Huh. I played 199 shows in 2014. I must be getting old.
I’m very grateful for how much we’ve been able to use youtube and Facebook and whatever else for free for our music, but I don’t know that I feel like I get to gripe too much when they change their EULA’s and monetization strategies…”indie” and “punk” used to mean Xeroxing your own tape covers, burning your own CDs and having DIY folding parties – now it means having a cool video that’s gotten a lot of hits and getting a lot of likes without someone’s branding on your gear… except everyone forgets the youtube and the FB and the soundcloud BRAND that we’re all beholden to.
Youtube recently (last year) altered their music monetization contract and there’s confused uproar about it. I don’t think many people seem to understand the changes. Hell, I don’t entirely get it. But people who gripe a lot about it need to remind themselves that almost every single one of these services has that phrase “these terms can be changed at any time” without warning, without reason. Most have a clause stating that they’ll inform their users in a timely fashion. Some don’t.
The Big Little Band (or is it the Little Big Band?) Marc Evans’ band at Peace and a Cup a Joe. Kristen and I rocking out with Chuck Maddox beatboxing for our featured artist slow at Peace and a Cup a Joe.
Now, the question “what should I do about YouTube” – if Zoe Keating writes a blog post griping about it and explaining the problem that’s one thing, but if she DOES pull her music explaining to her fans why – well, I have to explain to my fans over and over again that I don’t HAVE the budget to make sure they see all my FB posts – but my little voice doesn’t matter. If someone bigger comes along goes back to JUST their mailing list, explaining why they’ve dropped Facebook – or yeah, gets someone to code their own video sharing platform rather than sticking with YouTube – that could actually make a difference. Trent Reznor kicking things off with that first “pay-what-you-will” album started us down a slippery slope of ALL music being based on gratuity rather than being valued…. and this is just another facet of that.
A follow up – since Zoe posted her blog entry, youtube / google actually replied that most of which she was saying about the new music program was untrue, implying that most of her issues are perhaps being caused by her management’s policies / interpretation of google’s policies rather than google’s actual contract…
After the show, Kara (of Lulu’s Fate) seems dangerously enthralled by Jess’ washboard. Might Lulu’s Fate be getting a new instrument in the lineup soon? The Sligo Creek Stompers and Lulu’s Fate finishing out the night together at Carroll Cafe.
I actually have an awful lot to say about this, but my brain isn’t wrapping around it right now. I’m a tiny artist. Youtube HAS changed how their music monetization program works recently, and there seems to be a lot of confusion over it. Very broadly speaking, it boils down to the idea that you’ve got to have an entity taking on the role of a label doing the monetization negotiation for you, and that truly “independent” artists aren’t going to have the leverage to brook these contracts (interestingly, if ASCAP and BMI and SESAC weren’t so busy suing mom & pop coffeeshops, isn’t this the kind of royalty collection that they’re MEANT for?!?!). For me, it means the difference betwixt quite literally pennies over the next YEAR – which I won’t see paid out because of how minimum payouts are worked out… for bigger artists like Zoe and the hundreds or thousands of artists that are touring, doing well in their careers but truly aren’t radio giants or supported by major industry labels it perhaps DOES effect hundreds or even thousands of dollars in income – and well, they’ve got some real choices ahead of them – and I mean that in both a positive and a negative way. Because beyond choices to make, they’ve got options. Larger fanbases to leverage, more money to work with – more tech-savvy fanbases to turn to create a new and DIFFERENT solution and become truly fan-supported and “independent” again.
And I’ll put “independent” in quotes one last time, because no matter how indie we are, as performing artists we’ll ALWAYS be dependent on the fans that listen and friends that support – and the smaller we are (and ilyAIMY’s pretty damned small) the more the line between those two support bases blur.
Back to the grind with me.
ilyAIMY on the marquee. It doesn’t look like much fom the inside, but check out the room INSIDE! green room selfie! The green rooms at Bethesda Blues and Jazz in Bethesda, MD are very cool. We had our personal waiter, a private entrance, showers, bathrooms, and a sewing room, fresh flowers, and of course, leopard print ironing boards with matching chairs. Welcome to my sewing parlour… Our friend Bill celebrated his birthday with us – there was much dancing and mirth at Bethesda Blues and Jazz in Bethesda, MD on January 11th, 2015. Sharif gets to play a real grand piano for once. When Bethesda Blues and Jazz contacted us, they also gave us a gear list. For me as an acoustic guitarist there wasn’t anything to use. The cellist? Nope. Heather? Nope. Rowan? No djembes, no bones, no – he didn’t need any of the house kit or anything – Sharif on the other hand grabbed the bass rig, two keyboards and the piano… cause he could. Below – it was by now stretch a packed room, but still a good turn out for a last-second show and Art Isaacs came in to run our sound – it was exquisite. We had a piano tech specifically for Sharif, individual moniror peeps – it was an amazing night. A guy could get spoiled.
