“Oh so Awaken turned 25 ? That’s such a good news dude”, said that lad who quickly added “so man I’m gonna make a donation to you. But I don’t see any PayPal basket, how can I ever give you tips? I want to give you 50 USD dude”.
Nice he was, therefore I assumed he was a fan. We talked for a few minutes and to fulfill my desperate ego, I asked him what were his favorite of my ‘umble yet ‘eavy work.
“Dunno much, I just have that old cd of yours [fyi: it was “Party In Lyceum’s Toilets”] but for your recent work, I’ve just heard some tunes while streaming around.”
Not upset yet curious, I wanted to know why he never thought of buying the new stuff that is, pardon my arrogance, ways better than the old stuff:
“Ouch dude that costs bucks to buy!”
He looked sincere –even a second hand cars seller couldn’t have faked that well- and taking a big breath (and a sip of good booze) I asked him to do the math with me. And I think it might be worth sharing, since some of you have come with the topic of ‘how can I make a donation to Awaken?’
I appreciate any donation, this goes without saying. It can be 1 euro (or USD or yen or whatever) or 1000.000, any coin and paper will do. No artist would ever go ahead without having money to spend and money doesn’t come from the trees. It can be money or and old synthesizer, guitar strings or even a bottle of Jack Daniel’s, that will always be useful one way or another.
Now let’s do that holy math. You have 50 USD to donate and you haven’t bought any new album lately? Doesn’t it ring a bell on you? Yeah, that 50 USD bill could be easily invested into buying the Awaken or my solo stuff and that wouldn’t hurt anyone.
The generous friend (everyone’s a friend when they show their chips) argued quite smartly, so not to lose face:
“If I buy for 50 USD of your music, how much will you really get after the retailers, the middle men and copyright society will have taken their part? Not much dude. So I’d rather give you that money fully.”
Well, he’s right of course. But he’s wrong at the same time. Feeding the middle men is the name of the game. I have nothing against. That’s how music business is, and if you don’t want it that way, just quit or leave your art for free.
So yes, I still think that when you want to donate some bucks to yours truly, the best way is still to buy the music. I may get less money for myself, but you contribute to keep me in the circuit and allow me to get the exposition I work for. And hey, you get some good shit for your ears!
乾杯!
G.S. (aka “dude”)
PS: just an example of what you can get with the 50 bucks (for your convenience, the price is rounded in this example):
Mokomoko Collection –album-: 8 USD
Legs & Liquor –dub single-: 1 USD
I Could Live In An Airplane –dub single-: 2 USD
Yanagigaura –maxi single-: 3 USD
How Many ‘L’ Were In Your Name –maxi single-: 3 USD
This Mouth –EP-: 9 USD
Áo Dài Màu Hồng –single- : 4 USD
Beppu Nights –EP-: 7 USD
Chú Mèo Ngủ Quên –single-: 3 USD
Farewell To The Pulsar –demo EP-: 7 USD
Total: 47 USD –and amongst other good news, you can get a fix here.
The Many Whiskers Of The Snowcat 