Rebecca Black: Is "Friday" Her Big Pay Day Too?

Now I hesitated writing a post about viral star Rebecca Black and her infamous ode to a certain day of the week. "Friday," which has been viewed 43 million times as of now, is definitely in the running for biggest viral hit (or miss) of the year. The majority of the response from this video and song has been quite negative as it is being tagged "the worst song ever." Even though the song is bad --in production, songwriting, and performance-- I am reluctant to label this song as such. And I'm pretty sure if you think about it, you have heard worse too. I have heard more meaningless songs come from some of the majors who sell a lot more.


Which brings me to the reason why I am talking about this 13 year-old girl. According to a post arriving in my email by digitalmusicnews.com, the claim that this girl is making bank from this video and song may not be so true. Even though this video has a lot more views than pop divas Britney Spears and Lady Gaga's new videos for their hit singles, as of Tuesday, Black's song "Friday" has only put $45,850 in the teen's pocket. Despite that being more cash than most 13 year-olds will acquire in one feat, this just shows that there will be no rags-to-riches story as of yet. 35 million views on YouTube, as of two days ago, only banked the viral star approximately $14,000. Selling 50,000 downloads on iTunes (according to Billboard), subtracting royalties and such, only earned her $31,850. Digitalmusicnews.com states:

Screenshot from Rebecca Black's "Friday" music video.

"The easy interpretation is that Black is laughing her way to the bank, despite being a viral laughingstock.  Black's mom paid just $2,000 for the weekend filming and postwork, according to reports." 


This shows that even though millions of people are streaming does not mean that they are buying the product. Maybe that is because most of the people that watched the video do not care to own or support the song because of their disdain for it. Perhaps, but it is also a fact for most musicians. With the power of the internet making it easier and easier for consumers to get their favorite track for "free-99," it is no secret that most music nowadays is downloaded illegally. It's a vice that the music industry deals with and tries desperately to combat. 


So does a viral hit mean bank? Not necessarily. It does depend on the video and the opportunities that present themselves. The $45,850 claimed to be Black's worth does not include future sales, appearances, or (dare I say it) other songs to be released. She made more money this past week than many independent artists profit in their entire career. And if this money goes towards something like her college education, well we can't hate on that can we. The Internet brings on piracy, yes. But the Internet makes it possible for different ways to promote different kinds of products. So to all my artists out there, take advantage of the web. Whether using social networking sites or coming up with the next viral video hit, the world is one click away. If you can handle it, go get at 'em.


~L~


P.S. Guess what tomorrow is? I so excited. :)


Sources: 
Article: http://digitalmusicnews.com/stories/032211friday 
Stats on "Friday" downloads: http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/industry/digital-and-mobile/rebecca-black-s-first-week-sales-not-bad-1005084972.story 
Music Video for "Friday": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CD2LRROpph0

Music Quotes: A Little Random Inspiration

For all of my artists and music lovers out there, here are some quotes for you.
A little bit of inspiration, a little bit of sarcasm, a little bit of humor, and even a few quotes from yours truly. Enjoy.

*******

"A painter paints pictures on canvas. But musicians paint their pictures on silence." ~Leopold Stokowski

"Of course the music is a great difficulty. You see, if one plays good music, people don't listen, and if one plays bad music people don't talk." ~Oscar Wilde

“Music is, to me, proof of the existence of God. It is so extraordinarily full of magic and in tough times of my life I can listen to music and it makes such a difference." ~Kurt Vonnegut

"Music is the mediator between the spiritual and the sensual life." ~Ludwig van Beethoven

"Life is like music; it must be composed by ear, feeling, and instinct, not by rule." ~Samuel Butler

"Music is a universal language that everyone understands, but no one is truly fluent in." ~Lauren (Me)

"Music is the art of thinking with sounds." ~Jules Combarieu

"Of all the music that reached farthest into heaven, it is the beating of a loving heart." ~Henry Ward Beecher

"A lot of singers think all they have to do is exercise their tonsils to get ahead. They refuse to look for new ideas and new outlets, so they fall by the wayside. . . I'm going to try to find out the new ideas before the others do." ~Ella Fitzgerald

"Music is love in search of a word." ~Sidney Lanier

"If you hit a wrong note, then make it right by what you play afterwards." ~Joe Pass / Jazz Guitar

"MTV is to music as KFC is to chicken!" ~Lewis Black
LOL

"Give me a laundry list and I'll set it to music." ~Gioacchino Antonio Rossini

"A good composer does not imitate; he steals." ~Igor Stravinsky

"Composers shouldn't think too much — it interferes with their plagiarism." ~Howard Dietz

