Survival is the optimal thing.

Not only am I a huge fan of The Smashing Pumpkins, but I am also a fan of Billy Corgan's outlook on and willingness to talk about the industry of creating and marketing pop music. Most musicians either don't have a deep outlook on their own industry or are unwilling to talk about it with fear of destroying whatever image they've created for their audience to view them by. Once it becomes about money the beauty of it is tainted, so many artists choose not to reveal that side of their craft.

In the very beginning of this interview, the dj asks Billy what he thinks about newer bands licensing their music to sell Jettas and Kodak film. Billy makes and important response which is that records don't sell anymore and without that source of income "survival is the optimal thing."

How do bands make records? How do they get that first source of income that allows them to go on tour? How does it reach the next level and become a career without that once very essential source of income?

It is pretty obvious that their is no slowing down in the creation of albums. In fact, their are more albums reaching the public consciousness than ever since bands no longer rely on the budget of a major label to record, release and promote a record. But, very few bands are able to turn this new DIY model into a profit and hence, can't quit their jobs and go on tour without maintaining a lifestyle of borderline homelessness or a financially supportive girlfriend/family.

So, what the hell can we all do? Do we purposely create music in hopes of hawking it to major manufacturers and retailers or do we just give up on the idea of ever being financially rewarded for our creative endeavors?

I think a lot about music in the days before their was a physical commodity to sell (e.g. records, tapes, cds, tee-shirts). There were a handful of genius composers who were given money by the local government to compose music, but most people's lives didn't have the possibility of seeing a creative endeavor realized. Depending on where in the world you were many people were too poor to even focus on something as trivial as art. They were just trying to survive.

It will never be quite like those times again, but maybe we can get back to a point where we just create without the hope of financial gain and not have to worry about whether the rest of the world knows what we are doing in the privacy of our hometowns.