On contracts and copyright…an essay

Changing Contractual Agreements With Music Consumers in the New Music Industry, Complex Copyright Issues Notwithstanding – Lorelei Loveridge

Once upon a time, the world’s greatest music lover walked into a music store (let’s call it the arty independent Blackbyrd Myoozik, which still exists today in Edmonton, AB, Canada), browsed the shelves in search of something inviting, found a CD marked at ‘half price’, walked up to the counter and with last-minute ‘consideration’ of the deal at hand gave the cashier (store owner/retailer as well as artist intermediary/music distributor) a crisp ten-dollar bill in exchange for a beaut of an album called Bakhoor. This is called a bilateral contract where the offeror – in this case, the buyer – promises to give money or consideration in exchange for the offeree’s or seller’s product (Kraus, 2006). Insofar as most music consumers are concerned, this type of contract is a dying entity, on its way to extinction.

According to contract law, the legal agreement here was between consumer and retailer; the consumer made the offer to buy and the retailer provided the product – a piece of art with a legal copyright belonging to someone, presumably the creator, but possibly an investor such as a record label – in exchange for ‘consideration’ or payment (Gibson and Fraser, 2009;). Gillhams Solicitors LLP (2008) gives a proper definition to this, citing Section 2(1) of the Sale of Goods Act. It is the “sale of goods” otherwise known as a “contract by which the seller transfers or agrees to transfer the property in goods to the buyer for money consideration called the price”.

Because this exchange does not take place off the stage at the end of a night of performance, this contract exists according to the rules of consumer law; the agreement isn’t in writing except by way of a receipt that typically might outline “terms of the sale contract, such as the time of delivery, the price, standard of goods, whether they have been sold subject to a description, whether they may be returned” (Gillhams Solicitors LLP, 2008).

Typically, until it became possible to sample and buy music over the internet from iTunes, Amazon and CD Baby, fans were at the mercy of various “gatekeepers” and music tasters such as “radio DJs/pluggers, music weeklies, in store promotions, and friends’ recommendations” to help them learn about new music (Jennings, 2004). Fans could not easily sample the music they were thinking to buy, and this became and is the focal point of anger directed against record labels and other gatekeepers in the music industry including retailers. Scibora (n.d.) states the problem:

Today, most traditional music stores serve a single-purpose: to make them convenient for the music shopper to find a specific CD and purchase it. They are not designed to cultivate “shopping.” In fact, once music shoppers are inside a traditional music store, they see thousands of music CDs but they cannot experience them. Only being able to sample a few newly released CDs that they have most likely already heard further discourages shoppers. Also, they are subjected to overhead music without knowing what CD is playing. This environment does not facilitate shopping.

Furthermore, fans were bound by the terms of the contract, in accordance with the limitations, rights and responsibilities afforded to consumers under the Trade Practices Act applicable in their jurisdiction or country. In Canada, it is the Trade Practices Act, R.S.N.L. 1990, c. T-7 (Queen’s Printer, 2005). The contractual condition often was that music could not be returned once the packaging was removed because listeners could copy the music, return it, and the sale could be lost. There was no other warranty or guarantee for music consumers to get their money back if they didn’t like the album.

So, essentially, the legal idea of “caveat emptor” or “Let the buyer beware” (Cornell University Law School) was and has been the standard of care applied to music purchasers. Gibson and Fraser (2009) highlight the two circumstances proving this application of common law unjust: (1) when there is no reasonable opportunity for inspection, which has arguably been the case for music consumers when it comes to sampling the contents inside the jewel case, and (2) reliance upon an expert or someone with special knowledge was needed, which is irrelevant here. These are the contractual conditions of sale that music fans as consumers have had to live with for a long time.

Until the advent of the peer to peer (P2P) file-sharing network Napster, which began to reverse the roles in 1999 (Reidel, 2006). Then it became, and for many artists and content owners who are losing income through sales and performances, “caveat venditor” or “seller beware”. Fans adept with computers today trade digitized music over the internet en masse and ‘for free’, and it is done in defiance of copyright laws worldwide that, through common and statutory law, give legal protection to “the authors of ‘original works of authorship,’ including literary, dramatic, musical, artistic, and certain other intellectual works” (Gordon, 2005, p. 1). Not the intent of this paper to dwell solely on the issues of copyright law, it is nevertheless important to state that copyright laws were established to give the owner of a copyright the exclusive right to do and authorize others to copy; create from; distribute by sale or other transfer of ownership, or by renting, lending, or leasing; and perform the work publicly by means of a digital audio transmission – according to Section 106 of the 1976 Copyright Act in the U.S.

Cutler’s legal classic on copyright law (1905) encapsulates the lack of consideration of copyright and its worth to the artist by those who today could fall into the category of illegally downloading music in the current statutory climate:

“There is a certain class of persons, who look upon the protection which the law throws around the offspring of a man’s brain as an unjust monopoly, an invasion of the liberty of the subject. These would-be lavish givers of other people’s property are more numerous and in some cases more influential, than one would suppose in an enlightened age…The attacks of…assailants of the rights of property are suicidal and would result in the slaughter of the bird which lays the golden eggs. Instead of getting cheap music of a good class, the abettors of the pirates will end by stopping production of all works of genius and even of popular ones…This argument is too familiar to need development” (p. 1).

Cutler speaks, perhaps, to what Lahore (n.d.) describes as the moral rights of the copyright holder: “Only individuals who are ‘authors’ have moral rights and these rights cannot be assigned” (p. 48,099). But this has mattered not for a good number of music lovers.

Illegal downloading – where there is no attempt to create a legally enforceable agreement or contract between the fan and owner or rights-imbued distributor of the music – has disrupted the flow of revenues, badly and in all facets of the music industry (Burkart, 2009). And this has prompted record industry associations like the RIAA in the US, IFPA internationally and CRIA in Canada to sue downloaders for theft of copyright protected music. Reidel states: “Starting in 2000, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) spearheaded a series of lawsuits…Their legal ground seemed unshakeable, their argument unquestionable: facilitating the free trade of “illicit” music files amounted to a violation of copyright law. In fact, at Napster’s peak in February 2001, it amounted to over 2.79 billion violations, the approximate number of files traded during that month” (Reidel, 2006; pcmag.com, 2009). The genie was out of the bottle and several lawsuits later, two of the biggest to draw attention on the world stage are the case involving Pirate Bay and a single woman in the US fighting the RIAA and Capitol Records.

In brief and steering towards the argument of the outcomes of such cases on the terms of agreement and contract (or lack of/changing terms and contract) between fans and content providers and artist creators, the Stockholm District Court in Sweden judged in favor of upholding the rights of “content providers and copyright owners whose material is on the site” Barraclough, 2009). The four owners of Pirate Bay have been sentenced to a year in prison for “complicity in breach of the Copyright Act” (TT/The Local, 2009) while $7.6 million in cash and newly issued shares in Global Gaming Factory X, the company purchasing Pirate Bay, will pay for the damages owed for copyright infringement in this case (Barraclough, 2009). The new company’s CEO has stated that the company will be forced by law to change its business model to satisfy “the requirements and needs of all parties, content providers, broadband operators, end users and the judiciary. Content providers and creators need to control their own content and get paid for it. File downloaders need faster downloads and better quality” (Barraclough, 2009). Sweden’s Court of Appeal has ruled that the case cannot be reheard at the Stockholm District Court, but a newly elected member of the European Parliament, a member of the newly established Pirate Party in Sweden, has stated that the appeals will continue through legislation (TT/The Local, 2009).

