A Blogging Blind Date
It was a blogging blind date of sorts. Brian and I hopped in the car and drove about thirty minutes yesterday morning to meet up with Bush for lunch. Neither one of us had met Bush before but the three if us have been reading each others blogs for a while.
It’s a weird thing when you meet someone for the first time that has read your blog. There is a lot of “Yeah, I read that.” and “Oh yeah, I forgot about that”. It’s really easy to hop into conversation and feel comfortable because you feel like you know so much about the person already. We knew his wife’s name. He knew ours. We knew his goals. He knew ours. The formalities are long gone and you can actually spend that time hanging out.
Traveling around as much I as I have this year I have had the chance to meet a bunch of people who tell me, “I read your blog”, and it’s an instant conversation about something. At first it was weird, but the more it happens the more I realize, yet again, how connected you can truly be to the world around you.
Have you ever met anyone strictly from your blog?
But It’s Still Not Happening (Part 3)
“But I have a Myspace blog. Does that count?”
Sure, if you don’t mind your “friends” having to wade through a bunch of explicit content and adds to get to your blog. Sure, you can use the Myspace blog as long as you realize that there are actually people out there that refuse to use Myspace, and in order to see your blog they have to log in and have an account, in which they will undoubtedly receive numerous emails about how “hot eighteen year olds named Trisha want to chat with them”.
I don’t have a Myspace account. I don’t have a Facebook account. And I’ve never had either. But I do understand the value they had to budding musicians and even seasoned vets in an easily update-able web page. Pictures, tour dates, and yes even a blog of sorts. The issue here, to me, is the inability to control everything on your own page. With a “normal” blog there is nothing on the page that you personally don’t put there. No flashing adds, no women begging you to pay attention to them, and no annoying emails later. In fact, to think of it, I don’t think I have ever received an email from WordPress, that I didn’t ask for.
I could go on and on about how myspace is on it’s way out and now there are a thousand other things out there doing the same thing. The funny thing is that they are all spreading artists too thin. How is someone supposed to keep up with a Myspace blog, a Facebook journal then a “journal” the label set up for them on their site, and still be able to do interviews, radio spots, and oh yeah, write songs to keep their career going? It can’t happen.
Here’s a thought. Have one place where all that happens, not connected to anything but your own artist site. Sort of like the “journal” that labels have incorporated into your site, but in a way that it doesn’t take a programmer to update. And yes they are out there. If I were to want to incorporate this WordPress site into any other site, it would take about ten minutes to get that set up. Everything connected to you as an artist is right there. In one place. For everyone to see. Even the “anti-Myspacers”. It’s taking all the good things about Myspace and Facebook and whatever else and collecting it all, putting you in control and going directly to the people that are looking for you. Sure you can have Myspace, Facebook, and even a Youtube channel, but if people want to read something directly from you, they go to your own artist site.
I don’t think this idea is revolutionary, but again, it’s still not happening. I think there are too many strands that an artist can take and too many pages that they can leave un-updated and out of date. It’s better to do one page really well, than have fifteen crappy sites, with out of date information, and too many adds. Nothing says, “I’m not personable” like a site that hasn’t been updated in three months (or longer) and shows no signs of the artist coming back.
“Underwear Two”
“Daddy, is that Shrek One or Shrek Two?”
“That’s Shrek Three. We already have that at home. Do you wanna watch that instead of renting a movie?”
“Daddy, there’s Spiderman Three! Or is that two?”"Yep you’re right. That’s Spiderman Three. But that’s too scary for you to watch. You wouldn’t like it. Let’s find something that you would like.”
“Daddy, is that movie called Underwear Two, or Three?”
Most likely that will be the last time I bring my two year old, or my five year old into Blockbuster Video. I had noticed it before, but it never jumped out at me quite like it did that day. There are some unbelievably risqué covers two feet from the ground within that store. This particular one showed an early twenties girl in her underwear and several guys gawking at her. Just what I want my two year old to grow up seeing and asking me about.
As I walked around more, not only did I realize the amount of female flesh I was now uncomfortably noticing, but I also realized all the demons, dragons, monsters and blood littering the covers of crappy movies no one should even entertain the thought paying actual money for. I realized that these little eyes I was leading around were actually observing this garbage, and not only that, but he thinks it’s real. He thinks Veggie Tales is real. Why wouldn’t he think the bloody woman with no shirt on and a noose around her neck isn’t real?
