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judeling

(1,086 posts)
Mon Dec 7, 2020, 09:28 AM Dec 2020

Don't Know how I feel about Bob Dylan's big deal.

It looks like Dylan is about to sell his song catalog for somewhere around $300 million. While I understand that he is probably organizing his affairs and preparing for the end and this could help.
I really do not want to hear his tunes in commercials for indoor air conditioning. It was jarring enough to hear Elton John used to sell pants.

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Don't Know how I feel about Bob Dylan's big deal. (Original Post) judeling Dec 2020 OP
I've been over Dylan since he rage screamed his greatest hits at me in concert nearly 20 years ago. NightWatcher Dec 2020 #1
Worst concert I've ever seen lithiumbomb Dec 2020 #12
I saw Merle Haggard open for him. You could tell there was no sound check. NightWatcher Dec 2020 #14
I saw him in '06 at the Forum and you could barely understand him then. Initech Dec 2020 #18
I've seen him about 10 times over the past 20 years....half the times were GREAT... cbdo2007 Dec 2020 #31
This message was self-deleted by its author CatLady78 Dec 2020 #2
50, I see 6?? USALiberal Dec 2020 #5
This message was self-deleted by its author CatLady78 Dec 2020 #35
:-) USALiberal Dec 2020 #36
The cool that you feel is blowing in the wind.. Blues Heron Dec 2020 #3
Nice one. Steelrolled Dec 2020 #22
Nice! Blues Heron Dec 2020 #24
Something is Happening but you don't know what it is... Blues Heron Dec 2020 #25
Why would music in commercials bother you? USALiberal Dec 2020 #4
Because ... davekriss Dec 2020 #23
But those stands have always been theater. Codeine Dec 2020 #28
Deflation of heroes davekriss Dec 2020 #37
I remember as a child in the sixties asking my mother why she and betsuni Dec 2020 #63
That's more our problem than theirs maxrandb Dec 2020 #45
I love Daltrey's answer. It's perfect! davekriss Dec 2020 #48
Lol, I love that one in the Allstate commercial with the woman rolling down the street! cwydro Dec 2020 #49
ME TOO! Lovely Day! USALiberal Dec 2020 #61
I never heard an Iggy Pop song before those cruise commercials. Dave Starsky Dec 2020 #58
At least it's his choice Clash City Rocker Dec 2020 #6
Very true gives Bob the choice of what to do marlakay Dec 2020 #44
Because of the internet The Wizard Dec 2020 #7
Cashing in, can't take it with you, Stevie Nicks is selling her rights too, its their money, do it Baclava Dec 2020 #8
Commercials have used Dylan's music before. It's legal as long as they pay royalties. An example -- Hoyt Dec 2020 #9
Artists have to give permission for their songs to be used in commercials StarfishSaver Dec 2020 #26
His songs his choice. Not our business. yellowcanine Dec 2020 #10
Exactly. KatyMan Dec 2020 #38
In the 70's, Dylan gave an interview..I think it was to Playboy Docreed2003 Dec 2020 #11
His stuff; his choice. MineralMan Dec 2020 #13
Would royalties pay out $300 million over the years? Maybe he doesn't think so. blueinredohio Dec 2020 #15
Dude is almost 80. Happy Hoosier Dec 2020 #20
Never liked him. It's his work, his decision. phylny Dec 2020 #16
They're just songs greenjar_01 Dec 2020 #17
The 60's were over a half century ago. Time to move on. tinrobot Dec 2020 #19
A big chunk of DU pretty much believes culture stopped Codeine Dec 2020 #29
a lot of music related messge boards are like that KatyMan Dec 2020 #40
Lol. cwydro Dec 2020 #50
...and a growing chunk thinks the world began the day they were born. Cerridwen Dec 2020 #52
Thank you, Cerridwen Hekate Dec 2020 #62
Nice mix of ignorance, ageism and snark. VOX Dec 2020 #53
I don't care what he does with his songs. Steelrolled Dec 2020 #21
This message was self-deleted by its author CatLady78 Dec 2020 #51
A song is no more or less vital Codeine Dec 2020 #27
He's a brilliant artist and has the right to sell his work. nolabear Dec 2020 #30
I think he sold for cheap... Wounded Bear Dec 2020 #32
Songs from that era are beginning to lose their impact anyways....love Dylan and his music, but cbdo2007 Dec 2020 #33
I think it was a great deal for BD.... Hamer555 Dec 2020 #34
I don't get the Nobel Prize deal. Or how he needs/wants $300M *more*. UTUSN Dec 2020 #39
His body of poetry/lyrics is incredible. Cuthbert Allgood Dec 2020 #55
I sincerely vacate that one point of mine since I have zero knowledge of that topic. UTUSN Dec 2020 #56
I doubt he made anything close to a billion Steelrolled Dec 2020 #59
He already allowed a song (and himself) to be used by Victoria's Secret themaguffin Dec 2020 #41
Just you wait... PlanetBev Dec 2020 #42
"Johnny's in the basement mixing up the medicine"... lame54 Dec 2020 #47
How much for "It's easy to see without looking too far / That not much is really sacred"? Towlie Dec 2020 #43
This message was self-deleted by its author CatLady78 Dec 2020 #64
It's an inevitability... lame54 Dec 2020 #46
Don't let the commercial use bother you nuxvomica Dec 2020 #54
Freddie Mercury said, tavernier Dec 2020 #57
In the meantime, I have a perpetual earworm Totally Tunsie Dec 2020 #60

