I thought of this story today as I read something about Richard online and figured a story isn’t a story until it’s told.
I am a fan of Richard Buckners music but I hadn’t heard of him before I ran into him one night at the Economy Shoe Shop which is a bar I used to work at.
You see he was in town a few years ago playing a few mid winter shows and he would come into the Shoe Shop and hang out by himself. He would sit and order a beer and write in this miniature song book he carried around with him. It always looked funny to me because he is a really tall guy writing in this teeny tiny book.
It was a particularly slow night in the bar, due to the winter weather and the only people that come out when it’s slow and snowy our are either traveling or bonkers. There was this cabbie who we all knew to be a little bit nuts so much so that we’d all groan whenever we saw him walk through the doors and keep our fingers crossed that he wouldn’t sit at the bar and talk to us.
Anyhow, the cabbie talking loudly about how to win in a fight and how he had the best moves and he started scanning the room for someone to show his moves too. Well there was only crazy cabbie and Richard Buckner in the room so the choice was obvious.
Cabbie to Buckner: “Hey bud, I know this may seem strange but I was wondering if I could show off my fight moves on you? Don’t worry though, I’m not going to hurt you bud, I got no reason to want to hurt you but.”
Buckner says: “Yeah sure, why not”.
So Richard stands up and he’s towering over this guy looking down at him and the crazy cabbie starts showing off some of his “moves”. There was an arm hold and a choke hold and a hair pull and a take out the knee move and then there was THE MOVE.
Cabbie says: “What is the one part of the human body where if you bite your opponent cannot bite you back?”
Before anyone can answer he grabbes Richard Buckner by the back of the head and puts his whole nose into his mouth and bites down ever so gently with his front teeth. As if this wasn’t enough, while his mouth was still full of Richard Buckners nose he started to talk to all of us, his beedy little eyes darting back and forth.
Imagine the sound of a drunk cabbie with his mouth full
Cabbie: “See, he can’t do anything about it, I’ve got him paralyzed and there ain’t nothing he can do about it.”
Richard Buckner is as calm as a monk in meditation nods his head in agreement.
I had to ring the bell and boot the cabbie out after that. I had strict rules on slow snowy nights about what was going to far and biting the nose of a customer was definitely too far.
I went out the next day and picked up Richard Buckners disc and have been a fan ever since.
There is an ancient Nova Scotian proverb about two lobster fishermen meeting in the middle of the Gulf of Maine. As is customary the two boats (one NS and one US) meet up and exchange stories and baked goods. As the two fishing boats were tied together the Maine lobsterman noticed that the NS lobsterman didn’t cover up his lobster cages and asked the question “aren’t you worried about your fresh catch escaping back into the ocean?”
The NS lobsterman looked bewildered and said “Of course I’m not. You see these are Nova Scotian lobsters, as soon as one starts to climb to the top of the cage the rest will pull it back down.”
I find myself a dreamer in a difficult environment where innovative thought is often met with bewildered looks and questions about why you would defy the status quoe. I’m not sure if it is due to years of economic hardship endured by our province or if it’s the isolation from the rest of the country that breeds this idea of “Cannot”. Imagine for a moment if everyone, including myself, were totally open to brand new ideas and trying new things. What kind of place would we live in? Would we spiral into chaos or would be thrive both culturally and economically?
Nova Scotia’s isolation isn’t necessarily a downfall and has also given us some advantage. Firstly we have a great musical landscape here where talent is naturally developed and not created like in other major centers. Bands have also never relied on recorded product sale to make their way which has put us ahead of the rest of the country. NS musicians have always realized that playing live is the only way to break through and get anywhere be they Hardcore, Rock or Celtic roots.” The same can be said about new music industry professionals as they look for new ways to get the music we make out to the masses. Innovation, technology and the notion that you can not get caught up with the “cannots” will ultimately put us all ahead of the curve.
I have had the chance to travel and see much of the world. I’ve seen the kill or be killed business of NYC and had power lunch meetings in LA and I don’t think there is a place for either one of those models in Nova Scotia but I do believe there is room for more.
We speak of the brain drain to the USA, the loss of jobs and the labor shortage due to the western oil sands but do we ever ask ourselves why we leave? I think the answer goes deeper than just better jobs and more money, I think the reason is that hard working Nova Scotia’s know they will fight to get out of the “lobster cage” if they stay and that there may be another place that is more receptive to new ideas.
I don’t believe in the word “cannot” nor do I believe I would be better off in another city but I do believe we can do better; we can support more innovative thinkers and swing the pendulum in another trajectory.
So how about we all put on our thinking caps and try something new, exciting and innovative on for size and see how it fits. I bet you’ll be surprised with the results of this experiment be they good or bad.