“Never look at the trombones. You’ll only encourage them.”  ~Igor Stravinsky

"I don't like country music, but I don't mean to denigrate those who do. And for the people who like country music, denigrate means 'put down'" ~Bob Newhart
*no offense to country music fans, i just thought this quote was hilarious

"A real leader faces the music, even when he doesn't like the tune." ~Anonymous

"If you can walk you can dance. If you can talk you can sing." ~Zimbabwe Proverb

"Jazz came to America three hundred years ago in chains." ~Paul Whiteman

"Hip-hop is supposed to uplift and create, to educate people on a larger level and to make a change." ~Doug E. Fresh

"The idea was I'd never amount to anything in music, The theme there was that I was talented, but I wouldn't work hard enough to do anything with it." ~Mose Allison Jazz/Blues Piano Songwriter

"I am at a constant fight with my subconscious. He is holding my next songs hostage and I am trying to retrieve them. And yes I am assuming my subconscious is a man." ~Lauren (Me)

“Music speaks what cannot be expressed, soothes the mind and gives it rest, heals the heart and makes it whole, flows from heaven to the soul.” ~Anonymous

"In order to compose, all you need to do is remember a tune that nobody else has thought of." ~Robert Schumann

“When I speak of the gifted listener, I am thinking of the non-musician primarily, of the listener who intends to retain his amateur status. It is the thought of just such a listener that excites the composer in me.” ~Aaron Copeland

"My attitude these days is, if you write a bad song, what are they gonna do, throw you in songwriter jail?" ~John Hiatt

"For me, songwriting is something I have to do ritually. I don't just wait for inspiration; I try to write a little bit every day." ~Sean Lennon

"Some people think the best music was made decades and centuries ago by mainly drug addicts and dead guys. And I agree with those people. However, I look forward to how music changes in the future, for better or for worse. Most of the rules of music and composition is today have been thrown out. That's an opportunity in itself that breeds creativity without limitation, which can never be a bad thing." ~Me

Hope a quote or two has touched or amused you, or even made you think. 

Peace all,

~L~

Saturday Check-In: March 19, 2011

What I have been up to this week?

Highs and lows. 

As for the highs, I have almost fully organized my binder of songs and compositions. I also have updated my bio and resume for my portfolio. I also began researching and scheduling some up and coming conferences and workshops in my area that allows for song critiquing and showcasing. Even though I am not committed to any conferences yet, that is registered for them, but I have marked them in my schedule so I can at least plan ahead. Also I am starting to develop more of how the rest of my year will go. As a recent college graduate, there is so much confusion and frustration trying to figure out where to go next. People always ask me, what are you going to do with that major? Are you going to grad school? Where are you working? I've heard it all and I become overwhelmed and just give a polite "i don't know" or *shrug* to those people often.

Which brings me to the lows. A few days ago I had a mini-breakdown, so to speak. After burning myself out by dedicating hours of my day to researching other writers and publishers, and becoming overwhelmed as to how I will get from where I am to where they are, I finally just broke down. I overwhelmed myself with so much information that I slipped into a moment of self-pity and doubt. I began to doubt my talents and my abilities. I saw more of what I have not done vs. what I have accomplished. I began to feel like I was wasting time on something that can be merely a dream, at most a hobby. I even prayed that God take away my passion for music because I was tired of wasting my time on something that I did not feel, at that time, could truly come true. Then, after meditating on the words I was saying, it hit me. I should, at this point, spend only one hour every day to music: research, writing, organizing, reading on it, etc. Therefore my day is not "wasted "and I am put on a timed schedule. This would enable me to become more diligent, and possibly get more done when I am on the clock. And I can also dedicate more of my time towards things I need to take care of now. 

I realize that my low moment is extremely common with artists. We begin to doubt out own talents and potential for the sake of trying to push ourselves too hard. We may not be ready at this point. I know if I were to fly to Los Angeles this afternoon and stand before a hit publisher and perform my works, I would not be ready. However I want to be more ready with every passing day. I want to make sure the time is right. It is so easy to get impatient. We see what's happening in music now and we want to see how we can contribute. Sometimes that makes us disillusioned and causes us to sway away from our own lives into a fantasy world of "what ifs." There's no harm in dreaming about what could be, but if we don't get focused and pace ourselves, that's all it will be. For any other artists out there struggling to find where you fit in in this music world, if this is what you are meant to do, it will happen. Hone your craft, become educated, and --- as I learned --- pace yourself. Everyday is a blessing so make it count in all aspects of your life. But don't just give up. There is a time and audience for your work. And when that time finds you, you shall be ready.