lithiumbomb

(250 posts)
12. Worst concert I've ever seen
Mon Dec 7, 2020, 10:54 AM
Dec 2020

I logged in specifically to reply to this comment. I saw him about 12 years ago or so and it was just, loud. And not a good kind of rock and roll loud, but loud so that you couldn't distinguish anything as a song.

Elvis Costello opened up with a solo acoustic set which was great.

Initech

(99,913 posts)
18. I saw him in '06 at the Forum and you could barely understand him then.
Mon Dec 7, 2020, 11:33 AM
Dec 2020

The band was great and he plugging Modern Times, which was a great album, but even still, not a great show.

cbdo2007

(9,213 posts)
31. I've seen him about 10 times over the past 20 years....half the times were GREAT...
Mon Dec 7, 2020, 12:31 PM
Dec 2020

the other half were mediocre and a little disappointing. Much of the greatness or disappointment were due to the setlist and hearing certain favorites, others were due to the venue, others were due to his voice or energy level. It's always hit or miss but when the times when they were great, they were really great, some of the best shows I've seen of some classic songs of Americana.

Response to judeling (Original post)

Response to USALiberal (Reply #5)

 

Steelrolled

(2,022 posts)
22. Nice one.
Mon Dec 7, 2020, 11:45 AM
Dec 2020

I am sure there will be plenty others.

I ain't gong to work on Maggie's farm no more - Indeed.com

A hard rains going to fall - Goodyear tires

Positively 4th street - Google maps

davekriss

(4,608 posts)
23. Because ...
Mon Dec 7, 2020, 11:46 AM
Dec 2020

When an artist takes stands against convention and the establishment, then goes home with a pile of loot and we then hear the establishment use those songs in conventional ways to sell their wares, it breaks our hearts. It will not be long before we hear Blowing in the Wind used to sell air conditioners at a Super Bowl.

We ourselves invest thought and emotion into the words sung by an iconoclastic artist and feel betrayed. Irrational? Yes. Real, felt experience? Yes.

However, the first thing I thought of, given BD’s advancing age, is he’s consolidating his estate so it can more easily be given to his heirs. Not a bad thing. In fact, it’s kinda a rightly placed loving thing. So I say, “ouch”, but good on you Mr. Zimmerman!

 

Codeine

(25,586 posts)
28. But those stands have always been theater.
Mon Dec 7, 2020, 12:12 PM
Dec 2020

Theater designed to sell a very particular product to a carefully targeted demographic. Dylan is and always has been as much a product as air conditioners and non-stick frying pans.

davekriss

(4,608 posts)
37. Deflation of heroes
Mon Dec 7, 2020, 01:11 PM
Dec 2020

This thread makes me think of how I felt when watching the last of a 4 part documentary on the Grateful Dead.