Read more at Exclaim! about the tour and how it all came about and what I’m rambling on about below.
This is a very poorly put together post but all you need to get out of it is that Owen is awesome.
Someone, against Owen’s will, got something of his from him for nothing [they used his music in an ad].
Instead of fighting it he realized there was clearly nothing stopping companies from using his music regardless. [Injunctions and removing it from market could be done but in today’s web of video sites it will remain].
So he decides he will get something from them in return.
But to do so he never brought in the lawyers. First mistake.
Not only does he not willfully screw over some poor sap that he needed, he actually tries to help others by getting friends some shows. Must be a socialist.
Last year when he won an award with an accompanying cash prize [$20,000], he gave the prize away!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Why do people even take this guy’s calls?
.
He clearly does not understand how the music business works
[And thank fuck for that].
In meetings this weekend with bands it all came down to this:
What are your goals?
Depending on your situation it may refer to simply goals with your music, but odds are if you want a career in music you will also have to consider all aspects of your life - at least in the short term [and by short term there I mean anywhere from the next 2-5 years].
It is hard to know if you are making progress if you don’t know where that progress should be taking you. The idea of releasing one album and selling out the pressing is a great goal and one almost any band that releases an album has. But it is such a small part of your band’s bigger, long term picture that if you don’t know what comes next or how the first release will help you build to the next step it is almost pointless [I am assuming you plan on doing this with some seriousness for as long as possible].
I recall reading a survey that polled a good majority of America’s richest people - the most common shared trait amongst them was that a large majority, I believe it was over 80% had written down their goals and/or plans to achieve them.
(A x B x C) - E = D
A = the total # of people who acquire the work
B = the percent who actually pay for it
C = the average amount each person pays
D = the total revenue received
E = promotional and marketing expenses (not to mention recording, mixing, and mastering costs)
If I gave that equation to a number of bands I would bet my right pinky finger that the majority of them would start with A and likely base that number on the physical copies being pressed, maybe with some downloads added in, and proceed from there.
But where you should really start is with D. That’s your goal. In a four piece where everyone has agreed making $25k a year from music is enough to make them happy? Then your D is at minimum [have to account for expenses as well] $100K.
But in knowing you have a target of $100K you can tweak the other numbers as you go, monitering how close you are coming to your goal.
Quick example using live performances only as your revenue:
If your band reaches the point where you know you can receive a guarantee of $1000/night, you know based on selling no recordings or downloads or merch, you would have to play a 100 shows in a given year.
From there you could breakdown all revenue into a 100 units of a thousand for benchmarking your progress, so every 100 CDs sold for $10 is one less show you need to play.
Summary
Brainstorm with your band on goals/consider personal goals as well
Come to agreement with all band members on goals going forward - then write them down
So I missed getting this up yesterday, so here is their recap from last night and an early reminder for next week!
Music Nova Scotia’s inaugural Open Mic Night at The Seahorse in Halifax opened its welcoming arms last night to a couple hundred musicians, industry folks and fans. Several Music Nova Scotia board members came to enjoy the music and meet the members and Music Nova Scotia staff members were on hand to offer information about the industry association. The night produced a palpable electricity of camaraderie and creativity.
“This makes so much sense…”
Three long pages of musicians signed up to play, starting at 7 p.m. The extensive talent ranged from the sweet sounds of Molly Rankin to the strong vocals of newcomer Emily Steeves. The MacGillivray Brothers offered fine harmonies and The Folklore Centre’s David Bradshaw showed he can do much more than sell stringed instruments.
Old school open mic player Dusty Keeler offered fine folk tunes and special guest Ryan MacGrath blew away the audience with his epic waltzes. Even the boys from Faded Blue and Kev Corbett jumped on stage to add backup percussion.
“Now, this is art.”
In the industry room, photographer and designer Chr!s Sm!th displayed his stylish music photos. Look out for up-and-comer photographer Scott Blackburn next Tuesday, March 11.
The whole event was given the media spotlight by Paul Brothers from MuchMusic’s Going Coastal and the boys from East Coast Countdown, who will feature MNS Open Mic Nights on a continuous basis online.
“…and then Shaun Majumder played bongos with MNS board member Bill Appleby.”
The night started early and was expected to end by midnight, but the audience demanded more, leading to Music Nova Scotia board member Bill Appleby of Cape Breton belting out some gravelly songs with surprise guest Shaun Majumder (22 Minutes, 24, Unhitched) offering backup on vocals and bongos.
Music Nova Scotia’s Open Mic Night will be held every Tuesday night at The Seahorse (1665 Argyle Street, Halifax). It’s an opportunity for members and interested musicians to perform short acoustic sets on a Music Nova Scotia stage. But it’s also an opportunity for industry folks to get together for a casual meet and greet. There are plans to expand the invitation to full bands, including jazz nights.
