Wavelength 400 Eighth Anniversary Festival:
Wavelength “Unconference” w/ Misha Glouberman
Sunday February 17th, 2008
Music Gallery, 197 John St.
TOPIC: THE VALUE DIFFERENCE
In most arts disciplines — whether it be theatre, film, visual art, dance — it’s taken for granted that you have to follow the money. Is a director a sellout for having distribution through Miramax? Is a dancer a sellout for joining the cast of Mamma Mia? For indie rockers especially, money is a taboo subject. Show covers for local bands have barely budged above the $5 mark in the last 10 years. Many indie musicians have never bothered applying for grants to support their music. Others are openly hostile to those they perceive being “in it for the money,” rather than for the love. Is it possible to have both? The hip-hop community is very tied to corporate sponsorship, as the jazz and classical scenes are with arts grants. So why are the rules different in indie rock? Is it reluctance to ascribe a dollar value to the deeply personal value of one’s own music? Or do we just undervalue our contribution to the culture? Is there a way the broke-ass indie scene can “get the money” without mortgaging its soul? Or does an expectation of making money somehow cheapen the creative process?
Come to this special “unconference” led by Misha Glouberman (Trampoline Hall) if you wish to talk about these questions. Show up at 2:30pm for snacks and introductions. The conversation part will start at 3:00 sharp (Seriously. Don’t be late.) and go till around 6:00.
