on the backs of writers

As much as I love Broadway/theatre, etc, I do find myself less soul-suckingly invested in every single thing that happens in this community anymore. This is perhaps because there is a certain attitude I've felt for quite some time now that is part of why I'm heading to St. Andrews in the first place. It's an attitude about the burden of the writers.


Which is apparently the whole enchilada, these days. The burden of developing a new musical is so astronomical (both emotionally and financially) that even during the most fulfilling of days, I often wondered still, "Why am I doing this?"


And so many support channels end up being sources of discouragement rather encouragement. The people who are supposed to love theatre sure don't seem to like or respect what it takes to make it happen very much. "Fans" who are ok with taking sheet music for free and making it available to anyone on the Internet, non-profit development institutions that ask more and more of the writers.


I've written two novels. Neither of them cost me any money really to develop. I guess that's just the nature of the medium, but I'll tell you the process feels entirely different.


NYMF may have rescinded their subsidiary rights clause in their new contract, but I can't say I think the deal has gotten any better. I've publicly (on television even) gone on record praising the Fringe for being one of the only platforms where writers can actually produce their own work in any kind of feasible way. I still agree to an extent (though their policies did allow almost 400 people to see my show for free), at least, I agree more than I do about NYMF. I think everything listed by Dramatists Guild in their initial complaint makes total sense.


But I guess my main issue is why are we having to produce and pay for our own shows? Every single avenue short of the Broadway or Off-Broadway level seems to bleed writers dry, and then the nasty chatboarders cry to Jesus, "THERE ARE NO GREAT NEW MUSICAL THEATRE WRITERS!!" I am suggesting, perhaps, that this is not because there are no writers out there with talent or vision, but that these writers are being beaten down, talked shit about on the Internet at every turn (by critics and anonymous posters alike), and being asked by most of the producers to alter, hone, or pare down the scope of what they write about to something small and economically feasible. How few characters can you make your show? With how limited sets? Etc. etc etc.


The level of conversation about new work is so toxic, I can barely participate in this industry anymore. Practically everyone seems to be rooting for your failure, or willing to disregard any respect for the extraordinary amount of work that goes into songwriting and musicals-- especially those who profess to love theatre. If you ask why there are "no great new musical theatre writers" (though I disagree, but for the sake of argument) I'll tell you this-- this country asks artists to survive with little to no sustenance of any kind. During the renaissance, the great wealthy families were patrons of artists. Now, I feel like the wealthiest families patronize their own children as artists instead of those who were born to do it. And I can't help but think, "should the artistic voice of rich kids really be our national artistic voice?"  I don't mean to sound whiny-- I realize an artistic life is always an uphill battle. But how can you ask people to work without support of any kind? And the people who are supposed to be fans are the same people stealing from the writers.


It is probably not surprising at all that, at least on this issue, I completely agree with Jason Robert Brown-- and he even already actually makes his living off his writing. Just listen to these people who call in...
The only way that Steven and I make any money from the work we do (and it's a lot [the work, that is, not the money]. It's insulting when people think it's not) is when you lovely people purchase our sheet music online.


I'm aware that it's a pdf and you could share it with your friends. And, to be honest, if you want to give it someone, ok. But when you put it online so that anyone and everyone can have it for free, why would anyone come to my site and buy it?


And you can't honestly expect me to be sympathetic to the starving artist argument... what do you think I am? But I don't steal from other artists. Most songwriters are pretty accessible. I certainly am! To be honest, if someone couldn't afford my sheet music and they just wrote to me about it, I'd probably give it to them.

But I, too, have written to the people who have my songs posted on pianofiles and asked to take them down.

The bottom line is this, theatre industry: if you keep using writers as the backs you step on to get somewhere, you're killing the kind of product that inspires people. You're killing everybody's will to inspire or be inspired. If this country actually took care of it's artists and writers, I'd have little problem with creative work being public domain. But we DON'T take care of artists here, so people have to buy what we make, just like I have to pay for the things other people make. If artists can't support themselves, then they'll get crushed by soul sucking jobs and then everyone will bitch that there are no new artists.


There are still great voices out there who want to write theatre and want to speak out in praise of it. I'd like to hear more of them and less of some others.


*** super important addendum as of July 15th. NYTimes ArtsBlog (and they're obviously smart-- they talked about VOTE!) is doing a series this summer (they all seem kinda great, actually) and today's is about this issue. Information may "want to be free" but I don't classify songs, novels or other artistic works as cut and dry up and down information. Also, if you want people to keep creating things, you have to allow a method for them to support themselves while doing it. I'm saying it again, NOT ON THE BACKS OF WRITERS.