Wednesday, November 14, 2007

a model for the ethical conduct of a small business

in the event that there is enthusiasm expressed by readers wishing to know more about robert fripp and his music. dgm live is the portal through which it is possible to access and purchase current and archived material by both robert and his band king crimson. the site also provides free downloads of current and archived materials ranging from full concerts of robert's music to "found" pieces dating back over thirty years. files are provided as either mp3 or flac downloads. artwork commonly accompanies the downloads.

go here:
dgm live

dgm live is an extraordinary company. it provides a real and functional model through which it makes a statement about how it is possible to operate within the terms of the marketplace while not being restricted by those terms. the courage and hardwork of the participants and players of music is evident in their commitment and also in the very depth of endeavour embodied in the articulation of their process through the journal of robert fripp himself which is also freely available on the site.

for providers of small scale services or businesses wishing to embrace a model that is ethically accountable dgm provides a degree of clarity by offering the following which is freely available (and with much greater detail) on the dgm site.

DGM Business Aims

May we trust the inexpressible benevolence of the creative impulse.

The first aim of DGM is to help bring music into the world which would otherwise be unlikely to do so, or under conditions prejudicial to the music and / or musicians.

The second aim of DGM is to operate in the market place, while being free of the values of the market place.

The third aim of DGM is to help the artists and staff of DGM achieve what they wish for themselves.

The fourth aim of DGM is to find its audience.

The fifth aim of DGM is to be a model of ethical business in an industry founded on exploitation, oiled by deceit, riven with theft and fueled by greed.

If a small company, which aims to be true, can succeed in the music industry there is hope for others. We each support each other without necessarily seeing or knowing how this might be, or when it occurs. But on the level where things are true, this is true.

Any business will be successful if it provides its customers with either what they want or what they need. If the public needs what it wants, or wants what it needs, the business will be very successful. In this sense public taste can redirect and reconstitute our business culture. There is hope in this.

The formal view of Crimson Music and DGM is that business practices, although widespread and "common practice", which seek to deprive the creative element of its authority, and artists of the benefit of their work, are short-sighted and immoral.

Any culture whose artists are directed or controlled by commercial interests is in mortal danger. Any artist directed or controlled by commercial interests is in mortal danger. Any artist willingly directed or controlled by commercial interests is not to be trusted.

The history of the music industry is a history of exploitation and theft.

The Ethical Company

Recognisable features of the ethical company involve these attributes:

transparency,

straightforwardness,

accountability,

owning-up,

honesty,

fairness,

common decency,

distributive justice.

Recognisable features of a company whose base is ethically challenged are these:

dissembling,

use of threats,

unkindness to employees,

a widespread use of gagging orders,

an inequitable distribution of company income.

A company which:

would rather conduct its business verbally (particularly with regard to disputed issues) instead of committing its views to writing;

commonly resorts to litigation, or employs the frequent threat of such; employs gagging clauses as standard policy;

pays its directors highly disproportionate sums in comparison with its employees;

is suspect and should be avoided wherever possible.

It is a sad commentary on current business and public life that this needs to be written or debated.

transparency + straightforwardness = honesty

accountability + owning-up = responsibility

distributive justice + fairness = equity

common decency = goodwill

The Four Pillars of The Ethical Company

Honesty

Responsibility

Equity

Goodwill

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