AFP and the Pitfalls of Transparency (and Why Everyone Should Shut Up)
Okay, let’s talk about all this Amanda Palmer bullshit, shall we?
So it was leaked/exposed/planted that Amanda Palmer, DIY indie Brechtian cabaret diva and all around social media whore (and I say that with the utmost respect—I wish I could give as good social media as she does), doesn’t pay guest musicians helping her out at one-off gigs for her current tour. The main argument (indeed, to me the ONLY argument) people seem to be putting forth is that “OMG SHE MADE ONE POINT TWO MILLION DOLLARS ON KICKSTARTER!!!!”gkhadgj) and that’s she’s ripping off, essentially, fans.
Okay. Take a breath. I’m going to tell you something important here:
You have zero real facts.
Yes, she did raise the amazing amount of $1.2 million on Kickstarter. This actually equates to around $750,000 after Kickstarter takes it’s agreed upon $120,000 and she puts away 20-30% for the taxman. I know it’s still a lot, but that’s the REAL figure.
Now, Amanda’s already put forth in a May 22nd blog that she MIGHT have ended up with around $100k after all the budgeted expenses (read about it here: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/amandapalmer/amanda-palmer-the-new-record-art-book-and-tour/posts/232020) , but here’s where shit gets sticky. I say this not knowing Amanda, not working for Amanda, and not knowing her budget or what could have happened, but I do know what has been happening to ME with the $15k (re: $10k after taxes/KS fees) I earned on Kickstarter...shit goes over budget.
I know. It’s a revelation. ARTISTS AREN’T ALWAYS GOOD WITH MONEY. I'm not necessarily saying Amanda isn't, or even wasted a penny, but dealing with everything she's had to coordinate simply isn't easy.
As an artist (especially one without a label, but no doubt with help), planning an album, promotion, distribution, and all related costs is a cursory number. You don’t know the FULL costs of everything until it happens, and something ALWAYS slips through the cracks. Hell, if gas and oil prices bump up? That's thousands more for a tour. Not only in gas prices-- it can actually make your T-SHIRT costs skyrocket (no, I'm not joking). Yay for oil-based inks.
My only point is it's really hard to get exact numbers. Those are just a few examples of a zillion variables you have to deal with as an artist planning this kind of stuff.
This is why creative projects, from albums to movies to EVERYTHING, can easily slip down that perilous slope. I know I’ve been blowing through a ton more money than expected, and while my $10,000 is technically easier to go through than Amanda’s bounty, she’s also dealing with an exponentially larger fanbase and exponentially larger costs, with the general album bills and paying (most likely) a manager, booking agent, and a zillion other middle people that all want a small cut. Me, I have…me. And the people I paid to help me on the album. It’s a lot simpler, is all I’m saying.
So yes, she wrote a blog explaining everything BEFORE she actually tallied up all the numbers and now the world thinks she’s ripping off less known musicians because they aren’t being paid. First off, THEY’RE MUSICIANS-- STOP CALLING THEM FANS. They aren’t JUST fans. They’re artists as well, and they aren’t idiots. They’re volunteering because it’s a fun opportunity and they get to meet someone they dig and get to put that they played with her on their Facebook page. Chill the fucking fuck out. Stop acting like Amanda’s promising them anything but what they’re being given and acting like they’re the victims. That condescending attitude is more insulting to the musicians that are willingly giving those few hours to play with her than not paying them.
They aren’t practicing for months, either. It’s a great one-off. It’s a fun night out in front of, most likely, one of the biggest audiences most of them have played in front of in their careers. And that audience will LOVE them. They might even make some new fans off of it. You never know.
I’d do it in a second, by the way. And I know people who have and loved it, so get off your patronizing horse about that. Stop pretending you know anything about the situation and realize that a) This woman isn’t perfect, b) Artists in general aren’t great at numbers, b) The musicians she’s working with don’t have to participate, and d) It’s really none of your fucking business unless you’re an investor OUTSIDE of giving her $50 for Kickstarter. Her obligations end to you (and me, as I tossed her a few bucks) when she delivers the premium you pledged for. That’s it. Oh, and making a great album.
