rants | Jay Mathes

Wow. Same junk, new name: Taxi. Sonicbids. Reverb Nation. G2.fm. Music Clout. Companies preying on gullible artists, asking them to pay for exposure or concerts or song placement or whatever. Will Music Clout succeed? My guess is yes. Why? Because most artists are looking for a pipe dream: the easy way to musical success. Don’t get me wrong: I’m tempted by the same things.

This Music Clout-sort of a business model works on numbers: get enough artists to sign up (IE: “buy in”) and, for every submission from every artist, the company makes bank. The only cost to the company is the up-front cost in convincing songwriters and bands of the illusion that *their* organization can *truly* “make” a band – make them lots of money – with one of their “opportunities”.

Songwriters and bands, listen up:

NEVER PAY SOMEBODY UP FRONT FOR A CHANCE TO GET HEARD BY A PARTICULAR PERSON, AGENCY, VENUE, OR LABEL.

It’s been said that anything worth having takes work to get. It’s true. 99.99% of the time, these companies will steal your money and leave you in the same place you started: nowhere. You can’t build a music career simply by submitting innumerable entries to virtual businesses. You need to be *there*, in person, pounding the *pavement*. Physical. Work. Sweat.

Wow. Venting. Seriously.

I don’t do this – ever, but I thought it would be good for you all to hear, if you haven’t already read it in my latest newsletter… This is a cut and paste from the email I sent out to my music mailing list just a couple days ago, on August 26, 2011 (by the way, if you’re not already on it, please sign up for my mailing list at http://box5496.temp.domains/~jaymathe, filling out the mailing list form on the right side of the page, towards the top):

WHERE I’VE BEEN, WHERE I’M GOING

In just a few, short weeks, I will be the father of two, beautiful children. Having kids makes you think, and, paradoxically, gives you less time. Maybe what really happens is you just think better with what little time you have to think.

I’ve put in a lot of time – and money – into my music over the years. (I just realized that this past February marked the 10-year anniversary of the release of my album, Leave it All Behind.) Don’t worry. This isn’t a break-up letter.

I’m not losing steam – just trying to evaluate things. What I can say is that I’m even more inspired today by life than I ever have been. I can’t help but write and perform. And I’m also even more excited by what I call a genuine musical experience. What I long to see in other recording artists – and what I long to show to you – is a picture of who the artist really is – not some projected image – some amalgamation of marketing tactics and strategies.

In an effort to better show you who I am, I’m going to continue doing what I do: writing music that comes from my heart, my experiences, and reflects who I am and how I feel. I might blog less. I might tweet more. I might be on Facebook less. I will write more music. I will post that music online. I will beg and ask for your support of that music.

Music keeps me going. If I lost my hearing, I’d self-combust.

Thanks for your support, and come on out on 9/4 if you can!

-Jay

Jay Mathes

Performing Songwriter

Category Archives: rants

Music Clout. Seriously?