Jerry Garcia had a serene and beautiful girlfriend in the end. Everyone at the time was concerned about Jerry’s excessive drug use. So his girlfriend went to him one day and raised concern. In private. And with love. Jerry said to her, sternly, “I think we’re done”.

She packed, left, and they never talked again. Definitely pressed the “deflate the hero” button for me. I’ve never been able to think of Garcia the same way again.

(You see signs of his black and white thinking earlier. In the first segment, a group of reporters during a concert raised issue with something, maybe access, maybe drugs, I don’t recall exactly. A pre-beard JG tells them ‘this is what it is’, that they have a choice, stay or leave. I admired that in him up until he so callously broke his girlfriends heart.)

betsuni

(25,127 posts)
63. I remember as a child in the sixties asking my mother why she and
Mon Dec 7, 2020, 07:56 PM
Dec 2020

my father didn't listen to their Bob Dylan records anymore. He was their favorite. She said because he was a sell out for buying a mansion in Hollywood (or wherever it was). I thought they were being ridiculous but not exactly why.

maxrandb

(15,188 posts)
45. That's more our problem than theirs
Mon Dec 7, 2020, 02:16 PM
Dec 2020

It's because we set a standard for our favorite artists that we ourselves could never meet. It's hero worship.

I am a huge fan of Dylan, but I think he would tell us that he didn't set out to be the "voice of a generation". Some of his fans tried to make him that. Just like all of us, these rock stars are complex people with flaws of their own.

His songs inspired a generation of change and inspired people to think. I don't begrudge him making gobs of money off of something he created.

If you hear "Blowing in the Wind" in an AC commercial and you associate it with Air Conditioning, instead of listening to what the song really says, that's a "you problem". Besides, as with most great music, that song is going to mean something different to those who hear it.

I'm also a huge fan of The Who. Roger Daltrey (who seems like s decent guy and does great philanthropy work) was once asked what "message" the band was sending, and he said; "look, we wanted to make money and meet girls"

Seemed about the most honest thing I ever heard.

davekriss

(4,608 posts)
48. I love Daltrey's answer. It's perfect!
Mon Dec 7, 2020, 03:11 PM
Dec 2020

Maybe take a look at my other post in this thread, “Deflation of Heroes”.

 

cwydro

(51,308 posts)
49. Lol, I love that one in the Allstate commercial with the woman rolling down the street!
Mon Dec 7, 2020, 03:23 PM
Dec 2020

I’m glad to have found that song.

Dave Starsky

(5,914 posts)
58. I never heard an Iggy Pop song before those cruise commercials.
Mon Dec 7, 2020, 05:17 PM
Dec 2020

But I thought I the music in that ad sounded cool, so I went and got "Lust for Life", which then introduced me to the rest of Mr. Osterberg's work, with and without the Stooges.

And now I'm all about the Iggy, and I laugh my ass off whenever I think that a cruise line chose that song for their commercials.

Clash City Rocker

(3,379 posts)
6. At least it's his choice
Mon Dec 7, 2020, 09:56 AM
Dec 2020

One of my pet peeves is when a great musician dies, and, several months later, I hear his songs in commercials for the first time. It tells me that the artist didn’t want his songs in commercials, but whoever gained the rights to them doesn’t care, they just want the money.

marlakay

(11,370 posts)
44. Very true gives Bob the choice of what to do
Mon Dec 7, 2020, 01:56 PM
Dec 2020

With the money, maybe he wants to donate to a cause he likes instead of just leaving a bunch more money for his son. He knows he already has plenty to give him. When we look at the words to his songs he has always had many things he strongly believes in, maybe he wants to use his fame to help some out.

The Wizard

(12,482 posts)
7. Because of the internet
Mon Dec 7, 2020, 10:05 AM
Dec 2020

performers and recording artists are not getting royalties for their work. Dylan is collecting royalties by selling his song book to the highest bidder. Like retailers, they will realize the Internet changed everything.

