Pixies' Frank Black sees a $5 world

In an interesting interview with NME, veteran musician and Pixies frontman Frank Black talked a little about his current impressions as a touring musician and why touring is far more more beneficial to a band's success than putting out an album:

The rendezvous point between the patron and the artist has been moved from a record shop or online...to live shows. People are excited about live personal appearances. That's a great thing for live music. But now everyone is on the road. So there's a lot of competition for your dollars.

I think what has to happen is everyone has to get used to making less money and have to charge less money. Everything's got to get cut down to more of a five-dollar world. People will say, 'Oh yeah, I'll pay five bucks to see that or for a T-shirt or a record.'

I realize to some people I may sound like a hypocrite because the Pixies are getting ready to release a box set. I think the limited edition version retails for $450. But that art already exists - the demand for that particular product has been researched by the people putting it out. If people don't buy it, we'll all be fools.

I think everyone should sell whatever product they want to sell for whatever price they want to sell it for, but ultimately the market will dictate what it is and people will have to charge less money for everything. Record companies have been overcharging people for way too long and now this is the trouble that they're in. They created this situation because they were just a little too greedy,

As reported earlier, the Minotaur box set is due out June 15, 2009.