It’d be different if she wasn’t being up front about it. If a musician is butthurt that they aren’t being paid to play with her they should get a gang together and burn down every open mic coffee house and every bar that does door deals and kill every touring band that doesn’t even give gas money to the opener. There’s a lot more egregious offenses in the world than not being able to pay for helping in a gig, is all I’m saying.
It’s easy to judge someone when you don’t have the facts. And guess what? Amanda doesn’t owe anyone shit if she doesn’t want to share it. I don’t know her personally but greedy is hardly a word I’d use to characterize her.
I fully understand the arguments for and against and most of the arguments against it (although there are some reasonable ones) are ignorant.
It's a solid album. I don't think she's evil for doing it. I think she probably SHOULD toss people a few bucks, but she's damned if she does and damned if she doesn't at this point.
Mostly, the internet needed something to do. Whatever.
I've filled in for band members before and I don't ask that they pay me.
In fact, I asked them if I could hop on stage and pick up their bassists' bass when he didn't actually show up that night. It was a great time, I was sloppy as Joe but that's it. I was a one night fill in. Also, I only knew the songs from listening to them and watching them play over the years, never once did I practice with them.
If it's just playing one night at a show near you then it doesn't matter. It'd be nice if she gave them some gas money from whatever she earned for the night but they don't need to and shouldn't make a ton of money for filling in like that.
If they recorded on her album, which doesn't sound the case, and their tracks were used, then they should be duly credited for exactly and only the things they did and get a cut of the money from sales of the album or songs but that probably won't be much money in the end unless she's going platinum or something and they shouldn't be expecting much--the important part there is that they're credited and their name is out there.
Personally, I probably wouldn't pay someone much, if at all, for playing a single show with me but they'd probably also be someone I'm acquainted with.
Volunteering, or not, it does not provide asylum from the fact shes cheap. fuck being a session, or live musician for her. The only way you can overlook how cheap she is, is if she shouted good drugs. Who knows, maybe the musicians were happy just to get some vip tail backstage, or at afterparties.
Finally, dark cabaret sucks massive big donkey balls. Fuck that for a joke.
Panocha Posse 4 life. Panocha Bandito. Love the camboyana puta. CHUPALO PUTA!!!!
Reading her most current blog it looks like many people are being paid. What it comes down to is that if you don't want to play for free then don't do it.
It's freedom of choice, and the exposure itself is enough pay for some people-- if you playing one show with 500 people there means 10 check you out then that could pay off more in the long run than $50.
Personally, I think she should toss everyone something...but she is. Tossing people beer, food, merch, and a great experience is a damn good deal to me. I've opened for artists that fill arenas in parts of the world and would have done it for free. I got paid a little, but the opportunity itself is worth more than what amounts to less than a month's cellphone bill.
People are welcome to disagree, but cash isn't the only payment that means something.
I think people should donate some money to my own funding campaign. Unlike her, I actually need the money. She could throw me some too, if she's reading this.
It seems to me that saying 'You made money so you must have ripped someone off' is a dangerous line of reasoning. Sure, plenty of people turn a profit by screwing over the little guys. The Wall Street tycoons come to mind. But that doesn't mean that the converse is true, i.e. it doesn't follow that every person to make money has done so by unethical dealings.
hells, when ive played live i've usually spent all my money ive made at the show on beer and stuff anyways, live shows are more about promoting, and anyone thinking they gonna get rich by touring is just wrong
You're right, I came to this article with zero real facts. Now that you've enlightened me on the situation I think it's bullshit. Amanda Palmer is being greedy and exploiting people, plain and simple. I don't care how bad she is at managing nearly a million dollars (ten times what she pledged on Kickstarter), even you don't believe that she doesn't have enough left to pay her musicians.
