Thought for the day

[benlehman]

From a conv w/ Jonathan last night:
Censors and artists are natural enemies. But censors and big media companies are naturally allies. What does that make artists and big media companies?

Comments

[benlehman.livejournal.com]

It's not a trick question. It's just food for thought.

It was after reading an article about the team-up between US media holdings companies and Chinese censorship regime to combat Chinese underground media producers.

yrs--
--Ben

[cucumberseed.livejournal.com]

All those in power benefit from and therefore work to benefit those in power.

[benlehman.livejournal.com]

Yes, but ...

A big media company can help an artist make a lot of money (sometimes.) They can help an artist distribute their message (sometimes.) They can amplify the signal enough that it gets picked up internationally, by people like the Chinese underground.

But the relationship is not always or necessarily an alliance. A media company is necessarily driven by it's own inherent will-to-profit and will-to-power. And the artist isn't necessarily the beneficiary of that.

yrs--
--Ben

[benhimself.livejournal.com]

Cows arguably live better on farms than they would released into the wild.

But.... yeah.