Camera Obscura

Teaching His Sons In Due Time

Some general knowledge of firearms is important to the public welfare …. The Constitution secures the right of the people to keep and bear arms. No doubt, a citizen who keeps a gun or pistol under judicious precautions, practises in safe places the use of it, and in due time teaches his sons to do the same, exercises his individual right.

– B. Abbott, Judge and Jury: A Popular Explanation of the…

The Liberty - Security Question. Why the suspension of civil rights for security is a bad idea.

In my last post I pointed out that President François Hollande’s impassioned push for the extension of a state of emergencyin France was just the opening of the abyss for French civil rights. And if that extension is granted, which it likely will be, what then? Will the emergency truly be over in just three short months? Does the defeat of ISIS now have a timetable? And, once it is defeated, will…

The Price of Security

This is how the terrorists win.

French President François Hollande has asked for an extension of the state of emergency that now exists in France, and as of this morning the government was debating extending this condition by three months. Such a declaration would not only grant the police new and sweeping powers, it would write them into the constitution. Specifically the law would allow

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The Ascension of College Football

The main takeaway from yesterday’s twin resignations at the University of Missouri is that college football teams have power, and lots of it.

Think about it. Former university president Timothy Wolfe had been confronted by students before – notably the ones who surrounded his car during homecoming – and ignored their demands, but only when faced with the loss of football revenue through forfeit…

Sketchbook Has Changed, And So Did I

For those of you keeping score at home, this is Sketchbook 2.0.

Sketchbook 1.0 was all about music. I use the past tense because once upon a time, about five years ago, I wanted to be a working musician. And things were going well. I had my day job, of course, but I was in a pretty good band that was gigging regularly. I did a few other things to make some money (“diversified my revenue streams”…

Robert W. Oliver:

The secret to success in the music business? Work at it. Every day. Practice, write, network, repeat. Every day.

Read on.

Originally posted on Make Your Music Business:

Every feel like there’s no traction? Like your client growth, your services, and your music business as a whole just isn’t getting anywhere?

You start things, but life happens and you just never get this music…

Robert W. Oliver:

Print this article and read it daily. It’s the best advice about how to succeed as a musician. Perhaps numbers 3 and 10 are the most important: support your local music scene and don’t ignore your network. If you never go out to shows, don’t expect other musicians to come to yours. And if you don’t return favors or phone calls, people will assume you’re just selfish.

Oh, yeah.…

“MUSIC PRODUCER AVAILABLE”

Robert W. Oliver:

This reminds me of more than a few Craigslist ads.

Originally posted on "My Brain Train":

“Down and almost out Producer available for recording projects producing easy to bullshit artists. If you aren’t concerned with the end result, we can still have a fun time in the studio and hanging out afterwards. Most of my connections are dead or in prison but that’s cool. We can still…

Robert W. Oliver:

You’ll be on a faster track to earn your living making music if you do two things extraordinarily well: develop your fan base and communicate with them often. People are much more likely to support you if they understand your mission.

Originally posted on The Musical Melting Pot:

In 2014, fifteen yearsafter the first warning signs heralding the now legendary decline of the…

Robert W. Oliver:

There is something wrong with the music industry if it considers paying its interns to be taboo. While you can’t succeed in music without passion, it is equally true that you can’t take passion dollars to the bank.

Originally posted on Alla Nadtocheva:

A review of a panel discussion from “Envisioning 21st Century Music Business Models” event on the topic of “Ethics and the New…