I wrote this in response to http://onphilosophy.wordpress.com/2006/12/04/the-ethics-of-file-sharing-2/

I want to pick up on this concept of wealthy patrons.

“Certainly a world without Mozart or Bach would be a poor world to live in. But wait, Mozart and Bach made their music without the support (or even existence) of any kind of record company! Like the painters and sculptors of their time, they were supported by wealthy patrons. I suppose that in this modern era it might be possible that such a system wouldn’t work, but our modern painters and sculptors seem to get along just fine (ok, well most of them have to supplement their income with other jobs, but they still are able to produce great art). So if the record companies collapsed I suspect that music would simply go back to being made in this way. That means that there would certainly be far fewer musicians than there are today, but quantity doesn’t always mean quality. Maybe we would only have one pop band. In fact I think that such a system might even encourage higher quality music, since the musicians would have to fight harder to get patrons.”

The reason the patronage system broke down is because wealthy patrons tend to be conservative in taste. New music and new art was not receiving official support and in some cases was actively suppressed. Artists who were creating unique paintings or unique musical compositions had to fight to get their work seen and heard. In the case of visual art, no one remembers the art of patron-supported artists but everyone has heard of the Impressionists (Monet, Manet, etc.).

The worst thing that could happen to art would be to go back to limiting art creation to a few mediocre artists who have official support. Jazz, Rock & Roll, Reggae, and Punk music were all new musical forms that were suppressed at one time. Conservative people with money tried to destroy these new musical forms. It was because artists were able to make money WITHOUT PATRONS that these forms survived and flourished while the officially supported music of their time has largely been forgotten.