The Urgency of Art

By Justin McRoberts • Oct 7th, 2008 • Category: Artists in Residence

I ran into Bill Mallonee recently in Athens, GA. I am a great admirer of Bill’s music both as the frontman from Vigilantes of Love and as a solo artist. He is an eloquent and insightful man and his music reflects his depth. Our conversation wound around a number of topics, mainly concerning songwriting and the arts. Eventually we turned to the the topic of artist-listener relationships, free music and the ideas behind Noisetrade. Bill’s thoughts on the subject clarified for me the thoughts in my mind that I’ve been bouncing around.

There is a way in which consumer disappointment in the Marketplace has lead to a devaluing of the art that the Marketplace sells. Bill made the observation that in just about no other industry is the same conversation happening about the worth of what is produced. “You don’t walk into the doctor’s office” Bill said “and say ‘you know, everyone does appendectomies these days. I could get one of these just about anywhere; you should give it to me for free.”

Now, I’d be wiling to bet that for many, if not most people, drawing a parallel between medicine and art is like drawing a parallel between water and whiskey. The one being essential to life and the other being something not only supplemental but often of questionable substance or use. Obviously, I think that understanding of art is incomplete. I believe quite firmly that art is exactly what is needed to redefine our worldview and rescue us from the Market’s utilitarian definition of life and value.

The Market attributes value to that which produces; specifically that which produces in such a way as to benefit the Market. In other words; a thing has worth insofar as it can turn a profit. This seems crass and generalized, but the closer one pays attention to the treatment of systems, products, and even people, the more one sees that worth is tied to production and profit. Particularly look at culture’s approach to the poor, the elderly, the developmentally disabled or the unborn. I could go on about this observation in detail, but for the sake of brevity, I am relying on the common insight the religious community often shares in regards to “life issues.”

Art works contrary to this utilitarian principle, proposing that the worth of a piece is not tied solely to it’s market value, but much more closely tied to the relationship that piece has to its creator. In other words, a song has value to the one who wrote it simply because it is borne out of the heart of the artist. This relational meaning is reflective of the Divine value attributed to humanity. Our worth is not determined by our Market value and art preaches that message by its very nature; art preaches that message more completely and effectively than any other available form of communication, even Twitter.

The Noisetrade experiment is not just about relieving listeners of the nasty, burdensome, and often near-hellish responsibility of actually paying for the art that feeds their souls. Part of the goal is to re-educate and foster an audience that actively believes in the arts and believes in its artists. Developing people who understand the desperate importance of art who are willing to give time, money and space for the celebration of this blessed and vital activity. We need listeners and buyers to support the arts and its artists so that we can use our craft to reshape and redeem our culture.

↓ One comment

#1 Matt on October 7th, 2008 at 11:37 pm

Love these thoughts and I love the ideas behind Noisetrade. here’s hoping it truly takes off and allows multiple people to find your music!

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