I’m not sure Blockbuster thinks through the placement of their video boxes other than alphabetical, but you’d think the logic of putting the horror section right next to the children’s section would dawn on someone. You’d think, but I guess not.
But It’s Still Not Happening (Part 2)
A friend emailed me this:Fans are demanding more and more, but they’re unwilling to pay for the actual product. How is a musician supposed to make a living if this continues? People don’t have any problem with stealing music, then they lament the current mediocrity of the music industry. Mediocrity that’s due to the fact that record companies are afraid to take chances on unproven stuff because the odds are they will lose big. I know there needs to be a new business model, but I feel like people will just find new ways to crack it and continue stealing.
Thoughts?
Well? What do we think about that? I have some answers, but I also want to see my family today. Go for it.
They Made It (And So Did I)
We are five again. Kristin and Blue made it home safely last night. No problems, no delays, and in true Southwest fashion, even a little early. (Even though I think they do that on purpose) I’m glad to have everyone here and safe. Today we don’t have many plans except to maybe put up Christmas lights outside. Have a great Thursday. I’m sure something will pop into my head later to talk about.
One More Week To Make My Friends Rocks Stars
December 15th is coming up. December 15th is the day that The Myriad will be in New York playing live at the MTV studios along with two other bands and the winner of the MTV Dew Circuit Breakout Band is announced. This thing is 90% based on voting and the other 10% is MTV deciding what they think they can sell to the masses.
Since the final three bands were announced The Myriad has been on top thanks to the voting of a bunch of people, but there’s still a week left. If you haven’t voted yet, or haven’t even checked out these guys music, now is the time. For those of you that have voted a few times, and forgotten… guess what?
One Hundred a day is the limit. I wouldn’t ask you to do it, if I wasn’t willing, so let’s get on it.
Also make sure to watch on the fifteenth. Sounds like a good reason to have an MTV watching party to me.
But It’s Still Not Happening
We have all said it a million times. We all know that blogging helps musicians spread news about what they are up to. News that people want to read, people want to know, and people want to keep checking back for. Record labels are trying to figure out how to get their artists to blog. Managers are begging their artists to blog. Even their road managers, at times, are harassing them to blog. But it’s still not happening. I wonder why not.
So far today five hundred and ninety nine people have come here. Five hundred and ninety nine people. To read what? About my beef with DVD previews? Not necessarily. But they came, and they engaged. Well, some of them did. Others just stopped in and read it and left because it was something they didn’t care about. And it’s not because they saw me on some stage or heard one of my songs on the radio. Now imagine if they had.
Several artist have told me that they don’t know what to blog about. Neither does anyone else. I never know. I just wait to see what the day has for me. I never blog ahead. I always blog whatever pops into my head when I am at the computer. Either that or something pops in there and I remember it until I get a chance to sit down and get it out. I think artists are afraid to do that. I think several artists are afraid to sound unprofessional or like they are regular people. But if people wanted to hear you say something “professional” they would buy a CD or read some interview that you did. They don’t want adds that the label is going to sell them, they want to know who you are. So there goes that excuse.
Another excuse is that they don’t have time. I have been on enough tours to know that’s not true. When an artist is on tour there are literally hours spent doing “nothing”. And by “nothing” I mean, playing video games, watching movies, shopping, reading, sleeping… the list goes on. There is no reason any musician can’t take twenty minutes out of their four hour work day and blog about the city they are in, the checkout guy at the deli they had lunch at, the way they are missing their kids, or how the show went the night before. Twenty minutes and people are captivated. Twenty minutes and people will come back for more the next day.
Why do you want them to come back everyday? Well, why do you want them to buy tickets to your shows? Because you have something they want. You have something to say that they want to hear. And they have told you that. You are putting yourself on small pieces of plastic and spending thousands of dollars in a studio to record your words for others to hear and sings and read, but you won’t take twenty minutes a day to give them more of what people want. This is your job. And that’s what it is. A job.
Not to mention the people that haven’t heard of you. The concept is the same as being on a radio station morning show, being on some late night talk show to play a song, or doing interviews for magazines. Except this is from the comfort of your own home or tour bus or hotel, and the reach is world wide and instant.”But there’s no profit in blogging.” Okay. Show of hands. How many people went to Jon Foreman’s site the other day when I blogged it? Get those hands up. And how many people bought the CD? And that was just from some guy saying, “Hey, check this out”. Now imagine if Jon Foreman was blogging everyday about what he was working on and involved thousands of people in that process. Then what? Sounds like profit to me. Again, sounds a little like a job, huh?
