Have musicians become “t-shirt salesmen”? Understand the controversy

Jack Gibson, bassist of Exodus, has released a harsh statement regarding the current situation of the recording industry; Joe Bonamassa disagrees

With the advent of music streaming platforms and the decline in consumption of physical formats such as CDs and vinyl records, artists have begun to rely more on shows and merchandise sales to earn money. This leads some musicians to have very negative opinions on the current scenario.

That’s right Jack Gibson. The bassist of Exodusa veteran thrash metal band, appeared pessimistic when commenting on their work in an interview with the TV channel Daniel Bloom (go Igor Miranda). In his opinion, professional acting is about trying to get fans to buy T-shirts at shows.

Gibson he said:

Once they started giving away music for free, the market dried up. We don’t sell any records. If we don’t tour and sell t-shirts, we don’t make money. Today I’m a t-shirt salesman, not a musician. I’m literally a trinket peddler. This is what we do. We play music to try to bring people to the merch stand and sell them our printed products. That’s the deal.”

The musician appeared even more discouraged when he addressed the topic of technological development. Gibson believes that artificial intelligence could put an end to the work of artists in the relatively near future.

Any minute now we’re all going to lose our jobs to these shitty robots. When AI figures out how to make music that people like, they won’t pay us to do anything else.”

The counterpoint

The speech of Jack Gibson generated a comment from an artist from a niche very different from thrash metal: blues rock. In an interview with Blues-Rock Review (go Rock celebrities), Joe Bonamassa discussed the current state of the music industry and his professional colleague’s sour statement.

The guitarist acknowledges the difficulties, but seems more confident than the band’s bassist. Exodus. Joe stated:

I hear from touring artists that, like everything, the cost of doing business is high. Gasoline, hotels, meals and all the things you have to pay for on the road are more expensive now. (Profit) margins are smaller. I read an article where someone said, “I’m not a musician, I’m a T-shirt salesman.” And I thought, ‘That’s a pretty cynical way to look at it.'”

However, Bonamassa agrees that the situation is becoming more and more complicated. The guitarist concluded by pointing out that recording his work is still expensive, with studios charging “two thousand dollars a day”.

+++READ MORE: The 10 artists who earned the most from touring in 2024 [LISTA]

Collaborator: André Luiz Fernandes.

Source: Terra

Earl

Earl Johnson is a music writer at Gossipify, known for his in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the industry. A graduate of USC with a degree in Music, he brings years of experience and passion to his writing. He covers the latest releases and trends, always on the lookout for the next big thing in music.