~L~

Songs played while writing this post (skipping around on Adele's new CD): Adele "Rolling in the Deep", Adele "Rumour Has It", Adele "Someone Like You"

It's the Reason Why I Write

One of my professors in a collaborative songwriting class asked a vocalist why he sings. He said he sings because he has no better use for his breath. Some people do what they do on the basis of self-fulfillment but also self-expression in aligned with their self-identity.
... Some do what they do on account of purpose.


I think true passionate artists not only do what they do just because they are talented, but they feel unfulfilled if they do not work on their art. I know I went through a dry spell in writing songs shortly after graduation and I felt that a part of me was depressed. When I make strong progress on a composition, let alone finish one, there's a part of me that feels like the entire day was used to its fullest. I do embrace that this was a talent that I was given, but there are other things I feel I'm good at. But music is something about myself that I am surely accepting into my life as a part of me that will never cease.


My sister is a vocal performance major, and just like many arts students, she expresses her talent outside of as well as inside the classroom. Literally, when we go anywhere or do anything, she gets a song "placed on her heart" and sings aloud in the most random places and situations. And people constantly stare at us walking around as she belts out notes and melismas. She literally can't help it. And it's not that she feeds off the attention of bystanders walking up to her in the mall saying "you have a beautiful voice" or "you should get discovered," she sings because it's an addiction.
... Some do what they do because they can't help it.

In regards to writers, I feel like writers write because they can't help it. Case and point, I was out to dinner with a songwriter and he literally had his iPad out the entire time writing lyrics. I don't think he was being disrespectful or rude. When an idea passes your mind, you can't let it go to waste. Even on break, he was at a piano with a pen and paper. Now I admit, I'm not as diligent as that but there are many times I will procrastinate from doing something else because a string of lyrics passed my mind, or I heard a song on the radio that reminded me of a melody I started on three months ago. And I can't tell you the amount of times I have written lyrics or composed music while at a bus stop, at work, or even asleep; moreover, how many times a song or two was lost because I let it slip away into the depths of my furthest memory. I am now more disciplined and make sure I have a pen and paper on me. Even if I have to borrow a pen and doodle on my forearm for a temporary tattoo, I try to make sure as much of my thoughts are dictated somehow. 

I was in one of my music classes years ago. To be honest, I don't even remember what year, or what class, or which professor said this; but I remember this one quote that person said. "Something is not truly your passion unless you'd do it for free." So with that being said...
... Some do what they do because they'd do it for free.


Sounds like crazy talk, right? But I've believed since then that something is not considered your passion unless you can do it for free. Of course, people have to make a living. We live in a material world, and I admit that even though I don't consider myself to be a material girl, I ultimate goal is to support myself solely on music and writing. The music business gives opportunity for wealth and success, and while that's all great and I would not mind acquiring some of it, I don't write music to make me rich. In fact, I feel like the day that I write solely and exclusively for profit would be the day that I quit. I read a quote in a songwriting book that said if you write [or sing, or whatever] just to be rich and famous, you will surely not be fulfilled and most times may never reach that point, let alone stay there. Those who do what they do just to get rich, I believe, will lose the joy of what they do if they ever had any joy about it in the first place. 

So the reason why I write music is because I feel it is part of my life's purpose. I feel it's an addiction brought about by talent but also an inner drive that won't let me quit. I would write for free, in fact I guess I do. I write because I can, I will, and I am.


"A passion isn't driven by fame or fortune. It is driven by faith. Faith that you will better yourself with every passing day. Faith that what you do will touch others. Faith that what you do is in conjunction with who you are." 
~L~

Saturday Check-In: March 5, 2011

My first Saturday check-in. What have I been up to this week?


This week I started reading "Get Started in Songwriting" by Sam Inglis. I had checked it out from the local public library along with like six other books along the same subject lines. I plan on reading as much as possible on my craft as well as other books for leisure as well. Even though many aspects of the book are things I have already learned or experience, I believe that it's important to get educated on the business by many different authors because it offers different points of views. 


I have also purchased some organization supplies to organize my collection of works. I am trying to have  organized binders of lyrics, notations, articles, etc. and a quick way to reference them if necessary.


As far as composition, I have done the usual: thought of many song ideas and lyric lines that can prove worthy of further development into a song. I have literally hundreds of those. Unfinished songs that are waiting for me to pay them attention. One of the books I recently read featured a writer that said his songs are like children: written and composed (birthed), edited (raised), and released (grows up). I thought this was an interesting point of view for a songwriter. In that case, I have a whole bunch of neglected infants running around. I am good at conceiving songs but my music remains stillborn and I have to give life. It is up to me.


~L~


Songs played while writing this post: En Vogue "Don't Let Go (Love)", Bruno Mars ft. Damian Marley "Liquor Store Blues", Michael Jackson "They Don't Care About Us"