Free markets mean free minds

Re “Is This the End of the Party?” [Dec. 30]: In my work of producing, promoting and managing artists, I have been a strong advocate of more freedom in our society for over 25 years. I have always known that regulations, and the bureaucracies that create them, stifle commerce -- and worse, make it very difficult to compete against large corporations and chain stores.

For many years now, artists have stood for socialistic management. They stand for a Trojan horse. In reality, the upsurge in art movements and entrepreneurial activity is now happening in places like Prague as well as the decayed downtowns in the U.S. For many years, it was easy to hide activities downtown because the regulators were not watching. As we can now see, things change.

I urge all artists to stand for free minds and, just as importantly, free markets.

Sam Lanni

Los Angeles

Sam Lanni is the owner of Safari Sam’s Sunset Stage, opening in March.