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Looking Back on ParachuteSomeone recently contacted me because she'd read my article on the cost of making a CD. She wondered if I could update that article and talk a bit about how I feel about the cost and my ability to recoup (or not!) the money that was invested in Parachute. So, here we go: First, and very importantly, things changed in the world of music distribution around the time that I released Parachute. This is a good thing, but I think a lot of us (including the major labels and big independent record companies) were unprepared. Anyone under the age of 50 is able, willing and happy to download whatever music they're listening to. They are not buying CDs or any hard copy of the music we make like they used to. Hopefully, they are actually purchasing the music they enjoy, but that may not be the case. So, for those of us who have invested a lot into artwork and packaging, we're eating that now. The packaging of Parachute was very expensive. I spent about $7000 just to press, print and manufacture the CD. My numbers may not be totally accurate because of my memory, but suffice it to say that that's money spent that has been hard to recover. Having said that, it's important to also say that I love the package and am VERY glad to have put it together. To boot, my husband, Peter Schoenberger, who did the photography on that CD, was in the top 5 photographers for the International Music Awards. That's exciting and is a good thing to put on my resume. Making a beautiful package makes sending out a piece of music a lot easier. The recipients are more likely to open it if it's beautiful. As well, in various reviews that were printed in magazines and on-line, it felt good to have such a great cover for the world to see. An intangible, but valuable too. I spent somewhere in the neighborhood of $65k on Parachute. You shudder! (and so do I!) But over half of that money was spent on packaging and on marketing. I have no problem with the budget in terms of the music piece. I like to pay musicians and engineers who work with me. Its good karma and it supports the local economy - all very important. (I like to be paid, so I assume that others do too). If I were to re-evaluate the cost of Parachute and tell myself what I wouldn't do again, this is what I wouldn't do: I would not have been so determined to find success with this record. This was a personal recording that needed to be made in honor of my son Forrest. No amount of money was too much, and no amount of time. However, the fact that I overlaid a hope that the world would want to buy this record that was so important to me was, I think, a mistake. Perhaps in time I will reconsider this thought, but for now, that's how I feel. I wanted the world to know Forrest, and I wanted the world to know how much I love him. That is still true, but there is no market plan for such a goal. It simply has to be said and expressed. I spent $5000 to hire a successful quintet to do the strings on "Sarah" and "World on Fire". That was a thrill, but overkill. I could have hired people from the local orchestra here in Woodstock who would have played just as well for a third of the cost. My ego took hold of me in that week and I wish that it had not. But, it was really fun to go to a fabulous studio in New York City and work with those outstanding musicians. It was a good and easy day for them and I'm sure they were grateful for that. Nice people, too! I don't know that I needed to hire a radio promoter. This was not radio-ready music. BUT I love Lisa Grey, the woman I hired, and to her enormous credit, she told me she couldn't get the CD to chart (because of the personal nature of it) and despite that, she managed to get nearly 100 stations to play it just for a little while. One station, a great station in Philadelphia called WXPN - has a dj - Chuck Elliot, Sleepy Hollow - who picked the CD in his top 5 for 2006 - again, something that honors me and which is great for my resume, but which is also intangible. These are things that probably don't sell too many records but which keep my name in front of the public. Similarly, print campaigns that I ran were a waste of money. I think it's best to work locally and sell to the people in your region or town. Thinking too much bigger than that without a very well thought out touring schedule that includes radio promotion is risky. I didn't do those things, so it was money wasted. Here's the bottom line. I've only sold 2000 copies of Parachute(more or less). I needed to sell 5000 to break even. I have never not broken-even, so it was a reasonable risk to take. You do the math: I've lost a lot of my own money as well as the money of my investors (who are a kind and generous lot!). Here's the problem: my investors knew what they were doing. They are wealthy people (or they were before the fall of 2008!) and they aren't sitting around wondering where my check for them is. On the other hand, not being able to pay them back in full means that I cannot ask them for help again. It means that I can't tell other future potential investors about my successful track record with previous investors. In means that my sources will be limited the next time around and this is the real sadness. The days of patrons may have to come back for all of us to continue to make the music that we love. But I think a more sensible solution is to make MUCH less expensive records. With the studio that I have now (which, granted, is quite nice) I can make a good, reasonably priced recording for about $5k - 8k. That means that I'm asking my friends for favors, yes, and I'm recording and mixing on a much, much smaller level, and I'm not doing an over-the-top bit of artwork either, but it can be done. And I know this because we did it on A Litte Dream, which was released in 2007. I hope that these thoughts help you to determine where to spend your money. I have no qualms about anyone spending as much as they want on any creative project that they are pursuing. And in the case of a project like this one where the reason for creating is so important, don't think about money. Just do what you have to do. BUT, if you're making a record that's for commercial purposes and from which you intend to make a living, make a budget and stick to it. Cut out the bells and whistles (except for the ones that really, really float your artistic boat) and then get down to the business of doing the best work that you can. I wish you much luck and good wishes.
Love, |
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