Right after Al Gore invented the internet, he wrote the song “Asking Myself.”

About the Song
So the opening sentence of this post isn’t completely accurate, but I would say that he did have a bit of influence on the song. In the Summer of 2006 Al Gore made big waves in the popular conscience of America with the release of the movie “An Inconvenient Truth.” It seems like everyone was talking about things like global climate change and human over-consumption.

Fast forward 6 months and we were messing around with this slinky little R&B riff that I had come up with and started trying to write a love song around the music. I remember Russ coming up with the line, “I keep asking myself, have we gone too far,” referring to the way that our heart can pull us into unhealthy places in relationships. That’s about as far as we got on the song before we got stuck.

A few weeks later Russ and I were having a discussion related to the topic of over consumption in America and what our responsibility as people of faith should be. That conversation led me to rethink the direction of the song we were trying to write, because in a way the same emotions that get us stuck in unhealthy relationships with people can also get us stuck in unhealthy relationships with the stuff we consume (e.g. food, clothing, houses, toys, etc). You see, I’ve never met anyone who started into a love-type relationship with another person thinking, “I really hope this ends badly and I get my heart broken.” Similarly, I don’t think that any of us make our purchasing decisions by first thinking through the full implications that our mass-consumer mentality has on the world when it comes to issues of environmentalism and social justice. However, the truth of the matter is that our consumption does have many negative effects on the world around us that we need to consider.

It was that line of thinking that led me to rewrite the verses of the song to include lyrics like:

Stop the music I need your attention before the skies turn gray,
I don’t think it was ever our intention for things to end up this way.
We just took till we had our fill, and never thought we’d have to pay the bill
So get your head straight before it’s too late

It’s hard to look in the mirror and ask ourselves tough questions like these, but I think it’s important for us to stop and reflect occasionally so that we don’t end up several years down the road wishing that we’d been more content with the things that we had.

If you need a quick burst of inspiration go check out a few quotes.

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvtssL8WlJA]

About a year ago we set up a Basecamp account and started with a single project: “winning a grammy” (go big or go home right?). One of our first goals as a band has been to release a new album with our current lineup of musicians that is more true to our live sound. With Basecamp we were able to set up a list of milestones and to-do lists that we would need to accomplish in order to complete that goal.

At this point, we’re almost finished with recording the album and we’re been using Basecamp as a central place to discuss things like an album title and song order. Basecamp has provided the means for all of us to have a joint conversation even though we’re living in different locations and keeping very different schedules. I’ll get more into some of the ways we’ve adapted the tools of Basecamp to work for us in the next post.

I think one of the hardest decisions when making an album is what songs make it on and which songs get left off. We’ve done our best to write the best songs that we could come up with in preparation for this album (some even within the last week) and now comes the crunch time when we have to choose. Whatever choices get made next week we are really thrilled with the way this project is coming together.

We’ve got some cool things planned for this blog for next week, so be sure to check back every day to see what kind of progress we’re making.

- Joe

Bob Lefsetz recently wrote this article about the need for record labels to cut costs if they’re going to be competitive (or even stay in business). Here are some highlights of that article:

Major labels provided the capital for production. And controlled distribution. For this, they extracted a pretty penny. Which they made back because they controlled exposure too, and only what they signed sold.

But now anybody can make a record and sell it on the Internet. The key isn’t finding out how to put the genie back in the bottle, how to make the major labels dominant today, but to figure out what your niche is and how to compete!

Used to be that the only way to make serious money as a musician was to be on a major label, and if you were one of the stars of the label you sold units by the tonnage. Today more and more people are finding out about new acts online or through word of mouth rather than the traditional radio/tv methods. This creates more opportunity for a band to survive without the help of a major label.

Your revenues come from recorded music sales, live gigs, merch and any sponsorships/endorsements/advertising you choose to do. LOOK AT IT THIS WAY! You have YOUR OWN 360 deal. Recorded music revenue is just part of the pie. And chances are recorded music is not driving touring sales, but vice versa.

Today we get 100% of the money that we make when we play a show, sell a CD, t-shirt, etc. The struggle is to get more exposure so the amount of people supporting our band increases. Think of it like a small business owner; if you can develop a customer base that supports your business/service you can be self employed and make a decent living.

If we were to sign a record deal it would be like that same small business owner accepting money from an investor. Sure we’d have more resources available to market our product, but now someone else is getting a big cut of any money that the band brings in. At the end of the day it’s only worth it if the added resources puts more money in your pocket long term.

Great music can still be made. And good stuff is sold by word of mouth. Which has the advantage of being instant and vast on the Internet. You can’t control the public the way you used to be able to, you can’t manipulate the consumer. Quality is the start, a relationship is second and managing this connection is third. Most of this requires sweat equity more than cash. Start perspiring.

We’re not anti-record deal, but it would have to be a deal that is profitable for us. Otherwise, we may as well keep working hard on our own to make a living doing what we love.

• My mom texting me after Kanye’s speech to let me know not to be a prick after she dies
• My 20 month old daughter running from her room to stand by the TV and sing ‘Umbrella’ with Rihanna
• The Beatles tribute. The exploding car was ‘killer’ (as Stephen would say)
• Vince Gill’s comment to Kanye after being given an award by a Beatle (even if it was Ringo)
• The Amy Winehouse performance
• Oh…and of course…this:

[youtube:http://youtube.com/watch?v=-9oGlZ0yZA4]

[sidenote: I really want to get the chance to perform with a huge orchestra and background singers like this at some point. That looks like way too much fun.]

- Joe

• Bring a lot to the table. Most record labels don’t have the time or money to invest in creating an act out of raw talent. If you want to get a deal you’ll have to have the music, the look, and a pre-established record of success that can translate to a larger audience.
• Have good info on your website. Many people (including industry types) will check your website for music, video, etc. to get a good read on what you’re about. If they can’t find that info on your site then they won’t find it.
• Do it yourself. Acts that don’t take control of their own careers aren’t going to get help from industry folks. Show that you can be successful without people’s help and they’ll be more likely to want to partner with you. Take control of your own marketing, promotion, sales, booking, etc.
• Be successful as an independent musician. The best way to be noticed is if you’re growing a large fan base on your own. Attention attracts more attention.
• Have a unique point of view. You know what your point of view is, your songs should reinforce that point of view, and you should know how to get your music to people who respond to your point of view.
• Be personable. If people don’t like working with you, they won’t work with you. Being a nice person can go a long way in convincing someone that they want to work with you.

Listen to the entire podcast now.

- Joe