Faith in the Music


It's a beautiful day today, and I'm getting ready for my morning meditation. I'm going to visualize myself making the record of my dreams, and I'm talking about soon - maybe even as soon as next year. If Live Summer Session sells well here on my website, I want to block out some time in a real recording studio, so I can record a real album with a set of songs I write well in advance - ones I work hard on ahead of time and take time to practice and craft, lol. Maybe I could even add a little instrumentation here and there... although voice and piano will always be at the forefront.

I really wish I had the equipment to record myself here at home. If I could record whenever I wanted, I'd have a new record out every six months, no kidding. That's how fast I write. But instead of being able to record my songs at will for the world, I have to save money and buy time in a recording studio. I literally pay by the hour to bring you my music... so you see, I've been slowed down tremendously by my limited resources.

I've learned a lot during the slow times, though, like (finally) how to make a good record! The first step is to elimite any desire to work with a record label. I don't like to use broad, sweeping generalizations, but for the most part, record labels make fake music - and they own your masters, your publishing, and the rights to your songs. They can do whatever they want to the music, because signing a record deal means they OWN it. They control the music, they control your career, they control YOU.

In other words, they own you. Most aspiring musicians don't fully grasp this, and Hollywood has glamorized its ilk to the point where would-be artists are too blinded by their hunger for fame that they'll do anything but read the fine print. For people who don't live in Los Angeles, the mere thought of being in Hollywood is shriek-worthy (American Idol, anybody?), but for those of us who have lived and worked here, we know not all that glitters is gold. It sounds like a bad toothpaste commercial, but four out of every five musicians I know who actually sign a record deal never see their music released.

Why? Because all a basic record deal promises is that it will use its "best efforts" to produce a record with such-and-such artist. There are no guarantees that such a record will be made, or that once made it will be released. It's an issue of "priorities," and if a record label knows that pooling all their fiscal resources behind Big Artist "A" will net them millions, they take the capital that would otherwise finance the unknowns and bet it all on the big horse. It's called a guaranteed payout - and artists don't get it, record labels do. So don't be fooled. For every Justin Timberlake and Christina Aguilera, there are 100 other not so lucky musicians, who had the record deal but never made it because either their project was axed, their product was shelved, or they didn't get any promotion so nobody knew and nobody cared.

And no matter which of the above scenarios an artist falls victim to, or how early on they're abandoned by their label, they still have to pay back every cent the record label spent on them from the inception of their project. That's right: the recording studio, the rehearsal space, the equipment, the engineers and producers, the nice dinners, the tour bus (if you get that far) are all the responsibility of the ARTIST, not the record label. Record deals are nothing more than LOANS, and if you're lucky enough to sell as many records as, say, Christina Aguilera, then you can pay off your loan out of the money you net from sales of your CDs, concert tickets, and merchandise. And even that is just a fraction of what the record company keeps for itself.

And guess what happens if you can't pay off that loan? You can't ever make music again. Not under a different name. Not in your garage. Not on MySpace. Not until you pay off every last cent you owe them... even if you did everything they asked and they still axed or shelved or otherwise dumped your project. You know how many talented musicians give up music for life because they chased their dream further than 99.9% of people do, and this is what happened to them? Not so glamorous, is it?

Of course there's always a chance that you could be the next big thing. It happens. You give up total control and let them give you songs to sing and who knows what could happen. But is it really worth it when you can lose so much, when you're almost guaranteed to lose? And if you do win, what are you even winning? How can it be winning if its at the cost of artistic integrity?

Most people don't understand what this means. They think, if only had a record deal, I'd be on MTV and everybody would love me. But a lot of MTV fans aren't even connecting to the music; they're just jumping on the band wagon because that's what cool. A real connection to the music can drop a person flat on their face and send tears spouting out of their eyes. It can change someone's feelings, someone's heart, someone life.

Of course there are exceptions, and we know who they are, but the fact is that most artists on MTV don't even write the songs they sing. A lot of them don't even play on their own records; that's what studio musicians are for. Studio musicians are the seasoned, pro, veteran players that record labels hire to play the music their "artists" lip-synch to in the music videos. Check out the liner of any mainstream CD and see for yourself.

And the term "co-writing" is used so loosely in mainstream pop music, it's become a joke among those in the know. Hiring a hit songwriter to pull a line out of your diary and write a song around it doesn't constitute co-writing. It's a sham. It's a big facade to sell not only millions of CDs but millions in merchandise to kids with expendable incomes who really don't know any better.

So how do I know this? I used to be one of those kids. But then I came to Hollywood and worked my way into the industry only to discover that it was all smoke and mirrors.

The truth about the music industry today is that its focus isn't on music at all - it's on price points and profit margins. It's become a machine that reaches beyond record labels and MTV all the way down to music attorneys, agents, and concert venues.

My entire reason for remaining independent is that it allows me to do what I do creatively without having my spirit crushed by the industry death grip of restricting true art to some assembly line cookie cutter formula. Being an independent artist means I write my own songs, I make my own decisions, and I can make it all about the music because that's how I believe it should be.

