Backspace Records

This is Absolutely Insanely Ridiculous

2011-04-13T19:31:00.000-07:00

Think SNL...

Really? It takes me eight months to post something on this blog?

Really? Is there anything interesting for me to post on this blog? I mean, really.

Really? Does anyone care about the status of the music business? I am not sure anyone does. Not that I care if they care.

Really? Is the only interesting person writing about the biz Bob Lefsetz?

Really? Can indies truly make it these days? The Rebecca's Black's out there have the right idea.

Really? Would anyone give a sh*t that we make all "this" happen under circumstances that I am just not ready to put out there on the web?

Really?

The Baby Grands II New Album November 16, 2010

2010-08-18T13:48:00.000-07:00

Music Success in Nine Weeks (blog title stolen from the book title)

2010-08-13T10:01:00.000-07:00

Note: for the two or three of you that read my sporadic blogs, I am participating in an online program with other industry people to work on building our businesses via online tools and I will be posting weekly about my experience with it. Here we go...

Ever see the Saturday Night Live skit with Amy Poehler where she says, "REALLY?!?!" in a sarcastic yet "you have to laugh" tone? Looking back on my/our career in the music business, I say that a lot. For example, we will be on a road trip and hear a very famous band playing on the radio and my husband will say, "Oh, we did a tour with them," and I just say to myself, "Really??!!?" in that same voice. His touring days were "pre-internet/myspace" and the success level of Ben's (the husband) band was astounding for the time. But, now five years out and now also on the other side of the table, hindsight is at least 20/20, if not better (er...can it be better?). Reflecting and processing is essential in all we do, yet at the same time it can be down right frustrating.

Where I am going with this without getting into our long back story (I guess that will come out via The Nine Weeks, or via what I am now calling The Catharsis) is that Week One of the book jolted me. Goal setting... sure, I set goals and even write them down as instructed in the book. What I do not do very often, however, is reward my success. I am always outwardly grateful for what we have, who we are, etc. but I don't do what the book describes. What a GIANT point I needed to examine. To do that, however, I needed to look back at what we have been through.

Being the spouse of someone in the thick of the music scene, I had no control over the management, lawyers, other band members, etc. I simply had to watch it crumble. It broke my heart. I am not saying I could have done the slightest thing about it, but when I couldn't even try (the reasons could play out nicely in a Behind the Music episode), it killed me. Now, that we are in total control of the business (well, aside from our wonderful business partner passing away), I am not sure if I have more sympathy for those leading the pack during his career, or I am more angry.

This probably seems like such a tangent from "Goal Setting," per se, but the title of the chapter is "Week 1: Getting Mentally Prepared," and if I am going to learn how to take a new approach about how I run my business to "make it happen" I need to sort out some unresolved feelings. This retrospection has been long needed, and the jolt has been appreciated. Academically, I looked at our ride as an amazing tool to learn from, but I don't think I really examined how the emotions of it all played into my goal setting and management style.

I love that the assignment calls for us to get out our art supplies! My son and I have been coloring some beautiful pictures together. If he only knew how much of an impact mine were having on me. Onward and upward! Here is a look before I added my hand written goals (I don't have enough guts to post pics from that point). :)

To Blog or Not to Blog?

2010-08-04T13:00:00.000-07:00

So these guys (watch the 1.65 minutes above) have great points about blogging. They make perfect sense! Thus, I need to do more of it. I always put blogging on the back burner because, well, we have an album to release, and preschooler to raise, and the list goes on.... but "the humility" and "the metacognition that comes from writing it" is HUGE and put this blogging into a whole new light.

So I may not be so good at it, but I think I will attempt to talk about anything and everything -- music or not. Let's see if I can stick to it!

Alfonzo Lopez - Dark Surprise

2010-05-22T15:12:00.000-07:00

Really, I hope this guy makes it big. More soon.

Sellaband

2010-05-08T15:18:00.000-07:00

So there is this super cool site called Sellaband to help indie artists raise funds to get their music created to the people. Tons of people have had huge success with it and it is doing GREAt thing for this volatile industry. I have been contemplating it and contemplating it; I just HATE to ask for ANYTHING! I don't care what the from of hep it is, I hate to ask for it. At play group, if I borrow a diaper for my son, you will find a replacement in your diaper bag one day. Really.

Well, it is time. We are going to have to ask for help to keep this recording business thing alive. We have some amazing projects in the works (I mean amazing) but just cannot do it alone. So, I begrudgingly went to sign up for a Sellaband account to begin the torturous "help us" begging process, and I learned that Sellaband takes ten percent of monies raised (and rightfully so) plus adds a surcharge AND administration fee to donations - ouch. The idea, of course, then came -- I can do this myself for about four percent (paypal fees) and then feel good about donating at least six, if not the full ten, percent to the Georgia Transplant Fund! It isn't huge, but if we can make this music thing happen, it will be someday.

And we are off... you will be hearing from me soon. :/

Purge and Simplify

2010-01-13T07:18:00.000-08:00

Gosh I am slow at these posts... probably because I NEED to purge and simplify! Working on it as I type.

