Why? I see less old players whining about how the great good old days are over and a terrifying new age is over us. There are many people with decades of experience, but those I’m meeting this year seem to have a fire in them, a urge to find new ways to adapt, new ideas to make their business work, new markets, and so on.

Finally.

If there was one good news for the music business coming out of Midem 2012 is the disappearance of these whining dinosaurs. I don’t know if they stayed home, or if they finally realised that if they cannot understand how to use social media to promote a band, then perhaps it’s best to find someone who can do that for them.

It’s the way forward. Not only is good to delegate the work to people that actually know what they’re doing, but it’s great to have new people on board, people that are enthusiastic and fresh and that can bring new interesting ideas to the mix.

Of course there is a place for street wisdom and knowledge earned the hard way, even in this rapidly changing market. What there’s no place for is people that feel entitled, regardless of their position. I wrote a post criticizing managers and bookers that want the artists to jump in a circle of fire to prove their worth, but the same goes for musicians, too: you can’t feel entitled to a paycheck because you can play your instrument.

Let’s get together and let us all do our parts, offering our best qualities and setting aside needless quarrelling with competitors, fans, this or that industry player. It’s time to work together to make the music business the exciting business Ethel Merman used to sing about.

During the interview, Alicia says:

“If you bust ass, you make money. I’m not just gonna hand it to you for the sake of handing it to you. This is business. They [the bands] gotta… you gotta get back to me. If you want us to survive, as a venue, you gotta help us prosper.”

Ever since the last year, I’ve heard and read similar comments, almost every time I approached some professional manager, agent, or publisher. One of the managers I spoke with during Midem 2011 famously told me: “Come back when you’ve managed to make at least 5000 euros per month. Then we’ll talk.”

Since today, I had the obviously misguided notion that the business of music was about connecting different professionals, with different skills, in a way in which everyone profits.

“I can play guitar, but I can’t really sell myself. That guy can put together a tour, but can’t play a kazoo if he tried. That other guy knows all about music law. Let’s get all together and make a LOT of money!”

Perhaps I was naive. After all, for every club booker I am in contact with, I know 10 musicians that would kill to have a concert.¹ Fair enough: there’s simply not enough money for these professionals/ venues to prosper unless a given act can “prove” that they’re already somewhat successful.

But if business is business, then we have to talk money and strategy and benefits.

The scenario

Let’s say I manage to earn those 5000 euros, consistently, every month. I do that with my trio. We are completely independent. We paid out of our pocket to have our picture made by a professional photographer, we paid for our album and poster art, we paid for marketing coaching, and we “bust ass” every day to get them concerts and CD sales coming.

At the end of each month, we’re making slightly more than 1600 euros each. That’s not a bad monthly salary in most places in Europe, even if you have a “proper”, 9 to 5, cubicle, “this office is killing my soul” job.

The manager

Why exactly should I come and talk with a manager at this point? Why parting with a percentage of that money, when we’re doing so well already without the need of adding another person to the chemistry? After all, we’ve got 1600 in the pocket every month. And that’s without synching deals, without teaching, without any part time day job that we could have.

But the local/ regional/ national scene is so passé! We want to work less and concentrate on the music! And we also want to grow. Perhaps not “I have my private jet” grow, but, you know… end up on Mojo’s cover wouldn’t be that bad! Come on, why not shooting a bit higher?

Ok, time to go back to that manager I spoke with at last year’s Midem, right?

No.

Why him? Because he has 30 years of experience? So what? This is a business, right? The trio is the business, for crying out loud!

How much money is currently making for the artists he’s managing? Ten thousand per month? A hundred thousand? Because you can be in business for 30 years and be Danny Rose. Are you ready to show me your bank account, or any proof that you can make 100.000 euros for my band every month? Heck, why 100.000? Why not 500.000? I’m a business, and 500 grand looks better than 100.

The blood of some of my readers might already be boiling. The hell with me! With that attitude, I’ll never work with anyone in this business!

Well, dear manager/ publisher/ booking agent, wait! The picture is not complete yet.

The kid

The band is making 5000 every month. We decide to call a kid just graduated from college and say: “Kid, we’re gonna try something. Here’s 200 euros per month for the next six months. We’re gonna pay you 50% of all the net income you produce for us on top of what we’re making. Here’s a laptop with skype. Here’s an email address for you. Now go and do your best.”

Do you think the kid, with zero years of experience in the music business, but with loads of enthusiasm and, hopefully, enough know-how and enough friends and connections, will not give us 100%?

