May 14, 2008
I have four or five different draft posts that I’ve written with the intent of sharing some of the ideas for the business plan that I have come up with since I asked myself the one question. The trouble with each of those write ups is that telling you about my plans before I can execute them is like explaining the punch line before telling the joke - it will do nothing but the surprise!
So I am just going to put that little splinter in my mind to rest by telling you that I have a plan and that I am hard at work on the execution. It is a great joke I am working on and when I am finally able to deliver the punch line in a few weeks time, I think it will be a killer!
May 6, 2008
I have never heard any of their music, but lately it has been hard to miss the Nine Inch Nails with all the coverage that the March release of Ghosts I-IV has been given on music websites. These guys are absolutely at the very forefront of the ‘old’ music business reinventing itself anew, given away much of their music for free and at the same time selling a 2500 Ultra-Deluxe Limited Edition sets for $300 a piece. Impressive! Today, Trent Reznor and co have released their latest studio album The Slip as a free download!
Guess what I’ll be listening to tonight…
May 5, 2008
I spent the day hanging out in the backstage visitor area of Bevrijdingspop, the Haarlem Liberation Day Festival. It was quite intriguing to see what goes on behind the scenes of such an event. I was mostly interested in the technical and organization going ons, but there was also some funny drama in the form of a bunch of non-VIP guests trying to get into the VIP area. It’s also nice to know that the artists and presenters who look so big and unreachable on stage are, in fact, neither in real life - they’re all just normal folk like you and me.
The only downside of being so close to a big stage, for me as an artist, is that I can’t escape the desire to be on it, not next to it…
May 3, 2008
Whenever I talk about my plans to move from having a job and making music on the side to spending all my time creating my particular brand of music, the suggestion comes up that I should also look into making music for games. Makes sense, right? My current job is in game development, so it’s gotta be easy to fit the word music in there. Oh, and I should definitely also pursue some film scoring jobs and do jingles for commercials, just in case this singer-songwriter thing doesn’t fly. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket, son! Play it safe.
I disagree.
I believe that, in order to succeed, I need to focus on the one thing I am most passionate about. I believe that I cannot risk diminishing my chances of being successful as a singer-songwriter by spending time competing with composers who are as passionate about film music as I am about writing and performing pop songs. If you want someone to write a beautiful score for your film, hire Jeffrey; for a haunting game score, get Jonathan. If you want someone to make the crowd weep with a three chord song, we can talk - that sits well within my focus. That is my passion.
May 1, 2008
While the rest of Holland was out celebrating Queensday yesterday, I stayed in and wrote a new song:
You’re quick to judge
Read the cover
Think you know the whole book
Why the rush?
Are you too scared
To find you might be wrong
Before you cast me aside
Will you at least take one look inside my mind
Will you at least admit
That you don’t have a clue
That you don’t even know who I am
You don’t even know who I am
We don’t have to be friends
You don’t even have to like me
But I deserve more
Than to be ignored just for the way I look
Before you cast me aside
Will you at least take one look inside my mind
Will you at least admit
That you don’t have a clue
That you don’t even know who I am
You don’t even know who I am
Who I am
Who I am
As you can see it’s a bit of an angry song, maybe even a little self-righteous. Don’t know why this particular theme came to my head, but I ran with it. I also did a rough recording yesterday, but it is not yet suited for anybody’s ears but my own. I am hoping to have something suitable for your ears within the next week or so.
Apr 24, 2008
There are times when I’m thinking: why am I doing this again? Fortunately, for those times, I have a growing stack of reasons, such as this one from Faye:
I hope that you will never stop making your music. It’s powerful and heartfelt, and I can hear how much you love it. You have a clear voice and music that moves forward — that makes me feel like I am moving forward. It’s like fuel. not gasoline, though. People are too angry about that. It’s more like the sun helping things to grow.
Wow.
Apr 23, 2008
A few weeks ago, Kevin Kelly coined the idea that an artist needs only 1,000 True Fans to make a living. In his follow up, he presents the response to that idea from Rober Rich, an artist who is making a living, at least in part, from a narrow fan base. Some interesting quotes:
I agree strongly with your basic thesis [of a thousand True Fans], that artists can survive on the cusp of the long tail by nurturing the help of dedicated fans; but perhaps I can modulate your welcome optimism with a light dose of realism, tempered by some personal reflections.
Read On
Apr 21, 2008
All of my early recordings live on CD-Rs. As we all know, those things are ticking time bombs rather than the sturdy backup medium they once promised to be. I was hardly surprised then that after eight years on the shelve, my demo ‘At Least I Tried’ could no longer be played back on my iMac. Lest more of my personal treasures be lost forever, I immediately embarked on a rescue mission - ripping all discs that were still readable. Fortunately, all but the aforementioned demo could be salvaged. Pfew!
Read On
Apr 18, 2008
ASCAP (the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers) has posted A Bill of Rights for Songwriters and Composers:
5. We have the right to choose when and where our creative works may be used for free.
Amen.
In Rise of the Lightworker, Steve Pavlina writes:
This call creates a feeling like, “Whoa… we’ve really gotten off track here. This isn’t how the world is supposed to be. Someone needs to do something about it. Damn… I think that someone is me. How the heck am I going to take on something so big?”
I suspect only a small percentage of readers will resonate with the statement, I think that someone is me. If you have a lot of fear and/or greed in you (which unfortunately most people do), you won’t likely hear this calling since it isn’t broadcast on those channels. But if you endeavor to move beyond the consciousness of fear and greed, eventually you’ll start feeling a vague inclination to do something “good” that helps the world in some small way. Over time that feeling will become stronger and more specific.
I don’t feel I can say whether or not my music qualifies as “something good for the world” (you should be the judge of that, not me), but I definitely felt that vague inclination. I can also confirm that the feeling gets stronger over time - annoyingly so. Nowadays, I feel like there is a drill sergeant shouting GO MAKE MORE MUSIC! in my ear all day long.
Sir. Yes, Sir!
