Uncategorized

Perry Farrell Says He Can Save Music Industry With Music Tax & More Gov’t Regulation

image from upload.wikimedia.org Jane's Addition founder Perry Farrell, who along with concert promoters C3 and William Morris Endeavor, own the Lollapalooza festival have formed a partnership with the city of Chicago that he says can be a model to help save both struggling local, state and federal government agencies, and the entire music industry.


"I think that government should work with the music industry on many levels, not only on the level of the parks and recreation, which is how Lollapalooza does it," Perry told Ray Waddell at Billboard.biz. "We've probably raised close to $10 million just for the parks. And ancillary income to the city on that weekend of Lollapalooza is over $30 million. So that city is getting a lot for allowing Lollapalooza to be there, and it's giving mental health to the patrons in giving them a place to let off steam and enjoy themselves."

But Farrells's vision extends the federal government, as well. "I think that the government should help to regulate online music distribution and the music industry should give a little to the government for two reasons," he continued. "For one, if the government gets involved and helps to regulate, there would be more money coming into the recording industry and that means more money for the musicians. And it's also a good idea because you could take some of that money and put it into music education. The government could take that money and use it for school systems, which don't have any idea how to get those music programs going again."

Farrell isn't clear on exactly how the government should regulate music or collect funds, but he wants to be on the organizing committee: "I'd like to raise my hand right now and say I'd like to be part of that… It should be a case where the touring music industry, the recording music industry, distribution, all should sit down with government to figure out how we can get music to be really healthy again and recycle that money back into music, back into education, back into the city's parks and recreations where we have these great parties."

Share on:

14 Comments

  1. Let’s first give copyright back to the authors. Do you know how much money you can lose as a musician? Look at our website or our blog.

  2. What a terrible idea. That will only create more bureaucracy and more opportunities for corruption and misappropriation of funds. We musicians will continue to see less money until accounting practices are made completely transparent by everyone involved. Keep the government out of it; create your own private company to do this same stuff and keep the accounting transparent and above board.

  3. Welp, Jane’s Addiction used to be my favorite band. It’s time to stop crying about money lost and start working with what we’ve been left with. No government or legal system can stop the shift in what is happenig to how music is appreciated and monetized. Perry, you became a very rich man, and I’m sorry those nothing’s shocking royalties won’t sustain that lifestyle as you hoped (you really do deserve it) but unfortunately, the music gravy-train is over. Time to go go back to basics my friend.

  4. Perry is a cool and weird dude. I can’t tell if he really has the best intentions or if he is only looking for an angle to put more money in his pocket (or both). Why does it always have to be about putting more money in the pockets of the record industry? These major stars always only about the big labels (themselves) or art programs. What about the inbetween? What about all those talented, hardworking, and original artists who aren’t with big labels and are struggling through life with their art? Are all these artists a threat to the stars and the smaller piece of the market that is the music business? Times have changed and are still changing. All the current stars can keep clawing and scratching with your big labels to hopefully return to the heydays of the 90’s cd boom, but it’s over! Try remembering what it was like BEFORE you were signed for millions of dollars and were just like the rest of us!
    Free album download at http://www.facebook.com/chancius

  5. I agree with my peers above, last thing we need is more Gov’t! WME = Ari Emanuel = his brother,Chicago Mayor/ former President Obama’s Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel= Chicago’s legacy of…get it? Not that Ari isn’t a great agent!

  6. he sounds good-intentioned to me. in fact, it almost seems like he has the basics down. trouble is, the govt’s legal relationship with the private music industry is much more complex than the basics. it’s kinda kewt that perry thinks he’s starting the conversation.

  7. Usually I’d be skeptical of claims like this, but since it’s Perry, I’m actually pretty interested in what kind of ideas cocaine has given him this time. Looking forward to a more detailed rundown.

  8. …because more taxation & government regulation has always helped in the past…
    20 years ago Perry Farrell would have cringed at an idea, like this…

  9. a better idea is to add a monthly fee of say 5 bucks to any service that uses the net, like cell phones, game devices and Internet service. We all pay this every month even if you don’t listen and download music. All the money goes to the musicians via the RIAAs official methods. I think that is a good way to make up for illegal music sharing.

  10. I think all the drugs Perry’s done in the past have FINALLY caught to him & the huge case of syphilis he contracted in the 90’s is eating his brain.

  11. Let’s work to end the corporate monopoly on music. Why does a musician who writes a song deserve lifetime royalties? Does a garage mechanic get royalties? Does the janitor who cleans a bathroom get tribute from each patron who enters? I agree there needs to be a restructure, but musicians need to be paid a fair fee for what they create when they create it without a lifetime commitment of royalties. The current system is subject to abuse, the labels have constantly ripped off their artists. Perry should stick to his surfer boys and south Pacific islands….

Comments are closed.