Not surprisingly, fans are outraged by this. In an attempt to comfort or appease, though there is no contract here either because it is not an offer and there is no legally enforceable contract with any kind of consideration or payment in exchange for this promise, the founders of Pirate Bay have stated: “Everyone indeed can be the owner of Pirate Bay now” (Barraclough, 2009). It is an empty promise, thus far, at least until fans can purchase shares of the company; and that would be payment in consideration for the ownership of an undefined product – will it be music or more? – and/or rights to a particular service music fans do not yet understand the conditions of. It’s not hard to see why the anger exists.

The other case that has recently highlighted the intensity of the conflict over downloading and the protection of copyright is the case between the Record Industry Association of America (RIAA) and Capitol Records against Jamie Thomas-Rassett. The judgement was for the plaintiff and the defendant has been ordered to pay $1.92 million in damages for downloading 24 songs, then making those songs available through P2P provider Kazaa to “millions on the Internet”, according to the prosecuting lawyer (AFP, 2009). While the judgement is logical on the one hand, based on the facts of the case (and the woman had been convicted of the same copyright crime and let off from what was deemed a severe sentence then (AFP), according to lovers of the free download, the conviction and severity of sentence both stink.

Kusek and Leonhard (2005) are two music futurists who have put forth the idea of treating music like water, like a utility – that it should be freely downloadable and paid for by the consumer through ISP providers who charge a fee for unlimited downloads. The Songwriters Association of Canada (SAC) has explicitly outlined a similar view in “A Proposal for the Monetization for the File Sharing of Music From the Songwriters and Recording Artists of Canada” and in this living, evolving document first established in 2007 states in rough the terms for a new agreement among the ISP’s, consumers, and creators of music (2009).

Specifically, the SAC Proposal is for “an amendment to the Copyright Act which would establish a new right: The Right to Remuneration for Music File Sharing”, and the most recent amendments to the proposal itself indicate debate among participant communities as to whether they would choose to opt in or out of the idea that consumers pay a voluntary licensing fee to ISP users for the right to freely download music made available by content providers who opt into the system. The terms for exclusion are made clear and, no doubt, this is a proposal engaged in a process of dialogue with various bodies as evidenced by the SAC’s statement: “[W]e’ve received a great deal of input from consumer advocates, music industry colleagues, legal experts, MPs, Government officials etc. (2009)”.

The question is: will fans agree to contract with ISP’s for the provision of a service (the means to download) and product (music provided for distribution), and will all the other parties feel compelled by the list of benefits listed by the SAC? There are compelling arguments for the consumer: “[g]uilt free low-cost access” to tens of millions of songs, minus the hassle of worrying about viruses. The creator obviously gets paid via a low-cost distribution system, and that bodes well for sustainability in the future of art-making. The rights owner’s value of catalogue increases and this enables continued support in the development of the artist/s affiliated with the rights owner, if separate entities. ISP would stand to reduce costs and make more money through the streamlining of services, sharing of income with artists, and other business models involving advertising to be determined.

It would seem to be a good solution for all, a win-win. But artists have already discovered that it’s not necessarily on the artists’ terms that contracts with fans are to be won, as is evidenced in one case by the reaction of many to an Iron Maiden album cover: “Shortly after revealing what the band claims to be the cover art for its new album, Dance Of Death, fans flooded the official Iron Maiden message board with complaints” because they didn’t believe the artwork was by the original artist, as expected, and this was a condition they were going to have to accept before purchasing the album upon its release (Johnson, 2003). Now, if the legalities of the terms in contract law could be put aside for a moment…

Perhaps within the spirit of the legal definition of the word ‘breach’, referring to the failure of a party “to perform their obligations as agreed” (Gibson and Fraser, 2009, p. 403), these fans considered it a breach of trust by the band because it was believed the artwork was not up to standard. A ‘warranty’ or guarantee as a condition of the future sale was breached (ie. a different artist had created a sub-standard design). Or perhaps only a ‘partial performance’ was delivered, and this was a ‘variation from the unwritten terms of the contract’ with the band. Whatever the case, fans could but were unlikely to choose to refrain from purchasing the CD. In essence, they felt damaged, and Iron Maiden refused to do anything to ‘mitigate’ or minimize/control the ‘damage’. Fans were without recourse for ‘damages’ – though possibly the insistence upon a lower price could be construed as bargaining on behalf of the band for the mitigation of its future ‘damages’ or loss of fan support and income, in a sense.

It is but one scenario that serves only to highlight the fact that a band that chooses to give its fans input into the creative process actually could be seen as engaging its fans in the right to an ‘equitable remedy’. Posting artwork up for a fan to vote upon is akin to allowing a fan to help determine the terms for the final contract or purchase. Take it one step further and companies like Slice the Pie (slicethepie.com) engage fans in a legally binding contract with terms (certainly the delivery of a CD at the end of the production process, and within a specified time frame) that gives both parties more value. The fans invest in the album and, if they choose, have input into its creative development in return for pre-purchased right to the product and input into the product.

This appears to be a slightly better solution in the short term than suing fans for loving music while ignoring the demands of the marketplace. While the efforts of the Songwriters Association of Canada and the like are likely to lead to changing legislation, improving a situation where there is a significant lack of agreement and ongoing theft or, at the minimum, ‘breach of contract’ between the artist and consumers in the digital domain (and hopefully that will provide a positive economic spinoff to a suffering industry as a whole), the final may well rest in the voices of experienced music managers:

“Almost all cases concerning the enforceability of music-industry agreements are fought on the basis of reasonableness between the parties…It’s in the public interest that contracts containing restrictions which are reasonable between the parties should thus be enforceable (Music Managers Forum, 2003, p. 149).

“…keep an open mind, investigate the alternatives and figure out how…artists receive payment for their work from the population of the world. It’s not music that’s in trouble – there’s no alternative, everyone will still listen; it’s just the business model that is changing” (p. 14).

While there are many alternative ideas regarding the monetization of music, which involve everything from allowing music to be ‘freely’ distributed according to certain terms under Creative Commons licenses (Flew, 2005) that “mark creative work with the freedom the creator wants it to carry, so others can share, remix, use commercially, or any combination thereof” (CreativeCommons.org, 2009), in the end it is the goal of artists and the creative music industry to continue to foster the relationship with fans most especially to ensure sustainability through changing times.

Changing the terms of agreement in contracts by word or deed isn’t a choice. It’s a necessity. Changing the means by which to view ‘contractual’ breaches in the course of copyright reform isn’t a choice. Both of these approaches are needed, across society and one fan at a time, to change hearts and minds regarding the value of music and its place in our world today. Copyright protection, while critical to slowing down the chaos that has ensued since the advent of the digital musical file and its ability to be downloaded and shared without tracking, is not enough to stop the millions if not billions of music fans worldwide who share files illegally, and nor are legislators and various facets of the entertainment industry in agreement as to how best to approach copyright reform. What has happened in Sweden with Pirate Bay exemplifies the fact that even the fans are preparing for the battle of copyright reform at the legislative level, and that signals the need to look at alternatives to a market that is speaking and has spoken.

Essentially, sustainability in the future for artists and those in the music industry living from the creations of artists is about moving beyond the argument of copyright to embracing new contracts and agreements with fans. The relationship is about the artist and the fan, and that relationship has become more direct than ever. It is up to artists and content providers – ie. the new record labels – to engage with fans and change the terms of agreement. This will ultimately result in the security of contract that artists are looking for. This is what will invoke the exchange of money for music or merchandise or a live concert experience.

References

References

AFP (2009) “US woman to pay 1.92 mln dlrs in music piracy case”, physorg.com, viewed 6 July 2009: http://www.physorg.com/news164601902.html.

Barraclough, E (2009) “New Pirate Bay bosses to compensate rights owners”, Managing Intellectual Property, viewed 6 July 2009: http://www.managingip.com/Article/2247021/New-Pirate-Bay-bosses-to-compensate-rights-owners.html.

