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| From | rob@splitsville.com |
| Subject | =?US-ASCII?B?VGhlIEdyZWF0IERlYmF0ZSAoTm8gQW5zd2VycyBIZXJlKQ==?= |
| Date | Wed, 16 May 2007 16:48:01 -0400 |
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>From: :rob@splitsville.com
>To: audities@smoe.org, audities@smoe.org
>Sent: Wed, 16 May 2007 13:43:58
>
>>>>But it IS easy enough to make music! All it
>takes is time and
>inspiration and some imagination, you know that.
>
>It's not easy, believe me. Take it from someone who
>has all of the above but no musical abilities and
>doesn't have the 'bent' for it.
>It's hard. And making good to great music is even
>harder.
>
>Again, I think you're selling some of these
>musicians and their accomplishments short.
>At the risk of pimping out my team, if I had the
>musical ability of Paul Krysiak for a week I'd be
>thrilled. If I could sing like Matt Huseman I'd
>walk around with my arms up in the air, saying
>'yeah, that's me singing on White Dwarf' to anyone
>who would listen!
>
>Many, many, many music fanatics don't have this
>ability in the slightest and are very envious of it
>and/or awed by it.
>
>Matt, in case you're reading, I'm still taller than
>you.
>
>As for your comment of a 40-hour week, I'm sure
>some people reacted with, 'is that all?' Strictly 9
>to 5 (or 5:30, with a half hour for lunch) doesn't
>exist for a lot of people or for a lot of
>industries any more.
>
>>----- ------- Original Message ------- -----
>>From: :audities@smoe.org
>>To: audities@smoe.org
>>Sent: Wed, 16 May 2007 17:20:43
>>
>>Michael Carpenter wrote:
>>
>>>And then, your comment above, about how you make
>>music.. man..i've
>>spoken publicly about my struggles to keep alive
>my
>>career and my
>>studio enough, and then you come here and talk
>>about how 'easy' it
>>is.<
>>
>>But it IS easy enough to make music! All it takes
>>is time and
>>inspiration and some imagination, you know that.
>>Just 'cause I'm
>>doing it in my bedroom doesn't mean it's any less
>>musical than
>>someone doing it in a studio with a budget. The
>>ENGINEERING and
>>execution will be different, but the MUSIC is what
>
>>it is. MOST
>>EVERYONE is recording music in their bedrooms
>these
>>days, that's an
>>irrefutable fact.
>>
>>What's hard is MAKING A LIVING from the music. You
>
>>know this
>>firsthand.
>>
>>To Michael and every other artist here who is
>>hanging their hopes
>>and dreams and putting the lives of their families
>
>>in financial
>>danger because they feel they're "not meant" to
>>work a 40-hour week
>>day job, all I can say is you've gotta live with
>>the choices you've
>>made. No gun was placed to your collective heads
>>forcing you to take
>>such -- to me, anyway -- outrageous, and, frankly,
>
>>dangerous risks.
>>You've made a business decision and you'll live or
>
>>die by it.
>>Thousands of businesses fail every day, it's a
>fact
>>of life.
>>
>>Michael, you've mainly expressed dismay with the
>>way your CAREER in
>>the 'biz is going (or not, as the case may sadly
>>be), not your
>>actual musical growth. You're 100% right, I have
>no
>>idea what it
>>takes to make a living as a full-time
>>musician/studio
>>owner/producer. What I'm talking about here is not
>
>>the business side
>>of things, I'm talking about the creation side of
>>things. I abhor
>>the business, and I could never allow myself to be
>
>>in the precarious
>>position you now find yourself in. The fact that
>>it's driven you --
>>and others -- to think of giving up the artistic
>>side of things
>>drives home my point. Why let anything kill the
>>thing you love so
>>much?
>>
>>I am NOT making light of your dreams and
>>aspirations -- I respect
>>you for making a tremendous effort to make them
>>come true. That
>>takes a lot of (rolling) balls, my friend.