Somehow we were trying too hard to make something work that just wasn't meant to work. I have to remember that "smart guy" who told me that ignorance and arrogance is a dangerous combination.

We tried to teach someone about our idea of our music business that has no interest in learning. Our bad. Lesson learned. On to the next...

And boy do we have some SUPER FUN stuff we are working on. Woohoo!!! More soon.

Mom's in the Music Business

2009-10-16T10:57:00.000-07:00

Do mom's have a place in this business? Okay, does THIS mom have a place in the business? I am having issues separating the thoughts and feeling about that today. I KNOW I have a place doing this, but I FEEL like I just can't be all things to all people. Or, better yet, has becoming a mom softened me to the point that the jerks I meet in the industry just get to me a whole lot easier now?

I think I just expect too much out of people. I swear I work with some of the most selfish people I have ever met in my entire life. The problem is that I am tied to them. I have to help them succeed in order for my husband and my business to succeed. How did I get here and do I want to be here? Is it worth it?

Now, I am not blanket stating everyone in the music business AT ALL. Some of the most wonderful people I know are in the industry, it just so happens the selfish ones cross my path regularly and don't want to seem to get off of it.

Clearly I have a lot of questions today about my work. I won't touch on the questions I have about the zillion other things I ponder late at night while watching cable news.

BRANDON SWIFT ALBUM RELEASED!

2009-09-08T15:06:00.000-07:00

Get the album here, on or any other online store!

Are You Hootie?

2009-08-12T12:04:00.000-07:00

So I blink and realize I haven't posted in a while. We have been really busy at home, at Backspace, in life. Lots of super new friends in the business, and we are loving it!!! We have some new, fun, cool projects in the works, but still waiting on some confirmations before we can announce them.

I am finding myself appreciating a lot of mainstream music lately as well. Right now, totally digging the Darius Rucker CD. I saw him on a rerun of Oprah the other day and he said the BEST thing. He mentioned the greatest day of his life was a few months ago when someone asked him if he was Darius Rucker, the country artist (insert, "Are you Hootie?" here). I have thought about what that meant to him a lot, and what would be the greatest day for me (professionally).

We have finished Brandon's album and so far, it is getting AMAZING reviews! He has set out on tour and making an awesome "go" of it. He is getting a warm response all over the country. If you are interested in helping out his eco-friendly tour, please click here and support Brandon. Supporting him also supports organ donation! Remember Backspace supports organ donation awareness (among other things: Guitar Red - ha!).

We stumbled upon a new artist (okay, he found us) that we really want to work with as well. We get TONS of submissions, but something about him just struck me... then Ben. He is super talented, super smart and an all around good guy. We would be fools not to work with him... hopefully we can find a way to make it happen.

We will continue to do business "our way" as the music business churns around us. We will continue to totally live each day for our son (who is doing MUCH BETTER these days and totally rocks, thanks), and hopefully continue to make great music.

Thanks for checking in. Will close with some "Hootie," I mean Darius lyrics:

you gotta live to learn

you gotta crash and burn
you gotta make some stances
and take some chances
you gotta live and love
and take all life has to give
you gotta live and learn
so you can Learn To Live

Learning from the Past

2009-06-20T18:41:00.000-07:00

Wow, have I been slacking on the blogging. I know no one really reads this, anyway, but it is quite therapeutic to write. I manage to get tweets out daily -- and that helps me network, update friends and/or scream about our politicians -- but I didn't realize just how busy life could get!

Things are great, though. They really are. My son is doing amazingly well. We made it to our five year anniversary this weekend. The music is good. The latest artist is a dream to work with. We are releasing an album with excitement. I can't complain about a single thing in life.

So... I wanted to write tonight to share this blurb that I wrote in a long email (about other stuff) to my team of interns:

Couple days ago, in the midst of a huge community home value/horrible new builder moving in uproar (just wait until you guys are knee deep in adultville), a neighbor acquired my Backspace business card. He looked at it and told me he was just on my website looking for music. He then asked me if my husband was in a band. I told him yes and he started to sing Big Sky songs. Nearly everywhere we go something like this happens to us. It makes me sad that they had such a following, but it all ended the way it did. I tell you this because I want you to know that we CAN do this. We are honest, hardworking and true to the artists and their music. If we just work hard and stick to those principles, it WILL happen. :)

So, here we roll... a new album to deliver with my toddler, my hubby, and a team of amazing interns from the University of Florida ready to make this happen for Brandon. The kid deserves it. Rock on. Wow, that sounded so "mom-ish," didn't it?

Possibilities...

2009-05-13T11:15:00.000-07:00

Lots to ponder, little time to blog. We have been super busy!!! Little Roman, our son, turned two and is making great progress in his therapies -- we are so fortunate. His struggles also put a lot of this "silliness" in life -- in the music business -- into perspective for me, which is the silver lining of it all (I think).