I agree with Jeruvian. I saw her page before she started posting all the updates; I saw the original sales pitch and rewards pep rally. She made no mention at all of how she intended to spend the $100G she was asking for, aside from blathering on about all the rewards and a global tour. Now she wants us to believe that she needs $700G to pay for a $100G project? Really?
No one who knows anything about music business expenses is falling for her bullshit. Most of her prices are over-inflated, and some are pathetically under budget, like her touring expense budget ($10,000? Will her tour only be lasting for a month?). Some are just outright fictions. Flying around to do house parties? Really? Paying artists in advance to create works that they get to keep, plus commissions for art showings before the fact? Does that sound remotely real to you?
Most of the art and photo and video stuff she does herself, mostly for free with shit she gets out of dumpsters. Notice how she mostly shoots in the street or in abandoned buildings? Anyone with a Mac and some trash can do that for pennies.
No indie artist blows $240G on studio recording fees when they can do it in-house with Logic Pro for under $5G. I could record a professional quality album at a local studio for $10G at the very most, and that's with a sound engineer and producer included, and session players charging union prices.
No one in this day and age actually purchases inventory, and not at the per unit prices she lists. Everything is POD these days, with minimal setup fees; no inventory needed. She's talking like it's still the 1980's.
I don't really give a shit about the fact that she suckered some people into playing for free. I just want to know what her justification is for all these grandiose lies about her budget. If she's doing it to try to dodge a tax bullet, it's a pathetic move.
you know, it's really courageous of you guys to give people some insight on things, not gonna lie that first bit there made me think "what a cunt" but you're basically saying she's giving people an opportunity at the cost of her planning to "Volunteer" which is to do it "For free" in the first place as a way to be heard and make the music the musicians are supposed to love, it's more like they are supporting her so she can do this more often and help more musicians be known.
The snow falls enveloping all in white
Like a sinner trying to forget his sins.
There are several fallacies with your line of reasoning.
1) No established artist has the nerve to be satisfied with recording an album in their basement with a fucking macbook and Logic (ew).
2) No established artist just goes along with whatever local studio and whatever random in-house engineer and "producer" they happen to include in their hourly fees.
3) She has an established fanbase, larger by several times over than Caustic, myself, or you. A certain amount of inventory is required because the demand is already there. Also, based on presales/preorders, you may have to increase that inventory. I don't have access to her preorder numbers; do you? Probably not.
4) So she's shitty with budgeting for a tour, and it's ending up costing far more than she planned. How does that mean she ripped anyone off? People gave her the money, and she's using it for the project. Which subdivision of that project the money ends up getting spent on means jack shit.
5) Refer to her blog.
6) I, and many, many other smart musicians, would gladly play one-offs, mini-tours, legs of tours, etc. for free or semi-free. I've done it before; I'd do it again.
If you knew anything about the music industry, you'd know that the pay to play provision does still exist...so most artists are happy to play for nothing/minimal compensation, let alone get paid, for/by themselves or with/for someone else.
As amusing as this argument on here is, I have this funny feeling I'm the only one here with a college degree in music business....so some of you should really shut the fuck up.
I'd also like to point out that even barring all this horseshit, ultimately, people willing gave her that much money. You can view in plain sight how much has been donated towards a campaign, versus how much they ask for, and use your own head to determine whether or not the campaign needs more cash than what it has. And you bear the knowledge that anything over budget is pretty much fair game, even in an ethical sense, for the artist to do whatever the fuck they want with. Welcome to a DONATION CAMPAIGN. Don't like it? Don't give your money away. Simple as that. And as far as I can tell, she met her rewards and obligations, which is the only sticking point of KS or IG. So again, kudos to her for having that much of a fanbase, and everyone else needs to quit fucking crying on behalf of people who aren't even fucking crying about it themselves.
