----- Original Message ----- From: "Beau Burke" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Thursday, February 28, 2002 7:59 PM Subject: Re: [313] The Great White Hype...was IT'S ABOUT TIME!!!
> When it comes to executives of any type, it's never really been > about the race. It's always been about the money. Those people aren't > stupid rednecks. They're deliberately evil. Instead of educating > ignorant white america, they make billions playing it like piano. That's > the shit that should really get you steamed. While money may be the easiest problem to shake your fist at, the marketing forces that determine the economics are guided by history - a history of bigotry and conservativism that refuses to acredit African-Amercians with anything outside of popular stereotypes. I'm really torn on the Motor question though. Where will Detroit (or any American city with its analogue of motor) go to hear expensive talent like Herbert, and how will the local artists get to make the money they deserve if we boycott the places big enough to garner those fees? We all know the force a mega-club will exert on the remainder of the underground market, as previously discussed with Motor, or with Buzz in DC. I'm contending with this directly now as we try and figure out what we can do on a decent scale that will stay true to the underground, while bringing in enough people to properly build a techno scene from the ground up. Do we bring in trance in a 2nd room to try and get more money at the door and sustain the night? Can we afford to take that hit to inject *some* techno in a scene where there is none??? As much as I would've loved to justify my response on moral ground, I couln't as the other 7 people I work with wouldn't have it. In the end, we decided it was a bad decision for practical reasons - and this is the nature of promotion. We're going to try Drum n Bass, which has a good following in DC. But what if the owners told us we had to reliquish control of the 2nd room for an all progressive/trance night? What should we do then? I hate promoting, but if you have no techno scene and no one else will do it, what else is there to do but enter the promotional game yourself? If you don't promote, aren't you shedding a responsibility to try and build something better? If you promote, aren't you forced to deal with the market's forces directly, and as Laura says, "wage war"? If you're at war, how do you cut your losses? Laura, I really enjoyed reading your post (always a learning experience). However, it seems like you're simultaneously condemning and endorsing capitalism, and all that it infects/devours. How can we expect underrepresented artists to get their fair share if we're condemning the forces we want to be redirected fairly? I realize that economic oppresion is tied directly to race - so how can racial inequality be corrected unless we reject the capitalistic force first and foremost? Do we need something like affirmative action for artists? I'm not one to reject idealism at face value, because I think you're right and we need ideals to guide our action. I'm just curious about the logistics of solvency. I'm asking because I really don't know, and I think you'll have some good "yinsights" to offer. What is the high ground in this environment? How can you effectively promote starting from scratch without sacrificing something you hold dear, especially when dealing with compromise in a group decision-making process? Tristan ---------- http://www.mp313.com <- Music http://www.metrotechno.net <- DC techno + more http://www.metatrackstudios.com <- DC DJ/Production studios http://phonopsia.tripod.com <- Hub [EMAIL PROTECTED] <- email <FrogboyMCI> <- AOL Instant Messenger --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] For additional commands, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
