Music
Would you work for free?
I was surfing the BBC news website this lovely Saturday morning and came across an article titled “Music giants’ fortunes dwindle” (there’s a link at the bottom of this entry if you’re
curious). But the gist of it is that all of the major players on the music scene are watching their cash grow legs and wander out the door.
Why? Because their name, persona and talent is run like a business — businesses invest their money in stocks and bonds and use money to make money — and the stock market is like a goldfish
that’s not dead yet, but can only swim on its side (hasn’t kicked the bucket yet, but it’s standing near the bucket for ease of access)
Whenever there’s a major turn in the music industry my ears perk up, because it’s my business, too. I’m a card carrying member of the Musician’s Union, PRS, MCPS and PPL (aka – the people that
help with entertainment law and track royalties). So when the music industry starts to gasp for breath because of piracy and the lowering of music’s worth, it makes me wonder. (At the
very least… after all, this is brow-furrowing stuff…)
At the root of it I wonder how music could ever be worth millions at all. When you think about it in terms of The Beatles or Led Zeppelin, it gets easier, because they’re so influential (not to
mention freakin’ incredible). But as people begin to expect music for free, how do you fight it? And should you?
I grew up in a house FULL of (free) music. Two musical parents who have both writing music and gigging for my entire life (sometimes with me in tow). Every member of my family is musical
in some way and music is sometimes used as a substitute for conversation. Everyone grabs their instruments and the bluegrass talks instead. In fact, my grandma only recently retired from
her last (touring!) band. So I know for a fact that music is free…
I guarantee that you, my lovely and attractive reader, know someone musical right now. At LEAST one musical person. I bet if you picked up the phone, gave ‘em a call, and asked if you
could go to their house and listen to them play a coupla songs they’d be PLEASED AS FREAKIN’ PUNCH to play some tunes for you. And there it is again – Free and beautiful music on tap…
Is this where the industry is headed? Small intimate music scenes? The triumph of the cottage-music-industry? Maybe next time you go to your friends house you bring a couple of
friends… then 10 people turn up… then 25… and the next time you have to book a venue instead because there’s not enough room and everyone chips in so the muzo doesn’t end up
out-of-pocket. Alakazam! – it all begins again…
As the music industry continues to try and Houdini itself out of it’s current pickle, it’s only a matter of time until there HAS to be a change. Not just small change… nonono… a major
shift… a big ol’ music-quake.
But will we still make music?
Or course, we will! It’s free!
(Oh yeah, here’s a link to that article that I was talking about:
Climbing the Bristol ladder
Exitproject have landed! In Bristol… With ALL their stuff… That they had to cart up 3 flights of stairs… And now they’re tired.
Seriously, though, (all uppity-third-person-narration aside) two weeks ago we moved to Bristol in England! It’s been a hurricane of cardboard, packing tape, broken glass, dust, lack-o-sleep,
vats-o-coffee and muscle strain. It didn’t kill us, so I think that means we’re strong. At least we freakin’ BETTER BE stronger cos my leg and stomach muscles feel like they’ve been
beaten with a meat tenderizer…
Why Bristol you ask? (or if not, skip this part – just like ‘Choose your own adventure’)
Well, it’s closer to the Ninja Butler’s family, it’s a technology city (which is good for the “http://www.siteclick.co.uk”>NB’s web-shenanigans , it’s got a killer music scene (which is clearly pretty crucial) and it’s also just bigger. It reminds me a lot of Boston expect without
the Red Sox fans… and the ‘Mike’s Pastry’…
The next step is to start getting in touch with venues and trying to book some shows. I’m also going to hunt a few open mics and ‘see what I can see’ – if anyone has any contacts or tips about
living in Brizzle, send ‘em across, my people!! Bring it on!
In music news, Activa, the producer I’m currently working with on a dance track, has been named the number one producer of 2009 by Paul Van Dyk. Paul Van Dyk is basically the
grammy-nominated-top-dance DJ in the world – so that’s good news!! Activa has asked me to collaborate on a track for his upcoming album (maybe more than one, we’ll see!) due for release in the
autumn of 2009. I’m really psyched about the project and it’s going really well so far – I don’t how Activa finds the time inbetween flying all over the world playing his DJ sets, I think he’s
in Moscow this Saturday… madness…
OH! And don’t forget that you can still buy ‘Healing Slow’ from the Exitproject website. It makes a great
birthday present, Easter present, Bar/Bat Mitzvah present, Christmas present, ‘New home’ present, ‘Old home’ present, ‘First time you’ve seen Star Wars or the Matrix’ present or just ‘Think of you’
present (but in a non-stalker way).