Some of these comments are making me realize how much I would really hate to be on the other side of the debate. I understand you want to defend her distasteful behavior, because you like her as an artist, but it's gotta be hard when your main arguing points boil down to "why should the public have any right to care about how she spends the massive amount of money donated to her by the public," "there are expenses you don't know about!" and "If people are perfectly happy to play for free who is getting hurt (aside from the musicians who could potentially get paid)?"
You all realize that, barring charity events, if someone provides a service, they should get paid for that service, right? I don't have a degree in music business, but I'm sure they must teach that concept in one of the introductory courses.
The reason this is news that everybody knows she can afford to pay them well.
From a purely business standpoint it would have been much more profitable to pay her musicians and avoid this PR catastrophe that is sure to lose her a good amount of backers if it hasn't already.
" if someone provides a service, they should get paid for that service"
Right...except in the case that they agreed to provide the service for free or for some other form of compensation, because the experience, exposure, or other form of compensation is just as valuable to them as musicians as monetary payment.
THIS IS NOT UNCOMMON IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY. NOR WOULD IT, WILL IT, OR SHOULD IT BE.
Axl: I know enough to know that she's inflating her price tag for some sort of melodramatic purpose. I also know enough from past business endeavors that she can do everything she says within her original budget. She could even do it for less than that. Even $100G is a budget inflated to account for market fluctuations, unforeseen minutia, etc.
I was the financial partner in a record label back in the early 90's; I know about pricing on inventory, and I know that you don't cover all costs all at once, because it's a pay-as-you go sort of gig, especially any time you use the word "commissions" "percentage" or "royalties". Today, I'd do all that shit through Createspace, because it's POD, and sufficient sized bulk orders would keep the price down. There are other options as well. She knows that, just like anyone else with a manager and a little due diligence.
I've spent the last 20 years of my life learning how to handle the financial end of things, so it's meaningless to me that you got some sort of college edumacation in music. I went to college too, way back when you were in grade school. Your piece of paper is worthless here.
I'm old enough to be your daddy, kid. I know how hard it is to succeed in this business, because I'm an example of failure due to lack of funds, bad business partners, health problems, poisonous industry culture, etc. I know for a fact that she's bullshitting.
Who the fuck cares whether or not people play for free? I did plenty of free shows for practice when I was young and dumb; that's not the issue. The issue is that she's going out of her way to explain herself and making up stories. I never said anything about her ripping anyone off by getting way more than she asked for; it's clear to everyone that it's a non-issue here.
If I asked for $100G and people gave me $1M, I'd shut the fuck up about it. I wouldn't bother to explain myself. I would just do as I promised to do, for as cheap as possible. The whole idea of group funding is to get MORE than you ask for; much more. Nobody fucking gives a shit that she has an excess of $600G to play with. Good for her; she doesn't have to waitress to support her music habit. I bet you never thought about that; she didn't include salaries for her and her band members in her $100G (assuming any of them actually get a salary), because she was probably counting on that coming from somewhere else, or already has money to cover basic business expenses from all the past shows she's done.
There's a lot she's not telling, and a bunch of bullshit that she is telling. It's all part of her inflated personal mythology. She's going out of her way to convince contributors of how much their prizes are worth by inflating production costs, and leaving nothing for actual business costs.
If you had to do it all with your money and not a budget assigned to you by a major label, you'd be a complete fucktard to waste it on a studio and personnel that can't do any better a job than you can do on a Mac. Check out all the bands on her old label Roadrunner: they don't get much aside from their advance, so most of them record in-house. Type O Negative was a good example of that. Down, although on a different label, is an example of that. The soundscore music recorded by Nathan Barr for True Blood? All done in his home studio, on a Mac. Very few bands use studios, sound engineers and producers any more; it's a huge waste of money. You use that if you own it or a friend owns it, but you don't pay for it; not if you want to make money in this business.
