No slogan grinds my gears more than "Do it for the culture". This is usually spouted out by artist who either have no budget, no business sense or both. For those of you who are a little confused with what that saying means allow me to explain. "Do it for the culture" basically means that a person, group or company shouldn't charge a high fee or a fee at all for their services because they should do it from the heart and for the love of the culture. (Takes deep sigh) Okay, so here's why that's bullshit!
The funniest thing about this slogan is that it's never said back to artist which I think would add perspective to how dumb that statement really is. If an artist was to get everything they need for free to create their project and merch so they could sell and a potential customer tells them to "do it for the culture" so they didn't have to pay or get a reduced price 9 times out of 10 that artist would be pissed and lose their mind... So now do you understand how it feels?
What people sometimes forget is that this is still a business at the end of the day. Regardless of how much we might love the music that's being put out we are still conducting business and I feel it's only right that we get compensated for our hard work and services. To say that a person doesn't need to charge for their work is really the most disrespectful thing to say to them. You're basically saying "Hey I want your services but only for free if I have to pay then its gonna be a no". Idk about you but slavery was abolished in 1853 so the idea of doing free work is a dub.
Being an artist I can see things from various different perspectives which is very good to do. I feel like a person should be paid for their work, research etc but I also don't feel like depending on the service that someone offers should have them go into the negative to pay for it. Showcases take time, energy and resources to make happen so should someone pay a fee to perform YES but should they be spending $300 and up to do it? No, not unless they're opening up for a huge name or something of that nature. Proper research and due diligence can tell you who to work with and who to kind of be suspicious of so from there it shouldn't be an issue of paying that fee because you understand the value in their brand and services.
In closing, The same hard work and sweat you put into your music is the same hard work and sweat a person puts into their radio show, TV show, showcases/events etc you get the point. They're here to give you the best possible platform for you so you can ascend to the next level so don't disrespect them by saying their services isn't worthy to be paid for. I guess people are gonna feel like they shouldn't have to pay managers, publicists and public relations next huh? Something to think about.
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