Where does music inspiration come from?

How deep is your love and where does your music inspiration come from? Is it a hobby, a passion, an obsession and how does the out pour of art manifest? It was rumored that Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin used black magic and cannot recall how or what inspired “Stairway to heaven,” but the cacophony of sound that comes from the mysterious two neck guitar leaves our eardrums feeling warm and fuzzy. …Strange. Some critics acclaim this song to be one of the greatest rock ballads in history. Jimi Hendrix burned and sacrificed his guitar on stage. We all remember this momentous event, and apparently the guitar gods received his sacrifice as his guitar riffs flow with miraculous angel fingers, although the LSD may have played some part.

Now I’m not encouraging black magic or sacrifice to the guitar gods, these are extreme examples of inspiration. Arthur I. Miller writes about Albert Einstein’s affinity for Mozart in an article titled, ‘A genius finds inspiration in the music of another.’ “Einstein once said that while Beethoven created his music, Mozart's "was so pure that it seemed to have been ever-present in the universe, waiting to be discovered by the master." Einstein believed much the same of physics, that beyond observations and theory lay the music of the spheres — which, he wrote, revealed a "pre-established harmony" exhibiting stunning symmetries. The laws of nature, such as those of relativity theory, were waiting to be plucked out of the cosmos by someone with a sympathetic ear.”

Barry Green, author of the book ‘The Mastery of Music-Ten Pathways to True and the Inner Game of Music, eloquently expands on the concept encouraged by David Darling, “Sing what you play, Play what you Sing”.

“Sing what you Play, (Play what you Sing)
Dance what you Sing,
Act what you Dance,
Paint what you Act
Create your Inspiration! “

Barry Green adds, “This all helps to intensify and illuminate your passion, open your nervous system-mind/body/spirit to the creative free flow of universal energy-the same energy that inspires Mozart, Jay Greenberg, me and you!”

Music inspiration can come from anywhere, you may think it is not as extreme or existential as Jimi Hendrix or Mozart, but only history can tell. I’ve been told that you can’t wait for inspiration to come to you, it must be sought out. ‘Tis true my friends. I sat on thoughts for a blog for two weeks without touching my computer and I got nowhere. Finally, I forced myself to sit down and just start typing and words flowed out. The point is I had to create my inspiration. Anyone in the music industry can profess that their love for music runs deep, there is no doubting that. But where does your music inspiration come from? Sometimes it is just a matter of sitting down and forcing it, but when it comes, let it flow!

You, ArtiSans Label and the Performance Rights Act

Recently, the House Judiciary Committee approved legislation for something called the Performance Rights Act (H.R. 4789) in a 21-9 vote. The Performance Rights Act would force radio stations to pay artists and/or record labels whenever their recordings are played. As it currently stands, radio stations already pay songwriters whenever their songs are played on the radio, but the people who actually recorded the song (or who own the recordings) don’t get anything. The longstanding broadcasting argument has been that it is okay to not pay out due to the provision of free promotion for the music industry. But U.S. radio stations are just about the only ones who get away with this… As Warner Music Group (WMG) boss Edgar Bronfman Jr. likes to point out, there’s only a handful of other countries that give radio a free ride as the U.S. does, and those include North Korea and Iran.

Another aspect to keep in mind is that all of the internet webcasters already have to pay something and so does Sirius XM Satellite (SIRI). But this is poor representation as a model of pay out success because webcast sites are failing left and right and the satellite systems are billions of dollars in debt even with their merger. Regardless of the above stated issues, the Performance Rights Act comes down to the simple issue of a musician’s rights. Finally the government has noted the huge shift in the music industry and has decided to update its’ music laws.

The financial breakdown per title 17 Copyright law would be as follows: copyright holder (generally record label) would receive 50%, while 45% goes to the performing artist. Here is the kicker, take special note, artists who own their own copyrights benefit the MOST from the bill. They get the artist portion of 45% AND the copyright holder’s portion of 50%. This is just more incentive for musicians to do it yourself. Take heed from Radiohead, Trent Rezner of Nine Inch Nails, and older acts such as Prince and Nancy Sinatra who maintained their copyrights and artist integrity. More and more large scale musicians are dropping the traditional record label and releasing music in their own creative way.

