I would also like to publicly note the support given to the nascent (and ongoing) DGM by Declan Colgan, Hero of A&R (plus much more besides), and Richard Chadwick, Manager To The Stars. Declan continues to be passionate about music, which is rare for anyone who has been involved in the music industry for longer than a week or two. And I never once had cause for concern that Richard's managerial advice was primarily directed to serving his own interest, at the expense of his artist/s. For me, that was novel.
Also, many thanks to Diane Aldahl, formerly a Big One of The Big Three at DGM. Diane is honouring her family necessities and has returned from Wiltshire to live in Los Angeles. Diane joined David and myself at a time when the company needed support, and Diane gave it. Her commitment, cheeriness and people skills kept the sun shining at DGM even when it was raining in our hearts.
?
DGM World Central.
Dear Team,
DGM is now into its second life cycle. DGM was born during a time of war with little going for it other than the conviction that there had to be a better way, some good musicians, David Singleton and myself. And cruel necessity. The formal relationship between David and myself is now 50/50 partnership, we know more good musicians, good staff, and a better way is becoming more readily available with new technology. Necessity remains, although gentler. DGM's core strength throughout its existence has been the Ton Prob production team.
DGM has always been in essence a music production company, rather than a record company. A "record company" carries a host of expectations, from public and artists. A "record company" does a lot of things "for nothing", in the conventional view. This "nothing" the company recovers by ownership and exploitation of artists and copyrights. DGM has no ownership of artists nor copyrights, so had no way of recovering the costs of providing "record company services", or quasi-managerial work, which were increasingly expected by its artists: the cost of maintaining the DGM website, promotion, publicity, advertising, mail outs. Fans treating DGM as the "King Crimson Fan Club", rather than a business, similarly undermined DGM's trading position.
DGM has reconstructed and is repositioning itself, primarily through David Singleton's points of seeing into how the music industry is presently configured and what is being made possible through new technology.
Bootleg TV (based in Seattle) was a result of David's vision, a vision that has now returned to David and DGM. Bootleg Networks continues as a technology company, and DGM is incorporating the musical aspects of that company. The effects of this will become apparent when confidence returns to the technology sector, and digital networking (eg broad band) becomes established. Meanwhile, David and I continue as consultants to Bootleg Networks. The main period of BTV's origination (July 1998 to September 2000), seen in retrospect, was the beginning of DGM's second cycle.
The prime change in the record industry in the past seven years has been the internet. The prime effect of this change: it is no longer feasible to police copyrights. Everything else will follow from this.
The major music companies, recording and publishing, effectively own the entire musical output of the twentieth century. This position cannot be maintained for very much longer. Changes in value systems, human relations, degrees of responsibility, all follow in turn. This requires flexibility, and a flexible mind set. The unit of organisation best positioned to respond flexibly to what is necessary is the small, mobile, intelligent and independent unit.
DGM is developing a model constructed on David's vision. An immediate effect of this for artists is to give them greater power and involvement in their affairs, and greater responsibility. This is a model likely to appeal to the committed player, the lifer, successful in their field to a sufficient and necessary degree. This is not a model likely to appeal to the hugely successful new artist, whose fame is primarily based on a massive media drive and appeal.
Very best wishes for the new millennium.
?
15.33
One of the prime Guitar Craft aphorisms is this:
We pick up our own tab.
This addresses, inter alia, the responsibility that accompanies choice. In other words, this is part of what is involved in meeting the obligations which accompany "free will". Free will is not free. Free will is very expensive.
We can do anything we decide to do, providing we are able to address the consequences and accept the repercussions. What is not legitimate is where we take decisions and then pass on the consequences to others.
A larger example of this: EG Management. Mr. Alder took business decisions, including the move into property development and the Lloyd's insurance market (1978-84). A result of this, in the short term, was that he took less interest in the artists he managed. A result, in the longer term, was that (with his partner) he borrowed £4 million in a 2 year period from the EG Music Group (1989-90) which was then unable to pay royalties and artist income. To keep my own affairs afloat Mr. Alder, acting on my behalf with power of attorney, arranged loans to my company upon which I paid interest (estimated cost to myself: c. £27,500). That is, Mr. Alder passed on the consequences of his own business choices to his artists. As a chartered accountant, "renowned for his probity and sound business practices", this was neither probe nor sound. January 1st. 2001 is the 10th. anniversary of the critical EG royalty default, beyond which concealment was no longer possible.
A smaller example is where the cleaning person for this house overrode the programme set up by the house's "clerk of works", who has overall responsibility towards the functioning of the house, and cancelled the monthly top-up service of the company which supplies the central heating oil. Much better, this person suggested, that they kept an eye on the fuel level themselves. And then didn't. The fuel ran out, the boilers stopped, all manner of wretched consequences follow for an old, dodgy heating system that should never have been installed to begin.
In small and significant ways, much like this, the ecology and economy of our affairs in life are prejudiced by simple acts of carelessness.
It is very easy, with tv news bringing us 24 hour coverage of global events far beyond our control and comprehension, knowing the poverty of our nature and the macro-insignificance of our being, to forget our responsibility in micro-acts and decisions. Decision, whether we are aware of it or not, is global. It is a qualitative act, and generates consequences and repercussions far beyond what is visible before our personal horizon.
If we fail to meet the consequences of a small and personal act, someone else has to pick up the tab. This is redemption. In many small ways we are all invited to participate in the "larger" redemptive act, although we make a mistake in believing that redemption is only a "big thing". It is both big, small and all sizes in between: a qualitative act cannot be contained within a quantitative world, although a quantitative world may undermine the depth of effects available to qualitative action.
In the performance life which I regularly inhabit, an ongoing assumption from many members of the audience appears to be that the performer onstage should, need & must accept and absorb the negative consequences of their own, joint and several, audience actions. Like, recording, photography and related connected behaviours which act together to undermine the world of performance in our contemporary culture. It is not sufficient to plead ignorance of effects when poking a small creature with a pointed stick. It is not sufficient to plead ignorance when poking a large creature with a pointed stick. But effects there will be, sooner or later. This is inevitable. "The animal should grow up, or get out of the kitchen" is an insufficient retort, and serves to demonstrate the visible horizon available to the person holding the stick. The horizon may well be closer than the end of the stick.
Mr. Alder, from my side, is forgiven. Nevertheless, there is a tab which has his name written on the top. This particular kind of tab is not one that can be settled by others, unless the need for negotiation is recognised, requested, engaged, addressed, and entered into upon agreed terms with the establishment holding the bill of settlement. This bill will be paid, sooner, later.
In my life, I have been negotiating "terms of settlement" for some time: I do not wish to be grabbling around in small change while approaching the Gates of Paradise, nor writing promissory notes to The Big Cheese. Meanwhile, I am happy to report good news with those negotiations.
Meanwhile, my home is becoming warmer, and once again someone else has passed me a small tab with their name at the top.
17.30
John Wetton and I have caught up, telephonically, on our latest events and arisings. JW is croaking with seasonal Devil Disease, and off to Tokyo this weekend. Our mutual cappuccini consumption planned for the Christmas holidays is delayed.
20.39
An evening of lecture drafting, plus a call to Hernan Nunez in Germany. The upcoming Italian course will be international and large.
"Trust music."
