An Unfortunate Situation, But A Reality

By Kenny Love


Prior to writing this article, I was already aware
that I am likely to lose a few subscribers
because of it. Because, most people's ego will
not allow them to withstand the truth. Yet, I
feel compelled to voice the statements
contained herein.

After a fulltime career as a musician and
recording artist, I have served the past eighteen
years as an international radio/video promoter
and media publicist, working with a myriad of
musician clients.

For the past eight years, I have published the
"B# Newsletter" that contains a number of
articles to help musicians, which have also been
published by other online and print publications
worldwide.

Yet, I am aware that more than a deserved
share of the content of my articles has fallen on
blind eyes, and in several areas below that I wish
to address.

More than a few musicians struggle daily in
wondering if they will ever attain success in
popularity as well as financially. And, the older
musicians become without the same degree of
corresponding success, the more fear tends to
set in that they may not reach their ideal level
of desired success.

As musicians age, and success is not forthcoming,
a certain acceptance sets in, although only in
part. Because, contained in the other part is a
slight disappointment, even bitterness at not
having achieved the desired goal. Almost
invariably, artists can directly point to several
poor choices that they may have made which
they failed to correct in a timely manner.

A lot has changed in the past eighteen years
that I have served as a promoter and publicist,
yet, and in contrast, a lot has not. As a veteran
marketer, not only in the Music industry, but
other industries as well, some areas come with
unchangeable common denominators.

Cover Photographs

You have probably heard the old worn-out axiom
that says, "A picture is worth a thousand words."
This is a fact. In several articles through the
years, I have addressed the issue of today's
artists doing what I refer to as "photo sessions."
By this phrase, I am referring to their lack of
creativity in putting their CD cover into matching
action with their CD title.

I'm not sure why this has changed from the time
that I was growing up in the 1970s when,
practically, most recording artists, regardless of
their genre, would create exciting and visually
arresting album covers.

For people born after 1990, album covers were
the grandfather of CD covers...without the glass
case. And, in dance nightclubs, if you look
closely, you may find deejays still using them.

Perhaps, the will to become artistically creative
in this area was lost in the reduction in size from
the album to the CD. I will say, however, that
this should not be so, because the CD cover is
still ample enough in size to create an attractive
action scene...some "story" within a photograph
that matches and synchs with your CD title.

Unfortunately, and again, most artists today
appear as mere props for the photography,
almost in apologetic form for making the
appearance. An example is a band's members
who are simply sitting on a park bench looking
at the camera, with a CD title that is as far from
the cover as the earth is from the sun.

And, since most acts, solo or groups, have
similar "inactive" covers today, I believe this
contributes to why music fans and music buyers
are not as excited about music as in the past,
because the cover doesn't get them excited
enough and whet their appetite to want to
learn more about the artist if they have never
heard the artist's music.

As an example of creativity, I invite you to
review album covers from the 1970 era for
creative ideas. One example was the R&B
group, The Ohio Players, that released an
album titled, "Fire." The album depicted a
partially naked woman wearing a fire hat and
a hose, with simmering smoke underneath.

As such, how many males, ranging from
teenage boys to old men dreaming of Viagra
before its time do you imagine still own this
album cover? Actually, this is rather tame by
today's standards, but it was a 5-alarmer back
then.
http://www.crispinsartwell.com/graphics/fire.jpg

This same group released another album titled,
"Honey," that depicted a young lady eating a
spoon of honey from a sticky jar. Needless to
say, we cared not that the honey was actually
good for our health. I won't show this cover,
but either use your wildest imagination or
consult Google's "image" feature if you must see.

In another example, the R&B group, Brass
Construction's debut album backdrop was
a construction crane.
http://www.soulwalking.co.uk/%A5Artist%20GIF%20Images/Brass%20Construction.jpg

And, for some really visually arresting cover
art, check out any Earth, Wind & Fire album
from the group's 1969 debut through its
releases into the 1980s.
http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B00000FC5H.01._SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg

In short, I can remember how these 1970-
era album covers were major topics of
discussion when they were released. Ultimately,
the album covers were considered works of
art, and were opened and displayed on home
walls. In many instances, the album covers'
rear side expressed the album's front cover in
continuity.

