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I must admit out its a shame losing Robert Fripp to the looping community. But honestly, I thought of all Led Zeppelin's members, Jimmy Page would be most apt to experiment with looping. Not Robert Fripp!?!" Chaz Worm - Electric Light Opry Former lead singer, bass and banjo for punkgrass supergroup Earth, Worm, &, Fire On Sep 7, 2012, at 10:32 AM, Philip Conway <Philip.Conway@bristol.ac.uk> wrote: > Ah, the perils of (mis)communication! No worries. > > > --On 07 September 2012 09:45 -0400 Douglas Baldwin > <coyotelk@optonline.net> wrote: > >> Well said, Philip - My apologies for incorrectly implying that you >> implied that... & etc. >> I love the term "rentierism." >> >> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Philip Conway" >> <Philip.Conway@bristol.ac.uk> >> To: <Loopers-Delight@loopers-delight.com> >> Sent: Friday, September 07, 2012 9:26 AM >> Subject: Re: Fripp news >> >> >>> Sorry, I didn't mean to imply that *Fripp's* 'retirement' was a purely >>> materialistic decision but that this is the nature of the music >>> industry >>> as a whole -- obsessed with legality and ownership and neglectful of >>> creativity. >>> >>> The 'posh offices', etc. was referring to the turn that the whole >>> industry has taken towards rentierism. I didn't mean to imply that >>> Fripp has any of these things. To me he just seems to be defending >>> his >>> artistic and commercial legacy against this kind of predation. >>> >>> >>> Philip. >>> >>> --On 07 September 2012 08:43 -0400 Douglas Baldwin >>> <coyotelk@optonline.net> wrote: >>> >>>> Knowing the Frippster just a teensy tiny bit (via Guitar Craft and a >>>> few >>>> other brief exchanges), I feel compelled to comment on the many >>>> comments >>>> given about his "retirement." First, note Robert's online diary: >>>> http://www.dgmlive.com/diaries.htm . Robert is a great writer, but he >>>> often uses his own code to express himself. Regular reading of his >>>> diary >>>> reveals this code rather clearly, and gives excellent insight to his >>>> day-to-day life: his struggles with the music business, pictures of >>>> his >>>> office and fellow workers, his lovely wife Toyah, and perhaps most >>>> relevantly, his thoughts about retirement. >>>> Philip wrote (and several other posters said or implied): >>>> >>>>> "I understood that as he is becoming his own management to keep >>>>> following up legal rights to his music of the past. Reminds me of >>>>> the >>>>> tendency among record labels to stop seeking out new great music in >>>>> favor of focusing on dealing with the legal rights to their back >>>>> catalogue." >>>>> >>>>> Economists call this rent, or rentierism. The extraction of value >>>>> not >>>>> by producing anything new but by squeezing what has already been >>>>> produced. Actually creating new stuff entails risks and overheads; >>>>> extracting rents just requires a small army of lawyers and some posh >>>>> offices. That's 21st Century capitalism for you - all gain, no >>>>> risk! >>>> >>>> Philip's comment implies a stinky heartless materialism. Robert >>>> doesn't >>>> seem to be very interested in making money through his back catalog >>>> per >>>> se. What he wants is proper control of the Crimson/Fripp catalog so it >>>> doesn't get abused by the fat grubs of 21st century music biz. He >>>> would >>>> also like to distribute income properly to his fellow musicians, many >>>> of >>>> whom do not have the background in real estate that he does, and so do >>>> not have much in the way of a cushioning income to soften the blows of >>>> the business. Robert certainly has no posh offices nor army of lawers; >>>> the DGM offices are on a rural side street adjacent to the village >>>> butcher, and Bobby often bunks down on the floor in a sleeping bag >>>> when >>>> work demands it. The staff consists of two or three people. >>>> >>>> Almost everyone who commented on the DPRP article was blindsided by >>>> DPRP's stupidly misleading and sensationalistic headline: "Robert >>>> Fripp >>>> Quit Music." That's poor English, for starters. What Robert has given >>>> up >>>> on is his role as a front-line, headlining, touring-in-poor-conditions >>>> performer and recorder of music that demands tour support. Robert is >>>> so >>>> plugged into music that it drips in puddles around his feet. Music >>>> flits >>>> around his rounded head like moths 'round a light. Almost every day he >>>> does things with his fingers, heart, and ears (and what's between >>>> them) >>>> than most of us could wish for. He's just sick of the crappy business >>>> surrounding the public performance and distribution of music. >>> >>> >>> >>> >> > > > >