Hi There,
Being a Composer of Library and Production music, you would think that I have everything to hand legally and finger on the pulse of all that’s Music. Err no! Not working close to the Capital, all music composition commissions are largely on the Internet or through it. Production Music Libraries or Library Music portals have gone the way of licensing their music at a meaningless price for the composer-a matter of pence per track-which means that ‘a living’ can no longer be made from music composition, unless you are fortunate enough to have the time and persistence that needs super-human endurance-and as someone has said ‘near genius’. I remember one composer for Film & TV who was famous commenting that there are many of composers around like him and just as good or better, but they were not in the right place at the right time unfortunately!
I have a family to run and the job of being a composer in today’s market demands more time than a family tolerate-end of story-apart from making a living through it.
License terms from libraries such as Q-music, itunes, CSS Music and the like all run business models that favour themselves rather than the composer. Slightly different are companies like mediamusicnow.co.uk whose pricing structure is fairer than most where they charge more than the others per track from £4.95 to £24.95 believing they choose professional services and quality music with fair pricing structures. They also interestingly unlike most give 1000 licenses at the base price for the track, then increment up to several million copies covering most needs-and the composer still gets 50% of the incremental charge-that’s what I call fair! Good tracks deserve appropriate reward.
I believe the Royalty Free companies need to show respect to their composer base more than they do, and show this in fair remuneration! Just because there are a large number of composers, doesn’t mean they should reduce the reward for work done. The pricing structure that exists with Royalty Free Libraries relies on the thought that at least something is being sold and we should be thankful for that!-and we composers have to live with that disastrous philosophy whilst they line their pockets making a good living! As composers we are at the mercy of a pyramidal business model-us at the bottom-that’s the only way it can work.
I believe the only fair way is for enforcement of the Music Licensing system, which balances the requirements of both sides fairly-but we don’t live in a fair world. Generally the pursuit of wealth at the cost of what is ‘fair’ in life is always the way of man. Man will always design systems for wealth at the expense of the man with the weaker hand-competition always has a loser. There are other ways that business’s can be run and models that don’t work on the winner/loser systems. To be brave enough to adopt them, would take something else! The capitalist model seems to be the only ‘functioning’ one here in the West. There are other working models that work elsewhere in the world that I know of, but they demand a different philosophies which are difficult to swallow by the majority.
Therefor we carry on in the same old vein, until perhaps a miracle happens and someone has the guts to make something work that is sensible and fair for all. Until that day, perhaps this little ‘insight’ might stir you?
Hi There,
Re-evaluating 18m 38s Electronic work. Question: does artistic artistic license need to be preserved against what is the musical norm or must we experiment at the expense of being accepted musically or financial success? I go for the second as that leads to progress in art forms. There is something to be said for both camps though.
As a practising musician, I think there is something to be said for the restraints of learning form and structure which give a form which can be understood by the masses. If there is no form or structure which a human being can ‘put a coat onto’, there will be no understanding of the art work or anything which can be understood. It would be like sending out a radio message in prehistoric times where there was no radio set with which to decode the message. Similarly, music or art would be nothing if it was not there, even if someone said it was! This argument does impinge a little on the modern thinking where I recently saw an example. I do not decry the artist or his thinking in this example. In MIMA (Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art) where 70 white canvasses had a very very faint almost translucent wash of ‘colour’ such that it barely could be said to be a painting. No form, no structure-but the canvass. The work had a discussion about a field of daises which put into the mind that it was meant to be that, however there was nothing to suggest it except imagination! Was this art? Is the mere projection of words into the mind ‘the work of art’ or can art be said to images projetced into the mind through whatever means are? See (www.thisistomorrow.info/viewArticle.aspx?artId=358&Title=Felix%20Gonzales-Torres%20and%20William%20McKeown:%20A%20certain%20distance,%20endless%20light)
This was also previously done with music in the classic attempt by the composer John Cage (1912–1992) in his infamous piece 4′ 33″ where not a note was played! Discussions still ‘rage’ about that.