His salary depends on how much business he gets us. If he makes it, he will be the cool guy that got out with a marketing degree and started working in the sweet, cool, “there no business like” show business!!! And he is not starting from zero: he’s managing a business that is producing, right now, a 5000 euro net profit per month in a field in which you’re lucky if you make half of that, including the expenses.

Yeah, sure, the kid is going to make mistakes. Gotta be patient, he’s got to learn. But the trio is only risking 200 euros per month on him. That’s less than 100 each.

He will probably be internet native. He knows the difference between a facebook page and a profile. He probably hangs out with someone who can create a website that would make the Beatles’ look “just fine”. He has friends and connections in the target market that would make any promoter/ manager wet: 18-25.

His people are going to grow with the band. His people are gonna check us out, and rave about us, because their bro is managing us and they can’t believe it! In our after-gig party, we’ll be hanging with young people that are obsessed by music and ready to support their friend, not with some 50 year olds that we met at a convention once, who allegedly know everything about a business that is losing ground, economically, every day.²

In addition, this kid is working for us. Not the other way around.

If I go to an established manager, I have to prove myself. I have to “bust ass”. If I don’t make it bigger, I’m a failure: the manager’s been there for 30 years, he must know his stuff… so it’s me, my trio, my music. Me.

On the other hand, If I hire a kid to do the job… aaah, it’s a different game. I can be at home, chilling, rehearsing new material, or thinking of our next big project. He has to “bust ass”. If he doesn’t, I’ll still be making 5000 with my band. If he doesn’t, he will feel like a failure, not me.³

The moral of the story

The moral of the story is that you get treated exactly like you treat the people that approach you.

The sad story of the decadence of record label should teach everyone a lesson. If we are all friends, if we all work together, if we genuinely care about each other, then the music business will rejuvenate and we’ll all prosper.

If we start playing the “I’m a business” game and think that each of us is so unique and special, then we lose. And you’re gonna lose before me, because I can teach guitar. I am going down much slower than you, because I don’t need a professional music structure to teach. People will still want to play regardless of how the labels are doing, or how the synching market is holding up, or what’s the new standard for distributing royalties to musical creators.

You could say that there are hundreds of musician for each other professional figure. True. But what makes you think that someone is gonna come crawling to you when there’s so many young people unemployed out there? Your years of experience? Well, I have 16 myself and I think playing this game is childish, fruitless and stupid.

The good news for all you musicians reading this is that there are great people out there. Not every professional will treat you like a source of easy money.

There are people that really do listen to what you say and that really do think twice before saying: “No, sorry, I can’t do anything for you.” The funny thing is that, even if they do turn you away, you will remember these people, and keep the contact, because you appreciate the time and consideration they gave you. Who knows, one day they will be the ones knocking at your door, and their niceness will pay.

Post scriptum

To her credit, if Alicia Rose’s venue really promotes the events as much as she says, and if the average email she gets is from musicians so full of themselves to think that their last CD will change the history of music, she does raise a number of fair points. In my experience, sadly, she is the uncommon exception.

1. The ratio of manager/ musicians is I know too low to consider. That of publishers/ musicians is close to zero.
2. Sorry, that’s what the news have said in the last 10 years. If you have “decades of experience”, what you are really saying is that you could be an integral part of that failure.
3. I’ve made this example about marketing and managing, but this could easily be any other aspect of the music business from publishing to producing an album.

Return of the Ulysses is out today and I have decided to celebrate the event with a special offer on all of my albums.

If you buy any of my albums in mp3 from CdBaby, you will pay just 5 dollars. Regular CDs for 6!

Isn’t that a steal?

I’ve decided to go through with the offer because I want to celebrate Christmas with my fans old and new. It’s been an “interesting” year: the economy is still down the pipe, the European Union is perhaps changing its face for good, and the vibe one gets from newspapers and media is still, frankly, negative.

Lowering the prices is my attempt to offer my work and my life to people, for just the price of a coffee at Starbucks.

But that’s not all.

If you are willing to write a review for any of my album, to go on iTunes, or on your blog, or somewhere on the internet, I will give you the album for free. It has to be a proper review (at least 300 words about the actual music), but that’s the only proviso.

Drop me a line if you are willing to share your thoughts.

Here it is.

Artwork by Phil Gwynne from an idea of Simon Mas.

Instead of trying to sell you the album (the music samples should speak better than any sale pitch!), I have decided to let Phil speak about the cover and his involvement. This is a partial payback for his work: hopefully, you will be intrigued enough to go and take a look at his website… and who knows, hire him when you will need an artist/ graphic designer!

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Q. How did you get involved in the project?

