Pop Patience

I read with great interest Robert Hilburn’s Perspective (“Fans Move On but Miss Out,” May 13). Being a huge fan of artists who have been around 10 to 30 years, it was a topic I could identify with.

Over the years, I’ve followed Carly Simon from Elektra to Warner Bros. to Epic to Arista to ... wherever! With John Hiatt, I’ve gone from Geffen to A&M; to Capitol to Vanguard. Then there’s Aimee Mann. I’ve seen her bounce around from Epic to Imago to Geffen to SuperEgo. And I don’t mind--as long as they keep putting out records, I’ll keep buying them!

But what about those artists whose labels won’t put out their releases? Maybe one reason fans aren’t following artists past a release or two is because the labels also seem to be backing their artists for only that long!

JEF FAZEKAS

Newport Beach

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Part of the reason that “fans who move on miss potent work” is that now the artists like Beck, Radiohead, Lauryn Hill, Alanis Morissette and Pearl Jam can expect to make a career of performing.

They may not sell as much as they did when they were younger, but the expectation is that they can continue to perform into their 30s, 40s and beyond. That’s something that I don’t think Neil Young or Bob Dylan (or anyone getting into rock before, say, 1970) could assume. And that’s why when bands like Pearl Jam get “written off” by their record company, they can continue to perform for their fans for many, many years to come.

When is the next Grateful Dead show, anyway?

BOB SCHLESINGER

San Diego

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Hilburn mentioned the quick success and decline of Hootie & the Blowfish. To me, this band is phenomenal. Good thing I live in South Carolina--the chance of running into them in a local bar or on the street is quite good.

Maybe bands like Hootie & the Blowfish will never know the success of having long-term fame and fortune, but I guarantee that their hard work and dedication to what they do is the true success.

ANITA M. HOLLY

Gaffney, S.C.