The payout to record labels from radio stations might be a last ditch effort to save their outdated business model. Fortunately the new business model that ArtiSans Label has created allows the artist to keep 100% of their copyrights, royalties and any other generated income. If you are with ArtiSans, you are in good hands and may be seeing more money in the foreseeable future through the Performance Rights Act.

There is still a long ways to go for this bill to be passed. So far it was passed by the House Judiciary Committee; it has to go through the Senate Committee, then back to the Full House of Representatives, back to the Full Senate and then to President Barack Obama’s desk before it becomes law. Keep in mind this bill also has to filter through the large sea of piranhas (Washington lobbyists) before it can go anywhere. So we may see some changes and provisions to the bill, as it has to get through many gauntlets to survive. Industry watcher Glen Peoples has an optimistic view of the potential outcome of all of this. From his Coolfer blog:

One of two outcomes will come from today’s' three-and-a-half hour hearing on the Performance Rights Act: Either the committee will approve the Performance Rights Act or the National Association of Broadcasters and labels will reach their own agreement. It is very clear the committee members understand the promotional value of radio but think it is unfair that only radio stations get to decide the amount of that value. The issue of whether there should or should not be a performance right is all but decided. The issue to now be resolved is the value of the right and the timing of its introduction.

Touché said the salesman. How this might affect the music industry is very debatable and I challenge you (readers) to present different aspects that I did not touch on in this blog. After all, this is a topic that will not dissipate quietly anytime soon.

Branching Out

How easy is it to fall back into the same old patterns even amidst a whirlwind of change! We daringly take the plunge into nothing, but quickly fall back into what we know, what is familiar. I feel like I am retracting as I write… but I will fight my demons on my own time. We all struggle with stepping out of our comfort zone, leaving our close knit group of friends to branch out. But to progress in life, sometimes it is necessary to step outside of the box.

In talking with band managers, bands and fans alike, I have noticed a common theme in the music industry; the unwillingness to branch out of one’s music scene. For instance, speaking with a band based out of Echo Park, they refuse to play venues in Hollywood for fear that they will lose their trendy fan base in Echo Park. The term, “selling out” comes up frequently. I could easily write a blog on what it means to sell out, because it can mean anything from a simple makeover to sobering up off of drugs, although Keith Richards could easily refute my argument.

Back to branching out within the music scene. The band from Echo Park has refused to play many venues for fear of losing their ‘trendster’ following. First off, a ‘trendster’ is fickle. And second, if your only following is ‘trendsters’ then you might as well slap on a diamond-sequenced Obama t-shirt, a pair of Ugg boots and ride the wave. But it will be a short one. To grow a fan base, one MUST branch out; leave your hometown, play various venues, experiment in playing with different bands. This is when the loyal fans will follow and grow. It is difficult to leave your core following and take that plunge out of your comfort zone. However, a band manager once said to me that you can measure success by the unrecognizable faces in the crowd during a show, not the core group of friends and family.

There is an exception to turning down venues. If a venue is pay for play, and you don’t have a large enough following to cover the certain number of tickets to be sold, don’t do it. Costs will come out of the band’s pocket and that is not cool. You should be paid to entertain, not the other way around.

Don’t be me and retract while reading. I challenge fans and musicians to branch out of your comfort zone. Don’t be the fan that says, “Oh I’m not supposed to listen to those OC bands because I’m from L.A.” Musical gems do not discriminate against venues and county lines, you’ll never know whom or what is behind that door if you don’t open it.

What's Your Music Addiction?

Music fans are like cigarette smokers, faithful to their brand. Hesitant to be the devil’s advocate here, but Philip Morris is genius in catering to addiction. When a band has solid and relatable music, an idiosyncratic identity and stage presence, we fans become addicted. We go further than simply listening to an album over and over again, we follow their shows, we talk about them, we wear their emblems, we read about them, we blog about them, we need our fix on every detail available! Addicted fans are like powerhouse public relations machines!

