First Impressions And Thoughts About 'The Man'

[Bosko Schwartz]

This topic actually has been beaten to death, with zero results, unfortunately.  I thought you may have chimed in on this already, but I could be mistaken ...

I will go have a listen to your tunes in the 900 room ASAP ...

[SteveB]

This topic actually has been beaten to death, with zero results, unfortunately.  I thought you may have chimed in on this already, but I could be mistaken ...

BSZ - Not mistaken at all, I did post, and realise now that I did not fully comprehend the scale of the problem, and so having dipped my toe into all of the MP3 boards (not very deep it must be said), I see that my previous opinion was wrong. Somehow the other BR recorders (outside the Micro), need to be included in a larger listening pool, and one than would benefit ALL those submitting recorded work. I have suggested merging all the other MP3 offerings apart from the Micro into one thread, (If only on a pro-tem basis), to see if that works, if not, then perhaps a full-merger is the only way. My reservation on this would be the submerging of the other recorders under pages of Micro uploads, which unless somone went searching for them, may never get a viewing at all, (not likely I admit, but possible). Anyway, that's my current view, and I really don't think I'll be changing it too fundementally in the future. The work on the other recorders, really do need a wider audience.

[Bosko Schwartz]

My reservation on this would be the submerging of the other recorders under pages of Micro uploads, which unless someone went searching for them, may never get a viewing at all.

This, my friend, is the only reason I have not made even more of a stink about this topic than I already have.  Truth be told, there really isn't anything wrong with the site the way it is set up now.  And this is coming from the guy who suggested merging all boards into just three sub-headings: Originals/Covers/Collaborations.  You see, the problem is not the way the forum is set up now; it is with the users of the forum, all of whom automatically migrate to the MBR board because that's where all the "action" is.  I have admitted that even I do it myself, all the time.  And that is wrong of me as a strictly BR-1600 user.  It is the job of everyone here to migrate to the other boards and keep the comments coming.  I probably shouldn't even complain, as a couple of my posts have over 50 replies, but I still can't help feeling like a bit of a second-class citizen since I don't own – of all things – a Micro BR.  But the site was just recently converted from exclusively Micro to all-Boss, so perhaps we just need to give it more time.

I did post, and realise now that I did not fully comprehend the scale of the problem, and so having dipped my toe into all of the MP3 boards (not very deep it must be said), I see that my previous opinion was wrong. Somehow the other BR recorders (outside the Micro), need to be included in a larger listening pool, and one that would benefit ALL those submitting recorded work. I have suggested merging all the other MP3 offerings apart from the Micro into one thread, (If only on a pro-tem basis), to see if that works, if not, then perhaps a full-merger is the only way. My reservation on this would be the submerging of the other recorders under pages of Micro uploads, which unless someone went searching for them, may never get a viewing at all, (not likely I admit, but possible). Anyway, that's my current view, and I really don't think I'll be changing it too fundamentally in the future. The work on the other recorders really do need a wider audience.

I wholeheartedly agree with your final line ... now, try convincing 48 of this!

Go on, I dare you!   You know I love you, 48!

As an aside, we should probably discontinue this discussion, or at least transfer it to the original thread; otherwise, we could be in danger of starting a dreaded THIRD thread about this very topic, and that would just be absurd!

[SteveB]

BSZ - Ok, I promise to leave the 'Thread Merger' debate to another place. 

I'm posting this under the 'First Impressions' part of the Thread title. And here's the confession: 'Where's the junk?'
I've now listened to at least one song in every MP3 thread, and I've yet to find a single song/composition that is truly awful. (I'll exlude my own offerings in the last sentence - that's for others to judge). In our Private lives we've all stopped a song etc half-way through at some point and said, Nah, that's not for me. On here, I'm going back and listening two and three times (And playing the tunes two & three times when I get there), astonished at some of the goodies on offer. I genuinely have my suspicions that some of the Posters on this Forum don't realise how much talent they have.
And so here's the nub of my annoyance: Just where are these record company A&R people who self-proclaim that they can smell talent at a 100-miles?? They should be fighting each other to get in the queue to talk to people on here (actually, I'm glad they ain't, but that's their fault). There's an apocryphal story from the 1960s, wherein Talent Scouts from record companies descended on the major towns in Northern England in the wake of the British music invasion of the United States, the towns of Newcastle, Manchester, and especially Liverpool bearing the brunt of these invasions. Apparently one guy in Liverpool who was taking his brother's guitar to a repair workshop was offered a contract on the spot, even after he pleaded with the A&R man that he couldn't play the guitar or sing! Sheesh. Some should be so lucky.
Another strategy that the big record companies used to employ (EMI, CBS, RCA etc), was to put out cut-price 'Sampler' albums, which would consist of say a dozen tracks by Artists signed to that particular Record Label (It would work out a probably at one or two tracks per artist), in order to get some audience exposure. I still have a couple of these vinyl offerings somewhere in a box - I'll dig 'em out sometime to see if there were any unknowns who went on to greater things?
Personally, I used to call these type of albums 'Nugget In My Vein' shots. (Er, if anyone wants to use that as a title, go right ahead).

What I'm saying is, is that this Forum is seeping talent from its seams there's so much, and yet from those supposedly who are able to home-in on anyone who can even tune a guitar properly, not a peep. I guess 'The Man' has got the chips stacked. 

