First Impressions And Thoughts About 'The Man'

[Davo]

Greeny good point about being compelled to create music vs. the pursuit of fame and money. I feel like creating  music is  theraputic and  a needed  output for me.
 I have a friend who just dosent get it. He cant tune a guitar or sing in pitch, last spring he asked me if he could play an open mic with me, just 2 acoustics.  We play a couple  instrumentals I had  written and  he puts one leg up on a chair and begins thrusting with his hips mid song.  Afterwords I told  him we were probably done jamming together.

And the effect of the internet and digital recording have been profound...for much of history music was something reserved for those with money, or for the poor "folk" music.  There were no recordings, you only knew  the music those around you played.  Once a week or so, I discover a new  musician or band.  I can speak with fellow musicians here.  Its great.

[SteveB]

ALL - Thanks for the Thoughtful, Provocative, and Perceptive comments, hope more Members contribute. One point I will raise, and one that perhaps those on here may forget about because we take it so much for granted, and that it is about 95% of the World's population can't play a musical instrument (in all their manifestations), so we really are blessed by Our compulsion.

[Bosko Schwartz]

I like this new order. I like the idea that the fat cats cannot make money off the back of this way of delivering music. If music production and disemination fell back into the hands of the musicians and songwriters, it would not be a bad thing at all.

I like this new order too, Flash.

However, I do think that everyone here deserves more due than they receive just from the day-in, day-out encouragement via written prose by the members of this forum.  A LOT more.  I was thinking about this just the other day, and came up with this idea ... how cool would it for us ... or anyone ... to start a record label that EXCLUSIVELY promotes and distributes music from home-studio recording "novices" (I put that word in quotes, as we are in actuality in the presence of musical brilliance here on a daily basis)?  "Novices" such as everyone here in this forum, and everyone in any similar type of forum, and everyone in NO forum that none of us have ever heard, even though they very well could be the next Beatles?  A huge percentage of these talented songwriters and musicians are family-oriented (such as myself) and have chosen not to go on tour because of their familial (is that a word?) priorities and responsibilities.  So to keep in line with the integrity of the choices that these artists have made, there would be no requirement of this record label for the musicians to tour.  The label would promote in every other possible way, though, so as to generate as many record sales as possible, in an attempt to allow these artists to quit their "day-jobs" and solely make music for a living.  Not an excessive living, just a decent living.  Just enough to support one's self and/or one's family.  In harmony with Flash's comments, this proposed label would be the antithesis of the "fat cats" or "The Man," as it wouldn't be about greed or fame or world domination -- it would just be about the noble act of getting this incredible music distributed to the world for all to hear.  Also, in this hypothetical situation, there could still be tours for those willing to partake, so don't think I am leaving out live performances altogether.

I don't know about anyone else, but how ridiculously f-ing cool would it to make a living just by sitting in your little studio each day, doing the thing that we already LOVE to do and that many here, such as Greeny/Jemmima's Kite, indierik, Osckilo, TomH86, Ferryman, Geir, Bluesberry, Frank -- just to name a few in particular that I personally love (and many more that I can't think of at the moment or have yet to hear) -- are so incredibly good at?

A similar idea jumped into my head, somewhat related ... what if there were such a thing as BOSS RECORDS?  Boss themselves would have a label similar to the one I described above, but it would be exclusive to artists who only use Boss recorders ... just an idea, BOSS, if you're listening ...

Anyone else's thoughts?

[SteveB]

BSZ - While sat here reading and agreeing with your post, I thought:

I decided long ago
That Mr Roland was The Boss
And decided to fulfil some dreams
By buying one of His machines.

[Davo]

Bosko interesting idea.  A home recording label, with perhaps a youtube channel, myspace page, spot on itunes etc would be cool.  I just dont know if you could make any money.  People are used to spending 99 cents on a recording.

[Flash Harry]

BSZ - While sat here reading and agreeing with your post, I thought:

I decided long ago
That Mr Roland was The Boss
And decided to fulfil some dreams
By buying one of His machines.

lol! very pithy.

[Bosko Schwartz]

Bosko interesting idea.  A home recording label, with perhaps a youtube channel, myspace page, spot on itunes etc would be cool.  I just dont know if you could make any money.  People are used to spending 99 cents on a recording.

I don't see why the artists on the label wouldn't make any money, as long as the label marketed and promoted as efficiently and widely as any other major or indie label does for their artists.  The big superstar groups make millions of dollars from record sales, ticket sales, and merchandise sales.  Smaller indie bands on reputable independent labels usually aren't millionaires, but many make an extremely good living.  I'm not even asking for that -- all I am asking for is to make a decent living.  Certainly, I'd make less money if I chose not to tour, and that's OK.  But tour or not, without a label or promotional company, one artist/band alone can't possibly do all of the necessary marketing and promotion that it takes to get music out there for enough people to know about it and want to buy it that they would be able to profit decently from the sales.  Hence this proposed/fantasy/dream record label.  As for the 99 cent thing, all songs on the label would be 99 cents per song and $9.99 per record, just like any other music on iTunes.  It's just a matter of getting the music to the people who will buy it.

When people think about making a living making music -- without the aid of a day-job -- they always think about one of two stereotypes: either millionaire rock stars living the dream life and mass stardom and fame, or they think about the dirt-poor "starving artist" living on someone's couch with 2 cents to his name.  Why can't there be some acceptable middle ground?  Or "middle-class" ground?  I say there CAN be!

[Ferryman]

Nicely put.

And tomorrow night there will hopefully be part of this online community meeting in a pub - which kind of joins the two things together. And I'll be trying to record the event on the BR to post back on this forum.

Pity I'll be driving though. It'll be a sober performance, lol.

Agree, nicely put. And several of us will be in the audience when Greeny is playing tomorrow night as he says. I'm really looking forward to meeting and hearing Greeny and meeting some other members.

I think we just need to keep what we are doing here and something will eventually blossom. Let's keep spurring each other on and build a positive environment for people to get good music made. For me, this is a lot of what punk was about - making music that expressed how you felt and not conforming to everyone else's norms about what you had to do to deliver it. Sadly even that ideal got perverted by The Man but it pops up from time to time now and again.

Cheers,

Nigel

[Ferryman]

When people think about making a living making music -- without the aid of a day-job -- they always think about one of two things: either millionaire rock stars living the dream life and mass stardom and fame, or they think about the dirt-poor "starving artist" living on someone's couch with 2 cents to his name.  Why can't there be some acceptable middle ground?  Or "middle-class" ground?  I say there CAN be!

Great post Bosko. You summed me up in a few words (the middle class label is just for me, add to that middle aged LOL), and you are right, in this Internet age it is possible. I just need more time to get some songs done. If only I didn;t spend so much time posting on this forum....

Cheers,

Nigel

[Bosko Schwartz]

When people think about making a living making music -- without the aid of a day-job -- they always think about one of two things: either millionaire rock stars living the dream life and mass stardom and fame, or they think about the dirt-poor "starving artist" living on someone's couch with 2 cents to his name.  Why can't there be some acceptable middle ground?  Or "middle-class" ground?  I say there CAN be!

Great post Bosko. You summed me up in a few words (the middle class label is just for me, add to that middle aged LOL), and you are right, in this Internet age it is possible. I just need more time to get some songs done. If only I didn;t spend so much time posting on this forum....

Cheers,

Nigel

Agreed, same here.  I should get off this site immediately.

I'm going to release my album soon, but without any marketing or promotion, sadly, I fear it will rot in cyberspace.  Oh, well, all we can do is try.

Can't wait to hear your album, Nigel!