I speak from personal experience and the friends around me. My friends have tattoos of their favorite musicians! The Jen Creed herself knows details about Jason Mraz that his own sister probably does not know. (I had to ask Jen if Jason Mraz had any siblings…and she knew). She used to faithfully read his daily journal that he posted on his webpage. For instance, Jason Mraz wrote Sleep All Day about being a night owl because he went through his early 20’s staying up all night. Eventually he realized that he was missing the best part of San Diego, the sunrises. He decided to change his ways and wrote Who Needs Shelter. “Who needs shelter when the morning’s coming? Absolutely there’s no one. Who needs shelter from the sun?” He changed his thinking in his favorite city in the world; he became a morning person which led him to eventually tattoo a rooster on his lower back because they are the epitome of being an early riser. The Jen Creed has been an avid follower and introduces many people to the genius of “Live At Java Joe’s” and each one of them walks away with a sense of connection and inspiration. Check out one of Jen’s life changing addictions, Jason Mraz’s album, “Live At Java Joe’s”.

As fans, we will be faithful to musicians if you can captivate us and change the way we look at things, even if it’s only for a second. The music always comes first. An identity is essential, whether it is an insignia or your message to the world. What do you have to say to us? When this is established, we become accustomed to you, we become faithful to your brand, we are on the edge of our seats waiting to hear what you have to say next. And stage presence is self explanatory. Bring it to the stage each and every time and rock our socks off. That’s all we ask.

The New Music Movement

[Note: Every Sunday we'll be featuring a guest author. This week it's the one & only Smash. Enjoy! - Michael]

From artist to artist, fan to fan, mono y mono, we all know that the spark of today’s music industry is fading quickly. I wish for a venue like the Whiskey a-Go-Go in the late 60’s where they housed The Doors, Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills and Nash. So much talent and energy in one spot that it couldn’t be bottled or packaged into a neat little LP. Where are those venues with talent bubbling over? Where is that music movement that you know is special to be a part of? I can equate this yearning to Hunter S. Thompson’s description of the hippie movement in San Francisco: “San Francisco in the middle sixties was a very special time and place to be a part of. Maybe it meant something. Maybe not, in the long run . . . but no explanation, no mix of words or music or memories can touch that sense of knowing that you were there and alive in that corner of time and the world. Whatever it meant. . . . There was madness in any direction, at any hour. If not across the Bay, then up the Golden Gate or down 101 to Los Altos or La Honda. . . . You could strike sparks anywhere. There was a fantastic universal sense that whatever we were doing was right, that we were winning. . . .” What a great time to be a part of. We as fans need something palpable to grab onto and enjoy the musical ride.

However, I can look back at history and smile, because I’ve found that spark again. At this point, the music industry is changing at a rate that is hard to keep up with. Free internet radio is here, record labels are squirming in their plush seats, and experts predict cd’s will become extinct by 2012. It’s time to jump on the new music template; here at ArtiSan’s Label the focus is on the artist and their music. Artisans bypassed the convolution of traditional record labels and is bringing it back to the customer, where it should be. The spark is at Artisan’s and I’m happy to be a part of this counterrevolution at this juncture in time. Exciting things are happening here, amazing artists are recording at our studio, and the excitement is thick in the air.

I am an Artist Advocate for ArtiSans Label. I basically go out and spread the good word through their RADAR program. RADAR stands for Rewarding Artists Discovery And Referral. And if an artist signs with ArtiSans, then my efforts are financially appreciated. The great thing about this program is anybody can do it! Everybody knows an aspiring artist, and ArtiSans can help them achieve their goals, whatever they may be. Consider the possibilities! Check out the RADAR program on the ArtiSans website and become an Artist Advocate. Be a part of the new music movement.

On that note, I will bring the focus back to the music with another Hunter S. Thompson quote that we all can relate to.

"Music has always been a matter of Energy to me, a question of Fuel. Sentimental people call it Inspiration, but what they really mean is Fuel. I have always needed Fuel. I am a serious consumer. On some nights I still believe that a car with the gas needle on empty can run about fifty more miles if you have the right music very loud on the radio."
— Hunter S. Thompson