I will keep this short today: the road is LONG... very long... in this business. It is about networking and marketing, making good friends, keeping it honest and creating great music. I really believe that the rest will fall into place if we at Backspace hold steadfast to the aforementioned. What helps me do that? I think I thrive on the possibilities. There is always the "what if" factor of a completely open future. I love that aspect of it. Today is an especially big "what if" day and as I forge ahead, I think great things can come. Oh, the possibilities.

Checks and Balances in LIFE are Crucial!

2009-04-28T10:53:00.000-07:00

Longtime GOP Sen. Arlen Specter becomes Democrat... that is fantastic! It is such an amazing thing that we live in a country where someone CAN make such a switch. I truly believe he should be a part of the party he feels most comfortable, or where he feels he can win. I cannot help but wonder what is in this for him, though (in addition to a better chance at winning in a primary). Is it wrong to be skeptical of our representatives considering what has come to light lately (both parties)?

Those opinions aside, I am a firm believer in checks and balances. I had many lessons on this growing up with parents that could hardly figure out what day it was, to a very difficult experience I inherited via my husband and his former business (in the music industry). Things went awry with no accountability system! Awry, I tell you!!!! It became ugly and in my opinion began the demise of the whole venture. At Backspace we check, double check and recheck -- and still some decisions can still end up wrong. Imagine an entire government with no group with a differing opinion to question its actions?

Every organization must have a checks an balances system. The 2010 elections are so important for our nation. I say that not because I like one party over the other. I say that because one party cannot have a filibuster proof majority -- no matter if it is your or my party that has the majority. We're knocking on the door of something other than a capitalistic democracy if one party cannot be checked and balanced by the other. Please think about it. http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/04/28/specter.party.switch/index.html

Do You Know a Real Life Soloist?

2009-04-14T11:46:00.000-07:00

With the new movie coming out, The Soloist (www.soloistmovie.com), the topic of our Blues artist, Guitar Red, seems to come up often. His story, how we ended up working with Red and the critical acclaim of his album are on our website, www.backspacerecords.com, if you are interested.

Let me tell you, having a homeless man on our label is a paradox in so many ways. He has a record deal, shouldn't he NOT be homeless? Should we have recouped our never to be recouped investment before we let him have the proceeds? Should we have paid his rent directly and not let him squander the money? Live and learn. This was our first experience with a homeless man and jumping in "just trying to help" isn't always overtly rewarding - but it is always covertly rewarding.

Red is EXTREMELY talented, extremely smart, extremely kind and extremely ill. Unfortunately the ill side comes out most often when times are tough. Nine out of ten times he doesn't appreciate us paying his rent or making his album as a means to an income, but that one time when he sees things so clearly gives us the opportunity to see what a special guy is in there. He deserves an honest shot at a good life like we all do! Homelessness is synonymous with drugs, alcohol and mental illness, but that does not mean these people should be forgotten. The creators of the movie have teamed up with some amazing people to promote ways we can all help the cause. Check it out:

http://prod.takepart.com/social_network/action/thesoloist/

"With naïveté, comes problems." ~ A really smart guy

2009-04-13T10:52:00.000-07:00

So I have to be honest, I have known for a while now that I LOVE this business, but I wasn't sure I could handle dealing with some of the people in it. I will openly admit, I have issues, major ones. For example, I will never get over the OJ Simpson double murder verdict, nor will I understand how Octomom can spend a grand on makeup and then apply for WIC. With that said, I have been struggling with a dispute with an artist that I let get to me on a personal level. You see, I see unfairness and I see red.

It is COMPLETELY my fault that I let my emotions get the best of me when clearly this person is naive and just doesn't know any better. I have three degrees in counseling and well, the plumber's toilet was certainly broken in this case. I like to think I can step away and look at myself and realize when something is MY issue, but this time I was so enmeshed in my annoyance that this artist doesn't realize what we have offered, that the fog just got thicker and thicker.

Today, a "really smart guy" in the industry told me that if I let this artist get to me the way I am currently doing, then I will not be able to move forward with the mission of this company. It will jade me and I won't be inclined to offer amazing record deals to other artists for fear of reliving the current situation - and that is EXACTLY what was happening. We, as a company, were moving to the thinking -- why should we do things for people when no one cares if we do or not? No longer. I will proceed with what I feel is honest and right, and the "problems" can work themselves out.

This leap of faith I took into the music business is going to be a fun, ethical and profitable experience that I am not going to let anyone take away from my family or me. I also recognize how lucky I am that I can let someone tell me what I did was stupid, that I can learn from it and move on. Maybe if the artist could do the same, the artist's entire life would be much better, too. So, thanks "really smart guy" for helping me take my head out of the clouds.

Is this therapeutic or adding to the insanity?

2009-04-10T10:40:00.000-07:00

Going from a head high school guidance counselor to a mother of a toddler with some special needs and running a record label full time has been a challenge, a blessing, a nightmare and a lot of fun all at the same time. I am not sure if blogging and tweeting about it is a good idea or not, but maybe I can blow off some steam and entertain at the same time.