Nightclubs

The mere idea today of nightclubs is enough to
make some musicians vomit. Live music today
has, in many instances, become the bane of the
independent musician's existence.

Pointedly, it began back in the late 1980s out in
Los Angeles with the insulting "pay to play"
situation that has now swept the United States.
Next, came further insult in that many nightclub
owners have now taken this a step further in
now requiring musicians who want to play their
venues either sell tickets to their shows or bring
their own guests! What?

Add to that, clubs have dramatically, and almost
eliminated their show promotion budgets, which
makes it a win-lose for the nightclub/musician,
respectively. I can only imagine that the only
reason performing musicians are still putting up
with this fiasco and not, at least, boycotting
nightclubs, is that they fear being banished from
the clubs in their area.

If they would, pardon the pun, band together,
and for only one week against clubs that make
their living on "live" music, they could put an
end to this mess. By not doing so, they,
otherwise, for lack of a more appropriate phrase,
remain "slaves" to the nightclubs.

MySpace

As some of you are aware, I lost my own
MySpace site a couple of months back.
Although MySpace never responded as to why,
I strongly suspect it was because I had become
an affiliate for a product that automated the
adding of friends. I still don't understand the
issue, since the software only sped up the
process, and did not capture any private
information.

In any event, that is "water under the bridge,"
so to speak. Yet, as I am in an informative
state, I wish to say that, since it is often
difficult to ascertain what is a violation of
MySpace's terms, particularly, issues not
covered in its formal terms, musicians are
potential victims in not having their own
websites or maintaining their personal sites, at
least, as "backups."

As a point, let's say you attained 40,000 friends
or fans on your MySpace site, then violated a
MySpace prime directive, of which as a result,
MySpace then killed your account. Let's also
say that you did not have your own personal
website.

How would you feel in losing those 40,000
friends/fans that may have taken you, at least,
a couple of years (or longer) to acquire? How
would you ever get them back? If you were to
then build your own website, how would you let
those same 40,000 friends/fans now know that
you have your own website? The answers are
that you would not and could not, and most (if
not all) of them would be gone forever.

On the other hand, if you had or maintained your
own website while you had your MySpace site,
and MySpace decided to close your doors, with
your having obviously maintained a link to your
personal site on your MySpace site, of which
your friends/fans would be aware, naturally, on
discovering your MySpace site was no longer
operational, they would visit your personal site,
and you would not "miss a beat," so to speak.

Fortunately, in the services that I provide, and
with having extensive time in the Music industry,
I was not solely reliant on the MySpace website
for my clients and losing the MySpace page did
not affect me.

In short, if you are a musician who is solely using
MySpace as your only site, and you are serious
about your music career and its ability to provide
you with ongoing recognition and income, you are
taking a serious risk with not having your own
website simultaneously. This is akin to rock
climbing...only without the benefit of a safety
harness.

Although I must admit that I have started to
see more artists get their own websites again (I
suspect it is due to their lack of trust, in part,
and some complaints by musicians of MySpace of
this very thing), it is simply amazing to me that
many artists do not seem to be thinking this
situation through and are allowing themselves to
be placed in a potentially major predicament.

Now, I've said all of that, to say this...

Many musicians, overall, have lost faith and
direction, not only in the Music industry itself,
but also in their pursuit of a professional music
career within a system that promised rewards
through its technological advancement and
accessibility, yet which has, in many cases,
become even more difficult to navigate through
its newfound and diversified technology.

And, a good deal of it, ironically, has to do with
there now being far too many ways to go, yet,
not enough time nor personal finance to travel
them all. Also, one bad trip can still spell both
disaster and demise, financially, for an
independent musician.

If you are now at this point of frustration, and
would like an alternative via a serious detailed
plan and guideline that I can customize for your
own music career that puts you back in control
and in your own music career's "driver's seat,"
based on my extensive long-term experience in
the Music industry, I am offering to create a
manageable and reasonable business plan and
operational guideline for you for only $25.

If interested, please feel free to contact me
directly via telephone at (936)545-0381 or via
email at kenlove@...