Capitalism Doesn't Produce Great Art | (Ep. 174)

As a conservative artist who's been working in the mainstream since 2007, Nate has an artistic opinion that's going to get conservative folks angry: Capitalism doesn't produce great art. Lest you join this commenter who said "this take is so dumb it got me to engage, brilliant", if you care about this topic, you need to listen to the whole episode. Nate's argument is that the incentives of capitalism reward the MOST entertainment, for the MOST people, for the MOST money. But actual greatness of art? That's not a problem that capitalism is solving for. Capitalism is a Delta stewardess serving cheese cubes to the Delta Sky Club Diamond members. It'll get you the most cheese cubes at the lowest price, but it's not not gonna get a steak. Instead, Nate argues for a return of patronage. Cathedrals, requiems, masses, paintings, statuary -- it's all been the result of patronage. Brian objects. Nate qualifies. The truth is that when streaming is king, an uncompromising demand for excellence and improvement only eats into your profit, because a creator's profit is capped by the streaming service. How do you resist the allure of cold hard cash if you're a creator? Better make sure you have principles you can hold on to beyond the desire for money.