>>
>>However, struggling with a career in the music
>>business has ALWAYS
>>been difficult; I've read enough interviews with
>>artists over the
>>decades (and know a few personally) to know this:
>>you WILL be ripped
>>off. Your vision WILL be compromised. You WILL
>lose
>>money. And with
>>the climate these days? Forget it. I'm astounded
>>you've done as well
>>as you have, and you should be extremely proud of
>>yourself that
>>you've proven your mettle as a
>>songwriter/performer/producer/studio
>>owner. Ditto Jaimie, Bruce, Owsley...et al.
>>
>>But look at the cost, man. It seems like you're
>>hating life (based
>>on the posts I've read here). It sounds like
>you're
>>going to be
>>forced into making musical choices based on a
>>business model. Talk
>>about taking the fun out of music! I could never,
>>ever do that. You
>>can. Viva la difference.
>>
>>But will the lack of business success really cause
>
>>you to lose the
>>inspiration to make new music? You have said you
>>work very hard to
>>better your songwriting, your voice, your
>>productions -- and you
>>HAVE. I've heard the progression. Won't you ALWAYS
>
>>be writing new
>>music, no matter how you're making a living?
>>
>>>you're like an armchair critic<
>>
>>In a sense, yes, I am, because my music is not
>>bound by commerce. I
>>know nothing about the business side of things,
>and
>>I don't WANT to.
>>History has proven that, for artists, music and
>>business rarely see
>>eye to eye -- somewhere, a compromise has to be
>>made. I don't wanna
>>find myself in that predicament.
>>
>>On the other hand, I've been on my fair share of
>>recordings and have
>>been exceptionally privileged to have been asked
>to
>>play with some
>>incredible artists, so I know there is value in
>>what I have to offer
>>musically. All I ever wanted was respect from
>those
>>artists I
>>admire, and I've been lucky enough to have earned
>a
>>share of that.
>>That, alone, is enough for me.
>>
>>> But please don't compare what you're doing to
>>Will Owsley, or me,
>>or Bruce Brodeen, or David Grahame among others. <
>
>>
>>I never made this claim, and it'd be absurd if I
>>did. All I said was
>>that when Will Owsley said he was "giving up
>>music", I wondered, did
>>he ever truly have it? Because, as I've said
>>before, the concept
>>of "giving up music" doesn't exist in my mind. I
>>can't stop, and I
>>can't understand how any person who claims to be a
>
>>songwriter could
>>stop, unless, of course, the well runs totally dry
>
>>(which usually
>>means you've exhausted the parameters of the genre
>
>>you're working
>>in).
>>
>>As for David Grahame, all I can say is the dude
>>most likely made
>>some decent money (ie. Song = House) from the Mr.
>>Big tune and he
>>got really, really lucky. For every DG, there's a
>>10,000 Michael
>>Carpenters. I know this isn't news to you. Staking
>
>>out a living
>>based on luck isn't a real solid plan, IMHO. It's
>>definitely not for
>>me.
>>
>>I admire your passion and talent, Michael, but I
>>can't say the same
>>about your business decisions. Two different
>>things.
>>
>>>So please don't compare your music making
>>situation to those who
>>are trying to find an audience.<
>>
>>I think you mean don't compare my music making
>>situation to those
>>who are trying to make a living via a paying
>>audience.
>>
>>I'd like to find an audience too (even one person
>>would be nice),
>>but they have to be MY audience; I do what I do
>and
>>if someone likes
>>it, all good, but I'm not going to change the way
>I
>>perceive and
>>write music to try to earn an audience, or earn a
>>label's support.
>>They'll either like me or not, it's not my call.
>>The fact that I
>>recorded something on my own, at home, after work,
>
>>without a bar
>>code or a 4-color CD sleeve is irrevelant to me.
>>It's about the
>>music, not the amount of money that goes into the
>>production. I know
>>I'm in the minority here, but that's the way I
>>feel. Please allow me
>>that.
>>
>>Thank you, Michael, for your insight, I truly wish
>
>>you well, I meant
>>no slight to your situation and I feel for you.
>I'm
>>just saying: you
>>made the choice to hang it all on the business
>side
>>of music, and I
>>choose not to. If that somehow invalidates my
>music
>>in your ears, if
>>I'm not "really" a musician or songwriter because
>I
>>choose to keep
>>my financial freedom in exchange for the ability
>to
>>create music
>>when and where I please, so be it.
>>
>>kErrY
>>www.myspace.com/kompost
>>
>>
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