 

Hoyt

(54,770 posts)
9. Commercials have used Dylan's music before. It's legal as long as they pay royalties. An example --
Mon Dec 7, 2020, 10:41 AM
Dec 2020
 

StarfishSaver

(18,486 posts)
26. Artists have to give permission for their songs to be used in commercials
Mon Dec 7, 2020, 12:00 PM
Dec 2020

Anyone can record the song as long as they pay mechanic royalties. But if they want to use it for other purposes, they need permission from the copyright owner.

KatyMan

(4,147 posts)
38. Exactly.
Mon Dec 7, 2020, 01:15 PM
Dec 2020

From my point of view, if someone wanted to buy one of the most heartfelt emotional songs that I've ever written to sell boner pills, I'm all in.

Docreed2003

(16,817 posts)
11. In the 70's, Dylan gave an interview..I think it was to Playboy
Mon Dec 7, 2020, 10:51 AM
Dec 2020

But in the interview he was asked what products he might be willing to "sell out" for and his response was women's undergarments. He actually ended up doing commercials for Victoria's Secret featuring his song "Love Sick" in the 90's. Dylan also did commercials for Cadillac not too many years ago. I guess the advertising part of this doesn't bother me so much.

What I do find interesting is that Dylan, someone who is notorious throughout his career for "borrowing heavily" and taking inspiration from other artists, has usually been incredibly protective of his catalog. In the 90's, Hootie and the Blowfish had a hit with a song called "Only want to be with you". The song lifts an entire line from "Idiot Wind", and Dylan and his people ultimately settled with Darius Rucker and Hootie out of court for an undisclosed amount.

At the end of the day, this is Dylan being Dylan. He has always been difficult to define, unwilling to be pinned down as one thing, mercurial, strange and yet prophetic and powerfully poetic. I've got no issues with this and I see it as more of a planning for the future.

MineralMan

(146,192 posts)
13. His stuff; his choice.
Mon Dec 7, 2020, 10:56 AM
Dec 2020

Why do we feel we have some sort of ownership of celebrities? I don't get that.

Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, and a few other performers played a big role in my thinking in the early 1960s. They woke me up to things I didn't know, and made me think. I appreciated their music and poetry, but never once did I feel I had any ownership of their work.

They should do as they see fit with it, as, like me, they come closer to the end of their lives.

Happy Hoosier

(7,077 posts)
20. Dude is almost 80.
Mon Dec 7, 2020, 11:41 AM
Dec 2020

It is VERY unlikely he would net $300M before his death. He is pretty famous for racking up debt, so that may play on it too.

He did a tour a couple years ago, and played at a university in my small city. I did not go to see him, but some friends did. Apparently the only thing he said the whole show was that he was there because he had bills to pay. Quite a show.

tinrobot

(10,848 posts)
19. The 60's were over a half century ago. Time to move on.
Mon Dec 7, 2020, 11:36 AM
Dec 2020

Besides, it makes more sense to sell the catalog now. He can divide things up a lot easier. Give some money to his kids, start a foundation to do good work, donate some to charity.

If he didn't sell, it would get messy after he passes and the catalog would still get sold. Best he do it now and maintain control.

 

Codeine

(25,586 posts)
29. A big chunk of DU pretty much believes culture stopped
Mon Dec 7, 2020, 12:18 PM
Dec 2020

Last edited Mon Dec 7, 2020, 08:09 PM - Edit history (1)

in 1970 or thereabouts. They still ascribe oversized importance to people who have long since ceased to be relevant as anything but a memory.

KatyMan

(4,147 posts)
40. a lot of music related messge boards are like that
Mon Dec 7, 2020, 01:19 PM
Dec 2020

as well. Drives me crazy. Makes me feel sad too, imagine thinking that no good music was ever produced after 1975. Bad Company was the height of musical creativity? Led Zeppelin? Steppenwolf? Come on.

Cerridwen

(13,251 posts)
52. ...and a growing chunk thinks the world began the day they were born.
Mon Dec 7, 2020, 03:27 PM
Dec 2020

I've not seen, read, nor heard so many re-writes of the 1990s by people who hadn't been born or thought they were born with smell-less shit on DU since the mra and gamergaters went into hiding.

