New Album Campaign

I like our new distributor, 33rd Street Records. Yesterday I met some of the guys in Sacramento before our soundcheck. All of them have many years of music biz experience. 33rd Street appear to work very transparently and nothing is done without my approval.

The other day I authorized renting listening booths. Hey, you didn’t think that listening booths are there to introduce you to music the record store thinks is cool, did you? No, they cost a lot of money. A record store is a highly evolved place. Every inch of a record store makes money: placement of the album, “end-capping”, posters, listening booths - everything has a price that is paid by the record label and the artist.

I am working on the “La Semana” campaign with 33rd Street: the advertising, the PR etc...and today I rejected an internet marketing campaign, because it is simply not me. It is standard practice in the industry to hire guys to enter chat-rooms of a number of “similar artists” to chat up people there and specifically to mention that a new album by this or that band has just come out and is great. First of all - what similar artists would we pick? Second of all - I think this has happened several times on my own web site and since I think it is wrong, and therefore I can’t possibly turn around and do it to other artists. I think it is great when fans do that sort of thing, but to pay somebody go to a web site and pose as a fan just feels wrong to me.......that’s why I will never hit the big time, eh?

Advertising:Music

Here is my feeling about licensing one’s music to TV commercials:

Some people refuse to do let their music be used for commercials. Maybe they are environmentally aware and don’t want to support a car company. Maybe they don’t want to support a fast-food chain. Maybe they feel TV debases their art...

I find that such a stance against a car company means nothing if nobody finds out about your brave stance. In other words, it is fairly meaningless, except for stroking your own pride and ego. Would not more positive change be created by accepting the money, which can be in the 8 figures, and then giving 50% to a good ‘cause? Hell, licence your music to GM for the hated Hummer H2 and give 10 million dollars to the Integral Institute and you will create a lot more change than by telling your agent “over my dead body”!

We are all cynical enough to know that somebody licensing music to a car company or fast-food chain is not necessarily a devil, yes? No, I have no offer on the table, but I was discussing other people’s stances with a friend in the biz a week ago....

Blogged through my cell phone....

Starbux:Democracy=Cafe:Monarchy

This is my second post for IntegralNaked and I thought I should entertain you with the above formula: Starbucks is to Democracy what an independent Café is to Monarchy.....

Last year I discussed Starbucks with a Barista (operator of an espresso machine) in an independent cafe in Oregon. He told me Starbucks tries very hard to give people the exact same quality in every outlet anywhere. You can always count on Starbucks to give you a B or B- coffee. You’ll never get a grade A coffee, but you also never have to put up with a D or F coffee. An independent cafe might give you an A grade coffee, if the barrista knows what they are doing, or you might have to put up with a C or D, or even worse, cup of coffee.

How does that relate to Democracy or Monarchy, you ask? Well, a King or Queen can get stuff done. They say do this and the people do it. That means an enlightened Monarch can really make a huge difference within one lifetime. The obvious drawback is that you only get an enlightened ruler once in a while and in between you have duds and despots. (Duds and Despots: good name for a pop band?) - That’s just like the little independent café: you might find a barrista who knows what they are doing and get a great coffee, or you might have to add a bunch of milk and down it just to get the caffein.....I figure your chances of getting a great coffee are about the same as getting a great monarch, maybe 30/70 or 20/80?

A democracy on the other hand evens out your highs and lows. You won’t get the brilliant ruler who gets shit done, but you are also less likely to get the dud...

San Diego

In about 40 minutes we will start our show at Humphrey's. A cold wind is coming from the see and I have dug up a sweat shirt to wear. It feels terrible to play in the cold. Really, you are forcing your hands to do something they do not want to do. On the other hand it is a good opportunity to destill your melody into something simpler, something that suits the temperatur a little more...