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
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
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