The first review of Healing Slow (And it’s good! WOOHOO!)
WoopWoop! The first review of the new single has arrived and we’re pretty freaking happy about it. We’ve sent it off to a small range of reviewers to get a few quotes before we send it
around to everyone with ears. Quotes are helpful nuggets when you’re trying to get people that are inundated with music to give you a chance.
Check out the review here – and leave some comments if you have the inkling!
If you have any words about Healing Slow, I’d be forever grateful if you’d leave us an iTunes
review. If you click the link it will launch iTunes on your computer and take you to the place you can leave a review.
Thanks you awesome peeps!!!
Music videos and moving house – from glamour to ‘gaaahhhhh!!’
I can’t believe I haven’t blogged about this yet – what is my brain doing?? Where is my head buried??
Actually, my head isn’t buried anywhere – it’s been resting on a set of old books in the basement while my disembodied legs run down the street by themselves.
Don’t believe me? – Well, we caught it on tape…
Watch the full video (which explains why my body has gone to pieces:
70,000 CD’s distributed across America
New Year, NEW SINGLE!
January came and went in a flurry of post-Christmas-get-your-ducks-in-a-row excitement! The new single arrived AT LAST (after a lot of flummoxing around with the duplication company – aka, they
lost the first batch, and crushed the second batch) and we are SO freakin happy about how it turned out!
Sales are going crazy and it has me grinning!!! :) Join the fray if you don’t have a copy yet – pick it up here in the Exitproject shop.
In other news, I spent the first Christmas back home in America for 4 years. 4 YEARS?!?! How the bo-jangles did that happen??
It… was… faaaaaaaaaaaaaaantastic…
I reveled in American-ness and did American things! I sang the America version of ‘Away in a Manger’, I was surrounded by all the traditional family Christmas decorations like the Good Cheer
Blimp ornament and the hand-carved nativity that my Dad made. I drank egg-nog (I drank egg-nog lattes), I ate Hershey’s, I went to the midnight service at the church I grew up in.
I
saw
my
family
!!!!!!!
Their fantastic Jarvi-faces speaking fantastic Jarvi-phrases. The finest bunch there ever was…
AND my brother got engaged! AND I’m his best man! I get to plan the bachelor party, Yoink!
A robot is for life, not just for Christmas
Once there was a robot-girl.
She was misunderstood because she was a machine and people thought she didn’t have any feelings or emotions.
At Christmas, all her LED’s blinked red and green.
And her secure wireless connection password was ‘rudolph’.
And she spoke the words to Christmas carols – because she couldn’t sing.
But people passed her by and never wished her a Merry Christmas. She was, afterall, just a robot.
But she had love and spirit in her heart-bot. And more than anything she wanted to be able to sing Christmas carols and share goodwill with everyone she met.
Late one night, she said a prayer – a Christmas wish – to be able to sing… to finally be a part of Christmas.
She wished and wished, with her eye-lenses shut tight. And the she wished and wished some more.
As she wished, it began to snow… and a star went shooting across the sky.
She paused…
She took a deep breath…
and SHE SANG! Her Christmas wish came true! And she went rolling down the streets sharing her Christmas song with everyone she met on the way.
And it was a very Merry Christmas!!
Wanna hear the song she sang? Exitproject caught the whole thing on tape – listen to her version of Carol of the Bells on the Exitproject’s Last.fm page.
Music released world wide
On 12th July, 2008 two of some of my trance tracks will be released by a top Trance Record Label all over the world – WOOP!
In 2007, I was approached by UK trance label, Conspiracy Recordings to co-write and record vocals for two tracks with Jon O’Bir (UK), a rising star on the Trance scene. The relationship proved successful when Vandit Records, a German label run by Grammy-nominated DJ, Paul Van Dyk, picked up Jon’s Album, “From Within” for world wide release. The album includes both of the two tracks co-written and performed by Emi, one of which is also being released as a single.
I can honestly say that I’m shocked and really freakin’ pleased about it all. :D
‘From Within’ will be available on vinyl on 11th June and on CD on 12th of July 2008.