PHIL GWYNNE: I was asked by Peter Morris to design the cover of his upcoming album. I got in touch with Simon, and I was asked to keep certain features for the cover artwork such as the 3 sticks with the shadows, which had become associated with the project – along with the red border as a continuation of the previous rock album he had released.

Q. How did you make the cover happen?

PHIL: I first listened to Return of the Ulysses album extensively, getting a feel for the music to help influence the art. After a couple of days I had a design in mind. I started working on a blue watercolour background – again to help with the continuation of the previous album – which would make up the landscape. Later I added the border, the title, and added some finishing touches.

Q. How much does the final result reflect what people can expect to listen to in the album?

PHIL: I think the cover gives just a glimmer of what I feel the music does for anyone who listens to it – and that’s escapism: getting lost in the music. I can listen from start to finish and forget what I was doing in between. It’s hard not to get carried away with the music – but it’s so good when it happens.

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Well, that’s all for today. Remember that you can still request your first pressing limited edition of the album, costing only 10 euros (plus shipping), writing to:

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Q: How did you meet each other? Why did you decide to take part in the project?

PETER MORRIS: Simon and me both studied in the University of Newcastle Upon Tyne and hit it off right away. Our personalities are very similar in the sense that we take our work very seriously and strive to do our very best.

SIMON MAS: That’s part of it, for sure. On the other hand, what kept us together is a similar sense of humour. Nothing’s sacred, and we joke all the time about all kinds of stuff, including our own work. I think it helps keeping things in perspective.

Anyway, some of the songs I wanted to record were written for our original uni band, and I thought it would have been nice to have Peter on board. We managed to kept in touch, and so the proposal was one email away, really.

MATTHEW ROBERTS: When I was studying music at 6^th form college studying music, one of my music teachers put me in contact with somebody who was running a Grease production at a local school and they needed a saxophone player. This is where I met Peter: he was playing the bass guitar for the same production.

A few years down the line when I was playing in an Oliver production and they needed a bass player and I recommended Peter. On the last show he asked me if I would like to record an album of originals and of course I said yes, I would be silly if I said no. A few weeks down the line I met Simon at Peter’s house when we started the rehearsals.

PETER: I was impressed by Matthew’s broad taste in music. I believed such an asset was essential in forming a unit that could effectively merge the diverging styles of progressive rock, funk and new-wave that Simon was proposing.

SIMON: Yeah, Matthew turned out to be an excellent choice: a solid drummer that actually studies the pieces before coming to rehearsals. His personality fit very well, too.

Q: You all have qualifications in music; how did utilise your expertise in the making of this album?

MATTHEW: My Foundation Degree in Popular Music taught me so much on how to work in the music industry as a performer, whether it’s in the studio, live event, etc. I gained valuable knowledge and experience about working in the studio through the course that now I don’t feel the pressure most other musicians feel when they’re in the studio. It’s a very different environment than a stage, and it takes a bit to get used to it.

SIMON: In my case, apart from the obvious arranging/ composing skills, I’d say that the acquired skill I have treasured most is immediately spotting problematic behaviours in a band. Diva moments, complete laziness, self-destructive behaviour, obsession to “advance music” by repeating some experiment that has been done to death 40 years ago… I learnt I just don’t belong together with people flaunting such attitudes.

PETER: Listening analytically and identifying compositional characteristics in all instrumental parts must be the key skill as far as I am concerned. For instance, rather than work with a view to create technically demanding parts, I tried to create parts that locked with the drums and create interesting counterpoint with the vocal melody.

Q. How did the concept of the album come about? What were your musical references? In what ways all this was reflected in the writing, arranging and playing of the music?

SIMON: The initial concept of the album was creating an electric counterpart to ‘Family Issues’: minimal music by a trio. I wanted it to be an early new wave record, like U2’s ‘Boy’ or The Cure’s ‘Seventeen Seconds’.

During the writing of the songs all kinds of different ideas came creeping in: early Prince, Genesis in their progressive phase, Lucio Battisti, Wes Montgomery, King Crimson, CCCP… the concept evolved into a psychedelic opus full of layers and quirky songs (I like Syd Barrett’s a lot).

Finally, by the time the band got together and started rehearsing, I had come full circle and returned to the initial idea, especially since we didn’t have enough time to experiment with crazy sounds in the studio. I guess I just wanted to tell the stories of the characters that had kept me company for months (or, in case of older songs, years) and see how we could deliver them as a band.

I’d lie if I said that the album wasn’t made thinking about the audience. I am too much of a pop head not to think about that. The good news is that when I think about an audience, I am really thinking about me. So, in the end, I had to scrap a number of ideas just to fit my own musical sensibility, even if these ideas could have worked in their own merit.

