Host: Do you want to tell us a little bit about the, I guess, because I read somewhere that you were talking about the new more compelling institutions that are, sort of, undermining the old infrastructures of corporate labels or corporate radio stations.
Moby: Well, when there was a period from many, many years, the only viable way that musicians had to reach an audience was to sign with a major label and go through really big radio stations and now with the Internet, people can communicate, musicians can communicate much more directly with fans and in turn, fans can communicate more directly with musicians and I think that's really healthy and I still think there is a role for record companies and for radio but I love the fact that, you know, If I write a piece of music, I can put it up online and ten minutes later people are telling me what they think about it. So, I don't know if it seems a lot more egalitarian and empowering, in a way and the only downside is there is, sort of, this glut of information. You know, there is so much music out there and so much culture and it's like it can get overwhelming. You know, you could spend every minute of very day for the rest of your life just listening to music and you barely scratch the amount of music that's actually being released.
Host: I understand that you've made available, excessively available some of your music for film-makers. Well, how come?
Moby: Well, when I was at university, I was a Philosophy major but I went to a film school. I don't know how I ended up studying philosophy at a film school, it was called SUNY Purchase and I still have lot friends who are involved in a world of experimental film and independent film and there biggest complaint is always that licensing music is very difficult and very expensive. So, I started a website called mobygratis.com and it works pretty simply. People can go there. There are about 70 pieces of music up there and you can, if you are a film-maker, you can go up there and download the music and use it for free. So, it's basically just free music for indie film makers.
Host: Also from your Play album, every track was commercially licensed.
Moby: Sort of.
Host: Sort of? But as you became known as a really wanted re-mixer and then as you started doing other people's assignments, how did that differ from, like being when people put their desires and wishes into your hands, the hands of an expert versus, sort of, doing your masterpieces?
Moby: Well, I mean ultimately I get the most satisfaction just working on my own
music but I really enjoy working with other people because then you can see how they approach the creative process and I have worked with such a weird bunch of people, I mean, I have worked with Metallica and Britney Spears and i have worked with David Bowie and Lou Reid and Aerosmith and Brian Eno and the Beastie Boys and the Prodigy and Public Enemy and I have worked with so many different people and it's just, I have even, you know, worked with Micheal Jackson and just worked with such a bizarre group of people and it's great because then you can see everybody approaches the creative process differently and whenever I work with other people, it does sort of make me just want to go back home and work on my own music.
Host: When Play got, well when it got picked up after it's 99 release, it's 1999 release, what did that tell you about the music industry because you got put out of a lot of records before that and this one kind of hit home?
Moby: Well the album I made before Play was called Animal Rights and that was this really dark obscure punk rock record and it was, my record label and my manager, basically referred to it as my career killing album because it's a really difficult record and very few people liked it. Of course it's my favorite record of all the ones I have made. So when Play came out, no one expected it to be successful. I certainly did not expected it to be successful and I do not know, it just was confusing because in my mind, I have always seen myself as being a very weird sort of obscure underground musician. So whenever I have had anything, any sort of success, it just confuse me because I never thought I have a record contract, I never thought I would have any success. I really thought that I would spend my entire adult life making music in my bedroom that no one would ever listen to and so it's bizarre when you perceive yourself to be an outsider artist and you end up actually being a weird, sort of, main stream artist. I don't think I make main stream music, per se, but I am sometimes very confused at how I ended up here.
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