On Sunday 12 March 2006 13:53, Maluvia wrote: >>This last post is just an experimental brain-dump... I want to be >> able to support myself from the music I make (or related) and I've >> been theorizing that certain content/philosophy must be present in >> music in order to do that... Specifically with regards to 'you >> oriented' and 'I oriented music'. >> >>But I'm not comfortable with the theory myself yet. It is probably >> dead wrong, but I want to use it to find the right one, and that's >> why it's here! > >Carlo > >I believe I understand your premise, but I don't think a certain >'content/philosophy' is necessary to accomplish this purpose. >I think all you need to do is make music that people value as much as > they do their food, their house, their clothes or anything else they > place monetary value on - and this could be *any* kind of music. > >There are many people who cannot imagine life without music, and even > some who would go hungry in order to afford to buy tickets to a > concert, for example. Somewhat remeniscent(sp sorry) of the deadhead phenom. And how local law enforcement treats such stuff. A local WV fellow, has been doing a 'River Rocks' show one weekend a year for several years now, with the proceeds usually going to this years needfull charity after he pays the light bill. The dead were there one year, bringing in about 3000 deadheads in the usual chartruse microbusses, and as there were only 2 roads in and out of the site, law enforcement had both blocked when it was over, and made many arrests for possession. I disagreed with that as its selective law enforcement displayed at its worst, plus AFAIK no one was injured, overdosed more than sleeping it off, or otherwise displayed any great amount of antisocial behaviour. But because word of that 'sting' getting around, attendance in subsequent years has suffered badly, as has the amount generated for the charity of the year. Dammit those were just music lovers getting together on the 100 acres of grass alongside a West Virginia river to gossip, get high, and hear their kind of music. Monday morning most of them will be back at work, with some memories of great music & only a little bit worse for the wear, AND THATS WHAT COUNTS at the end of the week IMNSHO. >It is *these* people you need to find and share your music with. >And the *kind* of music people value to this extent could be anything > and everything. >Whatever gives people joy - makes them laugh, makes them cry, makes > them angry, makes them want to dance - or just makes them want to go > on living. > >I don't think it needs a particular message or focus - in fact, I > think that would be very counterproductive. >It is when you play from your heart - make music that *you* love - > music that inspires *you* and is an expression of your own essence - > that people will respond the most favorably. > >Small example: my husband was once playing in a café - receiving only > tip jar proceeds. >A man from the local Baha'i community heard him and liked the music so > much that he spontaneously ordered 20 CDs to sell at cost at his > Baha'i center - just because he felt the music was inspiring and > befitting to that environment. >Those are the kind of connections you need to make. > Amen. >And that illustrates another point as well - that you've got to get > out there and connect with people personally in order to achieve what > your are talking about. >That is the downside to internet-only music. >People are willing to open their purse - or at least throw you a crust > of bread - when you are there in front of them performing your music > live, whereas if they just downloaded it online they probably > wouldn't even think about tipping for it. Particularly when the tipping is too difficult, either in the process of doing it, or if indeed one can get anyone interested in the amounts one normally associates with tipping. Even with paypal, as distastefull as that is to me, we have to understand that they must A: take a cut somehow, and B: the transaction must be large enough to make their cut pay for the processing expenses if they expect to be here tomorrow. A 5% cut of 5 bucks or even 20 bucks, certainly is not a cash cow for them. Hence the difficulty exists in my tossing $2-$5 in the tip jar so to speak, so it simply isn't done. AND THATS NOT RIGHT... I could have the bank send the authors a check if they were to make their mailing address available, but even they make that extremely difficult and expensive when the payment is exterior to the lower 48, with costs for a $50 check approaching or exceeding the size of the check itself. As others have often said, there badly needs to be the internet equ of the tip jar. >When the music is live - the listeners get to participate and be > involved in it - it becomes a cooperative and shared experience - and > that is something that people value very highly. >I don't think anything will ever replace live music. Neither do I. >Make the music that *you* love and find the people who resonate to > that and love it as well. >I think that is the secret. Yup. Couldn't agree more. >- Maluvia -- Cheers, Gene People having trouble with vz bouncing email to me should add the word 'online' between the 'verizon', and the dot which bypasses vz's stupid bounce rules. I do use spamassassin too. :-) Yahoo.com and AOL/TW attorneys please note, additions to the above message by Gene Heskett are: Copyright 2006 by Maurice Eugene Heskett, all rights reserved.