PETER: For me, the album was about Simon and I working together again with the goal of writing good music that people would want to listen to again and again.

I think we have managed to create a unique fusion of the progressive, funk and post-punk that we all enjoy so much. We have forged a style that is almost like Zappa meets Roxy Music! Originality is a concern in the music world because everything is in danger of sounding anonymous. Most music these days sounds like a direct copy of a trend that came twenty years before and I think we, either consciously or subconsciously, wanted to create something that stood out through fusing styles that would not be considered as compatible.

MATTHEW: It’s hard to say where I drew my inspiration from for the various playing styles of the album because this album is very unique in its own way. It’s not your typical predictive music that you hear today in the charts. It’s original and unique and I’m glad to have taken part in it.

SIMON: I actually think it’s impossible to sound like someone else, unless you go out on a mission to make a pastiche… and even then, I wonder how much chance you have to succeed. Originality is like authenticity, in the music world. Both are very important to pay lip attention to, but few people really care or even try to say something objectively new.

I think what we did was original in the sense that everyone poured their heart out in the sessions. When you have this attitude, and the band really gets involved in the process of creating and arranging the songs, not only your personality shines through the music, but you have a better chance to achieved this mystical “originality” that everyone is raving about. It’s up to the listener to say how much we have succeeded, but I am personally ecstatic about the results.

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And that’s it for part one of this launch interview. Part two and three will be available soon on Matthew‘s and Peter‘s website. Do not forget to drop me a line for any interview request with the band: whether or not you write for a professional publication, we take media attention very seriously.

Also, if you are a fan and you have a question that is not covered here (or in the following parts of the interviews), please feel free to write a comment to this post or to write me an email. I always try to reply as fast as I can.

Finally, remember that you can order a limited edition first pressing of the album for only 10 euros by writing at the following address before the 15th of December:

Left click on the link below to listen to the samples of the songs in your browser, or right-click and “save as…” to download them on your computer and listen to them off line. Two of the songs (Home and Life in Buildings) are available as full download, so that you can get a full look at part of the album. Tend to me is also a complete song, presented here in its single edit.

Home [full song]

Return to night life [sample]

Tend to me [full song, single edit]

Pills [sample]

One short commercial [sample]

Life in buildings [full song]

Stimulation [sample]

No clouds on the horizon [sample]

I went to see the gypsy [sample]

His face all red [sample]

Soon [sample]

This is it for the music, for the moment.

Remember that you can order a limited first edition run (limited to 100 numbered copies) by writing to:

Each copy costs only 10 euros.

Return of the Ulysses features the following songs:

Home (which being an instrumental doesn’t have lyrics)

Return to night life

Tend to me

Pills

One short commercial

Life in buildings

Stimulation

No clouds on the horizion

I went to see the gypsy

His face all red

Soon

I am particularly proud of the lyrics of the album… but I am dying to know what you think! Give them a read and drop me a line.

Also, remember that the limited numbered edition of 100 copies can be ordered only from this website. For further information, please write to:

Stimulation
you can say it’s too late today
just to mask your own decay.

I’m your servant, I’m your worker
empty and still dreaming…

Stimulation
silent eyes light up again
new desires infuse our brain.

Stimulation
wheeling and dealing again
cutting up against the grain.

No one owns me, no one sells me
stimulation pulls me…

©2011 Simon Mas. All rights reserved.

The gods are here
they just look swell
they’re never old
they don’t even sweat
I’m not as cool,
I was born old:
what can I do to be like them?

I try to smoke
to lose some weight
buy some new clothes to look like them
I try to think
to find some way:
my mind just aches,
my mind is dead.

Not hip enough
I just feel shame
it doesn’t work: the pain’s still here.
I cannot live and feel this way
I cannot live!
Oh, what a waste!

Hey, doctor, listen here
I don’t seem to be able to face my own life
Come on now, I need some pills
to help me keep my breath and stop my sighs.
They are looking at me
from magazine covers and TV screens…
doc, I really need some pills
to overcome confusion and be free!

Now I feel new
I smile again
feeling complete at day break
I have my pills
I couldn’t care less
I have my pills
my pills are sex!

I am a god!
I am the best!
Now I feel goo, don’t feel regret…
Here I stand tall,
here I attest:
my pills are life
my pills are great!

©2011 Simon Mas. All rights reserved.

It seems your unconfessed desires
conspire to poison your icy blood up
now you still lack a formal identity
and have no commercial sex appeal!

Just before your new ambitions
could engulf you in pain and lies
so many answers will be heard
no need to conjure your brains up
so close to heaven
so close to eternal life
just another short commercial
before giving up.

©2011 Simon Mas. All rights reserved.