"YOU CAN'T DO THAT!"

With a constantly changing music industry, it seems to me that no one should be telling others—“You can’t do that.” When I am told I can’t do something, I usually get depressed for a few minutes, and then an uncontrollable fire rises inside me, and I do what I need to do to prove that person wrong. Case in point—as a kid I had a strong desire to play an instrument. I didn’t care what instrument. Just get an instrument in my hands. My young parents placed a clarinet in my hands in the sixth grade. My peers had two years on me. I had to catch up. I practiced like a fool. By eighth grade I had passed by them. Then came high school. I had a private teacher one summer from Oberlin College. She told me I would never be a great player because of my overbite. After being depressed for a few minutes, I drove myself to practice every day for 45 minutes. Each year my scores at All State and other festival auditions improved. My senior year I received the highest score at All State and next to the highest at the New England Festival auditions. There. Take that private teacher from Oberlin!! As a music educator in three different school systems spanning over 33 years I have had success despite the fact that the administrators in my interviews doubted that I had enough backbone to go up against teenagers. And now, as I immerse myself in a new career—in a different music world—I know there are doubters out there. In fact, there are some who say, “You can’t do that.” After my few minutes of self-doubt, that same old fire rises within and I say, “Watch me!” With this constantly changing music industry, one must try what their gut feels. If it works, it’s a bonus. If it doesn’t, try something else. No one can predict what the next trend will be. We keep on “keeping on” and hope we will cut through the noise triumphant!

"So expensive to tour!"

Blog 3—May 26, 2010

“So expensive to tour! Just had a rather depressing meeting with tour manager. Record sales low (across the industry) really impacting me.”

-Imogene Heap, RCA recording artist and Grammy Winner (from her Twitter account)

I keep reading that many artists are ok with file-sharing and illegal downloading because the money is in touring and selling merch. In fact some artists have improved their careers and increased their fan-base by giving away music. Lady Gaga says she is ok with “free” music because the money is in touring. Maybe for the “small” percentage of “big” artists this is true. But if Imogene Heap is making a statement like this one, is there any chance of smaller indie artists getting a tour that doesn’t put them in the hole? How will indie artists sustain their music careers? Would it be cheaper to put three artists on the road in a van with minimal equipment, sharing publicity costs, driving, and tour manager duties; and perform their gigs “in-the-round”? Would venues and talent buyers be more open to “in-the-round” performances? After all, Indies have a hard time getting their foot in the door of many venues. My thought is that each artist would bring in his/her own small fan-base, and with three artists performing, they would hopefully fill the room. So, in my mind, the positives would be: sharing costs, sharing the work, and getting more bodies in the room. And, fans of one artist might become fans of one or both of the other artists. The negative, however, might be--Did they make adequate money for themselves after sharing the door? Would love to hear your thoughts.