Burkart, K (2009) “On the Digital Music Wars, Where Are We Now?”, Flow TV, viewed 6 July 2009: http://flowtv.org/?p=2453.

Creative Commons (2009) “About”, CreativeCommons.org, viewed 6 July 2009: http://creativecommons.org/about/.

Cutler, E (1905) A Manual of Music Copyright Law for the use of music publishers and artists and of the legal profession, Simpkin, Marsha, Hamilton, Kent and Co., Ltd., London.

Legal Information Institute (n.d.) “Caveat emptor”, Cornell University Law School, viewed 6 July 2009: http://topics.law.cornell.edu/wex/caveat_emptor.

Gillhams Solicitors LLP (2005-2008) “Term: sale of goods” from Sale of goods, Contract Law, viewed 6 July 2009: http://www.gillhams.com/dictionary/331.cfm.

Gordon, S (2005) The Future of the Music Business, Backbeat Books, San Francisco.

Jennings, D (2004) “The New Gatekeepers for Discovering Music”, DJ Alchemi, viewed 6 July 2009): http://alchemi.co.uk/archives/mus/the_new_gatekee.html.

Johnson, T (2003) “Iron Maiden Fans Practically Revolt Over New Album Cover”, BlogCritics, viewed 6 July 2009: http://blogcritics.org/music/article/iron-maiden-fans-practically-riot-over/.

Lamb, B. (2009) “Top 4 Major Pop Record Labels”, About.com, viewed 6 July 2009: http://top40.about.com/od/popmusic101/tp/majorlabels.htm.

Queen’s Printer (2005) ” Trade Practices Act, R.S.N.L. 1990, c. T-7 “, Canadian Legal Information Institute, viewed 6 July 2009: http://www.canlii.org/nl/laws/sta/t-7/20050303/whole.html.

pcmag.com (2009) “Definition of peer-to-peer network”, viewed 6 July 2009: http://www.pcmag.com/encyclopedia_term/0,2542,t=peer-to-peer+network&i=49056,00.asp.

Riedel, S (2006), A Brief History of Filesharing: From Napster to Legal Downloads, viewed 6 July 2009: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/20644/a_brief_history_of_filesharing_from_pg2.html?cat=15.

Scibora, M (n.d.) “The Changing Face of Retailing”, Google Documents, viewed 6 July 2009: http://docs.google.com/gview?a=v&q=cache:m_bMr3Y3_VUJ:www.acdstar.com/ChangingFace_article.pdf+music+retailers+began+to+allow+customers+to+sample+music&hl=en.

SAC (2009) “A Proposal for the Monetization for the File Sharing of Music From the Songwriters and Recording Artists of Canada”, Songwriters Association of Canada, viewed 6 July 2009: http://www.songwriters.ca/studio/proposal.php#details.

TT/The Local (2009) “No retrial in Pirate Bay case”, The Local: Sweden’s News in English, viewed 6 July 2009: http://www.thelocal.se/20280/20090625/.

Wikipedia (2009) “Caveat venditor as found in Caveat emptor”, Wikipedia, viewed 6 July 2009: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caveat_venditor#Caveat_venditor.

Bibliography

DigitalBazaar.com (2009) “A Collaborative Distribution Model for Music”, viewed 6 July 2009: http://blog.digitalbazaar.com/2009/04/04/collaborative-music-model/.

Flew, T (2005) “Creative Commons and the creative industries” in the Media and Arts Law Review, Volume 10, Number 4, December (2005): pp 257-264.

Kivisto, M “Collective Management – A Push Towards Competition”, IPR University Centre, viewed 6 July 2009: http://www.iprinfo.com/lehti?action=articleDetails&a_id=663&id=43.

Krauss, R (2006) “Contracts”, robandjenna.net, viewed 6 July 6, 2009: http://209.85.229.132/search?q=cache:v3TIkKm8eycJ:robandjena.net/Documents/Contract%2520Rules_and_Principles.doc+buying+music+is+a+bilateral+contract&cd=10&hl=en&ct=clnk&client=safari.

Kusek, D and Leonhard, G (2005) The Future of Music: Manifesto for the Digital Music Revolution, Berklee Press, Boston.

Verna, P (2007) “Digital Music and the Museum Model”, eMarketer Digital Intelligence, viewed 6 July 2009: http://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?R=1005446.

My Facebook account – now disabled – is where you could find me, until now

I’m posting a message I posted on another blog. Catchup time: I’m in the UK, still, working like a busy bee but soon heading to Spain and Portugal for a much needed 10 day break. This is what has rocked my world as of late. I posted it here and am currently trying to take cues on how to communicate with Facebook here.

* * *

I must say, I have had my eyes opened wide, and with great regret. I created a group called PERFORMING SONGWRITERS (UNITED WORLDWIDE), made the colossal error of messaging too many people to invite them to my personal page (in an effort to actually reduce the group postings and give people the choice as to how much info they wanted to receive from me). I was disabled on June 24 after the group had grown to 1500 members in 15 days. Most of my topic posts went with my account, so that left my group gutted of ‘content’. People have been trying to email and help, but have been getting the weirdest messages back saying that they aren’t writing from their FB account email addresses – not true in every case – and FB can’t divulge info – no one was asking them to; merely the request was to reactivate the account.

I am so sickened by this, but I’m also immersed in a business law course right now and have just been informed about the law of contracts and do understand that Facebook has an aim and the aim is a noble one – to reduce spam. It is the reason why I posted my group there in the first place. Because I love the networking capacity of FB. But errors do happen, people do make uninformed mistakes. Without a transparent policy it is hard to keep within the rules. I lived for 11 years in Saudi Arabia where I had to look over my shoulder at times for fear I was doing something that could land me in trouble. I’m sorry that in the free world, I’m discovering myself in this bind. It’s almost felt like an entrapment of sorts – to be cut off from hundreds of very old friends just reconnected with from elementary school, and people who have known me through high school and university. A friend died this year and his Facebook account is a place where people still meet and talk. I can’t access that. Another friend is battling cancer, and I can’t reach the person who had been filling me in about that.

What’s further distressing is the fact that the mainstream media appear not to be able or willing to shed more light on this problem. I have tried to communicate with the BBC and with serious online bloggers particularly those in the music business, and most simply ignore the request for airtime or help as well. I find that perplexing. But it’s been explained to me by some of my group members that they are afraid themselves of being banned by Facebook.

I have read about one man who announced his decision to commit suicide to a Facebook applications programmer, and Facebook then responded pretty quickly. I wonder how many people engage in acts of distress due to the closure of their Facebook accounts…that FB does not know about? For an organization that cares about people, this is somehow skewed to me. Simply respond to queries, if you can, or post the information real people need online. And, yes, go after the hard core spammers.

A good friend of mine who worked at Warner Records said to me a few years ago when I was trying to decide the name of my new 4-year album projected recorded in Saudi Arabia, Canada, and India – but nevertheless a folk-pop thing with world music sprinkled throughout: “Don’t underestimate your audiences.” I went ahead with an Arabic title for the album, one that I knew western audiences would wonder about. The concept of not underestimating audience intelligence has not left me. I find that principle to be true, and wish it could be true for Facebook, too. Then again, we’re the stupids who keep posting while ignoring generic warnings. Perhaps the warnings need to be explicit re. the numbers of clicks. That would have settled my enquiring mind.

My heart is really heavy as I continue to wait this out and hope for the best. It’s been two weeks. It feels like two months. I’ve been reminded of a few things in these past few weeks: get the email addresses of people in your life. Get a life beyond Facebook. Pick up the phone. Get out. Focus on your dreams and realities. The cyber world isn’t heaven.

