Merry Christmas, one and all!

(Please feel free to enjoy and share this at will using the embed code at youtube or this download link of the mp4 video. Sorry about the lousy audio quality!)

Popularity: 20% [?]

Radiohead has been in the news lately because they decided to offer the digital version of their CD “In Rainbows” for whatever the market would pay. Not surprisingly, many people were willing to download it for nothing. The band has been lauded for its edgy approach at marketing, but until recently there was only secrecy surrounding exactly how successful the venture was for them.

As a test, I went ahead and downloaded the CD, for free, at their website.

And even though Radiohead has denied its accuracy, several sources have reported a study of the effort that estimated the average payment for the CD was $6. And that was just the 38% of the people who now own a copy. In other words, of the people who DID pay something, the average was about 6 bucks. If you figure in the whole group, the average price per album ends up being $3.17. That’s the estimated take of $3.8 million divided by $1.2 million, the estimated number of downloads.

So, Radiohead has $3.8 million dollars. It’s money they didn’t have before and money they didn’t have to share with the record company. Cool. You could consider it a success if you want. I think they probably made some new fans and got a lot of attention that wouldn’t have been there. Plus, they now have a mailing list that’s over 1 million strong. That’s worth something. But, if they had simply set the price at $6, which seems to be the market value, do you think they would have earned more or less? I’m going to say more. I think there’s the chance of lowering the perceived value of a thing when you give it away for free.

I’ve said it before, but I think people expect free. And that’s not good for musicians. It’s even worse for record execs. And people will always be able to get it for free if the REALLY want to. My CD is online for free if you know where to look. I didn’t authorize it and I don’t necessarily condone it, but I think even if I got the site shut down that is hosting or promoting the file, people would just find another host and promotional vehicle. It’s in our nature to find the best deals out there and if we have the choice of legitimately getting something for something or something for nothing, I think most people choose the latter.

This whole thing has really made me consider re-pricing my own CD today.

I’d love to hear what you think.

Popularity: 5% [?]

Have you ever wondered what you can do to help introduce people to your favorite independent music artist (or author or fine artist) friend? A musician without a label or an author without a formal publisher doesn’t have the publicity machine that gets their “signed” colleagues noticed. They often have to rely on word of mouth for at least a good portion of their publicity. If you know someone (even if they aren’t me) there are some things you can do to really give them a boost and help spread the word.

1. Write a blog review. Do you have a blog? Use that medium to tell your circle of friends about your indie artist friend (referred to here on out as your IAF). Even if you don’t think you have a lot of readers, you would be surprised what one little inbound link can do for a search engine ranking.
2. Write a peer review. Chances are, you probably don’t have your own blog. You can still review your favorite IAF. Go to where ever your IAF’s work is for sale. Amazon.com? CDbaby.com? iTunes? All of these stores have a built in customer review mechanism and studies show that people who buy products online are VERY INFLUENCED by peer reviews.
3. Request them. Do you listen to any independent music podcasts? Do you listen to the radio? Some stations would never play an “unknown” artist, but you’d be surprised how many would. You don’t have to be annoying about it, but if you know of a station or podcast that’s friendly to music that’s out of the mainstream, you’ll probably have some luck requesting your IAF’s stuff with them.
4. Support them in word and deed. Of course I would expect that you would contact them and let them know you love their stuff, but sometimes people don’t feel comfortable doing that. Trust me, it means a lot. By word AND deed, I mean, buy their product. I started to rant about downloads and stealing and confusing conglomerate mega-labels with starving indie artists, but I’m not going to bother. It’s simple: cast a vote with your dollar.

I do want to take a second and recognize that there have been many people who have done these things for me. Had I not been encouraged to pursue my music, I wouldn’t have a CD. Had I not been reviewed by a blog or magazine here or there, I probably wouldn’t have been taken seriously by other people. If no one was willing to buy my music, I wouldn’t have bothered duplicating a CD. It really does snowball, to exploit an overused metaphor. So thanks–you know who you are.

Popularity: 4% [?]

I like music. And I like that there is different music for all my many moods. Sometimes I want something to make me think. Other times I want something to make me laugh. Sometimes I want both. That’s definitely where Blick Van Glory comes in.

Blick Van Glory is the alter-ego of a very good friend from college.

“Blick” is one of those guys who is way more creative than one person should be. He’s had a lot of other success that Google will tell you about but I want to take a minute to highlight his budding music career. Here’s a taste of what he’s doing between everything else he’s doing.

Silly and brilliant, all at once.

Blick Van Glory, the band, release their first complete music CD later this month. Here’s a link to their shows page. I wish I were going to be in the LA area. If you are, check them out. I have no doubt that it will be a killer show.

Popularity: 4% [?]

I’ve seen two independent films in the past week. Last Sunday I watched Into the Wild. Yesterday I got to see Bella. I would guess both films had similar budgets. I don’t really know for sure, but neither is full of famous actors. Actually, I take that back, Academy award winner William Hurt stars in Into the Wild. He’s a supporting role, the lead character’s father. In Bella, Eduardo Verástegui is the main character. He’s not a household name here in the states, but I understand he has a decent following south of the border.

So aside from an award-winning actor, ITW also enjoyed direction from Sean Penn, music from Eddie Vedder and a screenplay based on a book by a Jon Krakauer. And in spite of all that, there were some, er, casting issues. A few performances just fell flat, in my opinion. I was still drawn into the story and enjoyed the film but I left feeling like it wasn’t quite up to my expectations in a few ways.

Contrast that with Bella.

I don’t really know where to start. The movie made a difference in my life. I’ll start there. I cared about the characters. I empathized with them for different reasons. I believed them. Their plights felt real to me.

José is an international soccer star whose career comes to an sudden end. He now works as chef in his brother’s New York City restaurant with Nina, whose life also takes an unexpected turn. These events lead to a day when both of their lives are changed forever. It’s mostly a tale of friendship, love, hope, and the value of family.

The soundtrack was fantastic. The scenes featuring Mexican culture were beautiful. The acting was spot on. The director’s restraint in not saying too much was terrific.

I hate reviews that give too much away, so I’ll stop there. Go see this film. If you’re trying to decide between this and Into the Wild, go see Bella. You’ll be glad you did, trust me.

Popularity: 4% [?]

My favorite artist has some new paintings for sale.

Leora Gardner has an excellent, self-taught style that is really unique. Even in these new paintings, which I think are quite different than her last set, there’s a recognizable something that sets them apart from anything else out there. Be sure to check her blog for some additional insight behind the art.

Support indie art! Buy a painting!

Popularity: 7% [?]