Seems to me that the sheer number of poster artists wanting gigs has grown to the point where we're inadvertently stepping on each other's toes in order to avoid getting left out...something that didn't used to happen when there were less artists and plenty of gigs to go around. A lot of folks, me included, have had a comfortable system in place for years that went largely unintruded upon. I'm admittedly a little spoiled, and it's difficult at times to accept that things have changed, and that I have to work harder to compete for the gigs that I want badly- especially those that used to be automatic. But that's the way things are- and like it or not, (ironically) I've contributed to the current state of things by simply trying to put out my best work and (hopefully) making the genre more appealing to younger artists- some of whom may someday replace me.
It's nothing more than the natural progression of things really. I love it when I get included in a poster series, and feel a bit rejected when I don't. That's just human nature. But it does inspire me to work harder to set up my own deals and not wait around for someone to throw me a bone. That's what free enterprise is based on, so it's hard to knock anyone for finding a way to do it better, even if I'm not a part of it. Having said that, I also understand the frustration that some have expressed, because I feel it regularly. So what do you do, except roll with it and try to make it work for you. You can't stop progress.
The smart people have known for years it would come to this, and have made deliberate efforts to parlay the rock poster thing into bigger & better work that is not subject to the same rules & limitations. Tidwell comes to mind, as does Eleanor and Ferg. Frank is the most obvious example. Everyone likes to be influenced by him to get into poster art, but few seem to be paying attention to his example of using posters as a springboard to something more permanent.
For the most part, I agree with the quote below. A lot of artists seem to think that the music industry owes them something. Time to wake up, yo.





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