Why is folk such a small market?

Subject: RE: BS: Why is folk such a small market?
From: GUEST,mg
Date: 04 Mar 10 - 12:38 PM

Brains can evolve overnight if everyone with a certain type of brain say was exposed to a virus that only killed that particular type of brain..if all people who could reproduce it are gone there is your evolution. mg

Subject: RE: BS: Why is folk such a small market?
From: *#1 PEASANT*
Date: 04 Mar 10 - 12:12 PM

Be Careful!

We should start by throwing out and away the concept of manefest destany of minority.

Note also that I am not interested in commercial any more than any other dimension- that is why I noted that there are all kinds of dimensions commercial being only on.

What are these dimensions doing to keep things small minimizing growth.

Are they paying attention to the small things that create big negative environmental impacts upon the whole?

Conrad

Subject: RE: BS: Why is folk such a small market?
From: gnomad
Date: 04 Mar 10 - 11:38 AM

They don't make diamonds as big as coal bricks.

Look at what is popular these days; you will see a very large proportion of what we might charitably term 'dross'. To have the good taste to prefer folk is evidently to be part of a minority.

This minority is small, but beautifully formed. If folk were to change enough to please the majority I strongly suspect that its worthwhile aspects would be lost in the process.

Luckily although much of the world entertainment scene operates on truly democratic lines (everyone gets what the majority wants) subversion has not yet been completely eliminated, despite such measures as PEL, so we keep right on being special. Future special people will be glad we did.

None of this helps Conrad's quest to make a big commercial success out of folk. Short of culling the entire audience of Big Brother (and similar) then setting out to breed a new generation of replacements I have nothing to suggest. Even that solution (which could be fun) would probably take too long, unless the expensive huge research involves a multi-decade timescale.

Subject: RE: BS: Why is folk such a small market?
From: folkandroots
Date: 04 Mar 10 - 11:31 AM

lack of interest?

Doesn't seem so to me where I'm sat in Central London, indeed within a mile of where I live I can think of at least four new folk (and I mean folk not acoustic) events that have started within the last couple of years and maintained a regular audience and presence and I get the impression that there have been a similar emergence of new nights, events in other parts of the country.

Also depending on how you measure Markets but if the number of folk recordings or attendees at festivals and events is anything to go by, seems relatively healthy to me.

Subject: RE: BS: Why is folk such a small market?
From: GUEST,clumper
Date: 04 Mar 10 - 11:18 AM

Because there are far too many folk performers who are smug, insular, boring, and creatively sterile.

Subject: RE: BS: Why is folk such a small market?
From: Bill D
Date: 04 Mar 10 - 11:09 AM

Because one of the ....ummmm.... 'features' of folk is that, like egg painting and curling and collecting samples of barbed wire, it does not feel the need to appeal to the majority of people..(who, in large groups, tend to distort and muddy the basic points to fit their personal ideas of what music SHOULD be.)

It is already the case that the definition of 'folk' has been expanded and diluted so that $$$$ can be made by people who are bored by the basics, but like the idea of not needing expensive costumes & huge speaker systems to put out some sort of vague approximation of what they think it's all about.....and then to gratuitously change certain components in order to have the NEW pieces identified with them.

(No...they don't all do this as a 'plan'. Many are quite unaware of how they are warping the process thru mass media.)


Any more questions? ☺

Subject: RE: BS: Why is folk such a small market?
From: MikeL2
Date: 04 Mar 10 - 11:01 AM

hi lizzie

I have an appointment with my doctor on Monday....lol

regards

MikeL2

Subject: RE: BS: Why is folk such a small market?
From: Lizzie Cornish 1
Date: 04 Mar 10 - 10:44 AM

How long do you have? ;0)

Subject: BS: Why is folk such a small market?
From: *#1 PEASANT*
Date: 04 Mar 10 - 10:31 AM

Ok you hear it from folks all the time- we are under paid. Hardly enough to survive.
Its a small group.....
Cant find new members....
Another folk club bites the dust....
Children aren't learning the songs....
There is a lack of interest.

Why is this the case?
WWW What went Wrong?

(No I will not accept the answer that people have evolved- ask Darwin it takes thousands of years for brains to change)

(I will also not accept the view that its all outdated and will never work- our folk treasures now existing and to come are timeless)

I know its not my fault as I have not been running anything.

So I guess something is terribly wrong if the folk market is still so small 50 some years after the folk revival.

This is not to say that it hasn't grown but that it has not grown enough.

I research write and publish books relating to folklore.....people are always telling me they will never sell. I tell them I don't mind but the work has to be done. But...why do I inherit a situation where folk is not a bigger market.

I guess this is because it has been terribly mis managed by of course, the people now doing it or in central roles over the past 50 years. They are not getting some things right enough to raise all boats far enough.

At the bottom line exposure to the music, preservation of the music and creation of new music doesnt happen as much as it should- We are not maximizing our abilities and opportunities when we do not constantly widen the market.

I would not put the blame on any one of the dimensions of the folk world.

Lots of dimensions- ordinary participants, professional participants, collectors, publishers, writers. They all have a role to play and they all have to cooperate.

Now I could lay out areas where I think there are problems but I think it more helpful if those working in these dimensions scratch their heads a bit. What I dont want to see are countless statements like"its always been and always will be"

Our current capitolist world is constantly showing us that people will buy anything. Look at all those products out there. The difference is proper marketing and cultivation rather than alienation of the potential market.

So what is being done wrong that has stunted the growth of the folk world and markets?

I want this solved before my next expensive huge research effort book in many volumes comes out :)

Remember its what has been done wrong that is behind this so be honest- lay it out so that it might be corrected. And that means everyone in the Biz. or in folk culture. We are all screwing things up somehow and it is not really necessary to continue to make such mistakes where is change needed!

Conrad