No one wastes money like that any more unless you're talking about big-budget pop stars. She's nowhere near that league; she never was, and she never will be. None of us here will ever be in that league because we're not pop artists, so check your baggage at the door, noob. Quit arguing with yourself, because most of what you've said here has nothing at all to do with my position.
If you're doing pay to play, you're either in the wrong town or you're a fucking retard. Only fresh-faced noobs fall into that sort of desperation. It's a scam any way you look at it; a club is going to make money no matter what the arrangement is, and you can always go somewhere else if they don't want to play by the rules. What the fuck that has to do with this conversation, I don't know. I certainly didn't bring it up. If it's an issue for you, save your money for renting grange halls.
Once again, I agree with Jeruvian. It's nobody's business what she does with the money so long as she delivers on all promises, and it's bad business for her to bullshit people into playing for free when she can afford to pay them. But lo and behold, she tried to make it everyone's business. THAT is where her error lies. She's trying to do damage control when her best option would have been to ignore the chatter.
Seriously Axl, shut the fuck up and go join the union if you're not already a member. And when you do, keep your fucking mouth shut about doing shows for free or conning people into playing for free, because talk like that will get you blacklisted. You don't even want to know how fucking hard it is to get around those people when you're trying to do a nationwide or even a statewide tour. You don't always get to choose who does your lightning and sound, security, etc. Have fun finding a tour manager that will work for you if they decide to make your life miserable. If a venue only uses union people and they don't want your business, you're fucked.
If you want to give everything away for free, that's your concern. But stop trying to push it on all the rest of us who have things like medical bills and house payments and families to worry about. REAL professional musicians do not agree with you, so stop trying to convince us that you know it all. Ooh, you're so above Macs and DIY; good for you, you high and might fuck. Your prissy catwalk bullshit is not wanted in our industry; sell it somewhere else.
"I was this that and the other thing over twenty years ago"
That totally bears any relevance to an industry that has changed five times over since then......
"I've spent years doing this that and the other thing, and you haven't, because I know you so well, and even if you did, my experience is somehow more tangible than yours"
I've been in touring and recording bands for ten years. I've owned and operated my own indie label and distro. I've produced and engineered for bands. I've worked for other indie labels. I've worked in internet radio, etc. Seriously, quit trying to have an egotistical battle of the "who's got a bigger experience-based penis" just because you don't agree with me.
"I'm older than you, so you don't know what you're talking about. I've failed more times than you, so that makes me more knowledgeable."
I've failed due to various things too, many of them being the same as you. I've also learned from those things and moved forward in a successful manner. Age has nothing to do with it. If anything, it means I've taken less time than you to learn from my mistakes.
"You should be a self-absorbed, haughty dickface and charge for everything"
You must still be stuck in the early 90s, because that shit doesn't work anymore, especially not out of the gate. You have to put yourself in a position to be able to charge for things; ergo, the vast majority of people won't pay you anything for anything unless it's extremely important or you're already extremely popular. Welcome to the new industry, where it is even more difficult to make money because PEOPLE DON'T SPEND MONEY ON THIS SHIT LIKE THEY USED TO. So you have to work for free, give shit away for free, do volunteer work, give away music and merch, etc., to get yourself known and put yourself in a position where people are willing to pay for your shit.
"I have bills and kids and shit and you obviously don't, so that invalidates your points"
I have three children, a house, a car, my own business, student loan debt up the ass, and believe it or not, medical bills as well. I somehow manage. Bitching to me isn't going to change your situation. maybe you should be smarter with your money? Just a thought.
"I've spent 20 years doing this. [We won't mention that the first ten is completely irrelevant in the current industry model.] So your education means nothing."
Education is knowledge. I've established that I have experience. So, my knowledge and experience combined don't mean anything because you're old? Wait, what?
"I know everything"
I wonder why you've failed so much then......
Seriously, don't assume anything. We've had probably some of the same experiences, and we've established now that we both have knowledge and experience. You seem to have had different results....well, that sucks. But don't take it out on me, don't make assumptions, and don't act like my experiences and education are invalid simply because I don't agree with you.
