$30 To Review It?
July 5th, 2010 by Lior ShamirI received this email this morning:
…I was gonna submit a song but then I realised you want $30 to review it. Well? I want $30 to send it. Please send a check or money order to:
XXXX XXXXXX
40 XXXXXXXX Avenue
XXXX Cottage
XXXXXburg, XX
077XXWhen I receive payment I will send you the song.
Thanks!
-M
July 5th, 2010 at 3:16 pm
Cute
July 6th, 2010 at 8:22 am
that email is a work of art and should win an award for originality. gotta love it
July 6th, 2010 at 8:38 am
Well, being an accomplished musician myself I have to say that this person has some validity to his point. We make music because it is our passion, but no one wants to pay us for it, when it costs us thousands of dollars to produce quality works of art. We are probably one of the most preyed upon professions on the planet, because most music companies know they can tell us anything that feeds a lot of our egos and make a huge profit off of it. This is especially true now more than ever because of the internet. Anyone can make a song so the competition is greater than ever as far as making money and fewer people are buying downloads because there is no incentive when they can just go to your site and play it for free anytime they want.
The odds of making back the amount of money you spend in this buisness are astronomical.
Besides (Not meaning to be crude here)but opinions are like assholes, everyone has one!
July 6th, 2010 at 8:42 am
P.S. I actually did pay to get a critique from your organization. Was it helpful? Maybe to some extent. I found it fair and objective…….Did it help my career? No
Cha Ching another $30.00 down the drain.
July 6th, 2010 at 10:33 am
In any other branch, you would also pay a consulting fee for a professional to help you improve your work. Why should it be different in the music business? I look at it as a great opportunity to pick the brains of some of the best songwriters. Why shouldn’t they be paid for their time and effort? Wouldn’t you want to be if you were on the other end? Get real!
Memphis Reply:
July 6th, 2010 at 12:05 pm
Sorry Kate. You’re wrong.
First of all Music is art and paying for an opinion is insane in itself let alone to Art! I wouldn’t pay to hear an opinion on a Monat….even if it was DaVinci giving it!
Don’t try to justify thieving sharks with fancy power words like “Consultant”. we all want to make money here and yes if an established artist wants to consult then it is fair they are paid. The point being made here is that the Indie Musician continues to get Ripped Off!
We all know it….so put ya fancy words away.
Dann Russo Reply:
July 6th, 2010 at 12:50 pm
and hey, DaVinci may have been more of Hayden guy anyway and not really have liked the new direction Mozart was taking music
TheGeneral Reply:
July 6th, 2010 at 1:54 pm
I don’t think Kate is wrong….nor do I think you are, Memphis. That said, labeling someone a “thieving shark” or to state that the indie musician gets “ripped off” is hardly fair.
No one has a gun to anyone’s head. If a band doesn’t want to spend the money on a consultant’s opinion….they don’t have to. Last I checked, people have the right to spend their money how they want. It’s no more wrong for a band to spend $30 on a song contest as it is on beer.
Lior Reply:
July 6th, 2010 at 2:36 pm
“Paying for an opinion is insane”?????
You wouldn’t pay to sit on a lecture about a topic of interest to you?
Or consult with a specialist about an issue that’s affecting your well-being?
Will you stop reading editorials, watch cable television documentaries or support a political party because the professional “opinions” you would be subscribing to may cost you money?
“The world is not run by thought, nor by imagination, but by opinion” –Elizabeth Drew
Kate Reply:
July 6th, 2010 at 2:44 pm
Actually I wasn’t talking about paying $30 for an opinion, but for a constructive creative analysis from a skilled songwriter (sorry you didn’t like the word “consultant”
), which is pretty different. I tried this recently and it was very well done. There were some very good suggestions for improving the song, which may possibly give it better chances in the pitch. To me that’s worth it.
Generally I agree with you; there are a lot of rip-offs for musicians these days, and you have to be very careful as to where you invest your money. What I think is tragic is the fact that unlike any other line of work, you don’t usually get paid for providing the goods. Which means, yeah, you have to be slightly insane and love your craft to pieces.
Lior Reply:
July 6th, 2010 at 9:27 pm
I’m in agreement with you, Kate. I was responding to Memphis’ reply.
July 6th, 2010 at 2:39 pm
LOVE IT!
July 6th, 2010 at 2:48 pm
Well, I personally agree that critiques should be free, but I don’t think they are selling critiques here. They are selling advice on how to make improvements to your craft. And until you are famous, critiques aren’t free.
Like, would anyone like to give me a (free) critique on my first music video. Its called We Like Miniskirts on Youtube. Feel free to comment good and bad.
Actually, I was gonna submit a song but then I realised you want $30 to review it. Well? Then I realized I could post the name here and get the Music Industry Blog community of aspiring artists to give me one free critique on Youtube strictly for the love of music…
Thanks Music Industry Blog! I think this is the first time you’ve made me feel a part of the music industry rather than just taking my money for a song contest and snickering while you turn your back and count the money you got from me and all the other artists
July 6th, 2010 at 3:42 pm
Ya get what ya pay for.
And it’s a free country, you can choose to participate or not.
I too thought that the critique I received was objective and to the point. And it should help me in the future.
My 2 cents.
July 6th, 2010 at 4:07 pm
If you join the NSAI, you can get 12 critiques of songs a year, from people that you know are professional song writers, engineers, producers, and what not. You can also get a lot more information from these people that’s of great value. It does cost 150.00 a year to join, but it’s less expensive, offers song writers a great deal, and you can be sure it’s not a scam, or some fly by night deal.
Whether a person feels they need critique, or criticism to help there process, of course is their own opinion, but the NSAI comes very highly recommended to me.
Dick Bartley PS they are a non profit org.
July 6th, 2010 at 5:38 pm
I didn’t mind paying to enter the contests. I did mind the price tag for a critique, so I passed. Just that simple.
July 6th, 2010 at 7:01 pm
I was reasonably leary but went ahead and had We Are Listening give me some sound advice on two of my songs and it was actualy helpful.
Some of the advice I took and made minor changes to the songs and other suggestions I disagreed with so I left that part of the song the same. The insights were good and helped give me a perspective I may have already thought of but might not have beem totally solid on or maybe hadn’t though of thier suggestion at all. Hmmm. It’s good to be challenged artisticly or any other way. Resistance creates growth, ask any succesfull person in any field.
I think my songs are stronger because of it. $30.00 well spent.
It’s easey to complain about the state of affairs we are in but I decided to give it up since it never produced any positive results for my carreer. The only way to get out of grief is to continue to take smart actions toward our goal of making great art. If our goal includes getting paid our investment doesn’t stop when our music is writen, produced and online. We need to do all we can to create a great show that blows the audience away. People pay for exellence if they have access to it. Not everyone will like it but all with 20/20 vision and a decent set of ears will respect it. So keep doing what you love and keep hope as you excecute a solid plan & build a solid team to help reach each and every goal you set.
July 9th, 2010 at 1:25 pm
For the rookie lyrics writer “which I am ” I have paid for advise before and it help to open my eyes. Asking friends and family what they think about your stuff surely doesn’t work. Asking the pro’s you get a more honest opinion. Money well spent.
Kenny…
July 13th, 2010 at 7:47 pm
Everyone is trying to squeeze money out of someone, preying on the misguided. You can get song feedback for free, including from sites like Hooked In 60 Seconds and others. It saddens me.