So, let’s say Paul’s time is worth $450k per hour.  Why is that?  Because millions of people around the world love him and want to see him.   As an audience member, you’re buying in on a group deal to see Paul for $45.  Just like if you and your friends all chip in for a six pack and split the cost.

If you wanted a private show with Paul McCartney, you wouldn’t expect to pay $45 would you?  Of course not.  His time is still worth that much.

In my case, let’s take $200 an hour as an example, since that the minimum I’m paid for an hour show.  Let’s apply that to songwriting sessions.  It takes a minimum of 8 hours for me to write a song.  And depending on the song, much longer.  I’ve had songs that take months to complete.  But let’s say 8 hours to write one. That means I should make at least $1600 per song.

If I could drop a new song into distribution and be guaranteed $1600 for it.  I’d write a lot more songs.  And I’d have no problem with that.  Because the amount of work I do would be compensated just fine.  But I can’t spend 8 hours a day writing.  I have to book gigs, do gigs, travel all over the country, take care of the press, take care of online promotions, record the songs (there’s another 8 hours outside of the writing), and all the other things that go along with being an artist.

Get other people to do those things, you say?  They don’t work for free.  I have to pay them.  But the artist is expected to work for free?

Let’s go more blue collar.  Let’s say $20 an hour.  For 8 hours of writing, another 8 to record.   That’s still $320 per song.  Do you know how many thousands (millions?) of songs there are in circulation that never make $320?  It’s uncountable.

We work a lot for free already because we’re never sure where the lightening will strike.  We have to maximize the hit song because we have to cover the duds.  Entertainment is not an exact science.  It’s not like making a car or canning beans.  It’s constant experimentation to see what will connect with the audience.  Ask Diane Warren, one of the most successful songwriters ever, how many crappy songs she’s written in between the good ones.

We take on a huge amount of risk.  And risk is rewarded with higher compensation.  You take a risk on the stock of a hot new company and you either lose it all or make a considerable profit.  Or you can buy a savings bond with no risk and a small return.  A blue collar hourly pay job is a savings bond.  We’re working on highly speculative stuff.  Big risk equals big reward.

“Ah, but…” the critics say.  “You can make money selling t-shirts and special packages and such.”  Why should I?  I’m not a clothing designer!  I’m a songwriter and comedian.  My job is to write good songs and good jokes.  If I wanted to design t-shirts for a living, I wouldn’t bother with the guitar.  Anybody ever tell Stephen King that he could make good money selling t-shirts with his face on it if he’d just give the books away for free?

Picture this… “Hey Doc… You really should do this heart surgery for free man.  But you could make a killing selling ‘Dr. Fun’ t-shirts.  Maybe key chains…”  Stupid, huh?

Artists have a chosen career path, just like everyone else working a job.  And just like you expect to get pay raises and promotions, so do we as our popularity grows.  Boy will that be the day when your boss comes in and says “Hey, we really like your work a lot.  You’re very popular with everyone in the office.  You’re a huge part of our success.  So we’re not going to compensate you for your work anymore.  We know you do it because you love it.”

Show me that conversation and I’ll show you one pissed off employee who’s about to grab the want ads.

So, in conclusion… Please do let your friends hear my CDs that you’ve bought.  Absolutely send them to my website where they can stream every song I’ve ever released for free.  If I send you a free MP3, tell your friends they can email me and I’ll give it to them too.

But please…please…. respect my time and skill by not just giving away the farm.  I respect your time and skills in your job and would never think of forcing you to do it for free.  There are plenty of ways for people to sample my music for free and then compensate me by buying it.

Common consideration is what will make music work again.  Not law suits or regulations or copy protection schemes.  It’s the Golden Rule.  Back to basics.  Do unto others what you would have them do unto you.  Steal from me and you’ve given me permission to come and take your new flat screen TV out of your living room.  Just letting you know.

Phil Johnson

http://www.RoadsideAttraction.com

Related posts:

1. My Views On Downloading

Now I understand giving away free samples and such.  That’s not my beef here.  That’s radio, that’s streaming sites, that’s sample CDs and MP3s.  Fine.  You can’t expect someone to buy something they haven’t sampled.

