Collecting the Creative Class

MY recent stories on the struggles of the creative class have hit some people hard -- I've gotten more emotional responses from these, I think, than anything I've written in two decades as a cultural journalist. 


(Due to the mean-spirited, anonymous nature of Internet culture, I've also gotten nastier comments than I expected, along with some smaller doses of smart, reasonable criticism.)


In roughest terms, my stories take different angles to look at the same problem -- the decimation of the creative class, which includes artists of all kinds as well as the people who distribute and assess their work -- in recent years due to digital technology, the recession and changing values.


In any case, as I dig deeper into the issue, I wanted to make all of these pieces available to interested readers. Here's the series, so far, in total.

The creative class is a lie

The dream of a laptop-powered "knowledge class" is dead. The media is melting. Blame the economy -- and the Web

http://www.salon.com/2011/10/01/creative_class_is_a_lie/singleton/

Why “branding” won’t save the creative class

Freelance work -- and a strong "brand" -- will never beat a job. Free agency's nice -- but so is health insurance

http://www.salon.com/2011/10/13/why_branding_wont_save_the_creative_class/singleton/

Does culture really want to be free?

Are new media companies "digital parasites"? The author of "Free Ride" tells Salon piracy is killing art

http://www.salon.com/2011/11/01/does_culture_really_want_to_be_free/singleton/

The clerk, RIP

The clerk has been killed by the economy, Netflix, iTunes and Amazon. Computers might want your creative job next

http://www.salon.com/2011/12/18/the_clerk_rip/singleton/

The architecture meltdown

One of the coolest creative-class careers has cratered with the economy. Where does architecture go from here?

http://www.salon.com/2012/02/04/the_architecture_meltdown/singleton/

No Sympathy for the Creative Class

Taxpayers bail out Wall Street and Detroit. But there's no help, or Springsteen anthem, for struggling creatives

http://www.salon.com/2012/04/22/no_sympathy_for_the_creative_class/singleton/




Steal This Album:
What happens if no one pays for music?


http://www.salon.com/2012/06/20/steal_this_album_what_happens_if_no_one_pays_for_music/

My Studio 360 appearance: 

All of my Salon pieces: