Hello Family!
This blog will be a little different than the other blog postings, and here's the reason why. I'm going to talk about spirituality. One of my goals in this musical endeavor is to ALWAYS separate my spiritual life from my professional life. Meaning, no one likes to be preached to regardless of their spiritual philosophy. My spiritual life is my own and one I am deeply committed to. At the same time, I realize my spiritual path is certainly not the path others would choose. And I'm okay with that. It is what it is and I wouldn't want it any other way.
But something happened the other day that got me to thinking about my CD and so-called music career and how my spirituality continues to evolve around it. And because what happened to me happens all the time in the industry, I thought I would share.
A couple days ago I had planned to send out a huge mailing to DJs and clubs around the country. Of course all this costs postage money and I had budgeted for about 150 packages to be sent out. I was pumped up and excited about the outcome of FINALLY having "I Feel Like Dancin'" played in clubs.
To make doubly sure, on the blessed day I sat down at my computer and checked my bank balance. Without divulging how much money was actually there, let's just say when I saw the available balance, crickets started chirping. Echoes were heard. Moths were seen packing their bags for greener pastures, leaving tracks in the accumulated dust as they made their exit. Homeless people were leaving me spare change. "Hope this helps." said one as he left a few pennies on the table shaking his head in pity.
Yes family, the cupboard was threadbare. I couldn't believe it. Much like St. Nick, I'd made the list of withdrawls and checked it twice. I was certain I had enough money to do what needed to be done. So there I am, checking the list of deposits and withdrawls once again, sweat pouring from every crevice imaginable. And as I'm checking I'm saying, "Oh yeah, I forgot about that." and "Oh that's right. I did purchase that." and "Crap." So I sat there, head in hands, thinking "Now what?"
Not for nothing, this wasn't the first thing of the day not to go particularly my way. It seemed as if the Universe was saying, "Yeah we know you're wanting to go left, but you know what? We want you to go right. But we want you to do it crawling in agony and maybe if we're feeling especially cruel we'll crack a few teeth as well." So all in all it was a no good, really bad day.
The next morning I woke up not knowing what the plans were for the day. And as I'm laying in bed playing with my cats a thought came to mind that went something like this: "Let go of expectations." "Well that's weird," I thought. "How do I let go of expectations when it's all about expectations." And it's true. No matter what business endeavor one goes into, the hoped for outcome is phenomenal success.
And that, family, is the key. There is a BIG difference between "hoping for" something and "expecting" something. There's absolutely nothing wrong with "hoping for the best". In fact, it's probably wise if one hopes for the best in all things not just business endeavors. But to "expect" something is to take faith completely out of the equation. And that's just not wise.
Bringing it back to this music project, the truth of the matter is I don't know if this CD will sell a billion copies or if I will never sell enough to make a profitable living. This is where zen comes into play. It is so important for us as artists to let go of expectations. Why? Because life throws us curve balls. Life never goes as planned. Life has its own plans and we must go along for the ride.
And that, family, is why it's all about the Zen. To be completely "in the moment" with "no expectations" we as artists must "go with the flow".
But wait a minute, Stephen! If we're just going along for the ride and being in the moment and going with the flow, how the hell are we supposed to plan anything? I mean as we all know the music business for the indie musician is 90% behind the scenes work and 10% actual performance. So if we're just "going with the flow" how the hell is anything going to get done?
Well there's nothing wrong with planning. As I've said before, the better the plan the better the execution and outcome (usually). But the difference between "expecting" it and "hoping" it (and where faith comes into play) is with expectations there is no room for faith. But with hoping, you can plan and rehearse and execute and still "go with the flow" and be "in the moment" without any expectations for outcomes.
I completely understand I'm walking a fine line here, family. But there is a freedom in letting go of expectations. Because what if what we expect never materializes? Then we are stuck with on one end the disappointment of what we expect never happening and at the opposite extreme the depression that comes from quote unquote "failure".
We should always remember that life is an adventure that should be relished in that it NEVER goes in a straight line from Point A to Point B. Living in the moment, knowing that the next moment more than likely will be nothing like this moment should give us an excitement of "Oooh! I wonder what happens next!" Rather than, "I know exactly what's happening next because it's the exact same thing that's happening right now."
And I for one, would much rather live a life in the former rather than the latter.
At least I would today. Ask me tomorrow and my response may be completely different.
Oooh! That's Zen, baby!
Peace.
-Stephen
http://stephendc.com/
hello@stephendc.com
http://www.myspace.com/stephendillardcarroll
http://www.facebook.com/stephendillardcarroll
http://www.twitter.com/randomcrazyshit
http://www.tagged.com/stephendillardcarroll
12.18.2009
11.03.2009
Ouch!
Hello Family!
First things first, let me apologize for not giving you a blog for close to 2 months now. The truth of the matter is I haven’t had a lot to say that wasn’t said in the previous blog. I’ve just been working my ass off in mundane behind the scenes bullshit that if I had a million bucks I’d hire an assistant to handle. But seeing that I can barely rub two nickels together (or so It seems) I have to do the grunt work by myself. And it’s been a lot of grunt work since the last time we spoke. I won’t bore you with the details of everything I’ve had to do, but suffice it to say it’s been a lot. So I apologize for not writing in the blog as is my custom to do on a semi-frequent basis.
But the good news in all this is you know when you hear from me it’s bound to be good and juicy. And good and juicy is what I have in store for you this time around. Or at least it’ll be juicy. Maybe. Here’s hoping.
This blog is all about bad reviews and what to do with them. Now the knee jerk reaction to a bad review would be to scream at the top of your lungs, “FUCK YOU! YOU WOULDN’T KNOW GOOD MUSIC IF IT BENT YOU OVER A CHAIR AND STUCK IT IN SMOOTHLY!” and then go about your day. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen for me.
Here’s the problem family. As most of you know, from the time I first stepped foot in my producer’s studio to the release of “Introducing… ME” was six - count them, SIX - years. I’ve gone into the whys of all that in previous blogs and won’t rehash most of it here. But suffice it to say I’ve poured every once of energy, blood, sweat, tears and prayer into this project. And I am going on record as saying I am VERY proud of what I accomplished. Most people would have thrown in the towel by now. But not me. I just kept plugging away until I was able to put “Introducing… ME” out there for you. Imagine being in labor for 18 hours. Now multiply that by six years and you’ve pretty much got “Introducing… ME”. I’m very proud I was able to finally push that watermelon headed CD out of my, well, “imaginary cooch”.
Not only that, but I’m also very proud of the end product. Until my dying day I will never fear to put “Introducing… ME” in the same league as any other Top 40 dance-pop CD out there today. I put it all out on the page in the lyrics of songs like “I Feel Like Dancin’”, “ANIMAL”, “Through the Looking Glass” and “The One Thing I Can Do.” My heart and soul is in every song I wrote for this CD. I left nothing behind. Coupled with the producing skills of my cracker jack partner in crime, Guy Prier, “Introducing… ME” is a great CD. And because I think it’s fantastic, so should everyone else.
Not so much.
Here’s the deal. “Introducing… ME” has gotten mixed reviews at best. Some love it. Some hate it. Some don’t know what to do with it. Others just mention it in passing. Most haven’t mentioned it at all. (As an aside, I wonder what’s worse: getting a harsh review or being completely ignored. Maybe you other musicians can chime in on that little quandary.) But I guess when you’ve poured so much of yourself into a project, to hear other people not being on board as much as you it takes you aback.
I remember the first bad review I got. I had my day of work on this CD all planned out. I had made a list of items to do and was determined to complete them all. Earlier in the week I had sent out a follow-up e-mail to a bunch of different newspapers and magazines asking them if they had received my CD and what they thought. Well, I got an answer from one that particular morning that went something like this:
But to her credit, at least she enjoyed the CD art.
I gotta tell you family, that took the wind right out of my sails. And when I say the wind was taken out of my sails, I must’ve stared at my computer screen in awe for what felt like forever. I was completely stuck to one place and couldn’t avert my eyes from the torture of those two words: “thoroughly skipable”.
I finally found my voice after what seemed like an eternity. And it shook the house. “THOROUGHLY SKIPPABLE?!?!?!?!?!” I screamed. “THOROUGHLY FUCKING SKIPPABLE?!?!?!?!?!?!?! WHAT THE FUCK DOES SHE MEAN THOROUGHLY FUCKING SKIPPABLE?!?!?!?!?!?!” I wanted to grab my laptop and throw it across the room, I was so enraged.
But as I grabbed my laptop and held it over my head looking for a target on the far wall I thought, “Hey, at least she liked the pictures.” And I laughed a little bit at the irony of it all. “Well if this music thing doesn’t pan out, I guess I can work it like Naomi.”
That being said, it still ripped all the energy out of me that day. I got nothing done. I couldn’t believe something I had put so much positive energy into could be so easily and quickly “skipped” by someone else. “Par for the course” never came to mind that day. “Reviews are always subjective” never crossed my cranium. “Only the good die young.” Check.
That evening one of my good friends Emmah asked me what I’d been up to all day. When I told her nothing and she asked why I told her “because I got my first review today.” Of course she wanted to hear it. So I pulled it up again and read it and almost burst into tears. To her credit, without batting an eyelash Emmah looked me straight in the eye and said:
“Maybe she meant you can skip down the street to it.”
I burst out laughing. And by laughing I mean doubled over laughter. Tears in the eyes kind of laughter. Stomach hurting you can barely breathe kind of laughter. When I finally calmed down enough to speak I said, “That is why I love you so much, Emmah!” And it’s true.
And the hits keep coming. As I’ve said before, the reviews for “Introducing… ME” have been mixed. So mixed in fact that I’ve actually stopped reading them. Because I never know when I click a link whether the reviewer is gonna love it or say I sound like William Hung. (That’s NOT an exaggeration. A reviewer actually said that about me. Harsh.)
The point to all of this is you’ll never convince me in a million years that artists who truly care about their product, when they find other people don’t feel the same way or even worse rip what they’ve created to shreds it doesn’t hurt. And there is no book I’ve found on the business of music that tells you how to deal with negative reviews. There is no 12 step program to let you get over the day a reviewer invites two of his co-workers in to pile on the negativity. (Another true story.) There is nothing out there that will tell you how to deal with the fact that not EVERYBODY is gonna love your music.
And quite honestly family, I don’t have any fool-proof method either.
But I will tell you that on the days I am brave enough to open a review and it’s not so kind I’m no longer paralyzed for the rest of the day. It still stings and it still like a punch to the jaw. But it’s no longer a kick in the nuts or a punch to the gut. As I’ve said, by and large I don’t read reviews of my work anymore because I never know what’s waiting for me on the other side of the link. This is one of those times where “ignorance truly is bliss”. Most days I’d rather not know if a review is negative or positive. I’m just happy somebody’s talking about it.
Does that make me cowardly? No. And here’s the reason why. I learned a long time ago that if you do your best in whatever it is you do, that’s all anybody can ask of you. Truth be told, I could be the second coming of Jesus Christ (or The Beatles) and there still would be people out there who look like they just got through sucking on a lemon. It’s par for the course and something as an artist I absolutely must learn to deal with or I’m in the wrong business.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I'm going to stick my head in the oven. Just kidding. Maybe.
Peace.
-Stephen
http://stephendc.com
hello@stephendc.com
http://www.myspace.com/stephendillardcarroll
http://www.facebook.com/stephendillardcarroll
http://twitter.com/randomcrazyshit
http://tagged.com/stephendillardcarroll
http://www.cdbaby.com/stephendillardcarrol
First things first, let me apologize for not giving you a blog for close to 2 months now. The truth of the matter is I haven’t had a lot to say that wasn’t said in the previous blog. I’ve just been working my ass off in mundane behind the scenes bullshit that if I had a million bucks I’d hire an assistant to handle. But seeing that I can barely rub two nickels together (or so It seems) I have to do the grunt work by myself. And it’s been a lot of grunt work since the last time we spoke. I won’t bore you with the details of everything I’ve had to do, but suffice it to say it’s been a lot. So I apologize for not writing in the blog as is my custom to do on a semi-frequent basis.
But the good news in all this is you know when you hear from me it’s bound to be good and juicy. And good and juicy is what I have in store for you this time around. Or at least it’ll be juicy. Maybe. Here’s hoping.
This blog is all about bad reviews and what to do with them. Now the knee jerk reaction to a bad review would be to scream at the top of your lungs, “FUCK YOU! YOU WOULDN’T KNOW GOOD MUSIC IF IT BENT YOU OVER A CHAIR AND STUCK IT IN SMOOTHLY!” and then go about your day. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen for me.
Here’s the problem family. As most of you know, from the time I first stepped foot in my producer’s studio to the release of “Introducing… ME” was six - count them, SIX - years. I’ve gone into the whys of all that in previous blogs and won’t rehash most of it here. But suffice it to say I’ve poured every once of energy, blood, sweat, tears and prayer into this project. And I am going on record as saying I am VERY proud of what I accomplished. Most people would have thrown in the towel by now. But not me. I just kept plugging away until I was able to put “Introducing… ME” out there for you. Imagine being in labor for 18 hours. Now multiply that by six years and you’ve pretty much got “Introducing… ME”. I’m very proud I was able to finally push that watermelon headed CD out of my, well, “imaginary cooch”.
Not only that, but I’m also very proud of the end product. Until my dying day I will never fear to put “Introducing… ME” in the same league as any other Top 40 dance-pop CD out there today. I put it all out on the page in the lyrics of songs like “I Feel Like Dancin’”, “ANIMAL”, “Through the Looking Glass” and “The One Thing I Can Do.” My heart and soul is in every song I wrote for this CD. I left nothing behind. Coupled with the producing skills of my cracker jack partner in crime, Guy Prier, “Introducing… ME” is a great CD. And because I think it’s fantastic, so should everyone else.
Not so much.
Here’s the deal. “Introducing… ME” has gotten mixed reviews at best. Some love it. Some hate it. Some don’t know what to do with it. Others just mention it in passing. Most haven’t mentioned it at all. (As an aside, I wonder what’s worse: getting a harsh review or being completely ignored. Maybe you other musicians can chime in on that little quandary.) But I guess when you’ve poured so much of yourself into a project, to hear other people not being on board as much as you it takes you aback.
I remember the first bad review I got. I had my day of work on this CD all planned out. I had made a list of items to do and was determined to complete them all. Earlier in the week I had sent out a follow-up e-mail to a bunch of different newspapers and magazines asking them if they had received my CD and what they thought. Well, I got an answer from one that particular morning that went something like this:
Hey Stephen,
Here’s the link (web only):
Thanks.
“Great!” I thought. “My very first review! YAY!” So I clicked on the link, scrolled down to the “web-only section” and found this:Stephen Dillard-Carroll Introducing…Me If you’re looking for dynamic CD-cover artwork, Carroll is your man; he looks damn good encased in mud, reclining on a woodland floor. Otherwise, this self-produced dance pop debut is thoroughly skipable. Oyos Records (stephendc.com). —Review: Nancy Ford
Ouch.But to her credit, at least she enjoyed the CD art.
I gotta tell you family, that took the wind right out of my sails. And when I say the wind was taken out of my sails, I must’ve stared at my computer screen in awe for what felt like forever. I was completely stuck to one place and couldn’t avert my eyes from the torture of those two words: “thoroughly skipable”.
I finally found my voice after what seemed like an eternity. And it shook the house. “THOROUGHLY SKIPPABLE?!?!?!?!?!” I screamed. “THOROUGHLY FUCKING SKIPPABLE?!?!?!?!?!?!?! WHAT THE FUCK DOES SHE MEAN THOROUGHLY FUCKING SKIPPABLE?!?!?!?!?!?!” I wanted to grab my laptop and throw it across the room, I was so enraged.
But as I grabbed my laptop and held it over my head looking for a target on the far wall I thought, “Hey, at least she liked the pictures.” And I laughed a little bit at the irony of it all. “Well if this music thing doesn’t pan out, I guess I can work it like Naomi.”
That being said, it still ripped all the energy out of me that day. I got nothing done. I couldn’t believe something I had put so much positive energy into could be so easily and quickly “skipped” by someone else. “Par for the course” never came to mind that day. “Reviews are always subjective” never crossed my cranium. “Only the good die young.” Check.
That evening one of my good friends Emmah asked me what I’d been up to all day. When I told her nothing and she asked why I told her “because I got my first review today.” Of course she wanted to hear it. So I pulled it up again and read it and almost burst into tears. To her credit, without batting an eyelash Emmah looked me straight in the eye and said:
“Maybe she meant you can skip down the street to it.”
I burst out laughing. And by laughing I mean doubled over laughter. Tears in the eyes kind of laughter. Stomach hurting you can barely breathe kind of laughter. When I finally calmed down enough to speak I said, “That is why I love you so much, Emmah!” And it’s true.
And the hits keep coming. As I’ve said before, the reviews for “Introducing… ME” have been mixed. So mixed in fact that I’ve actually stopped reading them. Because I never know when I click a link whether the reviewer is gonna love it or say I sound like William Hung. (That’s NOT an exaggeration. A reviewer actually said that about me. Harsh.)
The point to all of this is you’ll never convince me in a million years that artists who truly care about their product, when they find other people don’t feel the same way or even worse rip what they’ve created to shreds it doesn’t hurt. And there is no book I’ve found on the business of music that tells you how to deal with negative reviews. There is no 12 step program to let you get over the day a reviewer invites two of his co-workers in to pile on the negativity. (Another true story.) There is nothing out there that will tell you how to deal with the fact that not EVERYBODY is gonna love your music.
And quite honestly family, I don’t have any fool-proof method either.
But I will tell you that on the days I am brave enough to open a review and it’s not so kind I’m no longer paralyzed for the rest of the day. It still stings and it still like a punch to the jaw. But it’s no longer a kick in the nuts or a punch to the gut. As I’ve said, by and large I don’t read reviews of my work anymore because I never know what’s waiting for me on the other side of the link. This is one of those times where “ignorance truly is bliss”. Most days I’d rather not know if a review is negative or positive. I’m just happy somebody’s talking about it.
Does that make me cowardly? No. And here’s the reason why. I learned a long time ago that if you do your best in whatever it is you do, that’s all anybody can ask of you. Truth be told, I could be the second coming of Jesus Christ (or The Beatles) and there still would be people out there who look like they just got through sucking on a lemon. It’s par for the course and something as an artist I absolutely must learn to deal with or I’m in the wrong business.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I'm going to stick my head in the oven. Just kidding. Maybe.
Peace.
-Stephen
http://stephendc.com
hello@stephendc.com
http://www.myspace.com/stephendillardcarroll
http://www.facebook.com/stephendillardcarroll
http://twitter.com/randomcrazyshit
http://tagged.com/stephendillardcarroll
http://www.cdbaby.com/stephendillardcarrol
9.08.2009
Man This Is A Lotta Work! (a.k.a. Where The HELL Have You Been, Stephen?)
Hello Family!
I checked my blog today and realized it's been over a month since I've posted anything here.
WTF? Where does the time go?
I have to tell you family, I eat, sleep, laugh, cry, and otherwise live this music experience. Or I should say the music business end of this music experience. I have yet to party like a rock star. (But I certainly have great expectations for the night that will happen.) I have yet to snort lines of coke off Jake Gyllenhall's ass and go running naked through the streets of LA. (I have every expectation that will NEVER happen. At least not the coke part...) I have yet to trash a hotel room. (Who's paying for this? Oh, I'm paying for it? Yeah, I'm gonna go ahead and put this vase down...) I have yet to get a blow job from Hugh Jackman in the VIP section of the hottest club in LA, or bend over and take it like a man from Gerard Butler in the middle of a Chinese restaurant over Peking Duck. (This WILL happen, ladies and gentlemen. "The Secret" tells me so.) The only bottles I've popped are Tylenol. My debit card doesn't work as well ever since I Magic Markered it black. The last thing I threw in the bag was groceries. No family, the life of a "rock star" has yet to happen to me.
So what the hell have I been doing this last month? Working. It's absolutely incredible the amount of work that goes into doing this music thing. It never ceases to amaze me. And the time that must be invested in doing what must be done is astounding.
True confession time.
Family, I'm pulling it all out of my ass and seeing what works and what doesn't.
Meaning, outside of the countless books I've read on "the art of building a business" I really don't have any other expertise at my fingertips. I don't have a record executive who says what works and what doesn't. (Keep your "fucking suits don't know their asses from a hole in the ground" comments to yourself, please.) I don't have a program director at a radio station telling me what works and what doesn't. And most of my family and friends have never been business owners of any kind. They've spent their lives working for other people. So I don't even have people that genuinely care about me as a resource I can go to for guidance on how to start and run your own business.
So basically I'm pulling it outta my ass and seeing what works and what doesn't.
And so far so good, I have to say. Pretty much everything I've done so far - with some VERY glaring exceptions - has been met with good results.But man is it time-consuming!!!!
I've basically spent last month gathering information on college newspapers and college radio stations and contacting them all to see if I can't get my CD reviewed and played on their stations. I pored through HUNDREDS of newspapers to see which colleges did reviews. Most only review movies, if they do reviews at all. Out of the hundreds of newspapers I looked at, I was left with a little over 200 newspapers that I then had to turn around and contact to see if they'd review my CD.
After that was done, I did the same with college radio stations. I pored over hundreds of college radio stations around the US. I had to find out what type of music they played. After finding the stations that played my genre of music, I then had to see if they accept submissions from indie artists. Once I found out that information, I had to contact a little over 200 stations to ask them if they would accept my submission.
Now the last part I really didn't have to do. Most college radio stations that play my genre of music will automatically accept submissions and have a contact page on their website to tell you where to snail mail it. However, I decided to be smart about it. Most indie bands and artists just submit unsolicited music to college radio stations in hope of them being listened to and played on the radio. What I decided to do was contact the radio stations and ask them if I could submit my music. And even if I don't hear back from some of them, it is my hope they at least opened my e-mail. I'll be sending my CD to them regardless of whether they answer me or not. But this way, hopefully, once they do get my CD they'll remember my e-mail and maybe my CD will get to the top of the "listen to" pile rather than the bottom. Yes, it's an extra step and it's too early to tell how well it will work out. Again, I'm pulling it out of my ass and much like Caroline from that good old OutKast song, sometimes it smells like roses and sometimes it smells like poo-oo-oo-oo.
But no matter what, it's time CONSUMING. I probably put in 25 - 30 hours a week on music business stuff this past month.
The good news in all this is I only have to do the grunt work once. Meaning, I'll never again have to spend hours on end trying to find college newspapers that will review my CD or college radio stations that will play my CD. Because I now have all that information at my fingertips. Some information may change, but by and large it will stay the same. So when my sophomore CD drops, I'll just have to recontact these places to ask if I could send them my materials. And most I will already have a working relationship with. So it'll be a quickie phone call to Joe Schmoe Music Director, or Jane Schmoe Music Reviewer to say I'm sending my stuff rather than sending out an e-mail to the great unknown and hoping for a reply.
So the lesson in all of this is regardless of what type of business you are setting up for yourself, it requires a LOT of hard work. Work that you don't anticipate. Work that will wear you the hell out.
But if you love music as much as I do, it's worth it.
Peace.
-Stephen
http://stephendc.com
hello@stephendc.com
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/stephendillardcarrol
http://www.myspace.com/stephendillardcarroll
http://www.facebook.com/stephendillardcarroll
http://www.tagged.com/stephendillardcarroll
http://twitter.com - @randomcrazyshit
I checked my blog today and realized it's been over a month since I've posted anything here.
WTF? Where does the time go?
I have to tell you family, I eat, sleep, laugh, cry, and otherwise live this music experience. Or I should say the music business end of this music experience. I have yet to party like a rock star. (But I certainly have great expectations for the night that will happen.) I have yet to snort lines of coke off Jake Gyllenhall's ass and go running naked through the streets of LA. (I have every expectation that will NEVER happen. At least not the coke part...) I have yet to trash a hotel room. (Who's paying for this? Oh, I'm paying for it? Yeah, I'm gonna go ahead and put this vase down...) I have yet to get a blow job from Hugh Jackman in the VIP section of the hottest club in LA, or bend over and take it like a man from Gerard Butler in the middle of a Chinese restaurant over Peking Duck. (This WILL happen, ladies and gentlemen. "The Secret" tells me so.) The only bottles I've popped are Tylenol. My debit card doesn't work as well ever since I Magic Markered it black. The last thing I threw in the bag was groceries. No family, the life of a "rock star" has yet to happen to me.
So what the hell have I been doing this last month? Working. It's absolutely incredible the amount of work that goes into doing this music thing. It never ceases to amaze me. And the time that must be invested in doing what must be done is astounding.
True confession time.
Family, I'm pulling it all out of my ass and seeing what works and what doesn't.
Meaning, outside of the countless books I've read on "the art of building a business" I really don't have any other expertise at my fingertips. I don't have a record executive who says what works and what doesn't. (Keep your "fucking suits don't know their asses from a hole in the ground" comments to yourself, please.) I don't have a program director at a radio station telling me what works and what doesn't. And most of my family and friends have never been business owners of any kind. They've spent their lives working for other people. So I don't even have people that genuinely care about me as a resource I can go to for guidance on how to start and run your own business.
So basically I'm pulling it outta my ass and seeing what works and what doesn't.
And so far so good, I have to say. Pretty much everything I've done so far - with some VERY glaring exceptions - has been met with good results.But man is it time-consuming!!!!
I've basically spent last month gathering information on college newspapers and college radio stations and contacting them all to see if I can't get my CD reviewed and played on their stations. I pored through HUNDREDS of newspapers to see which colleges did reviews. Most only review movies, if they do reviews at all. Out of the hundreds of newspapers I looked at, I was left with a little over 200 newspapers that I then had to turn around and contact to see if they'd review my CD.
After that was done, I did the same with college radio stations. I pored over hundreds of college radio stations around the US. I had to find out what type of music they played. After finding the stations that played my genre of music, I then had to see if they accept submissions from indie artists. Once I found out that information, I had to contact a little over 200 stations to ask them if they would accept my submission.
Now the last part I really didn't have to do. Most college radio stations that play my genre of music will automatically accept submissions and have a contact page on their website to tell you where to snail mail it. However, I decided to be smart about it. Most indie bands and artists just submit unsolicited music to college radio stations in hope of them being listened to and played on the radio. What I decided to do was contact the radio stations and ask them if I could submit my music. And even if I don't hear back from some of them, it is my hope they at least opened my e-mail. I'll be sending my CD to them regardless of whether they answer me or not. But this way, hopefully, once they do get my CD they'll remember my e-mail and maybe my CD will get to the top of the "listen to" pile rather than the bottom. Yes, it's an extra step and it's too early to tell how well it will work out. Again, I'm pulling it out of my ass and much like Caroline from that good old OutKast song, sometimes it smells like roses and sometimes it smells like poo-oo-oo-oo.
But no matter what, it's time CONSUMING. I probably put in 25 - 30 hours a week on music business stuff this past month.
The good news in all this is I only have to do the grunt work once. Meaning, I'll never again have to spend hours on end trying to find college newspapers that will review my CD or college radio stations that will play my CD. Because I now have all that information at my fingertips. Some information may change, but by and large it will stay the same. So when my sophomore CD drops, I'll just have to recontact these places to ask if I could send them my materials. And most I will already have a working relationship with. So it'll be a quickie phone call to Joe Schmoe Music Director, or Jane Schmoe Music Reviewer to say I'm sending my stuff rather than sending out an e-mail to the great unknown and hoping for a reply.
So the lesson in all of this is regardless of what type of business you are setting up for yourself, it requires a LOT of hard work. Work that you don't anticipate. Work that will wear you the hell out.
But if you love music as much as I do, it's worth it.
Peace.
-Stephen
http://stephendc.com
hello@stephendc.com
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/stephendillardcarrol
http://www.myspace.com/stephendillardcarroll
http://www.facebook.com/stephendillardcarroll
http://www.tagged.com/stephendillardcarroll
http://twitter.com - @randomcrazyshit
7.19.2009
Gary Busey, You Changed My Mind!!!
Hello Family!
As most of you know it's been my opinion that Twitter is a waste of valuable online real estate. I do not need to know you're taking a crap. You do not need to know I'm chronically masturbating in a corner with the shades pulled down, the lights turned off and "SpongeBob SquarePants" on my tv. Muted, of course, so I can just jack off while watching that sponge soak up water. Over and over again. And that laugh! Oh that laugh that sends electricity through my body and makes my balls churn like two little cannons waiting for a sponge to laugh maniacally so they can fire baby batter into the air. And wonder aloud as I'm wipe the cum off my chest and chin with my very own square yellow sponge, "I wonder just how much jizz can one little yellow sponge take? But you know, don't you SpongeBob. Cause you're a dirty little sponge, arentcha? You're a dirty little spooge sopping up sponge from the bottom of the sea, arentcha? You know exactly how much you can take, huh? Yeah. You know."
The point is family, you don't need to know that.
I don't need to "tweet" you with every little thing that's happening in my life (music. masturbation. that's pretty much it.) And I certainly don't want to hear about the mundane minutiae that is your life. I'm sure you have a million and one things to do that have absolutely nothing to do with updating me and the rest of the universe about what's going on with you.
But like a lone cowboy riding into a one-horse town with a glimmer in his eye and a sherriff's badge on his chest and two guns at his side ready to prove anybody who crosses him otherwise, Gary Busey has changed my mind.
Yes family, you read it right: Much like a cracked cranium will change your point of view forever, Gary Busey - America's FAVORITE cracked cranium - has changed my mind about Twitter.
Check out the article here:
http://www.okgazette.com/p/13031/a/4309/Default.aspx?ReturnUrl=LwBEAGUAZgBhAHUAbAB0AC4AYQBzAHAAeAAslashAHAAPQAxADIAOAAxADQA
Now it's probably not really Gary Busey in all these accounts tweeting random shit, but I for one am not going to take that chance. The chance that Gary Busey - crazed drum player from back in the day on Howard Stern, Promise Keeper to this day (I think) - has tapped into a level of genius not seen since his Oscar overlooked performance in "Homo Erectus".
Yes family, Gary Busey has tapped into the genius of posting random crazy shit on what may or may not be several accounts in his name on Twitter. And I'm following his lead.
So family for your daily dose of random crazy (hopefully funny) shit posted online and to your BlackBerry anytime you want it, go here:
https://twitter.com/randomcrazyshit
Here's what you won't find in any of my tweets:
1. Updates about my life.
2. Updates about my so-called music career
3. Updates on new SpongeBob SquarePants episodes (okay maybe I'll update that)
Here's what you will find in all of my tweets:
1. Random Crazy Shit.
So I'm on Twitter now. Follow Me!
Peace.
-Stephen
http://stephendc.com
hello@stephendc.com
http://www.myspace.com/stephendillardcarroll
http://www.facebook.com/stephendillardcarroll
http://www.tagged.com/stephendillardcarroll
https://twitter.com/randomcrazyshit
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/stephendillardcarrol
As most of you know it's been my opinion that Twitter is a waste of valuable online real estate. I do not need to know you're taking a crap. You do not need to know I'm chronically masturbating in a corner with the shades pulled down, the lights turned off and "SpongeBob SquarePants" on my tv. Muted, of course, so I can just jack off while watching that sponge soak up water. Over and over again. And that laugh! Oh that laugh that sends electricity through my body and makes my balls churn like two little cannons waiting for a sponge to laugh maniacally so they can fire baby batter into the air. And wonder aloud as I'm wipe the cum off my chest and chin with my very own square yellow sponge, "I wonder just how much jizz can one little yellow sponge take? But you know, don't you SpongeBob. Cause you're a dirty little sponge, arentcha? You're a dirty little spooge sopping up sponge from the bottom of the sea, arentcha? You know exactly how much you can take, huh? Yeah. You know."
The point is family, you don't need to know that.
I don't need to "tweet" you with every little thing that's happening in my life (music. masturbation. that's pretty much it.) And I certainly don't want to hear about the mundane minutiae that is your life. I'm sure you have a million and one things to do that have absolutely nothing to do with updating me and the rest of the universe about what's going on with you.
But like a lone cowboy riding into a one-horse town with a glimmer in his eye and a sherriff's badge on his chest and two guns at his side ready to prove anybody who crosses him otherwise, Gary Busey has changed my mind.
Yes family, you read it right: Much like a cracked cranium will change your point of view forever, Gary Busey - America's FAVORITE cracked cranium - has changed my mind about Twitter.
Check out the article here:
http://www.okgazette.com/p/13031/a/4309/Default.aspx?ReturnUrl=LwBEAGUAZgBhAHUAbAB0AC4AYQBzAHAAeAAslashAHAAPQAxADIAOAAxADQA
Now it's probably not really Gary Busey in all these accounts tweeting random shit, but I for one am not going to take that chance. The chance that Gary Busey - crazed drum player from back in the day on Howard Stern, Promise Keeper to this day (I think) - has tapped into a level of genius not seen since his Oscar overlooked performance in "Homo Erectus".
Yes family, Gary Busey has tapped into the genius of posting random crazy shit on what may or may not be several accounts in his name on Twitter. And I'm following his lead.
So family for your daily dose of random crazy (hopefully funny) shit posted online and to your BlackBerry anytime you want it, go here:
https://twitter.com/randomcrazyshit
Here's what you won't find in any of my tweets:
1. Updates about my life.
2. Updates about my so-called music career
3. Updates on new SpongeBob SquarePants episodes (okay maybe I'll update that)
Here's what you will find in all of my tweets:
1. Random Crazy Shit.
So I'm on Twitter now. Follow Me!
Peace.
-Stephen
http://stephendc.com
hello@stephendc.com
http://www.myspace.com/stephendillardcarroll
http://www.facebook.com/stephendillardcarroll
http://www.tagged.com/stephendillardcarroll
https://twitter.com/randomcrazyshit
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/stephendillardcarrol
7.12.2009
What's New With Stephen Dillard-Carroll?
So what's new with Stephen Dillard-Carroll?
Check it out:
1) Stephen Dillard-Carroll will be a featured artist at this year's Enid GLBTQA Pride Picnic & Festival in Enid, Oklahoma on Saturday, July 18th, 2009. The pride picnic and festival will be held at Meadowlake Park, Pavillion #1. Appropriately titled, "Let Your Colors Show" Stephen will be doing just that as he takes the main stage in his first performance of the summer. He will also have a booth where he will be meeting fans and selling his CD all day long. So make plans now to see him live and in person at the Enid GLBTQA Pride Picnic & Festival on Saturday, July 18th, 2009. For detailed directions and performance schedule, go here:
http://enidglbt.org/PrideSchedule.html
2) I'm looking for fans to document my live shows. I'm looking for photographers and videographers to record me doing my "thang" on stage. Whether you consider yourself an amateur, a hobbyist, or do it for a living it doesn't matter. I wanna see the show from your eyes. The good stuff may very well be posted to stephendc.com. So grab your cameras, your camera phones, and your video equipment and come out to see me live. Then send what you caught on tape here:
caughtintheact@stephendc.com
3) "I Feel Like Dancin'", the second single from "Introducing... ME" is on deck to be released by the end of July to internet radio stations all around the world. Once I've compiled a definitive list of the internet radio stations that have it in hand, I'll be sending out another e-mail (complete with direct links to Request Lines) for you to do your part to hear "I Feel Like Dancin'" in heavy rotation at your favorite internet radio station. As always, stay tuned to stephendc.com and this blog for all the latest updates.
4) As of this writing, "Introducing... ME" is being reviewed by several regional and national publications. As soon as I'm made aware of release dates for reviews (which early word on the street is "FABULOUS", by the way) I will pass the information on to you so you can grab a copy at your favorite newsstand. Stay tuned to stephendc.com and this blog for all the details.
Here's the rest of the good stuff you need to know:
1) I need to send out a BIG THANK YOU to all the people out there that have purchased "Introducing... ME" through CDBaby.com. Since going live a little over a month ago, "Introducing... ME" has sold out once and continues to sell to this day. So to all of you all there that have purchased one, two, even three copies at a time of "Introducing... ME" (you know who you are!), thank you. My music family's support support in this endeavor means the world to me. To those of you who have yet to purchase a copy, don't sleep on it family. And to those of you who have put down the $12.99 for you own copy, "Thank You" isn't nearly enough but I hope at least for now it will suffice. To get your hands on a copy all your own, go here:
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/stephendillardcarrol (And no, that's NOT a typo at the end of the web address. They did in fact leave the last "l" off my last name.)
2) If you'd rather download it to your computer or mp3 player, you can get it from i-tunes.com, amazonmp3.com, napster.com, and shockhound.com. And should you have a subscription with rhapsody.com, no worries, "Introducing... ME" will be coming on board there as well very shortly. To find me, just go to any of the above websites and type in my last name "Dillard-Carroll" or type in the name of the CD, "Introducing... ME" and you will have the CD to purchase at your fingertips.
And that's it for now, family. Stay tuned to stephendc.com and this blog for all the latest details. I want to send out one final THANK YOU before I close this blog out. I've said it before and I'll say it again: "I cannot do this without you!" All your love and support and cheerleading from the sidelines has kept me going in my darkest nights and my brightest days. So thank you to everyone who's in my corner. I appreciate you more than you'll ever know.
Peace.
-Stephen
http://stephendc.com
hello@stephendc.com
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/stephendillardcarrol
http://www.myspace.com/stephendillardcarroll
http://www.facebook.com/stephendillardcarroll
http://www.tagged.com/stephendillardcarroll
Check it out:
1) Stephen Dillard-Carroll will be a featured artist at this year's Enid GLBTQA Pride Picnic & Festival in Enid, Oklahoma on Saturday, July 18th, 2009. The pride picnic and festival will be held at Meadowlake Park, Pavillion #1. Appropriately titled, "Let Your Colors Show" Stephen will be doing just that as he takes the main stage in his first performance of the summer. He will also have a booth where he will be meeting fans and selling his CD all day long. So make plans now to see him live and in person at the Enid GLBTQA Pride Picnic & Festival on Saturday, July 18th, 2009. For detailed directions and performance schedule, go here:
http://enidglbt.org/PrideSchedule.html
2) I'm looking for fans to document my live shows. I'm looking for photographers and videographers to record me doing my "thang" on stage. Whether you consider yourself an amateur, a hobbyist, or do it for a living it doesn't matter. I wanna see the show from your eyes. The good stuff may very well be posted to stephendc.com. So grab your cameras, your camera phones, and your video equipment and come out to see me live. Then send what you caught on tape here:
caughtintheact@stephendc.com
3) "I Feel Like Dancin'", the second single from "Introducing... ME" is on deck to be released by the end of July to internet radio stations all around the world. Once I've compiled a definitive list of the internet radio stations that have it in hand, I'll be sending out another e-mail (complete with direct links to Request Lines) for you to do your part to hear "I Feel Like Dancin'" in heavy rotation at your favorite internet radio station. As always, stay tuned to stephendc.com and this blog for all the latest updates.
4) As of this writing, "Introducing... ME" is being reviewed by several regional and national publications. As soon as I'm made aware of release dates for reviews (which early word on the street is "FABULOUS", by the way) I will pass the information on to you so you can grab a copy at your favorite newsstand. Stay tuned to stephendc.com and this blog for all the details.
Here's the rest of the good stuff you need to know:
1) I need to send out a BIG THANK YOU to all the people out there that have purchased "Introducing... ME" through CDBaby.com. Since going live a little over a month ago, "Introducing... ME" has sold out once and continues to sell to this day. So to all of you all there that have purchased one, two, even three copies at a time of "Introducing... ME" (you know who you are!), thank you. My music family's support support in this endeavor means the world to me. To those of you who have yet to purchase a copy, don't sleep on it family. And to those of you who have put down the $12.99 for you own copy, "Thank You" isn't nearly enough but I hope at least for now it will suffice. To get your hands on a copy all your own, go here:
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/stephendillardcarrol (And no, that's NOT a typo at the end of the web address. They did in fact leave the last "l" off my last name.)
2) If you'd rather download it to your computer or mp3 player, you can get it from i-tunes.com, amazonmp3.com, napster.com, and shockhound.com. And should you have a subscription with rhapsody.com, no worries, "Introducing... ME" will be coming on board there as well very shortly. To find me, just go to any of the above websites and type in my last name "Dillard-Carroll" or type in the name of the CD, "Introducing... ME" and you will have the CD to purchase at your fingertips.
And that's it for now, family. Stay tuned to stephendc.com and this blog for all the latest details. I want to send out one final THANK YOU before I close this blog out. I've said it before and I'll say it again: "I cannot do this without you!" All your love and support and cheerleading from the sidelines has kept me going in my darkest nights and my brightest days. So thank you to everyone who's in my corner. I appreciate you more than you'll ever know.
Peace.
-Stephen
http://stephendc.com
hello@stephendc.com
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/stephendillardcarrol
http://www.myspace.com/stephendillardcarroll
http://www.facebook.com/stephendillardcarroll
http://www.tagged.com/stephendillardcarroll
4.17.2009
I'm Not Madonna
Hello Family!
We're gonna kinda take a little detour for the blog this time. Instead of telling you what I've been up to as of this moment I'm going to tell you how I got to this point so far. While I'm not going to tell you my life story, I am going to tell you (in a very condensed blog-like manner) how I got here.
So let's all pile into the "way back machine" (20 points if you get that reference) and go a little further back in my history to give you some sort of context.
At the beginning of this journey we find me in New York City. Fresh off the (figurative) bus with a suitcase by my side and a dream in my heart I stepped into the heart of Times Square. But not only did I have a dream in my heart I had a plan. I was 25. I was giving myself 5 years to go from an unknown to the heights of superstardom. Why 5 years?
Because that's how long it took Madonna.
"Yeah, but you're no Madonna!" I can hear some of you say. And you're right. But tell that to a 25 year old who was bound and determined to BE the next Madonna instead of charting his own course and you'd get a look of confusion. Or anger. More than likely a combination of both. "Whaddya MEAN I'm no Madonna?!?! Are you saying I have no talent? Are you saying I have no drive? Are you saying I have no determination? Are you saying I won't work my ass off so that EVERYBODY knows my name? Because if that's what you're saying , then I have two words you should get used to hearing:
FUCK YOU!!!"
See the thing is although I had - and still have - talent, drive, determination, and the willingness to work my ass off, I hadn't come into my own yet. I didn't know what the hell I was doing. All I I knew was I had a plan. And I'd even worked it out to the detail:
Year One: Move into hostel, get a temp job working in an office. Go from temp position to full time position. Save as much money as possible. End of year one, move out of hostel and into my own cute apartment ala "Friends" and "Sex and the City".
Year Two: Now settled into the day job and bills getting paid on time, start singing at open mic nights and auditioning everywhere. At the end of year two, land a regular gig singing at a cabaret somewhere in Chelsea or the West Village.
Year Three: Quit day job and create a following for myself in the cabaret circuit in NYC and around the East Coast. At the end of Year Three find a really good Broadway agent.
Year Four: Land a supporting role on Broadway. I didn't have to be the star of the show because a) that's not how Barbra did it and b) I had bigger fish to fry. At the end of year four finish my successful run on Broadway, stellar reviews and all, and head to the studio.
Year Five: Industry buzz around town is that I would be releasing a CD that year. But what no one knows and what I kept under serious legal wraps is that instead of it being what everyone expected - yet another album of Broadway standards - I'd release a CD of pure dance pop music. In the summer of year five I'd release my CD and because it was good music and it was excellently produced and because I had worked my ass off I would sell MILLIONS of copies and be shot into the stratosphere of superstardom.
Now to the outsider looking into my head they'd think, "Well that's a REAL round about way of getting from point A to point B." But there was a method to my madness. Bear with me and it'll make sense, I promise.
To this day I worship Madonna. I look up to her in so many ways. She inspires me to, if nothing else, work my ass off for my dreams. She certainly did and despite the odds has achieved a level of stardom few have before or ever will again. But the one thing it took her close to 20 years in the business to get was a little respect from the music community. She could sell millions upon millions of CDs, sell out shows from here to Timbuktu on a consistent basis, and become an icon for the ages, but until her "Ray Of Light" CD dropped the music snobs weren't giving her any kind of respect.
Well I wasn't going out like that.
I've been singing in some way my entire life. I've been dancing for as long as I can remember. I've been front row center grabbing the mic in every choir, band, music group you could think of, basking in the glory of the limelight for as long as I can remember. Hell, I love music so music I got a bachelor's degree in it. Say what you will about me but, much like Cartman, you will "respect my musical authority". And in my head the only way to garner that "respect" was to earn my stripes in "legitimate" music. Then when they (who is "they", anyway?) collectively finally said, "Hey, that kid's got talent!" that's when I would make that left turn and do what I wanted to do musically. And I'd do it so well that they would have NO CHOICE but to respect me in any area I chose to go musically.
Good plan, right? Oh wait. It didn't quite work out that way.
There are more than a few problems with that plan. The first glaring problem is, to borrow an idea from AA, no matter what you do life works on life's terms not yours. You can plan your life out to the smallest detail. But after you put that plan into action you step off the curb and you'll get hit by a bus. Or you get pregnant and decide to keep the baby. Or you fall in love. Or other priorities take control and you have no choice but to play the game the way life wants it played.
The second is I'm not Madonna. Yes it is true that from the time she was dropped off in Times Square until she released her first single "Everybody" was around five years. Still, as much as I worship her, that wouldn't be my experience. Her life will never be mine, her experiences will never be mine, and how she got from point A to point B will never be how I traverse those same points. Why? Because much like her song from her "Hard Candy" CD, "She's Not Me". She is uniquely her. And I am uniquely me. Our circumstances may mirror each other from time to time, (if I'm insanely lucky and blessed and constantly work my ass off) but step away from that mirror and suddenly we're different people again.
But at 25 you couldn't tell me anything. I was gonna be the next Madonna, dammit! And there was NOTHING anybody could tell me that would ever get me to think any different. If it took Madonna five years to make it, then goddammit it would take me five years.
So fresh off the (figurative) bus I set about my plan. And was immediately dealt life lessons that would take me close to five years in NYC to figure out. Life works on life's terms, not mine. And I'm not Madonna. I have to be Stephen. But first I had to figure out just who the hell Stephen was and is. Then once I figured out who Stephen was (I'm still on that journey, by the way) then I could start to make a CD that will eventually shoot me into the stratosphere of superstardom.
I tell you this story because it ties into the name of my CD: "Introducing... ME". But more than that, it's a cautionary tale to anyone who will listen. The people that stick around in this business we call music are the people that are unique. They have a voice all their own. They're the folk who know who they are and are comfortable in their own skin. People who aren't afraid of what "they" may or may not think. Those that know that no matter how many accolades you may rack up or how much "respect" you get for your musical prowess, when it comes to you there will ALWAYS be those with a look on their faces like they just smelled the nastiest fart ever. In order to survive this business for longer than 15 minutes you absolutely HAVE to know who you are, stand your ground and be proud. Come what may.
No, I'm not Madonna. I'm Stephen. And I'm JUICY!
Take it for what it is and do your own thing.
Peace.
-Stephen
We're gonna kinda take a little detour for the blog this time. Instead of telling you what I've been up to as of this moment I'm going to tell you how I got to this point so far. While I'm not going to tell you my life story, I am going to tell you (in a very condensed blog-like manner) how I got here.
So let's all pile into the "way back machine" (20 points if you get that reference) and go a little further back in my history to give you some sort of context.
At the beginning of this journey we find me in New York City. Fresh off the (figurative) bus with a suitcase by my side and a dream in my heart I stepped into the heart of Times Square. But not only did I have a dream in my heart I had a plan. I was 25. I was giving myself 5 years to go from an unknown to the heights of superstardom. Why 5 years?
Because that's how long it took Madonna.
"Yeah, but you're no Madonna!" I can hear some of you say. And you're right. But tell that to a 25 year old who was bound and determined to BE the next Madonna instead of charting his own course and you'd get a look of confusion. Or anger. More than likely a combination of both. "Whaddya MEAN I'm no Madonna?!?! Are you saying I have no talent? Are you saying I have no drive? Are you saying I have no determination? Are you saying I won't work my ass off so that EVERYBODY knows my name? Because if that's what you're saying , then I have two words you should get used to hearing:
FUCK YOU!!!"
See the thing is although I had - and still have - talent, drive, determination, and the willingness to work my ass off, I hadn't come into my own yet. I didn't know what the hell I was doing. All I I knew was I had a plan. And I'd even worked it out to the detail:
Year One: Move into hostel, get a temp job working in an office. Go from temp position to full time position. Save as much money as possible. End of year one, move out of hostel and into my own cute apartment ala "Friends" and "Sex and the City".
Year Two: Now settled into the day job and bills getting paid on time, start singing at open mic nights and auditioning everywhere. At the end of year two, land a regular gig singing at a cabaret somewhere in Chelsea or the West Village.
Year Three: Quit day job and create a following for myself in the cabaret circuit in NYC and around the East Coast. At the end of Year Three find a really good Broadway agent.
Year Four: Land a supporting role on Broadway. I didn't have to be the star of the show because a) that's not how Barbra did it and b) I had bigger fish to fry. At the end of year four finish my successful run on Broadway, stellar reviews and all, and head to the studio.
Year Five: Industry buzz around town is that I would be releasing a CD that year. But what no one knows and what I kept under serious legal wraps is that instead of it being what everyone expected - yet another album of Broadway standards - I'd release a CD of pure dance pop music. In the summer of year five I'd release my CD and because it was good music and it was excellently produced and because I had worked my ass off I would sell MILLIONS of copies and be shot into the stratosphere of superstardom.
Now to the outsider looking into my head they'd think, "Well that's a REAL round about way of getting from point A to point B." But there was a method to my madness. Bear with me and it'll make sense, I promise.
To this day I worship Madonna. I look up to her in so many ways. She inspires me to, if nothing else, work my ass off for my dreams. She certainly did and despite the odds has achieved a level of stardom few have before or ever will again. But the one thing it took her close to 20 years in the business to get was a little respect from the music community. She could sell millions upon millions of CDs, sell out shows from here to Timbuktu on a consistent basis, and become an icon for the ages, but until her "Ray Of Light" CD dropped the music snobs weren't giving her any kind of respect.
Well I wasn't going out like that.
I've been singing in some way my entire life. I've been dancing for as long as I can remember. I've been front row center grabbing the mic in every choir, band, music group you could think of, basking in the glory of the limelight for as long as I can remember. Hell, I love music so music I got a bachelor's degree in it. Say what you will about me but, much like Cartman, you will "respect my musical authority". And in my head the only way to garner that "respect" was to earn my stripes in "legitimate" music. Then when they (who is "they", anyway?) collectively finally said, "Hey, that kid's got talent!" that's when I would make that left turn and do what I wanted to do musically. And I'd do it so well that they would have NO CHOICE but to respect me in any area I chose to go musically.
Good plan, right? Oh wait. It didn't quite work out that way.
There are more than a few problems with that plan. The first glaring problem is, to borrow an idea from AA, no matter what you do life works on life's terms not yours. You can plan your life out to the smallest detail. But after you put that plan into action you step off the curb and you'll get hit by a bus. Or you get pregnant and decide to keep the baby. Or you fall in love. Or other priorities take control and you have no choice but to play the game the way life wants it played.
The second is I'm not Madonna. Yes it is true that from the time she was dropped off in Times Square until she released her first single "Everybody" was around five years. Still, as much as I worship her, that wouldn't be my experience. Her life will never be mine, her experiences will never be mine, and how she got from point A to point B will never be how I traverse those same points. Why? Because much like her song from her "Hard Candy" CD, "She's Not Me". She is uniquely her. And I am uniquely me. Our circumstances may mirror each other from time to time, (if I'm insanely lucky and blessed and constantly work my ass off) but step away from that mirror and suddenly we're different people again.
But at 25 you couldn't tell me anything. I was gonna be the next Madonna, dammit! And there was NOTHING anybody could tell me that would ever get me to think any different. If it took Madonna five years to make it, then goddammit it would take me five years.
So fresh off the (figurative) bus I set about my plan. And was immediately dealt life lessons that would take me close to five years in NYC to figure out. Life works on life's terms, not mine. And I'm not Madonna. I have to be Stephen. But first I had to figure out just who the hell Stephen was and is. Then once I figured out who Stephen was (I'm still on that journey, by the way) then I could start to make a CD that will eventually shoot me into the stratosphere of superstardom.
I tell you this story because it ties into the name of my CD: "Introducing... ME". But more than that, it's a cautionary tale to anyone who will listen. The people that stick around in this business we call music are the people that are unique. They have a voice all their own. They're the folk who know who they are and are comfortable in their own skin. People who aren't afraid of what "they" may or may not think. Those that know that no matter how many accolades you may rack up or how much "respect" you get for your musical prowess, when it comes to you there will ALWAYS be those with a look on their faces like they just smelled the nastiest fart ever. In order to survive this business for longer than 15 minutes you absolutely HAVE to know who you are, stand your ground and be proud. Come what may.
No, I'm not Madonna. I'm Stephen. And I'm JUICY!
Take it for what it is and do your own thing.
Peace.
-Stephen
3.27.2009
New Stuff & Friendly Reminders
Hello Family!
I apologize for being remiss about blogging this month. So to make up for it, I'm posting two - count them, TWO - blogs this week regarding everything good there is to know about Stephen Dillard-Carroll. (I'll keep the skeleton bones in the closet, thank you very much. HA!)
Here's the new stuff:
1) What's Going On With stephendc.com? I'm very pleased to announce that you can gain links to all my music online at one place: http://stephendc.com. So instead of going from website to website searching for my music, you can find the direct links to all my music at my very own website. While you're at http://stephendc.com, take a look around and tell me what you think. My website designer worked hard to give you the best and I couldn't be more happy with the results. Once you're there, I think you'll agree. If you'd like to skip to the page that will give you the direct links to get my music online, you can go here: http://stephendc.com/purchase.html. That will take you directly to the PURCHASE MUSIC page. Once there you will find links to i-tunes, amazonmp3.com, shockhound, rhapsody and napster. Just click on the links and they will take you where you need to go.
2) Wanna be my friend? Of course you do! And I wanna be yours too! The headline for this blog contains a direct link to my MySpace page. Also, on the front page of http://stephendc.com you'll find links to my MySpace page and my facebook page. Just click on those links and they will take you where you need to go. Request to be a friend and I will gladly accept you into the fold.
3) Calling All DJ's!!! Calling All DJ's!!! If you are a DJ or know a DJ or have a cousin three times removed who was once married to a DJ, this one's for you. I'm very pleased to announce that a high quality, 320kbps version of "ANIMAL" is now available online to download FOR FREE and use in your sets. The link to get it is right here: http://www.badongo.com/audio/14012203. For those of you who aren't DJ's and would like to hear how a song spun at 320kbps actually sounds, the song is there for you as well to download FOR FREE and listen to your heart's content. And if you aren't a DJ but know someone who knows someone who might know a DJ, by all means direct them to the above link. And to all my DJ friends out there, feel FREE to use "ANIMAL" in your sets and let me know how it plays.
Here's the upcoming stuff you need to know:
1) CDBABY.com, BABY! A lot of you have told me that you don't have i-pods or your home computer is slow and that what you'd REALLY LOVE to own is a physical copy of "Introducing... ME". Don't worry, family. I've heard you. Loud and clear. And I am here to please. I have recently partnered up with CDBaby.com and I'm very excited to announce I will have actual physical copies of "Introducing... ME" available to purchase through CDBaby.com by the end of April. Please stay tuned to http://stephendc.com, and my MySpace blog for all the latest info.
2) Purchasing Music Through stephendc.com I am hoping that in the very near future you'll be able to purchase "Introducing... ME" directly through my website (via PayPal). It's something I'm percolating in my head and I have to work out all the kinks and details. But suffice it to say, that day is coming and I am excited about the possibilities! Again, please stay tuned to http://stephendc.com, and my MySpace blog for that upcoming event.
3) So When Can I See You In Person, Stephen? At this time, I am shooting for a tour in the early fall. These things take time - especially when you're your own booking agent - but believe me when I tell you I am working towards getting out there to meet all of you in person this fall. In the meantime, I am doing spot appearances here there and everywhere. For booking considerations, please contact me at http://www.sonicbids.com (just search for Stephen Dillard-Carroll and it will take you where you need to go), hello@stephendc.com or (405) 227-1237. I'd be happy to speak with you and work out something beneficial to all.
And that's it for now, family! Big things are happening and I couldn't be more thrilled! Please stay tuned to http://stephendc.com and my MySpace blog to get all the latest.
Peace.
-Stephen
http://stephendc.com
hello@stephendc.com
I apologize for being remiss about blogging this month. So to make up for it, I'm posting two - count them, TWO - blogs this week regarding everything good there is to know about Stephen Dillard-Carroll. (I'll keep the skeleton bones in the closet, thank you very much. HA!)
Here's the new stuff:
1) What's Going On With stephendc.com? I'm very pleased to announce that you can gain links to all my music online at one place: http://stephendc.com. So instead of going from website to website searching for my music, you can find the direct links to all my music at my very own website. While you're at http://stephendc.com, take a look around and tell me what you think. My website designer worked hard to give you the best and I couldn't be more happy with the results. Once you're there, I think you'll agree. If you'd like to skip to the page that will give you the direct links to get my music online, you can go here: http://stephendc.com/purchase.html. That will take you directly to the PURCHASE MUSIC page. Once there you will find links to i-tunes, amazonmp3.com, shockhound, rhapsody and napster. Just click on the links and they will take you where you need to go.
2) Wanna be my friend? Of course you do! And I wanna be yours too! The headline for this blog contains a direct link to my MySpace page. Also, on the front page of http://stephendc.com you'll find links to my MySpace page and my facebook page. Just click on those links and they will take you where you need to go. Request to be a friend and I will gladly accept you into the fold.
3) Calling All DJ's!!! Calling All DJ's!!! If you are a DJ or know a DJ or have a cousin three times removed who was once married to a DJ, this one's for you. I'm very pleased to announce that a high quality, 320kbps version of "ANIMAL" is now available online to download FOR FREE and use in your sets. The link to get it is right here: http://www.badongo.com/audio/14012203. For those of you who aren't DJ's and would like to hear how a song spun at 320kbps actually sounds, the song is there for you as well to download FOR FREE and listen to your heart's content. And if you aren't a DJ but know someone who knows someone who might know a DJ, by all means direct them to the above link. And to all my DJ friends out there, feel FREE to use "ANIMAL" in your sets and let me know how it plays.
Here's the upcoming stuff you need to know:
1) CDBABY.com, BABY! A lot of you have told me that you don't have i-pods or your home computer is slow and that what you'd REALLY LOVE to own is a physical copy of "Introducing... ME". Don't worry, family. I've heard you. Loud and clear. And I am here to please. I have recently partnered up with CDBaby.com and I'm very excited to announce I will have actual physical copies of "Introducing... ME" available to purchase through CDBaby.com by the end of April. Please stay tuned to http://stephendc.com, and my MySpace blog for all the latest info.
2) Purchasing Music Through stephendc.com I am hoping that in the very near future you'll be able to purchase "Introducing... ME" directly through my website (via PayPal). It's something I'm percolating in my head and I have to work out all the kinks and details. But suffice it to say, that day is coming and I am excited about the possibilities! Again, please stay tuned to http://stephendc.com, and my MySpace blog for that upcoming event.
3) So When Can I See You In Person, Stephen? At this time, I am shooting for a tour in the early fall. These things take time - especially when you're your own booking agent - but believe me when I tell you I am working towards getting out there to meet all of you in person this fall. In the meantime, I am doing spot appearances here there and everywhere. For booking considerations, please contact me at http://www.sonicbids.com (just search for Stephen Dillard-Carroll and it will take you where you need to go), hello@stephendc.com or (405) 227-1237. I'd be happy to speak with you and work out something beneficial to all.
And that's it for now, family! Big things are happening and I couldn't be more thrilled! Please stay tuned to http://stephendc.com and my MySpace blog to get all the latest.
Peace.
-Stephen
http://stephendc.com
hello@stephendc.com
3.22.2009
CALLING ALL DJ'S!!! CALLING ALL DJ'S!!!
"ANIMAL" NOW AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD AT 320KBPS!!!! FOR FREE!!!
Hello Family!
This is a quickie post to let you know "ANIMAL" is now available in high quality 320kbps for download and use in your DJ sets!!! FOR FREE!!!!
If you are reading this post on my blog at http://stephendc.com, just click on the headline of this post and it will take you to where you need to go to download "ANIMAL" at 320kbps.
If you are reading this as a MySpace bulletin or blog, you can go here: http://www.badongo.com/audio/14012203 and it will take you to the same spot.
Finally, for those of you that aren't DJ's and would still like a 320kbps version of "ANIMAL" you can go here: http://www.badongo.com/audio/14012203 and download it FOR FREE to share with all your DJ friends and neighbors.
There are now links to everywhere I am online to download "Introducing... ME" in its entirety at stephendc.com. Just go to the PURCHASE MUSIC page and you'll find all the links that carry my CD. If you want to go directly there, just click here: http://stephendc.com/purchase.html and it will get you where you need to go.
Big things are starting to happen with this CD and I couldn't be more excited. Stay tuned to stephendc.com as well as my MySpace blogs and bulletins for all the latest!
Peace.
-Stephen
hello@stephendc.com
http://www.myspace.com/stephendillardcarroll
Hello Family!
This is a quickie post to let you know "ANIMAL" is now available in high quality 320kbps for download and use in your DJ sets!!! FOR FREE!!!!
If you are reading this post on my blog at http://stephendc.com, just click on the headline of this post and it will take you to where you need to go to download "ANIMAL" at 320kbps.
If you are reading this as a MySpace bulletin or blog, you can go here: http://www.badongo.com/audio/14012203 and it will take you to the same spot.
Finally, for those of you that aren't DJ's and would still like a 320kbps version of "ANIMAL" you can go here: http://www.badongo.com/audio/14012203 and download it FOR FREE to share with all your DJ friends and neighbors.
There are now links to everywhere I am online to download "Introducing... ME" in its entirety at stephendc.com. Just go to the PURCHASE MUSIC page and you'll find all the links that carry my CD. If you want to go directly there, just click here: http://stephendc.com/purchase.html and it will get you where you need to go.
Big things are starting to happen with this CD and I couldn't be more excited. Stay tuned to stephendc.com as well as my MySpace blogs and bulletins for all the latest!
Peace.
-Stephen
hello@stephendc.com
http://www.myspace.com/stephendillardcarroll
2.28.2009
For All Of You With Day Jobs And Night Dreams
Hello Family!
This week's blog is kind of a departure from the norm for me. Usually I talk about the brass tacks of the music business and the "so idiotic and Bizarro World crazy it must be true" shit that happens to me in regards to the music business on a regular basis. (Don't worry. If the current shit I'm dealing with resolves itself in the next week I'm gonna have TONS of Bizarro World shit to lay on you in the next blog.) But today's blog is gonna be a little different. I'm gonna take a minute to salute the musicians out there that have "day jobs".
*shudder*
Family, I have a day job. Sad, but true. As my CD continues to gain steam (thanks for all the positive comments, by the way! Tell everybody you know!!!) it's a situation I hope to one day soon rectify. But for now, my day job is a means to an end to pay for the night dreams I have. I get up every day, get dressed, fight rush hour traffic, get to work, go to my cubicle, put in a good day's work, leave work, fight rush hour traffic again, and then come home.
Lather. Rinse. Repeat. Die a little inside each day.
In that sense I'm no different than 99% of the other Joe Schmoes out there. I have it no better and no worse than 99% of the rest of the workforce out there. But at times as I'm looking at the drab soul crushing surroundings of my cubicle and office and the machinery that is Corporate America, I can't help but wonder "Is this all there is? I mean really, is this it? Is this all I have to look forward to for the rest of my miserable life?"
And as I cry silent tears into my morning cup of coffee I have to kick myself in the ass and remind myself that my day job is just a means to an end. I have dreams. I have plans. I have goals. There's a reason I get up every morning to make my paltry just this side of slave wages.
It's all about the music, baby.
See, when I get home I take a shower, grab a quick bite to eat and then sit at my computer. And I do the business of OYOS Records. I do the business of making sure as many people are reminded over and over again that "Introducing... ME" is now available EVERYWHERE online. I answer e-mails. I accept friend requests. I do friend requests. I go to dance class. I nurture just budding relationships in the music business. I research. I ask questions. I demand. I beg and plead. I do whatever is necessary to make this CD a success. (I'll have a REALLY specific example in the next blog if the shit storm I'm currently dealing with is resolved.) But regardless, I'm working on my passion. I work my ass off each and every night on this project. I try to get a good night's sleep for the drudgery of the next day, but more and more sleep is going by the wayside as I work to get this CD off the ground.
And family, it's a full time (part time) job.
But I love it. I truly do. It's the one thing that keeps me going when another "day in the cubicle" is staring me dead in the face. If it weren't for music and my passion for it, I truly don't know what I would do. I'm sure I would either find a hobby or jump off a bridge.
And in that sense I'm no different than any other musician out there with a day job. We do what we do because we have to. We've gotta pay the bills until we are successful enough at the music thing to go to work one blissful day, drop trau, bend over, grab a heaping helping of asscheeks and scream at the top of our lungs, "KISS MY ASS!!!"
So to all the musicians out there slaving away at a day job until that fateful day arrives, I'm in your corner baby. Keep doing what you're doing and one day it's gonna pay off in HUGE dividends for you.
Until then, take it for what it is and do your own thing.
Peace.
-Stephen
P.S. I would be remiss in this blog not to pimp myself so here goes: You can find me on i-tunes.com, napster.com, amazonmp3.com, and shockhound.com with rhapsody.com soon to follow. Find me by typing in my last name, "Dillard-Carroll" and there I will be in all my mud covered glory.
P.P.S. For those of you on facebook and myspace, I'm also there.
P.P.P.S. I however, will NEVER be on Twitter. Don't get me wrong. I'm all about being accessible to people, but Twitter takes accessibility it to a whole new level that quite frankly scares me just a little bit. I mean, do I really need to know you're taking a dump right now? Do you really need to know I'm masturbating like a fiend right now? Do ANY of us really need to know what the other person is doing every second of every day? To those of you on Twitter, God bless you. I however will pass.
Masturbating In The Corner Like A Fiend,
Stephen
This week's blog is kind of a departure from the norm for me. Usually I talk about the brass tacks of the music business and the "so idiotic and Bizarro World crazy it must be true" shit that happens to me in regards to the music business on a regular basis. (Don't worry. If the current shit I'm dealing with resolves itself in the next week I'm gonna have TONS of Bizarro World shit to lay on you in the next blog.) But today's blog is gonna be a little different. I'm gonna take a minute to salute the musicians out there that have "day jobs".
*shudder*
Family, I have a day job. Sad, but true. As my CD continues to gain steam (thanks for all the positive comments, by the way! Tell everybody you know!!!) it's a situation I hope to one day soon rectify. But for now, my day job is a means to an end to pay for the night dreams I have. I get up every day, get dressed, fight rush hour traffic, get to work, go to my cubicle, put in a good day's work, leave work, fight rush hour traffic again, and then come home.
Lather. Rinse. Repeat. Die a little inside each day.
In that sense I'm no different than 99% of the other Joe Schmoes out there. I have it no better and no worse than 99% of the rest of the workforce out there. But at times as I'm looking at the drab soul crushing surroundings of my cubicle and office and the machinery that is Corporate America, I can't help but wonder "Is this all there is? I mean really, is this it? Is this all I have to look forward to for the rest of my miserable life?"
And as I cry silent tears into my morning cup of coffee I have to kick myself in the ass and remind myself that my day job is just a means to an end. I have dreams. I have plans. I have goals. There's a reason I get up every morning to make my paltry just this side of slave wages.
It's all about the music, baby.
See, when I get home I take a shower, grab a quick bite to eat and then sit at my computer. And I do the business of OYOS Records. I do the business of making sure as many people are reminded over and over again that "Introducing... ME" is now available EVERYWHERE online. I answer e-mails. I accept friend requests. I do friend requests. I go to dance class. I nurture just budding relationships in the music business. I research. I ask questions. I demand. I beg and plead. I do whatever is necessary to make this CD a success. (I'll have a REALLY specific example in the next blog if the shit storm I'm currently dealing with is resolved.) But regardless, I'm working on my passion. I work my ass off each and every night on this project. I try to get a good night's sleep for the drudgery of the next day, but more and more sleep is going by the wayside as I work to get this CD off the ground.
And family, it's a full time (part time) job.
But I love it. I truly do. It's the one thing that keeps me going when another "day in the cubicle" is staring me dead in the face. If it weren't for music and my passion for it, I truly don't know what I would do. I'm sure I would either find a hobby or jump off a bridge.
And in that sense I'm no different than any other musician out there with a day job. We do what we do because we have to. We've gotta pay the bills until we are successful enough at the music thing to go to work one blissful day, drop trau, bend over, grab a heaping helping of asscheeks and scream at the top of our lungs, "KISS MY ASS!!!"
So to all the musicians out there slaving away at a day job until that fateful day arrives, I'm in your corner baby. Keep doing what you're doing and one day it's gonna pay off in HUGE dividends for you.
Until then, take it for what it is and do your own thing.
Peace.
-Stephen
P.S. I would be remiss in this blog not to pimp myself so here goes: You can find me on i-tunes.com, napster.com, amazonmp3.com, and shockhound.com with rhapsody.com soon to follow. Find me by typing in my last name, "Dillard-Carroll" and there I will be in all my mud covered glory.
P.P.S. For those of you on facebook and myspace, I'm also there.
P.P.P.S. I however, will NEVER be on Twitter. Don't get me wrong. I'm all about being accessible to people, but Twitter takes accessibility it to a whole new level that quite frankly scares me just a little bit. I mean, do I really need to know you're taking a dump right now? Do you really need to know I'm masturbating like a fiend right now? Do ANY of us really need to know what the other person is doing every second of every day? To those of you on Twitter, God bless you. I however will pass.
Masturbating In The Corner Like A Fiend,
Stephen
2.14.2009
Albequerque, Clams & Pismol Beach
Hello Family!
Let me start this blog off by stating I got the strangest phone call last week. I was sitting at my desk at home, furiously working on CD stuff when my phone rings. I don't immediately know who it is, so I let it go to voicemail. (As an aside, I'm very big on screening calls when I don't know who the person on the other end is. It's probably a habit I should break since the phone that rang was my business line. But I digress...) It went to voicemail and someone left a message. Fantastic. I LOVE screening calls! (On a business phone? Not so smart, but anyway...)
I'm gonna paraphrase right now because I erased the message (more on why later) but it went a little something like this:
"Hi Stephen! This is Peter Wells, Senior Vice President of Tunecore. I happened across your blog and I wanted to tell you that I went through the back door at i-tunes to see if you are up and running there and sure enough you are! Oh, and I made a comment on your blog as well. So all is well and you're good to go on i-tunes. Thanks for using tunecore, and if you ever have any questions, we're here to help."
A couple things rang through my mind as I listened to the message:
1) "This has got to be one of my friends playing a practical joke on me. All the while, taking hits from the bong and giggling as they hang up the phone."
The reason that went through my head is because I had told a few of my "bong-friendly" friends about the Sentence Of Despair. Plus it was Sunday around noon-ish and nothing makes Looney Tunes on Boomerang funnier than a good practical joke.
2) "How many times has anyone in this Universe gotten a personal phone call from a Senior Vice-President of a company to let them know their CD is up and running?"
The answer to that question is : Unless you're raking in Madonna dough for LiveNation on the soon to be resurrected Sticky And Sweet Tour, no Senior Vice-President is gonna call you on a Sunday afternoon when they could be out golfing.
Then things went from strange to downright crazy. I decided to check the caller ID. For those of you outside of Oklahoma, we have three area codes: 405, 918 and 580. The area code that called me was not one of the above three. So now I'm going through my rolodex of friends to try and think of one that had the same area code as the one that popped up on my screen. Nobody came to mind. Then I went through my "Cheech and Chong with special guest Willie Nelson" rolodex and came up with the same answer. Nobody has that area code. So now I start to think:
3) "What if it isn't a practical joke? What if my friends are all passed out in front of the tv in a brown, purple, orange and bright yellow haze of Cheetos, Twinkies and dirty bong water?"
Even in the Bizarro Twilight Zone kind of world I sometimes find myself in, that seems unlikely if not downright impossible.
So what do I do? I decide to call the number back. All the while in the back of my head I'm thinking, "THAT old gag..." But I'm good for a laugh and in my head I've already forgiven my "wake and bake" friends for their tomfoolery. Still, it's not an area code I recognize...
"Hello," a man whose voice I don't recognize says as he answers the phone.
In that instant I knew it wasn't some silly gag my friends cooked up while puffing and passing.
"Hi, may I please speak with Peter Wells?" I ask.
"This is Peter." he replied.
"Hi. My name is Stephen Dillard-Carroll and you just left a message on my voicemail about my CD going live on i-tunes..."
The rest of the conversation was private and confidential - now you know why I won't even tell you what area code the phone call originated from - but it was one of those things that on paper sounds so crazy and out of the blue it can't be a work of fiction. Although I will tell you a few things I learned from the phone call.
1) Peter Wells is a real person. He actually works at tunecore and he's actually a SVP there. (And he gets obscure Bugs Bunny references.)
2) I found out that tunecore is not a giant conglomerate with nameless, faceless people running around and buzzing up and down a skyscraper building in some downtown metropolis somewhere. In fact, at its strongest it's probably 20 people deep.
3) I found out that should you sign up with tunecore.com and get your music out there online, you actually have to take the initiative to search the different websites on your own to see if you're "live" or not. I thought I would get an e-mail or a text message or a smoke signal to tell me I was live on i-tunes. Not so much. You actually have to take the initiative and search out these things for yourself. I have a feeling as tunecore grows and becomes an even greater success than it already is, that will change. But for now it is what it is.
4) Peter Wells has time on his hands. Time enough to search out obscure blogs in the far-flung reaches of the internet, comment on said blogs with answers to obscure Looney Tunes animation references and to actually call people back. It's the last part of that little jab (which I HOPE if he's reading this blog he found HYSTERICALLY funny) that I wanted to talk about a little more.
Family, it's no secret I've been around the block. (Some might even say my ass paved the block, but that would be oh so catty and wrong...) I've seen a lot of things and experienced a lot of stuff. There aren't a helluva lot of "first times" out there for me anymore. But I can honestly say without hesitation this is the first time a SVP has EVER called me first. Usually I've had to call and leave 30 messages before an assistant to the assistant to the SVP decides to call me back. This is the first time I've been called without having made the first move. Which is why this whole experience was so Bizarro World for me. And why I had such a hard time believing it as it was happening.
For the record, and I really MUST stress this, Peter told me he was taking a chance in calling me personally. It's not something they generally do for everyone. Which means, I don't want tunecore to get a BILLION e-mails that start out with, "Stephen got a phone call! Why didn't I get a friggin phone call?" Nor do I want to get a billion e-mails requesting Peter's private cell phone number. He asked me to delete it from my phone and I did. I don't have it. And even if I did, I wouldn't give it away. It's not mine to give and I respect his privacy. (Plus, I wanna continue to trade obscure Looney Tunes references with him. And if I gave his phone number away, I'm positive I would get an e-mail from him with only one sentence in the body: "Of course you know, this means war.")
I have already thanked him privately for calling me and letting me know, but I thought I should say something publicly about the customer service that tunecore provides. Should February 25th have come and gone and I didn't know for sure what was happening with my CD, I would have eventually clicked the "Contact Us" button and inquired. And after last week's experience I am positive someone would have e-mailed me back asap. To say I am thoroughly impressed with tunecore.com is the understatement of the year. As always, I would certainly advise you to read as much as you could about the company and make a smart decision based on your business needs as to whether or not you will use them. But as for me, I'm sold on them.
Since last week, I've also found out I am live on www.amazonmp3.com. YAY!!!
I'm also live on www.shockhound.com. YAY!!!!
As of Friday, February 13th, 2009, stephendc.com is live. YAY!!! PLEASE check me out there. Zach Burch did the website design for me and I couldn't be more pleased. He's loathe to put his own personal stamp on websites, instead directing people to his online portfolio. So since I'm in a "shamless plugging of everyone I know and love" kind of mood right now, you can find him here:
http://www.coroflot.com/zachdburch
I cannot even begin to tell you how impressed I am with his professionalism, hard work and excitement for my project. If you are looking for a website designer and graphic designer for any artwork you may have (he designed the artwork for the CD which I'm hoping will be available in physical form at your local mom & pop CD store very shortly) then look no further than Zach Burch. I had my choice of designers and I'm glad I chose the right one for my needs. Check him out for yourself and see if he won't fit your needs as well.
I got my business cards! YAY!!! As I told you in my FedEx Kinkos blog, I decided to go with Office Depot. Family, they did a bang up job on the business cards. It was exactly what I wanted, how I wanted it and everywhere I needed it. So even though Office Depot IS a giant conglomerate, I'm gonna plug them too. As always, check them out and make a smart decision before sending me an e-mail that says, "YOU TOLD ME TO GO TO OFFICE DEPOT AND NOW MY LIFE IS RUINED...." They were fantastic to me and were exactly what my business needed. So check them out.
This week, I sent out a mass mailing to everyone I've ever sent an e-mail to in the last 10 years to tell them about my CD. I've gotten nothing but positive feedback and for that I am eternally grateful. If you are not on my mailing list and would like to be, by all means send me an e-mail to hello@stephendc.com. Or you can always comment with your e-mail addy to this blog and you're automatically part of the family.
