I read in another thread  that "Progreesive Rock is not a genre and it does not have rules" yet lets face it without rules set by the record company in the first place I doubt that the music would get out there to the masses.

What do you think should bands comprimise their exposure by doing what they like or should they agree to following the rules though limiting their freedom of expression to sell more CD`s and reach more people? 

Yes!!!!

Prog Rulez!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rule 1. No Pop.

Rule 2. No non-prog.

Rule 3. It must ROCK, on the whole.

Rule 4. Acknowledge and show you understand the existing rules of other forms before breaking them. No rules = chaos != Prog.

Rule 5. An act may only be prog by consensus of the prog-buying public. If there's no consensus, then it may well be prog, but it isn't recognised as such, so try not to play prog if you started out in a different genre or you'll have a hard time, even though prog isn't a genre, it's an attitude. Note: This rule can override any other rule.

Rule 6. NO hair-swirling.

Rule 7. Be pretentious.

Rule 8. You can be as regressive as you like - as long as it kinda sounds prog to a lot of people, then it's prog - see rule 5.

Rule 9. Do not, under any circumstances release a single or a video - that would be, like, selling out, man.

Rule 10. If more than 50% of your output isn't prog, then you can't be prog, unless referring to rule 5, in which case you can be prog, with the exception of rule 6, in which case you can't, even if you are.

Rule 11. Anything I've forgotten.

Certif1ed wrote: Rule 9. Do not, under any circumstances release a single or a video - that would be, like, selling out, man.

Marillion?

Oh, well...

Of course prog does NOT need rules ! How can prog progresses by sticking to the same old rules? Unforunately, prog isn't as progressive anymore lik in the early seventies, just because many new bands follow the 'rules' they heard from the great pioneers. Porcupine Tree and The Mars Volta are a fresh stream o 'progressiveness'!

Not rules, but guidelines....

Everything has rules, even art has some basic rules, we can bend them, change them ignore some of them, mix them but rules exist everywhere.

You can't play piano if you don't know the notes (If you only play be ear you'll never reach higher standarts).

1. If you don't learn from the classical musicians you can't write Symphonic music.
2. If you don't understand the basics of Jazz you can play fusion.
3. If you don't know the musical history of a determined country or ethnic group, you can't create original but accurate prog/folk.

So it's absurd to say there are no rules, you know where there are no rules? in the cheapest form of music, for example, Boys/Girls bands don't follow rules, they just sing music created for them by others or hits created by musicians who reached the top 40's, that's playing (or singing to be precise) with no rules.

And if you check sub-genres of Prog, most of them have well  defined structures.

Iván