The late 1960’s and 1970’s saw a host of non-profits created for the arts, especially music. In schools, especially in the inner cities, they started creating expressive arts programs, followed by the government writing the guidelines on what should be in an expressive arts program. Schools started receiving funds to have full bands, choirs, orchestras and jazz bands.

The trick was to find out what they allow musical institutions to do and what not to do. Music programs taught the students how to play an instrument but they didn’t teach them about the music business. The career track during this time was for most kids to become low-paid music teachers instead of artists that had clout.

By using this method, the government could monitor and secretly censor programs that didn’t fit in with funding guidelines. In other words, the government defined what is to be funded and what’s not to be funded!

But artists didn’t care. They saw this as easy money to do what they wanted to do. Most artists only went as far as having an impact in the community and that’s it.

But as Rick James says, when you’re standing on the top, there’s really no place to go but down. The 1980’s would signal the beginning of the end of the “gravy days” when the government and the Fine Arts community secretly would meet for midnight passion under the deception of a love affair that would last forever!