Stop trying to treat music like it's a tennis shoe, something to be branded. If the music industry wants to save money, they should take a look at some of their six-figure executive expense accounts. All those lawsuits can't be cheap, either.
Interpretation
Music should be valued for its artistic expression, not commercialized like merchandise.
Jeff Tweedy's quote critiques the commercialization of music, urging for a deeper appreciation of the artistry involved rather than viewing it merely as a product. He highlights the financial mismanagement within the music industry, suggesting that prioritizing genuine musical value over branding and excessive executive spending would serve the industry better.
In practice
In a speech about the importance of music education, one might quote this to emphasize authentic art over commercial interests.
You obviously don't really forget how to play the old songs; you just don't have to spend so much time convincing yourself that you remember them. Way less mental energy is spent swimming around in lyrics you've already written and chords you've already played.
Treating your audience like thieves is absurd. Anyone who chooses to listen to our music becomes a collaborator.
...few young poets [are] testing their poems against the ear. They're writing for the page, and the page, let me tell you, is a cold bed.
I write as if to save somebody’s life. Probably my own. Life is a kind of madness that death makes. Long live the dead because we live in them.
The essential is to excite the spectators. If that means playing Hamlet on a flying trapeze or in an aquarium, you do it.
Poetry must be human. If it is not human, it is not poetry.
Self-portraiture is something one should never get involved in, since it is wrong to lie even though one endeavours to tell the truth.
We used the Western style to express our own themes and stories. But don't forget that our heritage includes The Thousand and One Nights.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.