VOX

(22,976 posts)
53. Nice mix of ignorance, ageism and snark.
Mon Dec 7, 2020, 03:58 PM
Dec 2020

Thanks for “enlightening” a big chuck (sic) of DU.

 

Steelrolled

(2,022 posts)
21. I don't care what he does with his songs.
Mon Dec 7, 2020, 11:41 AM
Dec 2020

I did get a little enjoyment at his ignoring his nobel prize a few years back.

Response to Steelrolled (Reply #21)

 

Codeine

(25,586 posts)
27. A song is no more or less vital
Mon Dec 7, 2020, 12:08 PM
Dec 2020

based on its use in a Jeep commercial. And honestly, Dylan was never as profound as he and his boosters pretended.

nolabear

(41,915 posts)
30. He's a brilliant artist and has the right to sell his work.
Mon Dec 7, 2020, 12:27 PM
Dec 2020

I say this as one being driven mad by that damned Rakuten ad ruining Rocket Man. But it has ever been thus and no matter what else, he’s contributed more to the American music canon than 90% of songwriters.

cbdo2007

(9,213 posts)
33. Songs from that era are beginning to lose their impact anyways....love Dylan and his music, but
Mon Dec 7, 2020, 12:33 PM
Dec 2020

as a listener who doesn't own them, and I literally probably know 100 of his songs by heart, every single word and can play most of them fully on the guitar, but I'm able to let them go, lol.

 

Hamer555

(75 posts)
34. I think it was a great deal for BD....
Mon Dec 7, 2020, 12:38 PM
Dec 2020

With the medium changing so much, and artist making so little from streaming services, I think he made a very smart move.

In addition, how many people in their 20s today are going to spend money on his music?

We may see more of his music used for advertising, but who knows, maybe this was addressed in the deal in some way.

UTUSN

(70,496 posts)
39. I don't get the Nobel Prize deal. Or how he needs/wants $300M *more*.
Mon Dec 7, 2020, 01:17 PM
Dec 2020

It's like Mary TRUMP's excellent title, "Too much and never enough."

Surely he's made (billions?). And as for leaving stuff to offspring, the trend for some Big Rich has been not to leave anything. And besides he has never seemed the type to be concerned on how he disposes of "loved" ones.

He didn't exactly "lose" me, just became more irrelevant to me than he already was when he turned Xtian. Is he still that, I've never kept up.













 

Steelrolled

(2,022 posts)
59. I doubt he made anything close to a billion
Mon Dec 7, 2020, 05:49 PM
Dec 2020

He was successful, but he wasn't the Beatles.

Like a house, or stock, his song catalog has a cash value (apparently around $300M) whether he sells it now, or let his heirs decide what to do with it. It might well be his heirs would get more after he died, and maybe he didn't like that idea.

Response to Towlie (Reply #43)

nuxvomica

(12,361 posts)
54. Don't let the commercial use bother you
Mon Dec 7, 2020, 04:06 PM
Dec 2020

I was glad when Stevie Wonders' "I Just Called to Say I love You" was ubiquitous in phone ads because at least the music made the ads bearable. A good song is a pleasure on its own and should be heard as often as possible. If we make them sacred, we lose some of the playfulness that they were meant to inspire in us.

tavernier

(12,322 posts)
57. Freddie Mercury said,
Mon Dec 7, 2020, 04:43 PM
Dec 2020

“My songs are like Bic razors, they’re for fun, for modern consumption. People can discard them like a used tissue afterwards. I don’t believe that I have a talent to write deep messages. As far as I’m concerned what I’ve written in the past is finished and done with. A few classics will always remain but I write them and leave them. I’m more interested in what I will write in the future.”

So his joy was in the actual work more than idolization of the product. And he did enjoy making money, so he had no problem selling his music to be used commercially.

Totally Tunsie

(10,885 posts)
60. In the meantime, I have a perpetual earworm
Mon Dec 7, 2020, 07:22 PM
Dec 2020

of Elton John's "Rocket Man" thanks to those horrid Rakuten ads. It's driving me a bit batty.

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