“Sadly, these days, it’s really a matter of ‘every man for himself.’ In terms of possibilities, we are but an echo of what we once were. Of course, the artist does not want to ‘sell out to The Man.’ Left with no real choice except that business model of greed and the bean counting mentality that Reagan propagated and the country embraced, there is only ‘The Man’ to deal with. There is no street for the music to rise up from. There is no time for the music to develop in a natural way that we can all embrace when it ripens and matures. That’s why the general public doesn’t really care. It’s not that the people don’t still love music; of course they do. It’s just the way it is presented to them that ignores their humanity.”

– John Mellencamp, of all people. (via)