A little here a little there, how it is.
One thing I get bothered by is how much of my money either inadvertently or on purpose goes to billionaires. It’s never very much, few dollars a month scattered out. But I’m one of millions paying it. I’ve tried to go without as much as I can. It’s working for me in ways I didn’t expect. Still tinkering with the formula. It’s a bothersome dilemma. Let me explain why.
When I was a manager in retail, we focused on the customer experience. I sold home products and lawn care and a lot of the purchases like lawn mowers and grills were hefty investments. We wanted the customer to feel secure. We backed products up with warranties and moved a lot of those types of items.
“That’s entertainment?”
Shift to the streaming model. Does the phrase, “you get what you pay for” come to mind? It does me. Not only do I feel the band I’m listening to on streamers isn’t invested in me, I do not feel invested in it. They get a penny for me listening and their music is to everyone.
This is not how to do music, in my not-so-humble opinion. Musical moments can be magic. Priceless, even. It’s simply not right to devalue it so everyone can skip it. An investment is required, not always money, granted. But time, energy, and attention. Many folks will not give that away on a near-free transaction. They’re unable to see value or enrichment so affordably priced.
How much do magical powers cost?
Being a successful musician isn’t about amassing thousands of followers and getting a few pennies from each of them. It’s about providing something for some person out there to relate to if they need it. It’s worth way more than pennies to them, but probably not much to everyone else.
As a musician, those are the folks to talk to online, always. It’s meaningful for both parties. When I was on socials, I saw musician after musician act as though they were talking to everyone like a fly strip of musical personality. I am talking specifically to those who like us as if live at a club gig. I’m able to be specific, revealing, myself, and even emotional. That stuff does not make me valuable to billionaires. But it might make me necessary to a few folks, plus I get to play music. Not a bad gig at all. Worth more than pennies.
(Afterwords..)
Q: Nice speech, Kelly. Now tell us why The Kintners on BandCamp is free?
A: Sure. My friends throughout my life have typically been poor or musicians, or both. They like free songs. It makes me feel good, even if we don’t talk anymore, that they can see how we’re doing for free. I don’t have a goal of living on my music. I do good to simply live with it. (A ton of The Kintners and solo stuff is also “free” on SoundCloud. Lol) 😂
I hope you come up with a system in your life that provides avenues to connect with people. I find talking to folks in an engaged way on a topic to be a goal sometimes. It’s hard to do nowadays. But it’s vital, as vital as music.
Blake Mills Interview. He’s got good music brains.
I enjoy Blake Mills as a producer, writer, and player. I think I enjoy his ears mixed with his brain somehow in a way that makes me feel not-so-alone even though I have never met the man. This is an interview with Blake Mills. Enjoy the insight. He’s got a good head on his shoulders for music, no doubt.
It’s about the journey.
It’s extremely difficult to be deliberate without a hint of direction. Direction will leave behind some folks who aren’t going the same way as you. You can hear the trepidation of leaving that causes in peoples’ music. Decide. Deciding is what good musicians are good at.
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