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ivan@stellysee.de
| From | eric@ashman.com |
| Subject | Re: the end of Owsley |
| Date | Mon, 17 Feb 2003 12:33:59 -0500 (EST) |
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Blaming MP3s for the demise of the record industry is the biggest cop-out.
The industry is broken, Will is just a victim.
>
> The following email is from his brother, posted to the Owsley list.
> Here are my comments on it first, follwed by the msg.
>
> Personally, the whole mp3s have killed him as a powerpop artist really
> rubs me the wrong way. Its a convenient excuse that the labels use, but
>
> I don't believe it. I believe the fact that the industry charges
> outrage $$
> for CD's that may only have one or two good songs on it is what's forced
>
> people to the mp3 trading. The always promised "CD's will be cheaper
> than tapes" just never happened because of the greed of the industry.
> Also, the whole "country fans buy CD's" is another statement I take
> issue with. I believe thats making a very broad (and inaccurate)
> generalization about certain groups/markets in our society.
>
> That being said, I *do* believe that Owsley has gotten a truly raw deal
> and
> I feel very bad for him. Will was one of the nicest artists i've ever
> met.
> I simply approached him before a show one time and he had such a passion
> for his music and fans, it was a blast just to sit and chat with him all
> night
> about the industry.
>
> Perhaps Will could look into pulling an Aimee. Buy back his rights
> from the label and go indie, or go to NotLame.
>
> I'd love to post my thoughts on the Owsley list, but unfortunately its
> run
> like a communist regime. Any negative thoughts or comments are
> dealt with harshley, most of the time never making it to the actual list
> and/or deleted from the archives.
>
> Anyway, I hope for nothing but the best for Will and his family, and
> maybe
> by way of his future Country work for his wife, it'll spark interest in
> him
> again as a solo artist. Or maybe he could return to his roots and form
> a band once more....maybe a Millard Powers/Ben Folds/Owsley/Ross Rice
> super group again. wouldn't that be something?
>
> burried in 3ft of snow,
>
> -kev
> -----Original Message-----
> From: irhythm <bud@boozerbeam.com> [mailto:bud@boozerbeam.com]
> Sent: Monday, February 17, 2003 1:23 AM
> To: OWSLEY@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [OWSLEY] Here's the Low Down on Owsley
>
>
> Hey Everybody,
>
> I know it's been a year or so since I've posted anything on Will, his
> upcoming record and his career, but here's why:
>
> Will Owsley's career as a solo artist has been in limbo for several
> years now and may, for all intents and purposes, be over. The reasons?
> There are several of them. Here goes:
>
> 1) For the most part, the whole popular music industry is in the tank.
> Most record labels are loosing money and very few musical acts are
> making any money either, for that matter. Why? It's called MP3.
> Nobody's buying CD's. Everyone's file-swapping instead. When no one
> buys recordings, record labels can't afford to make too many records.
> Will Owsley is not a Dave Mathews or a Beck, who can be considered by
> a major label as a viable, bankable artist. It's very sad to say that,
> but it's true. I'd like to be as optimistic as possible, but at this
> point, Will's career as a power pop artist may be over.
>
> 2) Will was signed by Warner Bros to their Giant label. When Giant
> merged back to WB, Owsley never was unpopular enough to be dropped
> from their roster, but was not popular enough with the powers-that-be
> to have his record budget opened up, so he could finish his follow-up
> record, and put a CD in the stores. I reported a number of times of
> all the 30-something songs he wrote and produced in anticipation of
> having 10 or 11 of them selected by his label to make a record, but it
> really never got past that stage with WB. He's just been hanging in
> limbo. It's a shame, too, because the music is really good.
>
> 3) To a lesser extent, the pop music market has changed a bit since
> his Grammy nominated debut. Obviously, the popularity of boy bands and
> former Mousekateer girl artists have dominated MTV, considered to be
> the industry leader for popular music trends. So, it's hard to imagine
> Owsley bumping the Backstreet Boys for playing time on MTV.
>
> I'm sure that there are several of you who may not agree with some of
> my opinions. However, most of what I've shared is right from Will's
> mouth. An speaking of Will; he's obviously very unhappy about all of
> this. He's also very sorry for his extremely loyal fans, many of whom
> are members of this list and have gotten to know Will at his shows,
> over the years. He's been so touched by the encouraging emails
> (info@owsleymusic.com) he's received from a lot of you. He's wanted to
> create something for you to enjoy, but hasn't been able to come fourth
> with anything (for the aforementioned reasons), and he feels terrible
> about it. Tonight, he and I talked by phone and he asked me to make
> this post and explain things to you, to tell you how disappointed he
> is the way things turned out and to express how profoundly honored he
> has been to have had so many loyal and supportive fans.
>
> So what's Will been doing lately? For the most part, he's been writing
> and producing record-quality demos for his wife, Rebecca Walker, who's
> currently shopping a country music deal. Will told me that he recently
> corresponded with a fan of his and explained this to him. He said that
> the fan told him that he didn't like country music - probably
> something that most of you can resonate with. However, if you're a
> talented songwriter, producer, multi-instrumentalist, who's married to
> a lovely girl who sings like an absolute bird - and you wanted to feed
> your family (they've now got 2 boys), you might strongly consider that
> option. But, one thing that's really important to think about: Country
> music fans don't swap MP3 files. Country music fans buy CD's. So,it
> entirely possible that with some success, they should be able to make
> a living sharing his songs with a market made up of people who don't
> mind paying for their music.
>
> Beyond that, he's been writing songs for other artists, doing some
> production work (not nearly as much as he'd like to be doing), and
> doing guitar and vocal session work. To tell you the truth, I'll tell
> you what he'd really like to be doing right now: And that would be
> making solo records, touring the country to support them, and meeting
> all of you after the shows. Unfortunately, sometimes life doesn't
> always turn out that way you wanted it to. Not so much as a result of
> a lack of ability or determination, but more to do with things that
> are way beyond your control. As some of you may know, it's very
> frustrating to have to live with that reality. Anyway, that's where
> Will is right now. And, if you've got something to say to him, feel
> free to drop him a note (info@owsleymusic.com). It might actually give
> him a chance to thank each of you personally for all of your loyal
> support for him and his music over the years. Take care.
>
> Regards,
>
> Bud
>
>
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