No, seriously.
Bruce Brodeen, president and CEO of Not Lame Records, has sent out an E-mail to those who regularly frequent his online shopfront…but it hits home so strongly that it needs to be made available to anyone who believes in sticking up for the merchant once in awhile.
An Message from Not Lame Recordings’ owner Bruce Brodeen:
Forgive the soapbox. It’s here and I’m stepping on it. Now may be a good time to walk away. Or draw nearer. You choose.
Not many people care about music it seems many days these last few years. Well, they do care, but it’s like air, I’m thinking. It’s there, we need it, want it but don’t think about it much. Music is *everywhere* is the ironic thing. On people’s home and work computers, whole collections in their pockets’ MP3 player, cell phones, TV shows, commercials, sporting events, everywhere. Yet, even when we all encounter a truly great release, an amazing new artist, a surprising come-back from an old favorite, the most ardent, passionate music fan takes it in with a everyday shrug of commonplace expectation. “Another great release by so-and-so, cool.” I’m guilty! It troubles me. We are given immensely powerful personal access to artists, labels and retailers and we could give a rip for the relatively new privilege. There’s lot of reasons for peoples’ indifference and apathy, many of which will roll off the top of your head before you finish this sentence. And many, if not most, of those are good ones, too.
Not Lame has been around for 12 years now working this power pop/melodic rock thing when no one would and laughed at the dream. Name another company before 1995 that is still around and as devoted to this genres’ artists and the music’s spirit? Without being overly self-touting, it just is not there. In a time when most music fans don’t seem to want to buy a lot of music, places like Not Lame are trying to stand tall, proud and stay focused on helping important indie(and some major label) artists who have little or no formal representation in the marketplace and inform, enlighten — and get the music heard. Somedays, we wonder ‘why’ because everyone is listening to more music than ever, but not a lot want attach value to it. A great sounding CD has the cultural and commercial weight of a Kids Meal at McDonalds. Just because something is, does not mean it is right and an accurate representation of the product or service.
In terms of the music happening on this site, I hope you will support the artists’ efforts and our own in some small way. It matters. Hugely. Artists such as the ones you see below deserve to not only be heard, but make a little something for their efforts. And you know, for the retail places like Not Lame that take the time to research, answer and send endless emails, phone calls galore, persevere thru indifference and incompetence of artists who poorly represent themselves and get cd’s into our hands to they can get into yours, and listen to lots of crappy music so you don’t have to, a place like Not Lame deserves something to keep it all going, as well. The occasional purchase of a CD and yr patronage? That would be nice. The message is this: indie music retail matters every bit as much as the artists who make the music. That statement is not a guilt trip, but a simple statement and one that should not be perceived as inflammatory. Yet, this will be considered as such by many as we now live in an fascinating, challenging age where barriers between artists and fans have been pushed aside(yeah!) and we all have an over-supply of too much free information to process and find it harder and harder to truly appreciate the gifts we are blessed to receive, music very much included(neh!). In the internet age, it’s easier than ever to take than give and it’s perfectly understandable (but it certainly brings up some civics lessons for future generations to wrestle with) as I have same struggles, as well.
It will be a matter of days, a week or two perhaps, that most of the releases here will be swallowed up, read, enjoyed by fans, appropriated by competitors, file-sharers and downloaders and, you know, that’s all fine and downright wonderful as the music, this great music, will reach so many people than it would have reached even 5, let alone 10 years ago. Indie artists and retailers now have a stronger fighting chance now, even though almost 2,000 of them have disappeared in the last few years in the United States. Did you notice?
But ponder please that while music may not hold a lot of value to some of you out there as it used to, the music that is truly special, the music that stands above the din of mediocrity is worth *something*. We don’t just carry anything on this site. We carry the best so you can ignore the rest, you know?! Not Lame doesn’t determine how much of this music is worth of your hard-earned cash. The labels do(most of them homegrown very small indies working out of basements, extra rooms and small office spaces). The artists themselves to (many of whom go into debt to purchase instruments, travel to gigs, buy production software, go into the studio to create the music). In terms of pricing, Not Lame goes from where those who make or release the music take us and does a straight-forward, necessary mark-up — and for an online retailer like Not Lame, it takes a lot of time, money, overhead and resources(salaries, rent, taxes, operational expenses, etc.) to find, procure, write, encode and present this music.
Everyone keeps telling me, every day, that “Do Downloads, Bruce. It’s THE ANSWER.”. Well, guess what? Ask any retailer doing it right now(come to think of it, don’t bother). It is extremely hard to make *any* money doing it(Even, Itunes does not make money) and for a three person company like Not Lame, well, there’s not a lot margin of error. The vision a download store is great, I’m down with it folks. The reality? Not as easy as it seems if everyone gets their cut. Nonetheless, downloads may well be *one part* of the answer to the malaise of music’s lack of value presently and, honestly, Not Lame is working on that and is even going to take the whole idea one step further than anyone selling indie music is attempting(details coming soon!). Not Lame is going to continue to fight, innovate, grow, evolve and move forward and I deeply, sincerely hope you find a way to support this important work of giving voice to music that deserves to be heard; a voice that compensates artists who create the music, the labels who believe in it and take a chance on putting it out when there’s little hope you’ll recoup your costs and the retailer to sells it. Without your support, well, it don’t float.
Apologies to self-proclaimed futurists who feel music should be and is now free, but there is a financial component to art. It just is fact and no self-serving utopian arguments will convince me otherwise. Musical art has a financial dimension, sorry. If you don’t think that’s true, take a hike and let me be the first to open the door for you on the way out and wish ya Godspeed. Download to your hearts content, it’s your new right in this time, place and space, bequeathed to you by wondrous new technologies in a giant pyrrhic step forward, but one fraught with staggering losses to all involved. Except yourself, of course. Curse Not Lame, my name. Whatever. I’ll take your body blow willingly and in full belief I stand on solid principle, even if it is against the tide of the times. Music matters — and everyone in the process of getting it created, recorded and even sold matter and deserve to make a little for their efforts and unique talents. I make no apologies for that.
It’s been a few years since I used this stage to talk about anything except what’s going on, musically, at Not Lame and for this purge, digression and possible offense, I apologize(but not to free-loaders, no way, Jose), but these issues are heavy on my heart and countless hundreds of you out there, I count as friends, not just customers, in my life(that goes ditto for Marlene and Ryan). And I hope for many hundreds more in the coming years…
Email me. Rip me a new one, say yr taking that hike and ‘See you later, Bruce!’. Or just to say hello and cheers, mate! Or tell me about your new favorite band. THAT I would prefer, frankly as I’m tired of my typing voice w/ this subject and have plenty of time for discussing great, great music and the search for that next new fave band. It’s what I live for and burns deep in my soul.
My email is: popmusic@notlame.com.
I thank you most deeply for being on this list and giving Not Lame a chance to supply and service your passion to enjoy music and its ability to brighten our worlds with pleasures sometimes(but not always) best articulated with music as a backdrop.
Godspeed The Music.
Peace On,
Bruce Brodeen
Not Lame Recordings