The fact that there is a physical suggestion whether the paint or audible notes or sounds is important in my thinking. An external input must be made that has form or structure of some kind otherwise there is nothing happening in front of you apart from your imagination! Is imagination art?-categorically no-otherwise we would all be called artists. Art must involve construction on the part of the artist to ‘direct’ the onlooker or hearer in some method to change perception. Art must encompass change in perception or direction otherwise nothing happens in the mind. I would argue the ‘Field of Daises’ canvasses in MIMA relies only on what is already in the mind of the observer, and is therefore not art in reality. John Cages piece 4′ 33″ only has audience noise and outside noise which are already perceived and been allocated to their respective memories in the brain with appropriate association-i.e. an eggcup is used for eating eggs-the ‘field of daises’ is only a field of daises till it is painted in purple for example, changing perception. In that way true art must alter the mind image whether visual or aural.
I move….
Is music more powerful than Art? Is there anything that music can achieve that Art cannot?
The link between Music and Art is Man. Man creates both and there is no true meaningful Art or Music without Man, although a singing bird or a mountain range inspires us to use the terms of Art and Music interchangeably. Perhaps there is truth in the Christian view that God created it all for our pleasure and enjoyment, and in that sense there would be a mind behind it all.
Take the case where a Man/Woman is in love. They have certain feelings that surface which accompanying their experience of unity. However, their feelings may change during a period of disagreement and they find themselves in a different place emotionally that day. One of them may choose to listen to the radio which plays a piece of music which brings a sense of forgiveness into the situation. Reconciliation follows directly as a result of the Music. You hear of this type of encounter all too often.
In 1830 HYPERLINK “http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Auber” \o “Daniel Auber” Daniel Auber - HYPERLINK “http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Muette_de_Portici” \o “La Muette de Portici” La Muette de Portici (opera — sparked the HYPERLINK “http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belgian_Revolution” \o “Belgian Revolution” Belgian Revolution) as an example of the power of music on a gathering of people. Was it the message or the combination of music and message? Music here moved a nation into revolution.
Similarly in Art there are examples where the influence has moved nations as in the violent riots of the depiction of the prophet Muhammad (2005-2006).
What is going on in these examples? The influence of both is monumental and can affect the direction of civilizations! The Arts have been a touchstone as in the depiction of Muhammad in the opera La Muette de Portici where the opera is loosely based on the historical uprising of HYPERLINK “http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masaniello” \o “Masaniello” Masaniello against Spanish rule in HYPERLINK “http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naples” \o “Naples” Naples in 1647.
Clearly the Arts act as a centerpiece or focus, engaging both the critical faculties of the mind and the creative/emotional responses of the brain. The two together seem to unite in an explosive mix that is able to have far reaching effects.
Recently scientific evidence has emerged where cows that are played classical music produce more milk and also students played classical music have higher marks during exams. It has also been found that some music lowers the blood pressure, some affects the frequency and amplitude of the brain waves measured by EEG, and some lowers breathing rate and affect the electrical resistance of the skin!
Combine some of these effects with an Opera that has political connotations or Art that informs the sub-conscious or haves some Psychosocial effect, and there can enormous implications or results in the environment or the history of Man.
This is a short excursion into a whole area which partly science is trying to unify with experience and that can be measured to some degree, but there are areas that science will not address as real that I believe that are just as real and measureable, being the whole areas of the supernatural and God in the unseen (other dimensions) realms.
Whatever you brood on will hatch!-A nugget heard the other day-from my daughter! Hey why not listen to my music www.itunes.com/paulstokes
Hear Zeon
Cheers
- Dream away…..
Album ‘Imagination’ release (May-June)
Official Site: www.emeraldcitypro.co.uk or Blog: www.emeraldcitypro.co.uk Social Networking: www.facebook.com/paulstokes www.twitter.com/paul_stokes www.myspace.com/paulstokes
Imagination was conceived by Paul Stokes as a Studio album (Glenmoor Studio’s) containing undercurrents of classical though remaining strongly Electronic and New Age. This is a release from his back catalogue where it is going to be more widely available for download. It is being released by BelieveDigital on many download platforms. Being well received by the public previously on a smaller scale, more people will be able to enjoy the album on major download platforms. In small trials, Imagination has had critical acclaim by the public when played on Internet and Capital Radio etc.
