#fletch wiley

Fletch Wiley - I Feel Good Down in my Soul (Star Song)

It Just Got Easier (and Cheaper) to Make Your Recording Dream Come True

Ever dreamed of recording a CD?

In Nashville?!

Well, Visual Music Productions has some fantastic news! For a limited time, you can put “done” to that dream and get a chance to record with some of the most amazing musicians—ever—at a new lower price.

For well under $20,000, you can record 10 songs:

•            with Nashville musicians and background singers

•            at a state-of-the-art studio

•            produced by a Grammy™ Award-winning arranger

In addition, you won’t have to wade through the arcane world of creating charts, booking musicians and studio time, duplicating CDs, or finding the right graphic designer. That’s because for less than $2,000 a song, someone else will take care of ALL the details for you.

In almost no time—and even less effort—you will have top-notch players performing incredible arrangements of YOUR songs in the most famous recording city in the world!

The best part? You don’t have to lift a finger—just show up for the magic.

Pretty good deal? We think so, too.

At the risk of sounding like Groupon, this offer won’t last long. Get in touch between now and March 31, 2012, to take advantage of this offer.

If you want an idea of what your songs can sound like, ask for demos (at [email protected]). In the meantime, listen to this song VMP recently produced for a brand new songwriter from the DC area.

But don’t delay. Book before February 1 and get an additional 5 percent off!

I recently came across this fascinating article by Melissa Ayala on the effect music can have on people with dementia or other mental disorders.

As a musician, I know all about the power of music, how it can evoke strong emotions and create or alter an atmosphere. And back in the days before music therapy was an occupation, I used to volunteer at a state school with a man who was a music therapy pioneer.

While he played his guitar and I played my flute, people with profound mental illnesses, who were locked away in some deep place in their own minds, would stop and listen. Sometimes they would try to interact with us.

Kind of like the lyric by Bob Seger: "Oh, give me the beat boys and free my soul, I wanna get lost in your rock 'n roll...."

Amazing stuff!

So I applaud the efforts being made at the Gracy Woods Nursing Center in Austin, Texas, and hope you’ll take a moment to read about this encouraging work.

Music has a unique ability to tell a story without words or pictures (other than the ones the mind supplies).

“Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” —Phil. 3.13–14.

As Christians, especially the American variety, we are told to expect success in everything we do, to speak/act/think like a successful person.

I absolutely agree with the philosophy behind this attitude, but some of the time my mind is in the toilet, my body is full of pain, and I am on the wrong side of the river of God looking at a sink hole of my own making.

In other words, I am drinking from the wrong cistern (Prov. 5.15). I have stopped drinking the “living water” (John 4.11) and am trying to satisfy my formidable thirst in a muddy, stagnant puddle.

In short, I have failed once again.

When we fail God, ourselves and our family, we tend to try to hide that failure under a blanket of deceit, even from ourselves. We think it’s better that way, because then no one knows, and we hope against hope that we will “get over it” before it leaks out.

But the sad fact is that we don’t—or can’t—get over it, and so we live in failure, without a clue about how to get out of it.

The good news? God loves us so much that He always reveals sin (which is really just another word for failing) and also provides a “way of escape” (I Cor. 10.13; I John 1.9–10).

Disappointments in ourself have a way of latching onto us forever, if we will let them. But they don’t have to. If we’re ruthless in putting up boundaries to keep sin at bay and adamant about “forgetting those things which are behind,” we can actually move a few steps on down the road.

In What Are You Waiting for? Blake Easter tells musicians that they better be the ones in control of their careers. 

“Your manager or producer probably doesn’t wake up thinking about how to make you successful in the morning. They wake up thinking about how to make themselves successful and that may or may not include you. No matter what level you get to, you have to be the one driving your career. I understand that you can’t do everything and you shouldn’t do everything yourself, but you should be the one in the driver’s seat.”

What he’s really telling us is that we need to be out there marketing ourselves like mad.

In my recent post Tinker, Tailor, Businessman, Musician, I addressed a similar topic by Jason Spitz: Are You Building a Band or a Business? (While we’re on the subject, what’s with all the questions as titles? I’ve been guilty of doing the same thing, but it’s kinda tedious, so note to self: do not use questions in the title of upcoming blogs.)

In his blog, Spitz urges musicians to turn fans into customers by creating products fans will value. (At Visual Music Productions, we still consider music a valuable commodity.) He has some mighty fine suggestions about how to create these provided, in addition to being a musician, you’re a graphic artist/printer or are tight with someone who is.

Now in his blog, Blake Easter would have musicians pursuing a parallel career as marketers.

Great advice for those musicians already marketing inclined, but for those who aren’t, it won’t be easy.

Besides, we’re hesitant to encourage musicians to come up with any additional reasons for putting off practicing, composing and rehearsing.

Instead, we suggest you find a patron. Preferably someone with deep pockets. Like Mozart had. But definitely someone who will handle all the more troublesome aspects of a career in music, who will book gigs, pay for new tires for the van, call up radio stations and keep track of the sale of CDs, t-shirts and the like. Oh, and maybe unload some band equipment.

On second thought, it didn’t work out so well for Mozart, so maybe we do need to roll up our sleeves and give this marketing/product development idea a try. 

We’re going to start with a limited edition of our laptop keyboard cover with the legend “Yes, we can’t.” For more information, leave us a note.

Musicians don't tend to be good business people.

Duh! You already knew that? Well, did you also know that even though musicians don't tend to be good business people, they can be? Some even say they have to be if they hope to earn a living from their music.

In his article, "Are You Building a Band or a Business?" (http://tinyurl.com/3q84s8k) Jason Spitz draws a line in the sand between making music and making money: "If your goal is to play music, by all means, go ahead. But if you want to earn a living from your music, you should view that goal as a separate enterprise."

He then offers some interesting suggestions on ways bands can turn their fans into customers: "Your business needs to offer things that fans value. Things like limited-edition packaging, hand-made artwork, and autographed posters."

Hmm. That sounds to me more like what visual artists do. And since when did fans stop valuing the music?

Merchandise is great and certainly a lot easier to produce in this day of digitized art. And although I have nothing against arts and crafts, it's not what I would advise musicians to do. Because it's not what musicians do.

Believe me, I know how tough it is to promote your CD and/or gig. I'm still working that one out.

I also have no love for the starving artist business model and completely agree with Samuel Johnson: "No one but a blockhead ever wrote, except for money." He was talking about writing, but music falls into the same camp. Sooner or later, you gotta find a way to make it pay.

But if music is your thing, think about diversifying within that area. Don't waste time pursuing a parallel career. For instance, instead of limited-edition posters, create your own music videos and post them everywhere you can. (Check out turntable.fm http://preview.tinyurl.com/3q84s8k for ideas on how to interact with fans in highly creative ways, but still about MUSIC!).

Consider giving lessons or selling CDs and the usual merchandise (t-shirts, stickers, etc.) on your band's website. When all else fails and you've done all you can, practice! That way, you'll be ready when the big break does come along.

If you have questions for the author of "Are You Building a Band or a Business?", you can follow him on Twitter (@jasonspitz).

If you'd like to talk to me, even if it's to take me to task for what you think are lame ideas on this blog, leave me a note or follow me @1visualmuse.

Life is short, the art is long. So maybe if it's all about the money, you need to consider another career. Me? I'm thinking of looking into becoming an actuary.