Patronage is the act of giving an artist some kind of support be it funding, advertising or anything else that can help the artist, acts of patronage have existed for a long time, it played a big part in the Catholic Church not just with music but also paintings etc.
The following is a link to a website where anybody can perform can perform acts of patronage to artists they are fans of;
https://www.sellaband.com/
The advantages and disadvantages of patronage can vary especially when taking into account the time period it is used in. For example, the renaissance period would probably take kindly to a system of patronage as there wasn't as many ways of spreading news as there is today, and the benefits could be greater for the artist. For an artist to receive acts of patronage form the Church could lead to them having a much higher social status and provide a back bone for a sustainable career.
However, in more recent times, with qualifications etc. being key to success, an act of patronage could mean that people who have higher qualifications in the same subject could lose out, i think it could also be bad for people who have original ideas. For example, if a conservative government were in power and used patronage to help artists then we might find the mainstream music becomes rather similar, which brings us back to the real world and raises the questions, does patronage work today? With things like the internet and social networking sites to help artists, and availability of music at an all time high, would patronage help enough to make a difference in an artists career?
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