Paul Stokes (Stokes-Herbst) ) track record includes being in bands and writing music for the Media and solo albums. His music can now be found in many countries around the world on film, shorts, advertising etc. Crossrythmns says “here can be found a pile of influences coming together to make something new”. Imagination is Electronica but is Sc-Fi influenced, with crossing of musical boundaries, creating pleasant but creatively inspiring themes. It will pull you out and in!
You are invited to explore perhaps deep parallel worlds or deep intertwining themes which will cause you chase dreams……in your head…… The album is available from most reputable digital download stores including itunes/Musiczeit/BelieveDigital and hundreds of others. Contact details:
Email Paul Stokes: paulstokesx@ntlworld.com
Hi,
Linconshire training Jets have been grounded today due to Ash Cloud deposits in their engines. They were RAF Typhoons. The base in Coningsby are checking all their aircraft after four were found to have ash deposits! I think we should have been more cautious about going to fly jets straight away-does finance or government/people pressure/company pressure take precedence over life? We don’t scientifically know the risks we are taking yet. The CAA have only 3-4 days worth of evidence, and that is not enough. This event proves the problem is more serious than at first thought, and we need more time!
Hi,
Life is a combination of up’s and down’s, and I wonder how we treat the things that would trip us up in life? Human beings as God’s Creation have a vast capacity to overcome. There are those who have overcome immense difficulties in life to become ‘warriors’. With everything ‘plain-sailing’ for we have lost the art of learning. It has been said that we only learn through our mistakes, which I believe is true. Churchhill commented on one of his Generals that he was like a ‘Iron Peg in Ice’-that is almost immovable. Life is to be overcome-not for it to overcome us!
This Volcano for me adds that ‘variation’ in life-that ’spontaneous thing’ that can beautiful or tiresome or death for some. Nonetheless, how we look at this can be negative or positive-you could look at the death side and claim all is not lost or the Life side (Which also my Christian beliefs hold true) and say there is always something of beauty and positivity to be found. I have lost friends, had immediate family members incur brain damage, have had tragedy personally, but I can always see the positive in life.
It depends on what we ‘look‘ at what we ‘see‘. When we are taught to ’see’ the best-suddenly it dawns on us that without difficulty their is no growth, no change, no modification of personally damaging behaviour etc.
Therefore to me, Volcano’s, hard things, penniless (I’ve been there) nature threatening and non-threatening or sheer beauty bring that spontaneity to life which brings that fun element or that depth of understanding which brings a richness and depth and joy. Music quite specifically expresses that for me in a neat way-it is without words and therefore cannot be tainted by words which carry so much evil at times. It can express goodness, Peace, joy, as well as great tragedies etc. I have written the Classical work ‘STORM’ as my first experiment into the expressing this ‘Torment’ side of Nature in weather.
Once again I hear the Ash Dust Cloud begin to bring that ‘British moan’ out in people-a lot of us have never had it so good!
Hi All,
For those who have Asthma the Volcanic Ash cloud, I cant give advice except what I would do in the circumstances. As I have it, I’m not going to worry too much, and make sure I have medication to hand. I think there is more than enough to worry about theses days, and anxiety can bring on asthma attacks.
Looking at the distance for the UK from the Volcano on the maps, it’s a few hundred miles and I think the cloud will have dispersed a lot in the wind I think. Obviously if the advice form medical sources is different, that is priority.
I suppose there is the faint possibility that some dust will end up in the lower atmosphere, but hey, we take in petrol and diesel fumes at a high concentration every day. Personally I think that is a greater risk.
I heard a report from a vulcanologist today that this volcano is small compared to Mt St Helens eruption, so we can be assured that things wont get too out of hand! If the earth puts ‘that one’ this way, we have to cope. Even though we asthma sufferers have extra difficulties in this unusual situation, listening to latest information, I don’t think it is going to be too bad.
Stay cool
Cheers
Hi
Interesting about the Ash cloud. Volcanic ash can kill bird’s-sad if this occurs!
I will write some music about this! In fact I wrote ‘Storm’ inspired by overhead Storm.
It’s an interesting source of inspiration for musicians. Composers will be fascinated by the opportunity.
Hear the EP storm on www.downloadplatform.com/paul_stokes/ or purchase on www.itunes.com/paulstokes
Cheers
Paul
