Stoneman
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5/24/2013 10:31:45 AM
Music is almost religious for me. I get up each morning and give thanks for having it in my life. It is the one thing that never abandoned me and never ceased in being there when I most needed it. Getting paid for doing my music is an unexpected bonus. You are telling the secret that most of us don't want our music publishers and labels to know. I think we all would do it free because it is like breathing and eating food. We have to do it. Music is who I am. But to be honest. I have never sent back a royalty check. It has become my vacation and equipment fund money. Now that I am retired the extra money is always a blessing. I'll never get rich off of it but I do appreciate the bonus! :) I made all my real money slaving everyday for 32 years on a variety of jobs. Often two or three at a time.
I tell my students to focus on the music as if they would never make a dime at it. Let it become your way of life. A way of communicating your inner thoughts and bearing your soul. Music makes me so vulnerable because I cannot stop doing what I do and what I do is quite often very revealing. It brings my heart joy when someone listens and receives something useful for their own life. That in itself is priceless. I see myself more as a musical communicator. Bob, your best mind is right on point with the spiritual side of being an artist. But I also believe you are worthy of monetary compensation. Or, as I call it, some bonuses!
Much Respect!
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Richard Scotti
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5/27/2013 3:54:18 PM
I started out wanting to be a film maker and although I did well in film school, the pull of rock music and the opportunity to join a band was too much to resist. If anyone here thinks that music is a tough road, they should try film making. It's extremely difficult and the cost of making a film gets higher all the time. It's a constant fund raising situation that is very heartbreaking and demoralizing. Think of what you spent on your last CD, and then imagine having to raise a half a million or a million dollars (at a minimum) to make an indie film that looks kinda professional. When I'm in my best mind, I'm thankful I chose an art form that I can finance without begging, borrowing and stealing. I'm thankful I'm good at something I love. When I'm in my best mind, I'm not out of my mind, which is what I would be without the ability to create a product that I'm proud of. I see myself as nothing more than a shoemaker who just wants to cobble together comfortable, good looking, affordable shoes that people will be happy to wear. The process and the craft is all.
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