So now that I am live on i-tunes, shockhound and amazonmp3.com all that's left is rhapsody and napster.com. In the meantime, I have to promote the hell outta this CD. You can help me out by telling all your friends, neighbors, relatives, people you love and three people you hate about this CD. I absolutely cannot do this without you. You all are my eyes and ears. My street team. My cheerleaders. The people that love my music and support it with all they've got. Without you I'm nothing, baby!!! And I will do my part in getting the word out to as many people as one person possibly can. Together, we'll make "Introducing... ME" a success. Thank you for all your positivity. I'll talk to you soon.
Peace.
-Stephen
P.S. You bring the drinks, I'll bring the clams and I'll meet you on Pismol Beach, Peter!
-Stephen
Let me start this blog off by stating I got the strangest phone call last week. I was sitting at my desk at home, furiously working on CD stuff when my phone rings. I don't immediately know who it is, so I let it go to voicemail. (As an aside, I'm very big on screening calls when I don't know who the person on the other end is. It's probably a habit I should break since the phone that rang was my business line. But I digress...) It went to voicemail and someone left a message. Fantastic. I LOVE screening calls! (On a business phone? Not so smart, but anyway...)
I'm gonna paraphrase right now because I erased the message (more on why later) but it went a little something like this:
"Hi Stephen! This is Peter Wells, Senior Vice President of Tunecore. I happened across your blog and I wanted to tell you that I went through the back door at i-tunes to see if you are up and running there and sure enough you are! Oh, and I made a comment on your blog as well. So all is well and you're good to go on i-tunes. Thanks for using tunecore, and if you ever have any questions, we're here to help."
A couple things rang through my mind as I listened to the message:
1) "This has got to be one of my friends playing a practical joke on me. All the while, taking hits from the bong and giggling as they hang up the phone."
The reason that went through my head is because I had told a few of my "bong-friendly" friends about the Sentence Of Despair. Plus it was Sunday around noon-ish and nothing makes Looney Tunes on Boomerang funnier than a good practical joke.
2) "How many times has anyone in this Universe gotten a personal phone call from a Senior Vice-President of a company to let them know their CD is up and running?"
The answer to that question is : Unless you're raking in Madonna dough for LiveNation on the soon to be resurrected Sticky And Sweet Tour, no Senior Vice-President is gonna call you on a Sunday afternoon when they could be out golfing.
Then things went from strange to downright crazy. I decided to check the caller ID. For those of you outside of Oklahoma, we have three area codes: 405, 918 and 580. The area code that called me was not one of the above three. So now I'm going through my rolodex of friends to try and think of one that had the same area code as the one that popped up on my screen. Nobody came to mind. Then I went through my "Cheech and Chong with special guest Willie Nelson" rolodex and came up with the same answer. Nobody has that area code. So now I start to think:
3) "What if it isn't a practical joke? What if my friends are all passed out in front of the tv in a brown, purple, orange and bright yellow haze of Cheetos, Twinkies and dirty bong water?"
Even in the Bizarro Twilight Zone kind of world I sometimes find myself in, that seems unlikely if not downright impossible.
So what do I do? I decide to call the number back. All the while in the back of my head I'm thinking, "THAT old gag..." But I'm good for a laugh and in my head I've already forgiven my "wake and bake" friends for their tomfoolery. Still, it's not an area code I recognize...
"Hello," a man whose voice I don't recognize says as he answers the phone.
In that instant I knew it wasn't some silly gag my friends cooked up while puffing and passing.
"Hi, may I please speak with Peter Wells?" I ask.
"This is Peter." he replied.
"Hi. My name is Stephen Dillard-Carroll and you just left a message on my voicemail about my CD going live on i-tunes..."
The rest of the conversation was private and confidential - now you know why I won't even tell you what area code the phone call originated from - but it was one of those things that on paper sounds so crazy and out of the blue it can't be a work of fiction. Although I will tell you a few things I learned from the phone call.
1) Peter Wells is a real person. He actually works at tunecore and he's actually a SVP there. (And he gets obscure Bugs Bunny references.)
2) I found out that tunecore is not a giant conglomerate with nameless, faceless people running around and buzzing up and down a skyscraper building in some downtown metropolis somewhere. In fact, at its strongest it's probably 20 people deep.
3) I found out that should you sign up with tunecore.com and get your music out there online, you actually have to take the initiative to search the different websites on your own to see if you're "live" or not. I thought I would get an e-mail or a text message or a smoke signal to tell me I was live on i-tunes. Not so much. You actually have to take the initiative and search out these things for yourself. I have a feeling as tunecore grows and becomes an even greater success than it already is, that will change. But for now it is what it is.
4) Peter Wells has time on his hands. Time enough to search out obscure blogs in the far-flung reaches of the internet, comment on said blogs with answers to obscure Looney Tunes animation references and to actually call people back. It's the last part of that little jab (which I HOPE if he's reading this blog he found HYSTERICALLY funny) that I wanted to talk about a little more.
Family, it's no secret I've been around the block. (Some might even say my ass paved the block, but that would be oh so catty and wrong...) I've seen a lot of things and experienced a lot of stuff. There aren't a helluva lot of "first times" out there for me anymore. But I can honestly say without hesitation this is the first time a SVP has EVER called me first. Usually I've had to call and leave 30 messages before an assistant to the assistant to the SVP decides to call me back. This is the first time I've been called without having made the first move. Which is why this whole experience was so Bizarro World for me. And why I had such a hard time believing it as it was happening.
For the record, and I really MUST stress this, Peter told me he was taking a chance in calling me personally. It's not something they generally do for everyone. Which means, I don't want tunecore to get a BILLION e-mails that start out with, "Stephen got a phone call! Why didn't I get a friggin phone call?" Nor do I want to get a billion e-mails requesting Peter's private cell phone number. He asked me to delete it from my phone and I did. I don't have it. And even if I did, I wouldn't give it away. It's not mine to give and I respect his privacy. (Plus, I wanna continue to trade obscure Looney Tunes references with him. And if I gave his phone number away, I'm positive I would get an e-mail from him with only one sentence in the body: "Of course you know, this means war.")
I have already thanked him privately for calling me and letting me know, but I thought I should say something publicly about the customer service that tunecore provides. Should February 25th have come and gone and I didn't know for sure what was happening with my CD, I would have eventually clicked the "Contact Us" button and inquired. And after last week's experience I am positive someone would have e-mailed me back asap. To say I am thoroughly impressed with tunecore.com is the understatement of the year. As always, I would certainly advise you to read as much as you could about the company and make a smart decision based on your business needs as to whether or not you will use them. But as for me, I'm sold on them.
Since last week, I've also found out I am live on www.amazonmp3.com. YAY!!!
I'm also live on www.shockhound.com. YAY!!!!
As of Friday, February 13th, 2009, stephendc.com is live. YAY!!! PLEASE check me out there. Zach Burch did the website design for me and I couldn't be more pleased. He's loathe to put his own personal stamp on websites, instead directing people to his online portfolio. So since I'm in a "shamless plugging of everyone I know and love" kind of mood right now, you can find him here:
http://www.coroflot.com/zachdburch
I cannot even begin to tell you how impressed I am with his professionalism, hard work and excitement for my project. If you are looking for a website designer and graphic designer for any artwork you may have (he designed the artwork for the CD which I'm hoping will be available in physical form at your local mom & pop CD store very shortly) then look no further than Zach Burch. I had my choice of designers and I'm glad I chose the right one for my needs. Check him out for yourself and see if he won't fit your needs as well.
I got my business cards! YAY!!! As I told you in my FedEx Kinkos blog, I decided to go with Office Depot. Family, they did a bang up job on the business cards. It was exactly what I wanted, how I wanted it and everywhere I needed it. So even though Office Depot IS a giant conglomerate, I'm gonna plug them too. As always, check them out and make a smart decision before sending me an e-mail that says, "YOU TOLD ME TO GO TO OFFICE DEPOT AND NOW MY LIFE IS RUINED...." They were fantastic to me and were exactly what my business needed. So check them out.
This week, I sent out a mass mailing to everyone I've ever sent an e-mail to in the last 10 years to tell them about my CD. I've gotten nothing but positive feedback and for that I am eternally grateful. If you are not on my mailing list and would like to be, by all means send me an e-mail to hello@stephendc.com. Or you can always comment with your e-mail addy to this blog and you're automatically part of the family.
So now that I am live on i-tunes, shockhound and amazonmp3.com all that's left is rhapsody and napster.com. In the meantime, I have to promote the hell outta this CD. You can help me out by telling all your friends, neighbors, relatives, people you love and three people you hate about this CD. I absolutely cannot do this without you. You all are my eyes and ears. My street team. My cheerleaders. The people that love my music and support it with all they've got. Without you I'm nothing, baby!!! And I will do my part in getting the word out to as many people as one person possibly can. Together, we'll make "Introducing... ME" a success. Thank you for all your positivity. I'll talk to you soon.
Peace.
-Stephen
P.S. You bring the drinks, I'll bring the clams and I'll meet you on Pismol Beach, Peter!
-Stephen
1.30.2009
Wasn't Something Supposed To Happen Yesterday?
Hello Family!
True Confession time: As some of you are probably aware, the CD did not launch online yesterday as it was supposed to. (Surprisingly, I'm okay with that. More on "why" I'm okay with it later.) I tried to come up with a way to spin it. But I'm no good at "spinning" the truth. I can put it in a pretty package, wrap it up in a bright shiny bow bow and present it to the Universe. But when the pretty packaging comes off and the bow is discarded, all that's left is the truth. Then I thought I could out and out lie about it. But that's just not me. I try to live my life as above board as humanly possible. So for me to lie about it wouldn't be a good thing. All that's left then is the truth. Thankfully, it's not an ugly truth and in my eyes it's just another bump in the road.
Here's what happened:
As I detailed in one of my previous blogs, I joined tunecore.com. It's a digital warehouse of sorts that "houses" your music for an annual fee of $19.98 plus a one time fee of $9.99 for each album you upload. (At least that's the way it was for me. For more specifics on costs and if it's the right type of place for your business, I strongly suggest you go here: http://www.tunecore.com/index/faq). It seems like a solid sort of company and it seems like my music will eventually be available to download from itunes, napster, amazonmp3.com, shockhound, etc. etc. I finished uploading all my information to them about three weeks ago and my "navigation page" stated at the time that my information was processing. A few days later I checked my nav page again and was advised my songs had been sent to the stores I requested.Then I read the sentence that changed everything:"Projected go-live on or before: 25-Feb-2009"
FUCK!
Now to be fair, when I signed up with tunecore I did read the fine print that states it can take 4 - 6 weeks for your material to go live. They were upfront about it, and I read it. So I cannot blame them for not telling me. But there was a tiny part of me that was hoping against all hope that it would go live yesterday. That somehow someway the Universe would decide, "Let's break the laws of physics, the time/space continuum and technology as humans know it and push this CD on through."
Yeah, right.
And even now, there is a tiny part of me that hopes it will go live sooner rather than later. After all, the Sentence Of Despair (as I've dubbed it) says, and I quote: "Projected go-live on or before: 25-Feb-2009" See, it's that "or before" part I'm holding onto for dear life. Why? Because I've had it in my head for the LONGEST time that this CD would be released at the end of January 2009.
But life never works out the way we plan, does it? No, it really doesn't. There is no clear trajectory. There is no straight line from point A to point B. We'll have more "I knew I should have taken that left turn at Albuquerque" moments than we will have "Here we are at Pismol Beach with all the clams that we can eat!" moments and actually BE in Pismol Beach. (Brownie points if you get the references. HA!) Instead, life throws us curve balls, rips the rug right out from underneath us, kicks us in the teeth and then smugly says while towering over our bloodied broken bodies writhing on the floor, "It's for your own good."
And bringing it back to the music business, that's why I believe that while it's a really smart thing to be business savvy and to read as much as you can about the business of music, there is no "magic formula" for success. There simply is not. Anyone who tells you there is "and for $49.99/month and your left testicle and your unborn children I'll give you the magic beans that will transform your played out sucks would be an improvement Jersey garage band reality into sold out stadiums across the world success" should be taken with a grain of salt. To be fair, there are smart ways of traversing the music business landscape and there are downright idiotic things that should be avoided. But to say there's only one way of doing things and there's only one road to success is bullshit.
It's sort of the reason I write this blog. So that you, my not-so-gentle readers can learn from my mistakes and take note from my triumphs. All the while knowing I'm just one example. For every mistake I make there are a million other people out there that have made the same mistake 10 times over. For every taste of victory I get to lick, there are a million other people out there that have that sort of victory for lunch. Everyday.
And speaking of setbacks, having my CD not launch the way I wanted to in the time frame I wanted to is just one of many setbacks I've experienced in this road I've chosen. And I'm sure it won't be the last.
So that's where I am today, family. There are a couple reasons I'm not pulling my hair out about it all. The first is I have almost a full month more to prepare. To do all the behind-the-scenes stuff that I've grown accustomed to doing. And believe me family, there is PLENTY to keep me busy. (I'll have more next week on what exactly I've been doing while I wait for the CD to go live.) The second reason is it's not like it's NOT going to happen. And furthermore, it's not like it's gonna happen but it's gonna be six months from now. It's one more month at the most. (I REFUSE to let go of the "or before" part of the "Sentence Of Despair".) So I'm good with it. It's been a six year journey after all. What's another few weeks? As they like to say in prison, "I can do that bid standing on my head, muthafuckas!"
