On Sunday 12 March 2006 13:53, Maluvia wrote:
This last post
is just an experimental brain-dump... I want to be
able to support myself from the music I make (or related) and I've
been theorizing that certain content/philosophy must be present in
music in order to do that... Specifically with regards to 'you
oriented' and 'I oriented music'.
But I'm not comfortable with the theory myself yet. It is probably
dead wrong, but I want to use it to find the right one, and that's
why it's here!
Carlo
I believe I understand your premise, but I don't think a certain
'content/philosophy' is necessary to accomplish this purpose.
I think all you need to do is make music that people value as much as
they do their food, their house, their clothes or anything else they
place monetary value on - and this could be *any* kind of music.
There are many people who cannot imagine life without music, and even
some who would go hungry in order to afford to buy tickets to a
concert, for example.
Somewhat remeniscent(sp sorry) of the deadhead phenom. And how local
law enforcement treats such stuff.
A local WV fellow, has been doing a 'River Rocks' show one weekend a
year for several years now, with the proceeds usually going to this
years needfull charity after he pays the light bill. The dead were
there one year, bringing in about 3000 deadheads in the usual chartruse
microbusses, and as there were only 2 roads in and out of the site, law
enforcement had both blocked when it was over, and made many arrests
for possession.
I disagreed with that as its selective law enforcement displayed at its
worst, plus AFAIK no one was injured, overdosed more than sleeping it
off, or otherwise displayed any great amount of antisocial behaviour.
But because word of that 'sting' getting around, attendance in
subsequent years has suffered badly, as has the amount generated for
the charity of the year. Dammit those were just music lovers getting
together on the 100 acres of grass alongside a West Virginia river to
gossip, get high, and hear their kind of music. Monday morning most of
them will be back at work, with some memories of great music & only a
little bit worse for the wear, AND THATS WHAT COUNTS at the end of the
week IMNSHO.
It is *these* people you need to find and share your
music with.
And the *kind* of music people value to this extent could be anything
and everything.
Whatever gives people joy - makes them laugh, makes them cry, makes
them angry, makes them want to dance - or just makes them want to go
on living.
I don't think it needs a particular message or focus - in fact, I
think that would be very counterproductive.
It is when you play from your heart - make music that *you* love -
music that inspires *you* and is an expression of your own essence -
that people will respond the most favorably.
Small example: my husband was once playing in a café - receiving only
tip jar proceeds.
A man from the local Baha'i community heard him and liked the music so
much that he spontaneously ordered 20 CDs to sell at cost at his
Baha'i center - just because he felt the music was inspiring and
befitting to that environment.
Those are the kind of connections you need to make.
Amen.
And that illustrates another point as well - that
you've got to get
out there and connect with people personally in order to achieve what
your are talking about.
That is the downside to internet-only music.
People are willing to open their purse - or at least
throw you a crust
of bread - when you are there in front of them performing your music
live, whereas if they just downloaded it online they probably
wouldn't even think about tipping for it.
Particularly when the tipping is too difficult, either in the process of
doing it, or if indeed one can get anyone interested in the amounts one
normally associates with tipping. Even with paypal, as distastefull as
that is to me, we have to understand that they must A: take a cut
somehow, and B: the transaction must be large enough to make their cut
pay for the processing expenses if they expect to be here tomorrow. A
5% cut of 5 bucks or even 20 bucks, certainly is not a cash cow for
them.
Hence the difficulty exists in my tossing $2-$5 in the tip jar so to
speak, so it simply isn't done. AND THATS NOT RIGHT... I could have
the bank send the authors a check if they were to make their mailing
address available, but even they make that extremely difficult and
expensive when the payment is exterior to the lower 48, with costs for
a $50 check approaching or exceeding the size of the check itself. As
others have often said, there badly needs to be the internet equ of the
tip jar.
When the music is live - the listeners get to
participate and be
involved in it - it becomes a cooperative and shared experience - and
that is something that people value very highly.
I don't think anything will ever replace live music.
Neither do I.
Make the music that *you* love and find the people who
resonate to
that and love it as well.
I think that is the secret.
Yup. Couldn't agree more.
- Maluvia
--
Cheers, Gene
People having trouble with vz bouncing email to me should add the word
'online' between the 'verizon', and the dot which bypasses vz's
stupid bounce rules. I do use spamassassin too. :-)
Yahoo.com and AOL/TW attorneys please note, additions to the above
message by Gene Heskett are:
Copyright 2006 by Maurice Eugene Heskett, all rights reserved.