And simply because someone goes about something in a different manner than you would have doesn't mean it's wrong. So you prefer DIY; that's fine. What I'm saying is, if you have the money for a professional studio, or a producer, or anything else, then fucking use it. It doesn't make someone a bad person, and it doesn't make them a high and mighty fucktard. I personally do all of my demo work in a diy home studio. But when I have the funds, I work in full studios. When other bands provide me with a bidget to mix/master their stuff, then I go to a full studio. Could I do it at home. Yes. If I have money specifically for studio work, am I going to, well, go work in a studio? yes. There's nothing fucking wrong with that.
Jesus christ, calm down.
By the way, the only reason I cited having a college education in music business was because the majority of people on here talk out of their collective ass without any credentials. I provided one credential out of many. You needn't get your panties in a twist over it.
" It's nobody's business what she does with the money so long as she delivers on all promises"
That's pretty much exactly what I said. We do not disagree here.
"and it's bad business for her to bullshit people into playing for free when she can afford to pay them"
Doesn't that contradict the previous statement, though?
Also, to reiterate:
" they agreed to provide the service for free or for some other form of compensation, because the experience, exposure, or other form of compensation is just as valuable to them as musicians as monetary payment."
It's not her responsibility to go back and alter the terms of their agreement in their favor. Also, as has been stated, many of these people involved WERE compensated. And on a final note, everybody involved...her, the musicians, and the donaters, made CHOICES, and anyone with two brain cells could have envisioned possible consequences before they CHOSE to play for free, or donate money, etc.
Also, I haven't heard anything from anyone directly involved in the project complaining about any of this. It's all general population that caught wind of this and started crying on behalf of people who had no problem with anything, and didn't want people complaining on their behalf in the first place.
So now, can we talk like civilized human beings who happen to work in the same industry and have some of the same knowledge and experiences, just with different results?
Can we please refrain from assuming that someone is not a professional, or has no experience, or their education means nothing, simply because they don't agree with you on something or have had better results than you?
Axl: all you've done is come here and attack me, and put words in my mouth. You've misquoted me in some lame attempt at sarcasm, and pointed out imaginary contradictions in my statements. This isn't about truth for you, it's about headgamey politicking. Seriously, man; get back on the short bus.
I don't know you, and I don't know shit about you. All I know is that you're claiming to have had one year of music/business education (compared to my many years, extending beyond college), to have some successful record company, bands, reams of work, yada yada. If you're going to make paper claims, you need to show us some paper. If it's all legit and you've had some success, great! But unless you've made millions and can prove it on paper, it doesn't mean shit to me.
I don't make paper claims, because I don't have any. I have variegate porphyria, which was a huge barrier when it came to making it to finals in college. I eventually stopped trying to do the college thing when my reactions to light became life threatening. It doesn't mean I didn't learn anything, nor does it mean that my information isn't current.
My disease has utterly destroyed my ability to seek any form of gainful employment. Oh, sure, I can wear all leather outfits and special sunblock and dark sunglasses, but try surviving that way during the summer. No one will hire a man who has to dress like that all the time, because a) the harm to me from severe dehydration would make it an OSHA violation for them to hire me, and b) my disease makes me an insurance liability. I particularly can't do the kitchen work that I'm qualified for, because no leather gloves means destruction of my hands by the light, which means bleeding problems on the job, which becomes another OSHA issue. Then of course there's the seizures, which I can't control with meds because they're caused by porphyria rather than epilepsy. It is not legal for anyone to hire me because of my condition, because they would knowingly be putting me in harm's way, and there is no way for them to accommodate my disability. So basically, I'm fucked.
I don't claim to have a business license either, because with no income, I can't afford to maintain one, let alone open a business
account. I can't even get SSI or general assistance, for all sorts of complex and fucked up reasons I'm not going to get into here.
