It depends on why they’re being a musician in the first place. For those who are trying to get fans, then it makes sense to not alienate them. But for those who are doing it for themselves, screw fans. However, most of the big bands – ones that play in concerts and put out lots of albums and are known beyond their local community – are trying actively to get fans, and aren’t just doing it for themselves.

Musicians, like anyone in any profession, can do whatever they want. No one really has any responsibility towards anyone else. The fans truly have no power over them. If they want to serve the fans they will serve them through their own interests in serving their fans.

I think honesty in music is the most important thing, so if they have evolved as musicians, their music should evolve too. But at the same time, they should have respect for their fans as well, I’m thinking of artists who once made good honest music, but on getting a taste of fame sold their souls to become the next queen or king of pop, like Gwen Stefani (you may not agree). So both really, they have a responsibility to themselves and their fans, but I think the responsibility to themselves wins.

They have a responsibilty to themselves,not their fans.

Um, I’m the one writing the music. Don’t like it? Get F***ed!

I really don’t have that problem since I have no fans.

It seems to me that it depends why the musician is a musician. If they are in it for the fame and the bucks, then they have to pay attention to pleasing the fan base.

If they are in it for the music, then what the fans think really doesn’t matter.

There’s no musician that can’t also create music just for themselves – if they want to go in a different direction, they definitely can while still writing what fans want. I don’t think the musicians have a responsibility to the fans, or the fans to the musicians, but they do have a relationship, and either telling the other to fuck off generally doesn’t go over well (like in all other relationships.) But no one is stopping Smashing Pumpkins from writing whatever the hell they want for their own personal consumption – it’s when they decide to put the time and energy into formatting it into an album for mass release that the problem occurs.

I totally believe this: the fans come first. After all, its the fans that go to their concerts and buy their music.

A good example is country music. It was going nowhere and rock and roll music was also fading. Country music crossed the tracks into rock and roll and now you have todays music.

The fans probably did not like this movement of country music and the artists. What choice did they have?

Were the artists only thinking of themselves and their livlihood? I think so.

The money comes from the fans and any straight-thinking artist should realize this.

Cut the fans and you cut your own throat.

I think the fans are when the problem occurs. Before the musicians are popular, e.g. actually profiting by making / performing Their creations, it’s all written in what their mind is what they think is cool, neat, awesome, whatever. When they become successful is when the fans actually matter, but that doesn’t mean the fans have any authority in how the performers music is to be written. The fact of the matter is, when the musician was starving, they were just playing what they enjoyed and people liked it. Why is it that when there is money involved this changes?

I’ll play music for the rest of my life. If you like it, alright, if you don’t, alright. Either direction isn’t going to effect how I am going to write my music, so why should I have to bow down to the people that hear it?

Do people that paint tear up their art work because it wasn’t liked by the public?

I think an artist should stay true to his art, musicians included. The fans should be a secondary thing- if the artist is truely making great music he/she will have a fan base regardless.

If you’re an artist, work for yourself. If you’re a businessman however, then by all means, suck cock.

Many musicians have a responsibility to their producer and recording contract. I know of many rock guitar players who are brilliant jazz and classical guitarists yet you will never see of hear an album of that music as it won’t sell the million plus copies their label expects them to sell.

@Cruiser That’s what is so sad about it.. Musicians should be able to play what they like, not what is going to make them money.