LL on Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/loreleiloveridge

Fanpage on Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lorelei-Loveridge-World-Travelling-Songwriter/747540387

Performing Songwriters (United Worldwide) on Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=110532175707&ref=share

Honor Thy Creative Self

Three minutes after midnight, in a small room in a townhouse with one man and a cat (the other man has moved out while a third is working somewhere in the world on a cruise for the next month or so), I am listening to the speech of an author whose book I slowly savour, in between the various tasks on the multitudinous list of things that I get up to in a day and week and month. I probably read a chapter every few weeks or so. The book is called EAT, PRAY, LOVE and Elizabeth Gilbert speaks particularly well this night to my need to nurture the creative within as she talks about the nature of ‘creative genius’.

http://www.ted.com/talks/elizabeth_gilbert_on_genius.html

It’s a corner I’m turning. From self critic to self champion. From self doubt to self assuredness. From fear to love, nurturance, work, effort. I’ve long been at this, but it’s amazing what happens when the last success is behind you. You wonder: what next? And as the money flows outwards and doubt pours in to replace what’s gone, it’s such a head trip, such a game, such a strange thing. For me, I search for reassurance, outwardly, but know that it is me who must give it to my self. I’ve started with a rather bold move to NOT get on a plane in two weeks and head to the Dubai job fair for international school teachers and secure a job for September, which would effectively be like chopping the head off of this lovely green and growing thing that I’ve planted and watered these past eighteen months. I’ve deliberately decided that I owe it to myself to stay the course, and that’s after yet another attempt and failure to get a job that I obviously wasn’t meant to get as employment counsellor. I’m obviously meant to be writing songs, out there playing, and finding my way with this thing called: music. I get it I get it I get it I get it.

I am blessed with a spiritual mentor in the United States who still, to this day, after twenty years, knows how to talk to me when I find myself confused about what I am doing. Our discourse has been decades in the making now, and it continues. She is a dear friend, also. The other day I wrote to her, shared with her my business plan and, with it, some of the most intimate workings of my process. As important as any business mentor is, for me, a mentor and diviner of The Divine, for some days I confess I feel it is only through divine intervention that I’m going to ‘get there’, wherever ‘there’ is. Sue emailed back with the perfect antidote:

“Angst can go whenever you choose to send it on its way. Darkness dissipates by turning within to the Light switch of the Divine Mother. Hmm, I never use that expression. But perhaps it’s that very primal nourishment and reassuring, unchanging love you desire to realize. Well, my sweet, it’s right where you are, along with Divine Father/Source/Strength/Wisdom.

Your plan looks amazing…you are a marvel. Do you really get that? Do you really take that in? The depth and degree of your creativity is truly awesome, God as you is one mightily gifted and endowed expression of what is possible, when one realizes that “enlightenment is not a mountaintop you claw your way to. It is an identity you recognize.” Alan Cohen.

So stand in the Spirit of all you are. Live in the Grace of each moment. Be grateful for all that you are, all that Is, has been and shall forevermore be, and trust the process of Life to continue to move you forward where God/Allah/Buddha/Mind/Spirit/ wants you to be, in order that “It” experience itself ever more fully and joyously by means of you.

All my love and blessings galore,
Spiritual mentor type/Sue”

Of course, I was inspired by this. Sue and I used to have long discussions about what The Divine was comprised of. I have a chapter for a book with her name on it. Our discussion almost fifteen years ago about God being in everything had me wondering if that included ‘in’ the water bottle on Sue’s desk. A voracious water drinker she is. I shared the chapter with her, in case I never finish the manuscript.

In response to this latest reminder to stop belittling myself for all that I am presently unable to do, I thanked Sue, penned another short reflection about the subject. To my surprise, there came yet another letter from Sue, who is often much too busy to extend to me this kind of time and attention in my existential moments, and I don’t expect it of her.

“I salute your courage and determination to forge ahead with focused attention placed on “being where you are” and proceeding forwrd from that point. That to me is working in harmony with the progressively unfolding and orderly pattern of creative fulfillment that now has the opening through you to manifest wonders…whoo, that’s a mouthfull.

Affirmative statements of Truth to use on your journey.

I give myself the reassurance that up until now I sought from the outside.
I Am confident, self-assured and joyously give my creative gift with the full acceptance of the good that returns to me.
I Am the spiritual authority in my life. I love, honor, respect and revere Spirit as me.
I discover new gems from within the vast treasures of my Divine Self.
I express these glistening aspects of God as me with deep gratitude and joy for all that I essentially Am.
I give thanks for the true abundance that blesses, flourishes and prospers me throughout my life.
I awaken to my true Self and to its magnificence and greatness by leaving the darkness and entering fully into the light!
My future is brillliant with Infinite possibilities because I Am the Infinite in finite expression!

All my love and blessings galore,
Sue”

I betray nothing by sharing. Indeed, not to share would feel, today, like hoarding, and I am of the mind today that you get back in proportion to what you give. And I AM opening up, giving more, and committing myself to my work here in England.

No surprise, then, that good things are happening. I have recruited a London-based booking agent, and other good things are happening (more when there’s news to tell). I’ve also had some profound discussions this month with a producer/friend from Canada who passed through England and who met me at a Pret Manger for a tea. Oh, it was like going home. Canadian accents, studio gossip, artistic musings, mutual self analysis, running with the wolves. Lovely! I’ve sat with a sculptor friend who reminded me that success, much as it is marked by money in the music business, for sales say something, is more broadly defined than by money. The greatest of artists often die before they’re fully recognized for their accomplishments. How that felt comforting…I can only say, it simply gave me permission to go my own way, at my own pace, according my ideals. I’ll do the work, as author Elizabeth Gilbert says. I’ll do the work.

And, so, I feel a clarity that comes with settling into a decision to stay in the UK amongst the plethora of players that I find in my midst. Some of them are meant to work with me. We’ll find each other. Currently, I’m pleased with my band lineup: Debbie Busby, Rosie Smith and Zoe Mulford. We’ll grow together.

And now it’s late. One fourteen a.m. Regardless of how you source the creative-most intelligence that ultimately manifests as…art, I suppose I wanted to share these thoughts as a reminder to you and to me: chop wood, carry water. It’s about the work. JFDI. Do it. Dream it. Do it. Let’s take heart in knowing our genius, in knowing we are alone with it sometimes but never alone in it.

LL.

I’ve been blogrolled and I’m noticing my MySpace plays per day are…increasing.

Hmmmmmm. Interesting. I’ve been blogrolled on About.com by Heather McDonald, a music writer with a great deal of wisdom and experience on all aspects of the business. She mentioned Gig in the UK here: http://musicians.about.com/b/2009/01/11/weekly-blog-roll-9.htm?nl=1.and had this to say:

First, I want to start by pointing out two sites created by readers of this site. The first is Gig in the UK: Tips for International Songwriters Wanting to Tour. Written by musicians/songwriter/record label boss Lorelei Loveridge, this blog gives info geared at non UK musicians who want to break into touring that country. It’s just getting started, but it’s highly recommended (as is touring in the UK – let me tell you, you’ll have a great time). 

Also, I’ve noticed that my MySpace page is getting more plays, though I don’t know why. The numbers are strangely up. Interesting. I had heard something said recently about the significance of MySpace. It’s not the number of friends you have, but…could it be the number of times your music is played? I don’t know. I don’t care. 

I’m deep in the thick of it with my business plan and it strikes me that the most important thing an artist can do is simply this: chop wood, carry water. And take a break once in awhile. It’s a lot of work. Balance is good. I seek to work hard but have balance. 

Today, I bought a yearly calendar and a weekly book. I keep a post-it note at the top of my computer screen. I try to answer email responses quickly. Something about the need for speed in this day and age of business comes to mind. I read that in one of my articles on strategy. Work fast. It’s a competitive advantage.

Gig in the UK, a new blog started by me.