So there you are: my reason for being a complete failure in life. Good for you; you're a have, and I'm a have not, assuming anything you're saying is even remotely true.
Here's a short account of my fucked up life:
Age 13: I become symptomatic. I knew something was wrong, but I hadn't figured it out yet.
Age 18: I attend college. I get so sick trying to attend that I miss my final exams. That was 1989. After that, the next 8 years of my life became one long and torturous game of hide-and-go-burn, until I finally stopped leaving the house altogether.
'90-'91: I continued to go to college, only showing up for classes once a week and reading lots of shit at home. Same problem: I got sick, and when finals rolled around, I missed out. People are starting to notice that I don't look like a black/mexican guy any more, because by early '91, I had lost all my pigment.
In '91, I got hit by a car. Got a compound skull fracture from that. My entire music education: gone the minute I came out of my coma. I'll never get that back; I have seizures if I try to relearn any of it. I switch to business education.
'91-'93: I bought and read every book I could get my hands on about the music business: starting a band, starting a record label, independent distribution and getting radio play, management, industry directories, etc. I'd met a guy while in college who wanted to start a rap label, and we were both working towards that. Because he was an intern at a successful independent label, I also got to learn a lot about the recording industry from the owner, who has personally made millions from his business.
'94: we form a partnership, with me as the financial partner and him as the boss-man. I come up with a budget, I write a winning proposal, and then he fucks it all up. He lines up a bunch of potential investors, and then refuses to take me with him to meetings. It turns out the guy was all talk: he didn't know shit about running a record label, and he didn't even bother to read the proposal before handing it over to them. They didn't want to do business with him, but they were all very interested in doing business with me. Of course that never happened, because running a record label was not something I wanted to do as a sole proprietor. I didn't even really want to do it in the first place; the only reason I got involved was because I though it would be a good source of capital for funding a band project once it got off the ground.
Later that year, I get hit by a car, again. But as it turns out, my partner was a gangster. After I got my settlement, he shook me down to the tune of twenty large, and then left town.
'95-'97: I switch to learning about real estate investment, and I focused on forming bands. That didn't work out too well, because no one I played with knew shit about business, none of them had any career aspirations, and guess what: all we did was play for free at parties! We never got any payed work, because by playing free all the time, no one took us seriously. If you don't act like a professional musician, no one treats you like one. When you play for free, everyone thinks you suck no matter how flawless your playing, because you're just some garage band. Word gets around, and you find that club owners don't want to give you gigs, because they don't think there will be a good enough draw. Everything in this business is perception.
After that, I stopped leaving the house, because by then, my reactions to white light had become immediately life-threatening. In a last-ditch effort, I studied to be a medical transcriptionist, but by then the local hospitals were starting to use computers for that, so once more, I was left with nothing.
If you don't demand payment for your work, you undermine your success. That's what I know from my education, it's what I know from experience, and it's what I know from countless examples of people who get suckered into doing free shows and giving away free recordings, and then never make a career out of music.
So, you think you have to give away your music free because of internet piracy? Guess again. Total industry loss of profits to internet piracy, people loaning their CD's to friends, resale of used CD's: about 20%. That's the same as it ever was. Same thing back in the 80's when everyone was making cassette copies. Nothing has changed: pop artists are still making platinum sales, and anyone with a label that actually spends money on marketing and promotion makes album sales. A million album sales is a million album sales, no matter how many of those albums are circulated for free.
No REAL professional musician gives shit away for free. A free song download as a teaser to promote an album release, a few songs in a myspace player: okay. Giving entire album downloads away for free: bad business. The same thing applies to live performance. If you get into the habit of playing for free, you are losing revenue, and industry professionals will not take you seriously. To them, it means that you don't value your work enough to get paid for it. If they even think you might be a sucker, people in this industry will scam you and fuck you at every turn.
This isn't a game or a hobby, it's a fucking business. If you play for free, you enable a cycle of abuse that fucks things up for everybody. If you're not a big name act that has made millions, you can't afford to call yourself a pro musician and play free gigs, EVER.