[Saijinn Maas]

Saijinn is right -- I'm pretty sure TuneCore is legit!  How well they market is another question, but they can easily get your music to most digital sites for pretty cheap.

Have you heard of this one? CD BABY

[Bosko Schwartz]

And so here's the nub of my annoyance: Just where are these record company A&R people who self-proclaim that they can smell talent at a 100-miles?? They should be fighting each other to get in the queue to talk to people on here (actually, I'm glad they ain't, but that's their fault).

What I'm saying is, is that this Forum is seeping talent from its seams there's so much, and yet from those supposedly who are able to home-in on anyone who can even tune a guitar properly, not a peep. I guess 'The Man' has got the chips stacked. 

Steve, that's why I suggested that SOMEONE (I guess someone with a lot of expendable cash, OR a group of people together pooling their cash) create a label just for people like those on this forum with almost ZERO exposure but loads of talent.

ANYONE OUT THERE LISTENING???

[Greeny]

As per my previous rant, 'The Man' doesn't care much for talent. If you aren't in your early twenties (or younger), and you don't look like something from 'High School Musical', your commericial options are severely limited. And that doesn't even take into account the fact that none of us produce chart fodder on here. That's not to say we couldn't make it with the right audience listening, but it DOES mean we'll have to do it the hard way - and on our own. But who would really want to be a corporate whore anyway? At least we have our integrity! (along with no recognition and cash, lol).

I have the sames issues with my novel - everything in the publishing world is also controlled by marketing and a corporate need to have everything pigeonholed into neat, saleable little genres. Have you noticed how book covers always imitate other bestsellers? It's just part of a bland, corporate sales strategy. If it had been this way even 50 years ago, some of the greatest works of literature would never have been published.

'The Man' exists everywhere!

[Bluesberry]

"Moby Dick" was a failure in Herman Melville's lifetime, he died penniless!!!!!!!!!!!! And look at it now.

[Bosko Schwartz]

As per my previous rant, 'The Man' doesn't care much for talent. If you aren't in your early twenties (or younger), and you don't look like something from 'High School Musical', your commericial options are severely limited. And that doesn't even take into account the fact that none of us produce chart fodder on here. That's not to say we couldn't make it with the right audience listening, but it DOES mean we'll have to do it the hard way - and on our own. But who would really want to be a corporate whore anyway? At least we have our integrity! (along with no recognition and cash, lol).

I have the sames issues with my novel - everything in the publishing world is also controlled by marketing and a corporate need to have everything pigeonholed into neat, saleable little genres. Have you noticed how book covers always imitate other bestsellers? It's just part of a bland, corporate sales strategy. If it had been this way even 50 years ago, some of the greatest works of literature would never have been published.

'The Man' exists everywhere!

True, but not true.  If that were the case, what the hell would everyone here listen to?  Certainly, there are plenty of Hannah Montanas out there to ruin radio and MTV, and that has already been done.  There IS no more MTV; anyone else remember when it was cool, vital, and actually featured music?  I do.  That's long gone, but there are still record labels putting out great music.  There are still great bands out there actually making a living playing music and they do not have day-jobs.  Their music IS their day-job.  Of course, most of the smaller ones have to tour like mad just to pay their bills, but there are others who make a good living as well.  How many of the bands that you listen to are "unsigned?"  Not many for me, other than everyone in the forum.  I have a few bands I like that I have discovered on myspace and other places, but for the most part, everything we know and listen to and love was supplied to us by this supposed "Man."  That is, if you call the music industry and record labels as a whole "The Man."

But I don't see it that way.  The Man is MTV, most major labels, Disney, Hannah Montana, etc.  Any music (or novel) that is distributed for the sole purpose of making cash.  That is sanctioned by The Man.   But then again, even some major labels wouldn't qualify as The Man.  The Flaming Lips are on Warner Bros., for shit's sake!  I heard a song of theirs on a Kraft commercial ... yes, they sold out, but fuck it.  I've bought Kraft products before in my life, so why wouldn't I mind getting paid a huge sum of money just to have my music attached to the product?  The Lips are probably laughing their asses off that they got to cash in just by doing something they already love to do.  Now, if they had written a jingle specifically for Kraft, that would be a different story.

I just went off on a weird tangent , but my original point was that, no, I don't want anything to do with The Man.  However, I think it is possible to "make it" without going through major corporate channels.  And even if you do use corporate channels, it's not necessarily The Man using the band to cash in -- sometimes the band can use The Man to cash in.  Such as in the case above with the Lips and Kraft.

[Bosko Schwartz]

I just want to make sure everyone here knows I am not money-hungry and do not think that the only way to be successful musically is to make money doing it.  Personally, I am not not looking for fortune, and want very little to do with fame.  For me, all it comes down to is the fact that I would like more time to devote to what I love the most -- playing, writing, and recording music.  Time is the most valuable resource known to mankind.  And with this day-job sucking up 50+ hours of my life every week, it gets old.  I would like to be a "true" artist, and just go whole-hog into it with everything I've got, but I don't have the balls to do it.  Or perhaps I'm just too responsible to do it.  Either way, I can't blame it all on The Man.  So I guess I could say it's partly my own fault if I never do end up making music for a living.  My fault for spending so many damned hours on this forum when I could be recording or promoting!

So I just wanted to make that clear.  Whenever I talk about "making music for a living," those are my reasons.  It's nothing to do with the classic "rock star" fantasy!  Sure, I had that dream when I was 16, but who didn't?