A blog from Ellen:
There are two things which have come up recently that I just felt the need to share.
1. Some time ago, we were contacted by a record label in Greece about letting them use one of our songs on a compilation they were going to release for sale in Greece and Cyprus. This was the second time this label had shown an interest in putting us on one of their projects. The first project was called "Chillin' in Mykonos", and we were pleased to be a part of it and gladly signed the contract. We were pleased for quite some time that is, until far too much time passed without receiving any kind of monetary compensation. We contacted them numerous times asking about our payment for the use of our music, and often got no reply. So after that first experience, we were slightly leary of doing business with this label again. We decided, however, to give them the benefit of the doubt and sign the contract for the second compilation.
And in case you're trying to get ahead, no this post isn't about not getting paid... although I still don't think we have. Not getting paid is a bummer, and can add to our stress level which is already elevated from all of the [expletives] out there who have so rudely posted our music for free downloads. But I've already talked about that. Not getting paid isn't publicly humiliating. What I'm getting to is this:
After some time, we received a copy of this new second compilation in the mail and were a bit surprised by the borderline pornographic photos they'd used on all surfaces of the CD packaging. When we signed the contract, we didn't really register that the name of the project being "Seduction 4" might give us cause to go back and look at the artwork for volumes 1 through 3. Had we done that, we might have reconsidered. The photo on the very front of the vol. 4 CD isn't actually porn, it's just a tad bit tacky. But all of the other ones inside are really really NOT what we want our image to be.
Don't get me wrong, we do realize that our music is sexy, and we even have some promo material which tongue in cheek says it's for "getting lucky" or something of that nature. But we do not want to be associated with adult entertainment. At all. And we've been approached about the use of our music for some "adult entertainment" films. [Our answer was of course no.] So, now this CD is out there, and we are on it, and there's nothing we can do but chalk it up to a lesson learned. And we've decided not to do any more business with that label since we've never gotten a dime yet and they still don't answer most of our emails.
2. A good friend of ours who is, among other things, a drummer recently got hired to tour Europe with one of the better known chillout acts on the scene. [We won't say who, and it's not Thievery Corporation, but they're pretty well known.] He went to the auditions and was surprised that they were all smoking pot and not very serious about playing much music. He was also surprised when they hired him on the spot. Then at the first scheduled rehearsal, he showed up on time, and proceeded to wait by himself at the rehearsal space for THREE HOURS until the band finally showed up. Baked, of course. Then they only practiced three songs and called it a night.
Kurt and I were talking about this, and it just seems odd to me that in an industry where you have to work so hard to even get noticed, people who clearly don't possess a strong work ethic can experience so much success. And these people are being funded by a record label. I wondered aloud if they'd always done things like that, or if after rising in the business, they got more into that partying mentality.
I also wonder how well we will fit into this circuit as our music gets more exposure. I know that in the music industry relationships will make or break your career, and I just wonder if we will be a sort of misfit in the downtempo scene as we get out there and don't party like a rock star. We are just hard working musicians who love downtempo music, but our lifestyle is pretty mild. I mean, you can't really be into the nightlife when you've got a 2 year old waking you up at 6AM every single day non-stop.
I've never been the type to go along with the crowd if it contradicts my convictions. In fact, I can't recall even one occasion where I've knowingly done something I didn't feel good about simply to "fit in". So if I didn't do it back when I was a teenager, I'm certainly not going to do it now.
Anyway, I don't really have any point to make.
But the question on my mind is: Is it enough to just make great music?
I sincerely hope so.