It means I'll never be restricted - creatively or otherwise - by some corporate entity, and I'll never have to worry that some higher up will taint my album or shelf it or scrap it half way through while still leaving me contractually prohibited from release any music on my own for the rest of my life until I pay back every cent they spent on the very same half finished record they're never going to release. And believe me, these things happen.

I could have had a record deal already - two actually - but I wasn't willing to sing their lame songs or let them take my piano away so I could dance and show my body. Yeah. Talk about missing the point. But what can you expect? These same people went and gave my sloppy seconds slot to Ashlee Simpson, so you know what kind of musical integrity I was dealing with there.

And turning away a deal wasn't an easy thing. Especially when you've been dreaming about one your whole young life. But I knew if I was good enough, I would make it on my own. It just takes time, experience, dedication, and a whole lot of internet savvy!

And for those aspiring musicians reading this, no matter how long it takes, it's important to never stop learning. Music has so much to teach us; we just have to be students for life, and open our hearts to what the music wants to say. I've learned of its sanctity. Of its holiness. I've learned that music is a very powerful force, not to be trivialized or watered down or maufactured into soul-less, mindless drivel. Selling out to the corporate butcher would secure me a nice little place in hell, I knew. So I determined early on to make it on my own. But like a lot of musicians, I was limited in what I could do for a long while. At first it seemed like making a record had to be a bank-breaking process, with album recording costs ranging upwards of $100,000, to pay dozens of people for doing their one little thing, which ends up fragmenting the whole vibe and sterilizing the soul of the music.

But you don't have to make a bull**** Hollywood record to be taken seriously. You don't have to go to fancy studios and hire famous producers whose job is to use auto-tune, pitch correction, and ProTools to make crappy performers sound like talented artists. I learned that soul is something you can capture, but it must be done carefully, and the best chance you have of doing it is by closing the project off to outsiders -- no matter how many stars they've "made" -- and do it all yourself.

The trick is capturing your essence, and it isn't easy. Like many musicians, I didn't know how to record myself, so I had to outsource an engineer. I also outsourced players, and I made a mistake there, too. To make a truly wonderful album, all the musicians have to become one organism, a singular musical force. That takes time and immense chemistry. The whole point I was missing for quite a while is that I needed to capture myself -- nothing else, or I would dilute the music. It's best to keep it simple in the beginning, at least it's best for me. And that's why I believe so strongly in the integrity of live acoustic recordings - like Live Summer Session, which has turned out to be a huge hit, thanks to the thousands of fans who discovered it on the internet.

For those of you who don't know, Live Summer Session is a home recorded album of 18 original songs that I recorded LIVE in a single take. If you ordered the album and haven't received it yet, just hang tight. The album is so popular, it has already sold out! For me, that's amazingly good news, but for you, it means there's going to be just a little bit of a wait. I am currently manufacturing a second edition disc, and I will ship out your orders as soon as possible. Thank you for your patience.

And just for the record, I have been writing a lot of music recently. I mean, wow, am I writing a lot of music! It's like God has been whispering in my ear for days on end, and the inspiration doesn't slip away. It's more than a glimmer, more than a glimpse. It's like a constant uninterrupted connection. As soon as I write it down, another song will start to play. Then I write that one down... then another song will play. You see? It's really like I'm taking a backseat here. God, or something, is doing all the writing. I mean, maybe it's my higher self, but either way, it seems like I'm merely translating it so other people can hear it too. It's like taking dictation. Literally.

The three new songs I wrote in the last 48 houts are all inspired by God. They're pure instrumentals and totally beautiful. I can say that humbly since God told me what to write. Ha ha ha. I really am starting to sound like a nut! But honestly, guys, I didn't really write them myself. Did I? It's funny now when I think back to all those times I thought I was actually inspired. Ha! I had only glimpsed it. Just a glipse, a glimmer! Real inspiration is a force on tap. It's a satellite super computer and I'm finally plugged in.

I'm not really sure how people are going to react to this entry. Some people might be a little put off by the whole dissing MTV thing, especially since I've been on it. But I've learned a lot over the last year or so, and I don't want to be a part of the FAKENESS that is popular music. I want to stand up for what I believe in, and that is creativity, passion, and real musicianship. No matter what the naysayers may think, I bet that all the real musicians out there are going to collectively shout, "Amen!" Isn't it time for artistry to be recognized? I think we all need to hope for that.

I've learned that you have to have faith in the music. That's the ticket. That's the whole point! Sure it helps to have a good look, but that's not everything. I let my looks take a back seat to the music. I focused entirely on the songs, nothing else, and that's when God finally gave me the desires of my heart: a 24/7 connection to the river of dreams. Music pours forth from heaven into my ears, it bubbles up from the well of my soul, it comforts my heart. But the real ocean, from wence cometh my inspiration, is not in me. It's not in my heart or in my soul... it just is. It's out there. We can all tap in. I've just finally learned how.

Thank you, God, for giving me this gift. Please help me to do with it as you will.

Your humble servant of sonata,

~:o) Christine



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