Before you start branding me as some old fogey hoarding 8-tracks in my basement (I don’t even have a basement), let me explain my reasoning.

Let’s say you’ve got an amazing business idea.  Something that people all over the world will love and it will make you a lot of money.  In your sometimes overly-trusting way, you tell me about the idea.  I say, “Wow!  What a great idea! I’m going to start business right now.  Thanks for the idea!”  And then I go start a huge, successful business with your idea.  completely acing you out of the proceeds.  But I tell everyone, “Man, I’m glad so-and-so gave me that idea.  She’s a genius”

Lots of exposure for you.  Lots of money in the bank for me.  Good luck buying groceries with your exposure.

My song, my idea… Downloaders giving it away to their friends and telling me I get exposure out of it.  I’ll have to see if my mortgage company will take exposure instead of money.  Getting the picture?  Ideas are only worth money when implemented.  If I’ve released a song, that’s implemented through hours, days, and weeks of work.  And therefore, worth money.

If I get an idea for a song or a joke and give it to someone else?  Bam, go for it.  Use it up.  Because I didn’t implement it.  And yes, I have done that.

I’ve always said, that as long as I’m making a comfortable living, up to my standards, then I don’t care how people get the music.  It’s really not about protecting my ideas so much, as just being able to make a living with my particular skill set.  Just like you make money with your skills.  Those skills have taken years to learn.  Longer than a medical or law degree.

I’ve been learning music since I was 8.  Writing songs since I was 18.  Doing comedy since 2004.

But many people feel musicians should be pulled down to a blue collar level of work.  95% of us are anyway, but let’s play with the idea.  Let’s talk about an hourly wage.

Let’s say you’re a doctor on the low end of the price spectrum because you’re just out of school.  Maybe your hourly rate is $100.  Eventually over the years, you become a top rated brain surgeon, who’s skills are required all over the world and your fees are now astronomical. Why?  Because lots of people like your work and have a need for it.  But you are only one person with limited time.  Supply and demand.

What we’re talking about is, what is your time worth?  What is my time worth?  Let’s break it down.

But let’s break it down on Friday’s post since this one is getting long.  Hit that RSS thingie up there so you know when it comes out.

Phil Johnson

http://www.RoadsideAttraction.com

Related posts:

1. Why the RIAA is stupid

But didn’t the RIAA stop suing people months ago?  Yep.  They finally figured out that it’s a bad idea to sue your customers.  Doesn’t due a lot for customer loyalty.  I’m sure there was some expensive “study” that figured it out for them.  However this particular case was already in motion.  Why didn’t they just drop it?  All they’ve said is they now it’s a bad idea but they’re going to keep going with it anyway in this case.  Dumb.

Now all they’ve done is ruin this poor woman’s life.  It’s not going to have any effect on illegal downloading, except probably to increase it.  And there’s no way in hell they’re ever going to get their money.  In her lifetime this woman would not make that amount of money.  And now she certainly has no drive to.  All they’ve done is create a welfare case.  Good job RIAA.

The RIAA’s next mistake is going after the new streaming sites.  I think the biggest issue among consumers about mp3s is portability.  Why did Zune fail?  Because you’re restricted as to where you can take the music.  If you’re streaming from Grooveshark, you’re stuck on their website.

Let’s see, that sounds a lot like radio…. And any record label rep will tell you that they’ll kill to get their songs on the radio.  So now there’s a radio style website that wants to put all their songs out there and they choose to sue them.  Duh.

I do think songwriters should get performance rights money from these sites.  That would force them to figure out how to be profitable.  Like a “real” business.  Oh wait..You think Grooveshark is running their site out of the goodness of their heart to give away free music?  Hardly.  They’ve got bills to pay too.  Hosting companies don’t work for free either.

Check out Tuesday’s post for part 2 of the post and to see what my views on downloading are.

Phil Johnson

http://www.RoadsideAttraction.com

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