Terami.com Blog: Something I Learned: Or What The Internet Taught Me

March 02, 2006

I have to get something off my chest.

I've learned a lot about myself and music over the years. I've learned about other people and how they respond to music. And I've learned that the only way to survive my career is to grow a thick skin. But my little experiment with the Little Light EP nearly broke my heart. 1600 EPs mailed. Many promising opportunities. A good idea, with a good intention. A lot of excitement. And a huge, unexpected-but-not-really-unexpected lesson learned.

On a small scale, giving music away is a terrific idea. I've done it so many times and it was always wildly successful. But this last giveaway got out of hand. People didn't understand that the EP was a gift, an extension of gratitude for their support - they thought it was a free-for-all. People would request an EP and write, "Gimme", "16 copies", or request several copies using sneaky email addresses and fake names. People even gave me fake home addresses, which was pointless. And, then I found massive postings of my promotion on "freebie" sites, bringing in a whole crowd of people who couldn't care less about music, making me feel cheap and somehow stupid. I even had people request the EP, receive it, email me and say, "What is this? I'm not paying for this! If I ordered it, take it back. It's unopened and I demand a refund." And I was, all, "Uuummmm??..."

More than anything, the project revealed how my community view of the world does not gel with reality. I counted on some people not liking the music. I counted on some people only wanting something for free. But I didn't count on the massive, greedy, disconnect that I witnessed. Because of what happened, how it made me feel, how it wasted a lot of time, energy, and money, I will never again be able to give away my music like that. And that makes me incredibly sad.

You can read this and think, Honey, you were asking for it. Yeah. Probably.

Certainly, many albums found good homes. I'm not sorry that I went through the mayhem if it means that some of you have music you've grown to love. I don't consider the experiment to be a failure, I just discovered that the process is most effective if it remains small. So the next giveaway will have a tight cap, will be extremely exclusive, and very private. The Web is a wily world.

As much as I love the internet, I realize now that I love the real world more. I love real mail. I love seeing your handwriting, looking at the card you chose to write on, and getting a richer sense of who you are. It makes me feel really wonderful to pick up mail from the box and see a happy note in the middle of all the junk I receive. (And the po box receives almost as much junk as my inbox.) I love that we can connect in the real world, as well as this digital one. So, if I haven't said it before, or enough times, thank you. In light of what I've learned, your letters, your comments here and on my discussion boards, your emails, and your support mean a million times more to me than you can imagine. What that whole experience taught me, was who my friends are. They're you.

I don't know why (or maybe I do) but this just really got to me. Made me angry/upset/etc. because I know how much work you put into getting your music out there to reach a select few...I hope you know how much some of us appreciate it and how big of an impact it has made. That whole thing must be so discouraging. Stupid internet. Once I become the President of the Internet I shall change it all.

Posted by: Eric | on March 3, 2006 09:58 AM

Dear Terami,

I felt that I should respond to this posting in that I can empathizes with the sentiments of the message, as well as, your predicament. As you may, or may not be aware of, in the professional photography industry there exists a constant battle over usage rights, licensing and ownership. These issues have only been compounded by the advent of the Internet. It is something that the attorney for APA is taking quite seriously and is even lobbying in Washington, DC for stricter guidelines.

Personally, I find that I am having to explain and re-explain my usage and licensing policies, which happen to be the industry standards and accepted business practices, to my clients over and over again. I have had a client even rewrite the terms of our agreements after the fact by simply crossing out the "offending" word, words, phrase and/or passages without my consent; basically creating a buyout without actually paying. I have discovered "stolen" images of mine floating around the ether of the Internet or even in some local publications. While their unlicensed usage is flattering, to a degree, it is also quite frustrating that people felt that they could simply steal/borrow my imagery.

Our respective situations differ in that you deliberately offered your music as a gift of gratitude while I am referring mainly to business practices. With that said, I have had the privilege and good fortune to enjoy your music live in New York City. What you have to offer, your gift and talent for music, is just that, a very special gift and carefully developed and nurtured talent. While it may, or may not, have been poor judgment on your part to simply offer it for free (regardless of the intention); I do hope you are not questioning the value of music. The music is quite wonderful and the motivating intention is presenting it as a gift is gracious and lovely.

I also agree with your second point. While the Internet is a powerful and useful tool on so many levels I do miss the tactile and personal qualities of a well-written and crafted letter. Recently, I had the most delicious experience. I go to a lot of networking meetings and recently a lot of business meetings on behalf of my family where I have been taking a lot of notes. Since I have been writing lots of notes and signing papers left and right I thought I might indulge myself and buy a fine writing instrument -- a fountain pen. I went to Mont Blanc on Madison Avenue and tried out some of their high end pens with the gold and platinum nibs with traditional engraving. It was such a delight. The experience was like going from driving a Ford Escort to a Mercedes C Class. The ink just flowed and flowed and produce the richest and finest black line and the way the pen to the curves and squiggles was such a delight. Nut the Mont Blanc did not compare to the custom pen manufactured across the street. I met a guy who use to design pens for Davidoff and wrote several books on pens. He new all about Mont Blancs and the ins and outs of Waterman and so on. The pen he put in my hand was a work of art. It was perfectly balanced, reinforced with a platinum shank, and a delight to behold. When I actually put pen to paper it was not like driving a Mercedes. It was more like tactile than mechanical. Yes, it was more like sex with the perfect partner. The obvious penal analogy aside, it was orgasmic.

The pen may be mightier than the sword; and the Internet may be able to reach more people, and may have made the pen obsolete; but I too love the real world and all that it offers, specifically that pen.

Walter J. Lee

Posted by: Walter J. Lee | on March 8, 2006 09:35 AM

These are my albums. - -» I make them at home.	A Broke Machine, 2008
	Entropy 29, 2005
	To the Bone, 2002
	All Girl Band, 1999