 

The header for my new blog: Gig in the UK

 

JFDI. I’ve done it. Posted the new blog up. There is a method to my madness.

Tour the UK. Learn. Share the lessons. Meet the needs of those who find me from time to time and ask me the same question burning on my mind a decade ago: “How do I tour the UK?” 

It’s not rocket science, and the same principles apply to touring anywhere else. But there are cultural and industrial peculiarities to this business here, so while I’m living and touring in the UK…I’ll be writing about it. Short and sweet. Subscribe to Gig in the UK: A Tips Blog for International Songwriters Wanting to Tour if you want that info, as I won’t be blabbing about it here. 

Cheers!

BAKHOOR by Lorelei Loveridge: The album’s timely arrival.

Photography of this display, and album design: Woodward Design, Canada.

BAKHOOR © 2008, Lorelei Loveridge/OrderlyBazaar.com, SOCAN.

Bakhoor. Arabian incense. A swirl of colors and creations, songs and stories, personal journeys and people met along the way. It is my new CD. I’m proud of it, proud enough to shout it out to the world. It’s available at CD Baby, iTunes, Amazon.com and other retailers including one very jazzy UK brick and mortar shop that also deals in MP3’s: Piccadilly Records. I’m chuffed.

The album launch in November was at an arty cafe in the Northern Quarter of Manchester. On a severely foggy night, it was a comfortable space for the few left-behinds from the day, friends (of course), friends of friends, local arty celebrity types (including a world music DJ, a filmmaker specialized in refugee issues) but, oddly, no media. And I say “oddly” because I worked, hard, to get them on this event. I know, for a fact, it was something special, something Manchester has not seen the likes of at all, or if at all, not as of late. I only say this because I know that no one has lived my life. And this album is about a very unique life that I’ve lived.  

Well, back to earth it is, because mainstream media ignored this, a few radio stations very enthusiastically supported this, and now begins the follow-up, the ‘rolling out’ of things. I’m going to call this the ‘Red Carpet Year’ or something. I love red carpets. I have several Afghan red carpets packed up in a safe place right now. This is 2009. I’m declaring it my year.  

Why? Because 2008 was both good but extremely trying. Two management deals in phases of unfolding, but slowly because even these guys can’t figure out what’s going on…what with arts organizations cancelling their bookings until 2010! The music business is suffering along with my personal brokerage account. Yes, like a lot of people, I suffered some profound losses. Mostly to my sense of direction. Sense of stability. Almost to my sense of self. Okay, to that, too. But 2009, I have decided, as I dig into my very late university assignment (I am a master student of arts and cultural management with an Australian university), a corporate business/marketing/sponsorship plan for 2009, well…2009 is going to be MY year. I’m taking it back.  I’m reclaiming my happiness, dammit, because money can’t buy peace. I had a LOT of money in my hands, earned all by yours truly, two years ago. I fretted about it as much as I do now while things are ‘gone south’. 

I have decided upon 3 words to represent my goals and drive my behaviors this year. Ready for them? 

PROACTIVITY – Put myself out there, hard and fast, and keep my promises by responding within 1-3 business days.

BALANCE – Have a life; marketing music can take over one’s life, and ruin the fun. I need inspiration. That comes from having balance.

PASSION – To borrow the words of a friend of mine, who spoke them when times in 2008 were tough: “Have more passion. Be more passionate about your art.” In other words, try harder. Don’t give up.

I may sip an Americano somewhere in the coming few days and refine those summaries, borrowed from another site called 3c World, formerly known (and this is my favored title for it) Expat Arts. However, the descriptions are raw and straight from this unfettered heart. I have been angsting. Instead, this year needs to be about action and a whole lot of self love.  

Stay tuned. I’m back. Keep watch on the homepages of loreleiloveridge.com, Orderly Bazaar (eventually/soon it will function with its own role separate from merely promoting my music) and MySpace, too, as that’s where you can track events, shows, radio ads, etc. Here…is where I’ll ruminate a little more loosely.  Have a great year. JFDI! 

PS. On a slightly more somber note, and if you dive into my blog on Orderly Bazaar or MySpace, you’ll see I had a moment of rage today over what’s happening in Gaza…this album is ‘timely’ because it addresses a good number of the current issues of our time, and current events in the Middle East as well. Press release enclosed:

Lorelei Loveridge lived for 11 years in Saudi Arabia, pre and post 9/11, and loved it. She experienced religious zealots, compound invasions, a terrorist chase, earthquake, tsunami, war in Lebanon, crazy drivers, nutty expats and more, and survived to tell the tales in story and song. Her physical, personal, and musical journey is documented in Bakhoor, a 4-year, 15-song album project recorded in India, Canada and Saudi Arabia. It features some of the finest players from across the globe including Brian Hughes (producer of Loreena McKennitt), Harry Manx and Lester Quitzau.  

A contemporary acoustic songwriter who draws comparisons with Tracy Chapman and Joni Mitchell, Loveridge pairs a passionate political sense with an understanding of the complex personal stories that go beyond politics. Loveridge and Canadian producer Rob Hewes have woven the sounds of tabla, oud, darbuka, Tibetan overtone chants, violin, bazouki, Latin/African/slide blues guitar into a richly-textured, multicultural tour-de-force. 

While “Home is Where the Heart Is”—a song about the pain of a mother and her Palestinian daughter—is the first single off of the album, U.S. songwriter and guitar legend Dick Wagner says this of Loveridge and Bakhoor: “Her vocals are hauntingly emotive, her songs are beautifully structured folk/pop creations and her musicians are world-class interpreters of her musical vision…The brilliant ‘Oh, India’ sets the tone and atmosphere for this musical journey…a journey you won’t forget. I personally love Lorelei’s music and recommend it to all seekers of sophisticated yet accessible music.”

“Lovely voice…be very proud of where you have taken your music.

- David Kershenbaum (Producer, Tracy Chapman)

CD launch event reviewed, too, by Annastacia Simon: 

December 5, 2008

“Having waited months to experience Lorelei Loveridge’s launch for her album Bakhoor, I think you can imagine emotions were running high as I entered the Nexus Art Café. (NQ Manchester) Ever open minded, I actually had doubts when she announced her chosen venue. I found it hard to imagine Lorelei and her music meshing with the arty but sterile environs of the Nexus. (I’m not intending to give bad marks to Nexus here, the place is truly great. It’s lounge like, arty, and perfectly suits having a wide range of eclectic goings-on including ever changing art exhibitions) Well, I was wrong. As I came down the stairs and into the café/lounge itself I have to say I couldn’t have imagined a much better environment for Lorelei (and friends) to flourish in. The busy folk at the café had transformed the once boxy but colourful open space into a lush and spicy den of creativity. There were massive bean bags on the floor and soft settees and couches placed here and there. Sitting in one, I realised I might not be getting up again for some time – such was the comfort of the furnishings. So I took that moment to look around and absorb and be amazed. The best description I can come up with is that it was like being caught up in a perpetual desert sunset, all warm and shadowed with round textures in every direction. The environment was completed with an imposing screen which displayed a slideshow of photographs of Lorelei and the people and places that helped strengthen her muse. 

When I finally found my feet again, I made my way to Lorelei herself. She looked up at me as I approached and kissed both her cheeks, and the smile that she gave me could have melted Thatcher’s heart. I asked her how she felt, and she narrowed her eyes for a thoughtful moment.

‘So So’ was her response. ( Note: she actually said ‘So So’ I think in Arabic, but I have no memory for things; I cannot even spell, so apologies…ha ha.) I had to stifle a bit of a smirk now and I let her words echo in my mind. So So. I had never seen Lorelei more alive, more confident or more beautiful than in that moment as she pursed her lips and said So So. 

