Thursday, July 30, 2009

Change of focus

So, I've decided that I'm going to make it work. I'm going to try and market my music.

The hard part's the easy part: I don't know where to start, and I don't know what to do.

A little background on me: I have a bachelors in music business, and a masters of arts in music. You would think I'd know exactly how to write, create, and sell my music to interested buyers. I don't. It's been a while since I've remembered the difference between a royalty check (which comes from the recording company), and a mechanical income check (which comes from the publisher); or had to remember what a performing artist makes per CD (about 8.5 cents); or the average number of recordings a record company wants in a recording contract (usually 4, with 3 options- that is 3 more recordings they get first rights on).

So I'm going to blog my adventures in selling my creativity for cold hard cash. Every step of the way, I'm going to talk about what I'm doing, how I'm getting it done, and where I'm going next. I hope that by talking about it, I'm holding myself accountable for my actions.

Why music? I don't know. If you asked me, I'd say something like it's the only thing I'm good at. There are some who'd disagree. They'd say I'm good at other things; writing, computers, teaching. But if I had to answer, after some thought- I'd have to concede that it's something I love. And, it's something I have a gift for doing. I think about my mother, who is a doctor. Sometimes, I'll ask her a question about medicine, and you can see her eyes light up. She'll list this long list of things that I really can't follow. Once I asked her about a disease my friend might have, and she pulled books off a shelf, and read so intently that I wasn't sure she remembered I was there. And I want that for me. I want to have something out there that I can be a part of and it be a part of me as easy as breathing.

So, here it is. The first step of a new chapter.