaking literally here).
People will pay for things they need. Provide things people need and you will get paid.

There are booking agents who deal with artists who are local and are not looking for the jets and infamy.

It’s hard to fight against a system well ingrained throughout the world. Good luck in your fight.

Working For Free; Working For Friends is the latest one, and The Myth of Success before that…

Clearly it’s an issue close to my heart, and there are so many angles to approach it from, be they business focussed or to do with the interpersonal weirdness that drives most people’s handling of their music careers. The flip side of this, I guess, is people who do a bunch of work saying it’s for free, then suddenly decide it should be paid… The important ‘rule’ in all this is to get everything in writing, and keep the paper/e-trail.

Failing that, just do it all yourself – it’s exhausting, but at least you avoid the losers