More people began to gently filter in as the café’s younger patrons (who had probably been there since school let out) either sunk back into the shadows or left for the night. I spent some time capturing the general ambience of everything, for there was no shortage of interesting vantages to explore with my lens. Finally the MC welcomed everyone and invited us to enjoy the guest acts and Rosie Smith was up first. 

Act One – Rosie

I had only seen Rosie a couple of times before the launch night, and in both times she had been doing supporting vocals and gently agitating her bongos for Lorelei. So to be honest, I had no idea what to expect from this young lady. I watched as a girl took to the stage, with her gorgeous (yet understated) scarf and her acoustic guitar. Then out came the sweet and mature tones of a woman, as Rosie sang and entranced us with her excellent guitar playing. Immediately I wanted to sway in this breeze she had manifested and lay in deep green grasses as the sun rolled over. She reminded me of ice cream on hot summer evenings, and big grey rain puddles for splashing in when autumn comes. Simply put – Really impressed!

Act Two – Lisa B.

When Lisa B climbed the steps and opened her mouth, to say poetry came out is a pathetic understatement. This was like poetry in the form of great blue-green icebergs, massive and swollen. She can, and will…move you. Whether she is murmuring or shouting. Ridiculously, the best compliment I can give her now is to say that I’m lost for words over Lisa B’s words. In the way she makes pictures in my mind and heart and delivers her prose , which is sometimes bittersweet and bruised. My huge regret is that I didn’t get a chance to buy her book at the launch – but Ill be correcting that mistake with much haste. 
Rock on, Lisa B .

Act Three – Zoe Mulford

Lucky for me, I have not only heard Zoe’s work prior to Lorelei’s launch but I also had the pleasure of being moved to tears as she played one of her songs, Elegy, right next to me at the Nexus. You could say…I’m a fan. I blush and get giddy and try to think of a thousand things to say when I’m in her presence, and how silly is this really? Because as much as I try to form her up as this Folkstar in my head, she is really just one of the most genuinely sweet and human natured lasses you could meet. Back where I come from, they would call her ‘Good People’ and its true. During her set, Zoe displayed not only her instrumental skills (I love it when she plays banjo!) but also a confident and resounding voice coupled with an extremely familiar and gratifying song/storytelling style. 

By now the atmosphere had a bit of electricity running thru it. The lights were low, the energy was high and Lorelei was about to climb those steps and assume her rightful position as Lead Act – the very reason we had all gathered in the Nexus with our tea and coffee’s and Iccle Biccies. (still just 10 Pence!) She stood like a whisper blown ember, her eyes glowing with depth and readiness. Her expression…how can I explain her expression ? It is the sort of look that says ‘Hold unto your asses, here comes the wave.’
With a striking of her hand against strings she welcomed us her audience into the inner sanctum of her creativity. She beckoned us to sit by the fire with her, to listen, to know what she knows. To find peace within ourselves, and simply breathe. The music swelled, and we rode that wave until nearly 11pm. 

I’m going to be honest with you, I don’t even know if it’s possible for me to give you a song by song interpretation of Lorelei’s music. It’s the sort of thing you need to witness first hand, with her voice stroking your mind like a desert wind and the skilful strumming and picking of her guitar meshing with your heartbeat. I can interpret for you the fact that she is gifted, extremely gifted. Lorelei Loveridge weaves song stories about the things she has witnessed – physically and emotionally. Even if you aren’t moved by the music itself (which thankfully I am..) you can appreciate that she goes thru life with her eyes and heart wide open, and that as long as there is breath in her lungs and blood and passion in her veins, she’s going to sing to us about it.

You may find yourself wondering where her sound comes from. Where does anyone pull inspiration from? From love, loss, lust, injustice, celebration, even surprise. The wonderful human heart is virtually endless in its supply of inspirational capacity. All of the above is the songwriter’s playground. Lorelei Loveridge finds her muse in familiar subjects, (politics, feminism, world events, etc) but delivers them with the passion which can only be wrought out of a genuine heart. There was never a moment when this skill was better explored than at Lorelei’s Bakhoor launch – save for when you open your copy of her album and fill your ears with its poetic intricacy. Within her songs and music are the smiles which touched her. The people and places that became her heart’s home and will remain with her forever. The tears, sorrows and the worries. The voice of Lorelei Loveridge which had waited for years to be let out of her head and into Ours.

Around 11 o’clock I stood around the now emptying Nexus café. The audience for the most part was gone, and those that remained helped to disassemble the bits and pieces. Wires to be wound and chairs to be carried back to tables. I stood there feeling a good many things. I felt awe and satisfaction. A slight panging of regret that time had moved so swiftly. (what’s that they say about time and having fun?) But as I looked at Lorelei with that smile on her face and the humbleness she carries so well, I knew that the biggest feeling I felt…was Proud.”

Song lyrics from two songs that deal with the ongoing Palestinian crisis:

Not Like Us © Lorelei Loveridge/OrderlyBazaar.com, 2008. 
http://www.loreleiloveridge.com

Raze down those olive trees
Bulldoze those houses, please
Build the wall and damn them all
Raze down those olive trees

Fire on the boys with stones
Send all those bullets home
Lie to the world and deny you killed a schoolgirl
Fire on the boys with stones

Point the finger now
Suicide bombers wreak a living hell
Lock the jails up tight
Breed the next generation’s will to fight

Re-draw the borders
Re-create law and order
Speak not with words
But with might

For they’re the enemy—terrorists, terrorists
For they preach hatred—not like us, not like us
For they’re religious zealots—terrorists, terrorists
They’ll never have this land—not like us, not like us

Raze down those olive trees
Bulldoze those houses, please
Build the wall and damn them all
Raze down those olive trees

For they’re the enemy—terrorists, terrorists
For they preach hatred—not like us, not like us
For they’re religious zealots—terrorists, terrorists
They’ll never have this land—not like us, not like us

Home is Where the Heart Is © Lorelei Loveridge/OrderlyBazaar.com, 2008
http://www.loreleiloveridge.com

Yasmin, Yasmin, where’s your man
Is he locked in a jail in Jerusalem
A stone’s throw away from hope
Tell me, Yasmin, will you go

Home is where the heart is
But your mother is calling you
Home for a day of rest
What good will martyrdom do
What good will martyrdom do

Yasmin, Yasmin, what will he get
Freedom or ten years instead
And if he goes away for long
Pray, tell who will keep you both strong

Home is where the heart is
But your mother is calling you
Home for a day of rest
What good will martyrdom do
What good will martyrdom do

‘You can ink your feet with blood in the street
Fall with the walls when the bombs come down
You can say you were there when the world didn’t care
But when it’s all said and done, will the war be won
Without words of reason, without someone to teach them
That home is where the heart is and we all need one

Yasmin, Yasmin, there’s your man
Locked in a jail in Jerusalem
A stone’s throw away from hope
Tell me, Yasmin, will you go now

Home is where the heart is
But your mother is calling you
Home for a day of rest
What good will martyrdom do
What good will martyrdom do
Home is where the heart is
Home is where the heart is

 

Independent music marketing…in waves.

I was reminded of something recently by my American friend Zoe Mulford, compadre here in the UK and one of two bandmates for my upcoming official showcase at In The City, “the biggest city based music festival in Europe” (and, whoa, did I read that right on the url for ITC?) Marketing yourself is best done in waves. Kind of like waving your hand. You don’t flick the thing once and expect people to remember you. You ‘wave’ it until you catch the attention of your chosen individual/s. You ’splash’ them with a good first impression, a very good first impression…then bowl them over with your (hopefully) overwhelming splendor.

