In DENVER, June 1, 1996
The unanimous Declaration of Musical Independence,
When in the Course of human activity, it becomes necessary
for one group of artists to dissolve the political and economic
restraints placed upon them in a given commercial enterprise, and to
assume among the powers of the Market, the separate and equal station
to which the Laws of Personal Creativity entitle them, a decent
respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare
the causes which impel them to the separation.---------------We hold
these truths to be self-evident, that all musicians are created equal,
that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Melody,
Clarity, the Pursuit of Non-Tertiary Harmony, and Odd Numbered Time
Signatures.---------------That whenever any system of commercial
distribution becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of
The Players to alter or to establish new forms of Expression and
Market Placement, and to institute new ideals of What Is Good In
Music, and to create, express, and promote such sonic forms in
whatever public and private venues allow musical performance. When a
long train of abuses and dictations upon individual musicians and
artists as to what is proper and acceptable musical expression
insisted upon them by non-musical lawyers, business and record company
executives, as well as audiences stuck in a rut, it is their right, it
is their duty, to
throw off such record label profit motive shackles, to provide
new Guards for their future freedom of expression.---------------
Such has been the patient sufference of these musicians, university trained as
well as self-taught musicians; and such is now the necessity which
constrains them to alter their former System of Artistic Priority.
To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.---------------
We have been forced to play in four-four time eternally.----------
We have been unable to modify our tempo during any one number
except for the last four bars.---------- We have been made to adhere
exclusively to the Major and Minor modes, Pentatonic, and Blues scales
in composition.----------We have been made to delete any instrumental
solos longer than fifteen seconds in duration, especially those that
are actually improvised.----------Physically plain or blantantly
unattractive persons have been excluded from or discouraged from
pursuing public display of their talents.----------We have been
kept from performing and conceiving musical forms longer than three
and a half minutes or shorter than two and one half minutes.----------
We have been expected to dance or provide unnatural body
movements while simultaneously playing our instrument or singing.---------- We have been expected
to spend money which we haven't even made yet on Music Videos which
we are then expected to give away for free to highly profitable
Network Television.---------- We therefore, representative
of Musicians of Denver, union and non-union, affiliated and
non-affiliated, signed and unsigned artists, performing and closet
musicians, appealing to the Supreme Muses of Melody, Harmony, and
Rhythm, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good and appreciative
audiences of Denver, solemnly publish and declare, That these composers,
players, and listeners ought to be Free and Independent Thinkers,
that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to Commercial Consideration
and Profit Motive, and that all political and intellectual restraints
upon them be severed, is and ought to be totally disolved; and that
as Free and Independent Thinkers and Truly Creative Artists,
inclusive of all regardless of style, exclusive to none, they
have full power to play music as their hearts, brains, and minds
instruct them to.