Music: Entitlement,
Possession, & The Gift
Sunday’s
Gospel in mass got me thinking a bit about music as a gift. For those of you
who didn’t attend mass, or may not be Catholic, don’t worry. I wont be diving
too much into scripture. I would start, however, with a small summary. Matthew
25:14-30 (the talent parable) basically describes a situation where a master
grants three servants various “talents”. The first receives five, the second
two, and the third one. In short, the first two servants double their gifts
after delving into some trade, and the third servant keeps his only “talent”
and buries it in the dirt. When it’s time for the “reaping of talents”, the
first two are rewarded and the second is essentially thrown into Hell….because
punishments back then were really harsh.
I
have been playing music in some form or fashion for 19 years now, 10 of them
professionally, and have had the great pleasure of performing with people and
personalities as various as the genres in which we played. I want to talk,
first, about entitlement. Entitlement in music, for my intent and purpose, will
refer to the “right” which an artist may assign to his/her craft by merit of it
being “earned” and “deserved”. I want to disclaim any potential misunderstandings
here before I move forward. I am not advocating that an artist’s craft is not
of his or her own countenance and person, or that it shouldn’t belong to them
in a legal sense. What I am saying is that, while you may have been given the
gift to be able to compose, perform, arrange, and create music, you have not
been given the “right” to it. Hard work may have created the opportunity for
it, the law may say you own it, and it may have your name on it, but you have
not been given a gift so profound to you to say anything but “Thank You” to the
one who has given you that gift, and also to however many people adore it. You
would have nothing if the gift had not been given to you, and you would have
nothing (speaking specifically about music) if you did not have anyone to share
in it with (like an audience, or a band member). The master in the parable did
not give his servant “talents” because they deserved them. Further, the
servants did not embark on any campaigns where they cited the “talents” as
being earned by their own actions. Instead, the two servants were successful
because they bartered gifts that they proclaimed WERE GIFTS. My thoughts on entitlement intertwine
deeply with my next two points, so let’s talk about possession in music and
also about the gift itself.
Do
not possess your gift. Did you ever have those friends growing up where if a
guy and a girl were dating and one of them, let’s say the girl, wanted to go
out one Saturday night with her girlfriends, she had to check with her
boyfriend first? By the same token, did you ever know a kid growing up whose
parents wouldn’t let them go out and have fun because they could get hurt? I
see artists cling to their work for dear life. That’s not always a problem, but
when you let that interfere with the art’s ability to grow and influence
people, then I take issue with it. The successful servants in the parable did
not let their “talents” lay dormant for fear of them being tarnished or stolen,
or because they wanted the gifts for themselves. Instead they proclaimed that
their master has blessed them and dignified them with beautiful purpose: to
share the gifts that they have been given, and allow the gifts to reach as many
people as possible. I have been blessed to be able to create and compose music
that I would call beautiful, but I have paid my bills by helping other artists
perform theirs. In order to be successful, I have had to go up to big important
people, introduce myself without shame, and ask them if I can play music with
them. My encounters are a lot more tasteful than I make it sound, but
basically, that is how I have had to do it. While I believe in the adage of
“being in the right place, at the right time”, I don’t believe that it is a
practical method for musicians who want to support themselves. Rather, you need
to make opportunities for yourself. On the whole, I have been very successful
in my appeals to artists and employers. I meet many of them who are willing to
take a beautiful risk on me, and it has always paid off. More importantly, they
have almost always resulted in great working friend relationships. The times
where it hasn’t worked out have been less dignified. There have been times when
my appeals have been returned with nothing, which is somehow worse than “No”. Realistically,
I cannot expect every artist to be open to what I have to offer him or her
musically. Further, I cannot always expect that when I make an appeal, it will
be the right time for it. What we should expect from every artist as his or her
supporters, however, is that they are open to allowing their gifts to grow and
be shared. We are not given gifts so that we can bury them and have them for
ourselves, but instead we should be responsible with them by taking risks in
sharing them.
As
artists, you have not been given rewards or prizes. You have been given gifts.
Behold the gift, take risks with the gift, do not possess the gift, receive the
gift, and be responsible with the gift. You are not entitled to anything, not
least of all in a ministry position. We don’t need more celebrities, we need
more charities. We are a culture thirsting for things that are just beautiful
and selfless, but beautiful because they are selfless. If you have a gift,
always be the first to proclaim it to all saying, “Behold, the master has
granted me a beautiful gift, come a share in them with me so that, together, we
may see it grow.”