Hmmm. Frankly, as I write this at 3:04 a.m., I’m reminded of how much I’d love to be back in Jeddah, doing a campout at the Red Sea, listening to the waves lap the bottom of my cot as the crabs scuttle underneath, heat soaking my skin and moon turning the mountains blue, Saudis in the distance, cooking, laughing, eating, settled down after tearing up the dunes to the ridiculous “Come on Barbie, let’s go party”. Oh, honestly. My life has done a 180 since moving from Saudi Arabia more than a year ago.

Well, life rarely comes to a grinding halt, and certainly not for this drama/expressive arts teacher + master’s degree students of arts & cultural marketing + and oh-so-human “jill-of-all-trades” in indie music making. Living in the Middle East taught me something about pulling all nighters. And, in order to stay on task and prepare for album launch, my goal now is to grab the attention of Mancunians and those I can reach in the Northwest of the UK in waves and go after the audience for one gig with an aim to secure an next audience for the next, and so on.

At a critical juncture this week, I learned to ask for extensions wherever possible. (People are good, I tell you. I’ve been granted some degree of understanding that I simply cannot function in the real world. Kidding.) But with a cold coming on, and several all-nighters starting to “do me head in”, it was better to ask for time, and time is relatively free.

So, now that I have a little bit more of it to properly take care of my business, I fill up any free minutes and hours writing press releases, new bios, one-sheet, thank you notes, and also designing flyers and posters. I’m throwing caution to the wind, because my designers are busy and I cannot afford them for everything. Finding the lovely tools hidden in the Pages software of the Apple MacBook Pro I own, I’ve been able to do my first flyer of 2008.

And today I took it (above placed) to the local Iraqi printer who did not give me ANY guff, unlike printing.com which refused to take a JPEG or PDF file, and he immediately plugged my USB drive into his computer without any fear I might transport a virus. Two A5 sheets were printed off in high quality color, and VOILA!!! Instant bliss. One more thing checked off my list. I pick up the flyers and posters tomorrow. The bill for 50 A4 posters in full color and 200 A5 flyers…you don’t want to know and I don’t want to tell. It was reasonable. I hope.

I have two giggish gigs to play this weekend, both for peace. I look forward to them. As Stephen Fearing told me some time last year, before I started in earnest, “Remember, they don’t call it ‘playing’ for nothing.” It was my rehearsal with Zoe for In the City that lifted my spirit this week. So, touche.

Two ‘tools’ to keep an artist going…inspiration and control.

Having a prayerful attitude in the midst of chaos.

Today’s inspiration starts with a photo I shot in London’s Piccadilly a few days ago and comes from my friend Robert Gillies who dropped a brief blog in between Berklee assignments (which, I remember well from my summer spent there, are overwhelming). I quote because this was such a good thing to wake up to:

Honestly though I’m rather homesick and feeling the pressures of taking my career into my own hands. Whilst all those pressures are self-imposed it keeps me wondering if I’m doing the right thing; self-doubt is a constant companion, but the enthusiasm of my family, friends and fans, coupled with a prayerful attitude, keep me going. I may try to stretch myself too far at times, but I am determined to reach my goal.

Thank you, Robert! There is something about knowing that you’re not alone. It’s heartening.

Today will be a day spent on readings and essays about ‘controlling’. Controlling is the last of the four aspects of business management. The first three are planning, organizing, and leading. As I read these articles and consider the ways in which I intend to measure my company’s (or my own) performance, it strikes me that I’ve been doing it all along, but informally, and uninformed.

What does control do? It “provides an organization with ways to adapt to environmental change, to limit the accumulation of error, to cope with organizational complexity and to minimize costs”, according to Davidson and Griffin (2003). These are the functions of control.

Types of control include the control of physical resources, human resources and information resources as well as financial control. The control of financial resources is the most important area because finances affect all other areas. Yet, the expenditure of money doesn’t necessarily indicate that we’re backtracking, failing, or going in the wrong direction. Sometimes a financial investment cannot be measured in monetary terms.

Thus, there are steps to take. Establish standards of performance. Measure your own company’s or personal performance. Compare performance and standards. Evaluate performance and take action. Simple. Clear. Easy.

Right.

Without diving into the academics too deeply, I suspect what I’ll ruminate on today is the fact that I have not established specific standards of performance. It brings to mind the number of times people have asked me what my definition of success is. I normally respond by listing off the names of a few artists I love and admire: Sarah McLachlan, Jann Arden, Ani Difranco, Loreena McKennitt, Ember Swift. There are so many others. In different ways, they all epitomize ’success’, but I was grounded at Midem when Steve Greenberg suggested (or perhaps it was the manager of Chuck D…I can’t remember) that the sale of 5,000 copies of an independent release would be considered a success. That’s helpful. I was aiming for double that, ultimately.

One can either establish one’s own standards or benchmarks to achieve, or one can measure and then compare progress with that of another artist or independent label, though the rub is to take into consideration whether or not you’re at the same place in your development, whether you’re at the same point in the cycle. Sometimes, theory is tremendously helpful.

I realized a month ago that I needed help and that was a turning point. I started to ask for it. Closer examination of how things are going, hence…control, should unearth some new realizations and directions, strategies, and tactics. It all starts with the mission, of course, which I have long ago established for me and my little label. And it is action that plows the field. So, off I go like a good little student. To my studies. To my books. La la la la laaaaaaaaaa. And tomorrow I have a meeting with my marketing assistant, Roxanna.

Lorelei Loveridge
Orderly Bazaar Records & Publishing
www.loreleiloveridge.com
www.myspace.com/loreleiloveridge

Pre-album launch in the UK.

 

Lorelei Loveridge @ Exodus Fest 08, Manchester, UK.

 

 

Right. So after a year living in Manchester, UK, in a lofty apartment behind Deansgate Station in the heart of the city, just down the street from ‘dirty old town’ Salford which rejects the moniker and is quickly upscaling to prove it ain’t so dirty (the BBC is moving in), I feel as though I understand something about England and English people – or shall I say people of the Northwest and, more accurately, the people of the Greater Manchester area, which consists of ten boroughs including Manchester proper. I understand this market. Or do I? Hard to say. I’m about to find out. 

In the past year, I have: 

 

• Befriended a Nigerian singer named Michael (whose last name is impossible to remember). 

• With Michael, found my way to two open stages: The Blue Cat in Stockport and The Trof in Fallowfield.

• Played a full set of music in my early days here in lieu of what was supposed to be an opening act performance, thanks to a band that cancelled on its very own album launch night, the dumb shits. It was an intimate performance to a warm and lovely audience. 

• Met four guys after the show who came in from their studio recording sessions in a ‘million pound studio’ in Manchester and exclaimed, “We don’t do e-mail! We’re rock stars!” That pretty much foreshadowed the majority of attitudes I’ve encountered at acoustic stages in Manchester since.

• Bumped into two UK songwriters, Robert Gillies from Scotland and Rosie Smith from South England, at The Trof. The two of them taught me something about their Baha’i faith, introduced me to their circle of friends, and are the people I am most grateful to have met in those earliest days of overcoming culture shock after moving from the Middle East. 

• Played a variety of open mic nights and folk clubs. My favorites thus far are the Chorlton Folk Club in Chorlton, The Trof in Fallowfield, and Fuel in Withington…all for different reasons.

• Met Zoe Mulford, another trans-Atlantic songwriter who hails from the U.S. and now lives in Manchester. I learned some of the ropes from her re. the folk club and UK festival circuit and got my hands on the last available copy of Direct Roots 2, the no-longer-published directory of folk-related music organizations for all of the UK. Together we’ve ventured a little farther from home, played a few folk clubs, hauled our asses south in the rain one night to a teeny weeny folk fest that Zoe had lined up, and vowed to start playing for pay after that. You hit your limits at some point.

• With Zoe, started an organization called WomenFolk. It’s a performing songwriter’s community for women. We’re getting up to ‘no good’, soon!

