New Music & The Business

Just happened to pop onto my blog tonight and realized how long it’s been since I posted. Guess I don’t use my blog as much as I should, but not really sure anyone reads them much these days, what with social networking sites like Facebook & Twitter. Oh well, you never know if you’ll get the occasional straggler who takes a peek.

Well, as you may have already noticed, I recently posted a new song “Give It Up”. It’s one I actually recorded last year but finished up the final mixing on a few weeks ago. It’s definitely more pop than some of my work, but I do love trying new styles and seeing what I come up with. Speaking of which, I currently finished production on a new track called “Vapor” which I am hoping to record the vocals for and release very soon. It definitely has a darker edge with a melancholy look at how time gets away from us. Jess and I are also starting work on another track together called “On My Way”, and I still have a few tricks in my bag after those are complete.

So now that I’ve give you the DL on what I’m currently working on, I thought I would take a moment to share some thoughts on the current state of the music industry. To be straight forward, it’s just terrible! But we all know that, don’t we? I guess I hoped that with digital media new opportunities would arise for indie artists, but all I’ve seen really happen is that corporations still decide what music everyone listens to and the indie market is completely watered down. There is so little opportunity for any artist to win over a large enough audience to make the struggle worth it any longer. I used to believe that cream rises to the top, but no longer. You really have to look hard to find quality music. Gone are the days of walking into your local used CD store and walking out with a stack of new and exciting music, sometimes discovered just on the cover art alone. I miss it.

Don’t get me wrong, I know there is still good music to be found, but the discovery process has lost its luster. The good news is (and yes, there is good news) that people who make music these days absolutely have to do it because they love it. There is really no other motivation. I find myself falling into that category. I no longer have anything to strive for, aside for my own personal satisfaction of doing what I am most passionate about. Sometimes I don’t even know if anyone will hear what I’ve recorded and I’ve come to terms with that. I am perfectly content to make music that I enjoy, as well as for my husband. In fact, I often tell Jess that I am making music just for him. What could be a more loving gesture than that? I find more happiness in that notion than trying to paddle up a creek that leads to destruction for all who happen to make it upstream. There’s no pot of gold when you get there, just dead, smelly fish. I opt for the joy of lounging on the banks of the river down stream, basking in the sun, and smelling the flowers.