Now there are some artists out there that are doing it well. I know John Mayer has a pretty cool blog. Shaun, obviously has used his blog for quite some time in a great way. Mark with Third Day keeps theirs up pretty regularly. The Jars guys do okay, though it’s been a month and a half since we have heard from them there. Some guys that really get it are the Spur58 guys. I know of two of the members that I link to on this blog and though we have never met we talk pretty regularly. They update regularly and talk about things other than when the single is being released. To me there is really no excuse why an artist blog can’t be updated at least every other day. Especially when there is more than one guy in a band. Seriously. Five guys, there’s five days a week right there. For you solo guys? Sure take every other day, but you know you could more.
So there’s my rant. Sorry it’s so long. I didn’t mean for it to be, but for some reason it annoys me that artists aren’t taking advantage of this wacky new thing called the internet to promote themselves but are still trying to figure out a way to deal with slipping record sales because of the internet. Well here’s a solution. Give people something they can’t burn onto a disk. A window into who the person they are singing along with in their car is. That way they tell their friends and then buy your stuff. It’s that simple.What artists are out there that you wish were either blogging more, or blogging at all?
Twenty-Five Years
Twenty-Five years is a long time. It’s a long time to have a home loan. It’s a long time to have a car. It’s a long time to have a job. It’s also a long time to be married.
Today is my parents Twenty-Fifth anniversary. Silver I guess, isn’t it? That’s a long time to spend with anything and a pretty amazing accomplishment. The longer I am married the more I am excited to get into those numbers. To think about how much you really know someone after twenty-five years. I haven’t even known myself that long, really, but it excites me to think about getting there myself. I can’t wait to know my wife that well. Where over half of my life will be spent with her. Where I can’t remember not being with her. That’s something worth looking forward to.
So anyway today is their day. Happy Anniversary parents.
DVD Previews And My Shower
I have a beef with whoever puts four hundred previews at the beginning of kids DVD’s. Here’s the thing. I know that the reason previews are on DVD’s is to entice me to rent or watch other movies in the future. That’s their form of advertising and it works. I have seen previews and actually said, out loud or otherwise, to myself, “I’d like to see that”. However I don’t think they have any place on kids DVD’s and here’s why.
Let’s say I am home with my two young kids and would like to take a shower in the morning. I think to myself, what better way to distract the kids for around fifteen minutes than to pop in Finding Nemo or something similar? Well here’s the issue with that. What could take literally two minutes to find the DVD, turn it on, and push play quickly turns to a half an hour of skipping previews, reading warnings, and thinking in the back of my head that the running water is slowly getting colder. What could be a simple morning ritual turns into something that lasts until lunch time.
Here’s my solution. Don’t put them on there. That way my kids can be entertained for a few minutes and I don’t get hypothermia from a cold shower. See how that works?
Day Five (Starting Him Off Young)
So far this time that my wife has been gone has gone well. We have ventured to stores, playgrounds, and even made it to church on time on Sunday. The boys are still waking up at about six, which is really still the most offensive thing to me. It still takes me a good hour or so to realize what they are doing.
Yesterday I was trying to clean up a little, knowing that Kristin was going to be home Wednesday and being the responsible father that I am, I didn’t want to save all of the cleaning until the last minute. I was vacuuming the living room and noticed that wherever the baby was, I couldn’t hear him. I knew he was in the kitchen, but he was being far too quiet to be doing anything good. I asked Aiden what he was doing in there and he told him that “Cooper’s eating something yucky”. I went in to see what he was eating and found him sitting at the base of the kitchen trash can.
I know. I know. All the moms gasp. Cooper had stood up and reached into the can and pulled out one of those aluminum yogurt lids with day old yogurt stuck to it. On top of that mixed in with the day old yogurt happened to be yesterday’s coffee grounds…. and he was chewing on it. His entire face was covered with old yogurt and coffee grounds as he looked up and smiled and said “Dada”.
He seemed to have a little more energy for the next few hours but by nap time was ready to crash. I told him it would put hair on his chest, so hopefully there is a surprise by the time mom gets home.