• Played a few key festivals including most recently Exodus Fest 08 (at Manchester’s esteemed Urbis exhibition centre/gallery/museum) and the Manchester 2008 Caribbean festival, Carnival, in Alexander Park on a massive stage. Great live press shots have come from these. This is about the time I started video-taping my work. It helps to have good friends do these things.

• Gigged one night at Fuel recently and, thanks to an impromptu performance by some Saudi friends visiting for a week, found my new ’sound’, and that will be unveiled soon enough. What’s surprising is how long it took to figure this out. Sometimes the obvious isn’t so obvious.

• I was recently filmed by a London expat filmmaker for a documentary on the Middle East, and the footage is all going into post-production now.

 

What I haven’t mentioned is the push by my Indian management team for the album artwork to be finished, and so I finished that up and the 24-page, full-color booklet reigns supreme. It was intended to. It’s what you call: value-added. If you want to rip music, fine. But if you, like me, love the whole of what an artist does, then you (or the fan) will buy the CD, look at the photos shot by my very own camera, and study the liner notes for an understanding of what has brought me to this place and point in my life today. At least I hope so. 

Today: 

 

• I supply teach part-time as a drama teacher to pay the bills. 

• I’m preparing for a pre-album-launch set at Manchester’s premier music conference called “In the City”. Their slogan is interesting: “It’s all about the music, stupid.”

• I have a small street team. Keeping it together is my utmost priority. I value these people: Roxanna and Annastacia. Zoe, of course, would have to be included. She’s my finest ally and we’ve met on Friday mornings to discuss tactics for months; since school’s started, that’ll have to change to Mondays or Wednesdays.

• The album is currently being pressed by the fine manufacturer, Exemplar. Emma over there keeps me highly entertained with her “posh British accent” and the service lives up to the name of the company. I could care less about price comparing when it comes to working with people like this. Quality means everything to me.

• The seven-generation Indian company Bajaj, with its entertainment/arts/media/sports wing BEAMS, is in the process of launching my music in India, the Middle East, and Africa along with that of highly acclaimed Kitaro, a Japanese instrumentalist whose new age music I’ve long known about. I tell my friends, “If you’ve ever had a massage, chances are you’ve listened to Kitaro in the studio.” Along with that of Kitaro and a handful of other chosen artists, my own page is up and the company has its own strategy for delivering my music to Asian and African audiences. Go, BEAMS! 

• I have agreed in principle to work with a highly reputable and respected manager and management team in Canada for my 2009 Canadian tour representing Juno-nominated and Juno-award winning acts. A Juno is the Canadian equivalent of the American Grammy award.

• Orderly Bazaar Records & Publishing is an international label. 

• We are recruiting more members of the Orderly Bazaar Street Team. Any interested parties should get in touch via the homepage email, if interested in helping with MySpace or a myriad of other creative tasks that require a computer and passion!

That is what is going on prior to the launch of Bakhoor. Stay tuned for more news on a much more regular basis.

Lorelei Loveridge
Orderly Bazaar Records & Publishing
www.loreleiloveridge.com
www.myspace.com/loreleiloveridge

Post Midem…Compose a Life

 

Compose this: a life. A life in full recognition that you’ve only got so many hours in a day (it isn’t twenty-four), so many hands (two, if you’re lucky), so many brains (one, if you don’t count collective consciousness), and so much energy.

Post-Midem follow-up, I am discovering, is a job. The first week back, you crash and burn, and this explains why one of my newfound friends, a British songwriter, holed up at her parents’ place to go through the Midem contact materials and confesses to being “so behind on my email it’s ridiculous” while future co-creator Daniel, a producer from Argentina, took his family to Brazil for holidays after his time in Cannes before setting himself on fire. The work after Midem is all-consuming, and this is fast becoming a hyphenated article. What’s that all about?

Perhaps it reflects the hyphenated lives we lead. I tried to write a ‘normal’ bio for JFDI, not wanting to categorize myself as uncategorizable, and it became much easier to string a list of nouns punctuated with ‘jill-of-all-trades’ to sum up what I do, which is considerable. Graeme Murray, a UK painter of angels, left a message on my MySpace page telling me something that fixed me with a smile all the day after. “Categorizing music is folly. Musica Laetitiae Comes Medicina Dolorum (music is the companion of joy and a medicine for suffering).” Hyphenated categorization seems easier when describing a life.

My days are filled with teaching high school students in trouble. I devote lunch-hours and afternoon free periods to turning the pages of research articles. At night, I write essays on the cultural policies of Australia, the UK and US, and Canada. Never mind trying to cram in late work for my sustainable tourism course, which I’ve, most gratefully, received an open extension for. I need it and hate myself for it already. I edit university papers for university students of foreign lands rarely now, as there is no time for this.

I’ve contacted my CD manufacturer here to ask about bar codes and digital codes for the CD, and she’s doing that for me. MBop has emailed and so has Planetary Group to invite me to look at their online digital package for music promotions. One would better service the UK, while the other does the US market. Baby steps, I am reminded. Except that I need to be running in leaps and bounds.

The Indian firm that I am signing a management deal with is waiting for my bio, album summary and passport copy, and this is big—very big. I found out today from a Pakistani-Kenyan immigrant that the for-now-unnamed company’s reach extends to South Africa and East Africa, as well as the Middle East and South Asia. Numbers like 8000 CD’s were being bandied about in one of our meetings and I couldn’t register that in my brain, but am starting to wonder just how long the arms of this prestigious company are. I phoned my friend and E. Indian guru-ji Usha Gupta today to give her the heads up. I’ve been pestering her to record an album for years, and with me for the past two. We spoke about a project this past summer, and so tomorrow we’ll bandy about ideas and start that process of researching.

Something needs to go. My roommate tells me the degree: put it on hold. Except the next two courses after this one are arts law and finance for arts organizations (which grossly seems like a repeat of the hellish arts accounting course I suffered this past summer; or maybe it’s the next level up; whatever…it involves grant application writing, something I’ve done and probably need to do again).

Composing a life, for me, means feeling the vibrations and listening to the half and quarter tones. It means gliding up and down a fretted neck with fingers greased by the sweat of travel. It means toting around a diary and writing poems and jagged thoughts in it from time to time, so I went to the Orderly Bazaar (www.orderlybazaar.com) and put down a silly, wiggly little poem even though I’m now thinking that I need to prioritize here.I get reminders from time to time that I should be penning my book, still, and I know I should be. So all of this primes the pump, and I teeter dangerously back and forth between ‘arteest’ and pragmatist. Something in me wants to cut loose and go the way of Leonard Cohen in his early days: write poetry on a Mediterranean island. Compose an album of chants. Cross-fuse the prayers of different cultures for this friggin’ torn-up world we live in. Darfur, still ignored. Aung San Sui Kyi, still imprisoned. Palestinians, still living in apartheid-like conditions. Women, still marginalized and beaten and burned and—mercy, mercy me—killed for the ‘honor’ of some family that doesn’t know any better.

Composing a life is putting the notes and pieces together and framing them in such a way that they make sense. A friend has asked for two years now for my pictures from Saudi Arabia and has offered to pay me for some of my collection. I have long intended to get going on this project. Another friend, Robert Gillies of Scotland, is working on a YouTube video review of Bakhoor. I have no idea when he might finish; he’s off to college in the U.S. right away. But he’s a lovely fellow and he promised me he’s still keen to do this. Wow. I call that a ‘harmony’.

Composing a life means living it the way you most desire to live it. I guess I’m doing that, daily, most of the time. Yet a tired body and mind indicates…it’s time to tighten the strings and get in tune.

PS. Let me mention also that I’m starting a B&W photo serial project here. All part of the JFDI ethic. Stay near. This I find fun.