Take it for what it is and do your own thing.
Peace.
-Stephen
P.S. BTW, tell all your friends, neighbors, citizens countrymen and women, people you love and a couple people you hate about my upcoming release. I could use all the support I can get. Not to mention, it's good karma baby!
-Stephen
True Confession time: As some of you are probably aware, the CD did not launch online yesterday as it was supposed to. (Surprisingly, I'm okay with that. More on "why" I'm okay with it later.) I tried to come up with a way to spin it. But I'm no good at "spinning" the truth. I can put it in a pretty package, wrap it up in a bright shiny bow bow and present it to the Universe. But when the pretty packaging comes off and the bow is discarded, all that's left is the truth. Then I thought I could out and out lie about it. But that's just not me. I try to live my life as above board as humanly possible. So for me to lie about it wouldn't be a good thing. All that's left then is the truth. Thankfully, it's not an ugly truth and in my eyes it's just another bump in the road.
Here's what happened:
As I detailed in one of my previous blogs, I joined tunecore.com. It's a digital warehouse of sorts that "houses" your music for an annual fee of $19.98 plus a one time fee of $9.99 for each album you upload. (At least that's the way it was for me. For more specifics on costs and if it's the right type of place for your business, I strongly suggest you go here: http://www.tunecore.com/index/faq). It seems like a solid sort of company and it seems like my music will eventually be available to download from itunes, napster, amazonmp3.com, shockhound, etc. etc. I finished uploading all my information to them about three weeks ago and my "navigation page" stated at the time that my information was processing. A few days later I checked my nav page again and was advised my songs had been sent to the stores I requested.Then I read the sentence that changed everything:"Projected go-live on or before: 25-Feb-2009"
FUCK!
Now to be fair, when I signed up with tunecore I did read the fine print that states it can take 4 - 6 weeks for your material to go live. They were upfront about it, and I read it. So I cannot blame them for not telling me. But there was a tiny part of me that was hoping against all hope that it would go live yesterday. That somehow someway the Universe would decide, "Let's break the laws of physics, the time/space continuum and technology as humans know it and push this CD on through."
Yeah, right.
And even now, there is a tiny part of me that hopes it will go live sooner rather than later. After all, the Sentence Of Despair (as I've dubbed it) says, and I quote: "Projected go-live on or before: 25-Feb-2009" See, it's that "or before" part I'm holding onto for dear life. Why? Because I've had it in my head for the LONGEST time that this CD would be released at the end of January 2009.
But life never works out the way we plan, does it? No, it really doesn't. There is no clear trajectory. There is no straight line from point A to point B. We'll have more "I knew I should have taken that left turn at Albuquerque" moments than we will have "Here we are at Pismol Beach with all the clams that we can eat!" moments and actually BE in Pismol Beach. (Brownie points if you get the references. HA!) Instead, life throws us curve balls, rips the rug right out from underneath us, kicks us in the teeth and then smugly says while towering over our bloodied broken bodies writhing on the floor, "It's for your own good."
And bringing it back to the music business, that's why I believe that while it's a really smart thing to be business savvy and to read as much as you can about the business of music, there is no "magic formula" for success. There simply is not. Anyone who tells you there is "and for $49.99/month and your left testicle and your unborn children I'll give you the magic beans that will transform your played out sucks would be an improvement Jersey garage band reality into sold out stadiums across the world success" should be taken with a grain of salt. To be fair, there are smart ways of traversing the music business landscape and there are downright idiotic things that should be avoided. But to say there's only one way of doing things and there's only one road to success is bullshit.
It's sort of the reason I write this blog. So that you, my not-so-gentle readers can learn from my mistakes and take note from my triumphs. All the while knowing I'm just one example. For every mistake I make there are a million other people out there that have made the same mistake 10 times over. For every taste of victory I get to lick, there are a million other people out there that have that sort of victory for lunch. Everyday.
And speaking of setbacks, having my CD not launch the way I wanted to in the time frame I wanted to is just one of many setbacks I've experienced in this road I've chosen. And I'm sure it won't be the last.
So that's where I am today, family. There are a couple reasons I'm not pulling my hair out about it all. The first is I have almost a full month more to prepare. To do all the behind-the-scenes stuff that I've grown accustomed to doing. And believe me family, there is PLENTY to keep me busy. (I'll have more next week on what exactly I've been doing while I wait for the CD to go live.) The second reason is it's not like it's NOT going to happen. And furthermore, it's not like it's gonna happen but it's gonna be six months from now. It's one more month at the most. (I REFUSE to let go of the "or before" part of the "Sentence Of Despair".) So I'm good with it. It's been a six year journey after all. What's another few weeks? As they like to say in prison, "I can do that bid standing on my head, muthafuckas!"
Take it for what it is and do your own thing.
Peace.
-Stephen
P.S. BTW, tell all your friends, neighbors, citizens countrymen and women, people you love and a couple people you hate about my upcoming release. I could use all the support I can get. Not to mention, it's good karma baby!
-Stephen
1.17.2009
Where The Hell Have You Been? pt 1
Hello Family!
Well it's been longer than I anticipated between new blogs! The last time I came around to blog was in the middle of July. I could've sworn I did a blog just the other day! Apparently not. So now is the time to update you on just where the hell I've been and what I've been up to these past few months.
The good news is I've been reading. A LOT. And not just comic books, either! (Although, as an aside for those of you who really do think Batman is dead I got three words for you: HE AINT DEAD! Not only are they rebooting the Batman franchise, they're also rebooting the Nightwing, Robin, and Catwoman franchises. Trust Daddy on this one, darlings. Batsy aint dead. They're just rebooting him. Just like they've rebooted the other two members of the Trinity.)
But enough about comic books, let's talk about music!
As I stated before, I have been reading, children. Because I'm committed to treating OYOS Records as a legitimate business instead of just a hobby, I've been reading books on business like they're going out of fashion. I've recently come to the conclusion that as much as my previous blog about "Going It Alone vs Asking For Help" was on the money, the books I've read suggest that in general grants are given to those organizations that deem themselves charities. And as much as "Give Your Money To A Deserving Artist" is so tight it's a virgin, unfortunately there aren't a helluva lot of organizations here in the US that will give a "deserving artist" their hard earned money and not want to at least have some say-so in the day to day spending of said money.
No children, those "angels" that will give away money to a deserving artist and sit back and let them spend the money any way they want are called "sugar daddies." And while I certainly will not fault anybody for making a living any way they can - we're in a recession, after all - I couldn't imagine myself sucking 80 year old dick in exchange for a blank check. I'm certainly not above it, nor do I judge it - we all have our price after all - I just see that I have other options that while it may take me a while longer to realize my dreams they don't involve swallowing 103 year old powerdery sperm. (And always remember children, you can only sleep your way to the middle.)
The second option of course is to get a small business loan. In our current economy that option is so outlandish, so laughable, so crazy, it just might work. Unfortunately while I have the balls to do a lot of shit, going into my local bank to ask for a loan with bad credit and no collateral while they're in there fighting for their collective lives, well let's just say that takes brass balls I have yet to grow. Not to mention if by some act of God I get a kind soul to say "okay" the interest rates would have me in hock for the next three lifetimes. So asking for a small business loan, regardless of how sound my business plan is - and trust me children, it's SOUND - aint gonna happen.
So to recap: a grant is out the window. A small business loan is too. What's a boy to do? I suppose I could hit up my friends and family for money. But that may get me enough to pay for a Happy Meal without the prize inside. Hey, it's a recession. Money aint flowing for anybody these days the way it used to. I completely understand. I'm right there with you. And even if money were flowing like water, and here's a true confession for those of you looking for some inside juice into the "private life of Stephen", I'd rather cut off a testicle with a case knife than ask most of my family for money. Trust me when I tell you that 99% of them would tell me no. The other 1% would want to "run" shit. And 100% would talk about me either in front of my face or behind my back. Or both. So there is no way in HELL I'd ask anybody in my extended family for money unless I was down to my last dime and my parents were living in cardboard boxes.
So again, I ask you what's a boy to do? Well, outside of the "sugar daddy" option - not gonna happen, at least not today - the only thing I can do is get a better paying job and pay for it all myself.
Which is what I did. I got a new job back in September. It gives me enough money to not only pay all my bills, but gives me enough money to pay for this crazy dream. I can certainly see myself staying there until I make enough money selling CDs and touring to make music my one and only day job.
(By the way, for those of you who live outside of the US and are artists, from all I've read it's MUCH easier for you to get grant money than it is for us poor souls in the US. I'd look under every rock and nook and cranny if I lived outside of the US to see what kind of money I could get. I won't go into it here because for the purposes of this blog I'm up shit creek without a padde when it comes to family, banks or organizations loaning me the money to finance my dreams. But it's certainly something to be aware of that seems, from all outward appearances, to be a viable source of income if you live outside the US. If I'm wrong, please let me know.)
That's it for this week. Stay tuned for Pt. 2 which wraps up the rest of what I've been up to since we last talked (and is MUCH juicier, trust me). That blog drops at the latest next Sunday, I promise.
As always, take it for what it is and do your own thing.
-Stephen
Well it's been longer than I anticipated between new blogs! The last time I came around to blog was in the middle of July. I could've sworn I did a blog just the other day! Apparently not. So now is the time to update you on just where the hell I've been and what I've been up to these past few months.
The good news is I've been reading. A LOT. And not just comic books, either! (Although, as an aside for those of you who really do think Batman is dead I got three words for you: HE AINT DEAD! Not only are they rebooting the Batman franchise, they're also rebooting the Nightwing, Robin, and Catwoman franchises. Trust Daddy on this one, darlings. Batsy aint dead. They're just rebooting him. Just like they've rebooted the other two members of the Trinity.)
But enough about comic books, let's talk about music!
As I stated before, I have been reading, children. Because I'm committed to treating OYOS Records as a legitimate business instead of just a hobby, I've been reading books on business like they're going out of fashion. I've recently come to the conclusion that as much as my previous blog about "Going It Alone vs Asking For Help" was on the money, the books I've read suggest that in general grants are given to those organizations that deem themselves charities. And as much as "Give Your Money To A Deserving Artist" is so tight it's a virgin, unfortunately there aren't a helluva lot of organizations here in the US that will give a "deserving artist" their hard earned money and not want to at least have some say-so in the day to day spending of said money.
No children, those "angels" that will give away money to a deserving artist and sit back and let them spend the money any way they want are called "sugar daddies." And while I certainly will not fault anybody for making a living any way they can - we're in a recession, after all - I couldn't imagine myself sucking 80 year old dick in exchange for a blank check. I'm certainly not above it, nor do I judge it - we all have our price after all - I just see that I have other options that while it may take me a while longer to realize my dreams they don't involve swallowing 103 year old powerdery sperm. (And always remember children, you can only sleep your way to the middle.)
The second option of course is to get a small business loan. In our current economy that option is so outlandish, so laughable, so crazy, it just might work. Unfortunately while I have the balls to do a lot of shit, going into my local bank to ask for a loan with bad credit and no collateral while they're in there fighting for their collective lives, well let's just say that takes brass balls I have yet to grow. Not to mention if by some act of God I get a kind soul to say "okay" the interest rates would have me in hock for the next three lifetimes. So asking for a small business loan, regardless of how sound my business plan is - and trust me children, it's SOUND - aint gonna happen.
So to recap: a grant is out the window. A small business loan is too. What's a boy to do? I suppose I could hit up my friends and family for money. But that may get me enough to pay for a Happy Meal without the prize inside. Hey, it's a recession. Money aint flowing for anybody these days the way it used to. I completely understand. I'm right there with you. And even if money were flowing like water, and here's a true confession for those of you looking for some inside juice into the "private life of Stephen", I'd rather cut off a testicle with a case knife than ask most of my family for money. Trust me when I tell you that 99% of them would tell me no. The other 1% would want to "run" shit. And 100% would talk about me either in front of my face or behind my back. Or both. So there is no way in HELL I'd ask anybody in my extended family for money unless I was down to my last dime and my parents were living in cardboard boxes.
So again, I ask you what's a boy to do? Well, outside of the "sugar daddy" option - not gonna happen, at least not today - the only thing I can do is get a better paying job and pay for it all myself.
Which is what I did. I got a new job back in September. It gives me enough money to not only pay all my bills, but gives me enough money to pay for this crazy dream. I can certainly see myself staying there until I make enough money selling CDs and touring to make music my one and only day job.
(By the way, for those of you who live outside of the US and are artists, from all I've read it's MUCH easier for you to get grant money than it is for us poor souls in the US. I'd look under every rock and nook and cranny if I lived outside of the US to see what kind of money I could get. I won't go into it here because for the purposes of this blog I'm up shit creek without a padde when it comes to family, banks or organizations loaning me the money to finance my dreams. But it's certainly something to be aware of that seems, from all outward appearances, to be a viable source of income if you live outside the US. If I'm wrong, please let me know.)
That's it for this week. Stay tuned for Pt. 2 which wraps up the rest of what I've been up to since we last talked (and is MUCH juicier, trust me). That blog drops at the latest next Sunday, I promise.
As always, take it for what it is and do your own thing.
-Stephen
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