Music is a big business numbers game. If you're not selling albums, it's because a) your music sucks, and you're not convincing anyone that you're a professional, b) you or your label isn't putting enough money into advertising the release, c) you're not touring enough to get people excited about buying your stuff, or you're not selling any CD's at the concession stand, d) you don't have at least one video on Mtv and all the other major music channels, and e) you're not making any television appearances. It doesn't mean that no one is buying albums, it just means that you're not reaching the millions of people willing to pay for them.
Volunteering to play for free while claiming to be professional is a MORAL and ETHICAL issue: an issue of abuse, and an issue of enabling. That's reality, no matter what way you try to paint this. Agreeing to pay for free at a revenue-producing event doesn't make you any less of a victim, or the person who requests it any less of a victimizer. It makes you both morally corrupt. People who teach you anything less than this should not be teaching.
I don't disagree with you about using studios because it's right or wrong; if someone hires you to do a job in a studio, it's their dollar. When it's your money, it's a simple financial decision of choosing to use cheaper options that won't cut into your bottom line. In-house production is the new industry standard; studios are old-fashioned, big-budget crap. You only need them for big jobs, like live-recording jazz musicians or entire orchestral ensembles. And you can be absolutely sure that an indie artist like AP cannot afford to waste $240G on a recording budget, because once that $700G runs out, she's back to busking for spare change. Aside from that windfall, she has nothing to carry her through the next 5-10 years of her career.
That's what I know. If you know the same shit as me, there there is nothing here to argue about.
All you've done here is convince me that you know nothing at all: not about me, not about the music business, not about being a professional musician. A piece of paper doesn't mean shit in this world. My business partner had a degree, but he still didn't know shit about business. It's not about what you know, it's about how you use it.
Assuming you really are 27, I'm 14 years older than you. So yes, I DO know more than you, about lots of shit you've never studied, including political science, anthropology, sociology, theology, and plenty more stuff. I have at least 14 years of experience and education on you, and I always will, until the day I die and you outlive me. That's the reality of the world. People that are old enough to be your parents know more than you, because they've lived through more shit than you. If you don't think 14 years is a long time, try reflecting back on your current life in 14 years.
You live on easy street; you have no real motivation to learn and experience things outside of your tiny little comfort zone, because despite some checkered youth you might have had, everything has come easy to you. Your whole generation is like that, because of the way the culture has become in the last 20 years. I'm a desperate motherfucker, fighting to stay alive. It has always been in my best interest to stay on top of every development, so that after decades of preparation, I can be ready to force my way through any sliver of a doorway of opportunity that presents itself.
That, sir, is something I have that you will NEVER have. When my success finally comes, it be infinitely more meaningful than any you've had. That's something you need to get used to, because it's the reality of the world we live in. People will always see you as a spoiled adultolescent because of your lack of hard knocks, and when I succeed, people will see me as triumphant hero because of all the horrendous, fucked up shit I had to live through to claim my prize. Nothing you say about your hard childhood can compete with that, so don't even try.
That's just the way shit is, kid. Grow the fuck up, and stop throwing pebbles at old fuckers like me. You're not winning any points by hassling the disabled and gloating about your imaginary success.
We're done here. I have nothing more to say on this matter, and I won't be checking back to read your posts.
You might want to clap your hands now, chuckles, because you're wrong and you know it...
Because I don't really have more than a few minutes at this point in time to elaborate in a large response to your continued personal attacks, stubbornness, and misinformed generalizations, for now, I'm going to leave you with one simple fact...one that gives me all the security I need in my arguments...
My "meaningless" education and supposed "lack of experience" nets me about $8,000 a month, and even more important, has gained me the respect of my peers.
So keep spouting your personal bullshit, because I'm pretty satisfied with where I'm at in life. And the people who rely on me are, as well.
shitkicker
