There is little room for ambiguity in today’s economy.
Life is hard. Everyday we are naturally faced with a myriad of person and professional conflicts. Add in the occasional industrial or technological revolution, and everything you’ve learned over the past 20 years goes out the window.
So, you have to make it up everyday. You have to try. Hopefully, the majority of our population is in a situation wherein they are able to make creative decisions, feel both challenged and rewarded, and take some semblance of pride and ownership in who they are and what they do. The products, services, albums, and art that this type of individual creates are sincere and come from the heart. It usually shows.
The 112 Eatery does that. When you walk in, you’re greeted by name and are helped by people who care. As a result, we go back again and again (it doesn’t hurt that the restaurant is located about 30 feet from the studio entrance).
But really, that’s what it takes in any industry. Care.
Tragically, many don’t or simply aren’t able to. Matter of fact, throughout the last few weeks, we have been involved in several situations wherein the individual at the desk or on the end of the line simply didn’t care. That’s unfortunate. In today’s climate of ubiquitous competition, caring, personal connection, and creative passion are of paramount importance.
Candy Chang, a New Orleans-based artist, just put up an absolutely beautiful and moving exhibit in her neighborhood which asks passers-by (and the greater population at large) to consider what they hope to accomplish before they die. Some of the responses involve personal hopes and aspirations, while others are sublime suggestions speaking to the power of our greater humanity.
Its made us grateful for what we do and the opportunities we’ve had. It has been a collective personal dream for all of us at NoWare to make music. Every day we’re blessed to do just that. Thank you, we feel pretty lucky.
And, John, Ian, and Jimmy at the 112 deserve a thank you. Through the diligence and care demonstrated by these three talented bar tenders and the rest of their staff, the 112 is often packed open to close- a perfect example of the craft and attention to detail needed to thrive today and create sustainable “glocal” communities.
So, while it might take Candy some time to bring her exhibit to Minneapolis (apparently she’s working on cities in Alaska and Finland), what do you want to do before you die? If you’re able to bring care and craft to those pursuits, hobbies, and careers, we bet you’ll make an impact…
What would you do with an empty 500 Series rack?
Seriously, nothing seems to suggest “consume” for studio owners more than an empty 500 series equipment rack.
This unit, built by Brent Averill Enterprises, can hold up to 10 modular mic pre amps, EQs, compressors, or other applicable recording esoteria.
We know we need an Empirical Labs DerrEsser and some API 550A EQs, but what else?
New Neve 1073s?
Great River’s Harrison EQs?
If you have any bright ideas, send ‘em along…
We don’t care either…
A few years ago, Ian Rogers, one of the founders of media marketing firm TopSpin, spoke at the Northwest MusicTech Summit, sponsored by NARAS (the Grammy organization).
At that time, in 2008, amidst the closures of major music retailers and falling CD sales, Rogers famously responded to all of the statistics and discussions of new business models by saying, “I don’t care”.
He wasn’t being insincere, instead, Rogers wanted to steer the conversation away from a panicked obsession with the decline of one economic system towards the positive development of a new one- one that was digital, instantaneous, and interconnected through the interwebs.
While many now contend that our “brave new digital world” hasn’t quite materialized (in light of stagnant iTunes numbers and woeful adoption of music subscription services), we realize this morning that we have another reason not to care.
Great music is still being made today.
This morning, Jim Fusilli gave a glowing review of Lucinda William’s latest, “Blessed” calling it one of the best singer-songwriter albums in a long time. That’s pretty high praise. So, we pulled the album up on MOG this morning. Jim’s right, its really good. Lucinda, Elvis Costello, Rami Jaffee (a personal hero), and a bevy of A-list musicians have created a gorgeously moody yet rollicking album. True fun, and great performances.
And then we listened to the new Lykke Li album, “Wounded Rhymes“.
This is an amazing record. Matter of fact, as the album played, we kept turning up the volume (note- this is somewhat dangerous as our Dynaudios can get quite loud). Inventive playing, creative instrumentation, huge sound. Check out “Youth Knows No Pain” and “Get Some”.
These songs aren’t the realm of business models. Musicality is not measured on unit sales. Coinciding with what singer Jeff MacDougall mentioned on a Hypebot post yesterday, music truly is an experience, not a product. This morning, for us, that experience was pretty profound.
Today’s era of creativity is vibrant and growing, and we’re all the better for it. Maybe we should update the now ambiguously famous quote “all you need is three chords and the truth” with “plus some shakers, a microphone, a computer, and some fearlessness”. Indeed.
Finally, in a nod to today’s reality, Lykke Li is streaming the whole album from her website via Soundcloud. Accessibility plus quality equals fandom, and that can be priceless no matter what your business model looks like…
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You have managed to find NoWare. We are a music based creative house located in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