Music Nova Scotia staff will always be on hand to offer news and information about Music Nova Scotia.
The music begins EARLY at 8 p.m. You never know who will show up as a surprise guest! Admission is FREE!
If you’re interested in playing, show up after 7 p.m. on Tuesdays to sign up with Troy Arsenault. Musicians who didn’t get to play last Tuesday will be put at the top of the list for Tuesday, March 11 – so show up early!
For more information, contact Troy Arsenault or Laura Simpson at openmic@musicnovascotia.ca or call the Music Nova Scotia office at (902) 423-6271.
The amount of online “chatter” about an upcoming album release directly correlates to higher physical album sales, according to two researchers with New York University’s Stern Business School.
You have ten days left to vote in the Best of Saint John Music Poll.
(http://www.giraffecycle.com/survey)
Please read below if you’re unfamiliar with the survey!
Here’s how it’s going to run down. For the next six weeks you will be able to vote in up to 15 categories (you must fill out at least 7 for the ballot to count). Then, on March 15, our super trusty ballot counting monkeys will quit writing the great Canadian novel and figure out who received the most votes. The winners will be announced during a FREE SHOW at A-Khord in mid-April.
Remember, we’re looking for local answers here. If you put down Shania Twain as best female artist, we’re going to laugh at you, so think Saint John and surrounding areas. And don’t get all up in arms if your favorite band/radio station/musician does not win. This poll is about having some fun, and thinking positive about our wonderfully diverse community.
Title is a comment taken from Digg.com regarding the newest Nine Inch Nails`record
Nine Inch Nails presents Ghosts I - IV, a brand new 36 track instrumental collection available right now. Almost two hours of new music composed and recorded over an intense ten week period last fall, Ghosts I - IV sprawls Nine Inch Nails across a variety of new terrain.
Trent Reznor explains, “I’ve been considering and wanting to make this kind of record for years, but by its very nature it wouldn’t have made sense until this point. This collection of music is the result of working from a very visual perspective - dressing imagined locations and scenarios with sound and texture; a soundtrack for daydreams. I’m very pleased with the result and the ability to present it directly to you without interference. I hope you enjoy the first four volumes of Ghosts.”
And if you don`t want to buy it or even download it from the official site, but prefer to get it via your usual torrent site, well it is already on private torrent sites. The best part being how clear it is who put them there.
FREE DOWNLOAD
Ghosts I - The first 9 tracks from the Ghosts I-IV collection available as
high-quality DRM-free MP3s (320kbps LAME encoded, fully tagged) including complete 40 page PDF. Also includes the digital extras pack - various wallpapers, icons, and graphics tools for your computer, website, profile, etc.
$5 DOWNLOAD
Ghosts I-IV - All 36 tracks in a variety of DRM-free digital formats (320
kbps LAME encoded, fully tagged; FLAC Lossless; Apple Lossless) including a 40
page PDF. Also includes the digital extras pack - various wallpapers, icons,
and graphics tools for your computer, website, profile, etc.
This version is also available from the Amazon MP3 store.
$10 2XCD SET
Ghosts I-IV - 2 audio CDs in a gatefold digipak package with a 16-page
booklet. To be shipped TBD. Includes immediate DRM-free download of the
entire collection in same choice of formats as $5 Download option. Download
will include the 40 page PDF and the digital extras pack - various wallpapers,
cons, and graphics tools for your computer, website, profile, etc.
This configuration will be released to retail in North America (April 8), Australia (April 5), the UK (April 8), Japan (April 5) and most European territories (April 8).
$75 LIMITED EDITION DELUXE PACKAGE
Ghosts I-IV - Hardcover book holding 2 audio CDs, 1 data DVD of all 36
tracks in multi-track format (in .wav files readable by Mac and Windows), and
Blu-ray disc featuring stereo recordings in high-definition 24 bit 96Khz with
exclusive slide show. Includes immediate DRM-free download of the entire
collection in all formats and with all extras mentioned above. Also includes
48-page hardcover of photographs by Phillip Graybill and Rob Sheridan.
Discs and art book both housed in fabric slipcover.
$300 ULTRA-DELUXE LIMITED EDITION PACKAGE
Ghosts I-IV - Contains all elements from deluxe package, along with
exclusive 4XLP 180-gram vinyl set, and two limited edition Giclee prints
available exclusively in this package. Disc book, art book, and prints are
all housed in a fabric slipcover. 4XLP vinyl set comes in its own fabric
slipcover. INCLUDES immediate DRM-free download of the entire collection in
all formats and with all extras mentioned above. LIMITED TO 2500 PIECES,
NUMBERED AND PERSONALLY SIGNED BY TRENT REZNOR.
