Got this email yesterday from Radiant/Neal about streaming. BTW I voted no, I already pay for Spotify for my family and have Neal and Spock's downloaded on my phone. I think $5.99 is a bit much for just a couple of artists.
Hello everyone,
In the classic Monty Python sketch from the film "Monty Python and the Holy Grail," a man is trying to place his elderly relative on a heap of dead people while the man cries out "I'm not dead!" Right before the old man gets whacked on the head by the young man he cries, "I feel happy...I feel.." THUD.
This is the sketch that comes to mind when I think about the old model of the music business in which people bought albums and CDs and such.
It's not entirely dead but it's really close. Agreed?
Case in point: I gave my daughter one of my new CDs, "Life & Times", and she said to me, "Dad, I love this CD, (as she is obligated to say as some of the songs are about her) but.. what am I supposed to DO with it?" What she meant was, if I can't go directly onto my phone and access it anywhere, immediately, then I'm not sure how to go about listening.
I told her, "load it onto a computer, then put it on your phone". She looked at me incredulous, "That is WAY too hard" she replied. "Besides, my computer doesn't even HAVE a CD drive."
Now, first of all, I'm not against streaming. I think it's wonderful! I love to sit in my recliner and choose whatever songs or whatever albums I want to listen to from my chair and be able to adjust the volume without having to get up. I've recently gotten into vinyl again, but, man, every 20 minutes you have to actually get up and WALK ACROSS THE ROOM to change the record! Unthinkable! This is much too difficult. So, I love streaming as well as anyone. It's tremendously convenient and sounds good as well.
Of course, streaming is great for the listener but doesn't compensate the artists much, if at all.
Just for an example, here's a screen shot of a recent royalty statement I received.
Notice the $0.0004. I can't even figure out how to SAY how small of an amount that is. Is that one fourth of one thousandth of a penny? Who decides these things? Crazy. Anyway...As an artist who is not Metallica or Taylor Swift this doesn't really make any sense...or to quote a song, it makes..."zero sense". Or "zero cents," haha.
So, like everyone in the entertainment business, I have been wondering, what do we do now? How do we survive? How can we pay the tremendous costs of making quality albums and live? Mega-skilled artists such as Steve Hackett and Rich Mouser don't come cheap. And they shouldn't.
Answer: create my own streaming service. My objective is simple: to provide a great streaming experience that is complete, super high quality and easy to use on multiple formats. Not to compete with the big streaming services, but to give fans of my music a similar experience, anywhere in the world.
My current plan is to build my own thing, then use Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon etc. as a kind of advertising tool and put a smattering of material there so people can become aware and hopefully sign up for the streaming service. Or get the actual albums. Whatever they prefer.
What we want to give people is the supreme experience of being able to listen to any of the music from my catalog, including classic Spock's Beard, Transatlantic and the Neal Morse Band, anytime from anywhere and not have to get out of their recliner. This is the great goal of modern life!
I NEED YOUR HELP:
I'm taking a poll! Please let me know if you would be interested in subscribing to the proposed music app at a cost of, let's say, $5.99 a month. (Of course, there will be a special discount for Inner Circle members. No obligation of course!)
Are you interested in the Radiant Streaming app?
Yes
Select
No
Select
Are you an Inner Circle Member?
Yes
Select
No