So much art today is driven by agenda. I think in retrospect I’ve been a bit guilty of this myself. It’s easy to daydream and let your mind wander about what may be someday but this only means you are not focusing on the work thats in front of you, in turn, you are probably creating work that is not focused.

The truly expressive artists are so in love with the craft of making the piece, that where and what might result from its creation is not what is on the artist’s mind. Sure there is a goal in mind for the finished piece that they are working on but what is on their mind at the time the pen is on the paper so to speak, is solely the expression of creating the work itself, not what may stem as a result of the work being created. At least if it’s going to be good art with a true sentiment behind it.

The work is an authentic expression that is not driven by agenda, it is only driven by the soulful yearning of creation alone. When you’re lost in the flow of creation the only thing on your mind is where you are now. The goal is not attention, the goal is bringing the expression to life and then watching it live out in the world. Who reacts to it? How they react to it? These are not things that an artist can never control anyway, so trying to force an agenda upon the work before it’s even finished is truly a waste of energy anyway.

So next time before you sit down to practice your guitar, write your next lyric, or record your next track, take a minute, exhale and let go of any expectations you may have for why you are practicing, writing etc;  and just express how you feel. Enjoy where you are at that moment and let go of any thoughts that dwell on what you are working towards. Enjoy practicing. Enjoy writing. Enjoy living. Tomorrow will come but today is meant for relishing and loving the very thing that you are doing now, not what may come from it later.

Happy Expressing!

Sounds like a confusing topic eh? How can we value worth? Isn’t worth itself a definition of something’s value? Well here’s where I’m going with this. In a society based on commerce and tactile currency, how can we truly place a value on a product, when for the most part, most in our society would rather not pay anything for the products around them. I mean, who wouldn’t want a free TV, or a free iPod or a free pair of shoes. How about free music? Yeah we’re already there aren’t we? We all love a good deal and bargain hunters are never ashamed of paying far less than an item is obviously worth. In fact there is usually some celebratory gloating involved. We’ve all done it! “I got the BEST DEAL on this!” We love it!

I guess what I’m digging into here is not just commerce or survival of the fittest; there are hard societal based morals at stake here that are bigger than most care to notice. Give someone an opportunity to pay less for a product or service and they do so with a smile on their face. They are getting a good deal. Even when they know the service or product is probably worth a great deal more. They don’t see any consequence to them so they have no problem taking the deal.

Where does society and commerce breakdown when our morals have reached the point that we don’t even flinch when we get something for free or for little to no money spent. We deserve it? Even when it’s clear common sense that someone had to spend money to make the product. Someone literally had to put their livelihood on the line to produce the product that is in front of you. If you could look at products in that way would it change their worth to you then? Some of us maybe?

When we devalue that which we want to the point that we are willing to take it for a fraction of what it is truly worth, haven’t we in the very process lessened it’s value? At what point does greed and selfish desire merge with worth so that a fair market price retains value within our conscience?

What if by paying less for a product we ultimately compromise our security? Does deciding to pay less for a product that is clearly worth more, have the potential to compromise the very  economy that our society is based on? Ask anyone in the music business today and I bet you can guess their answer. Ask a politician that is trying to dismantle our dependence on foreign oil and you can probably guess their answer as well.

Is all that is important to you, the money you possess? Or do you realize the decisions we each make ripples and affects everything around us. As a global society we each choose what has value and we each choose how much worth all things have. Do you value what others do for you? Or do you just want a good deal? How many more wars must be fought and how many more youths must die in combat protecting our greed and wants?

Would you lay down your life, or your sons or daughters lives to keep your good deal?
We can continue to wage wars so that we don’t have to spend our money and watch our children die in combat, or we can value their lives and agree to come off our cash at the pump. I bet if you asked anyone that has lost a loved one in their life, to wars for oil, if they would pay $10.00 per gallon of gas, for the rest of their life in exchange to have that loved one back. You know they would do so in a heartbeat. How much money do we spend fighting these wars? How about we cut out half of that expense and instead pay for educating our children and keeping them alive?

The value of worth?

Sorry, I don’t normally use this blog to go off on political rants but sometimes you’ve got to vent.
Peace. Back to the music.

The true spirit of Christmas and the holidays is the gift of unconditional love.

We don’t give gifts and be expectant of others to give in return; we give because we are blessed with the ability to give. We give because we love.

Only those seeking to control and manipulate for personal gain will place conditions on gifts. There will never be guilt or fear involved when receiving unconditional love.

We love and therefore we give. In turn, we love.

Unconditional love is truly circular in nature. There is no end or reward. It is boundless and it is priceless. Do what you do for the sake of love. Never “expect” anything from anyone. No guilt, no fear, no envy and no greed; only love.

Merry Christmas to all!

First and foremost it should be stated that this blog truly applies to DIY artist situations. Which let’s face it, this is everyone that is not selling millions of records today. Situations such as the Lady Gaga industries of the world still need major corporations to facilitate and fulfill demand. Now, as for the rest of us…..

Exclusive = Constricting
In today’s internet age I believe an artist should never sign an exclusive “record label deal”. Instead they should seek out individuals and multiple institutions that function as a collective to accomplish the tasks that are needed for a successful career in art or music. In the end, wouldn’t the entire efforts of everyone ultimately benefit the whole? Isn’t overlaying the premise of yesterday’s dinosauric record deal over today’s tools of the internet age; actually defeating the overall potential of the community at large and limiting the tools that the artist now has available to them? While there is something to be said for loyalty, I pose the question, to what are we loyal to, are we loyal to a business entity that can take responsibility or in the end does the loyalty reside with the music and art? Is the benefit of a particular business the goal or is the real goal proliferating the music and sharing it with the world. When we are talking single dollar sales of today compared to $20 bills of yesterday; it seems it is in the best interest of everyone that gets involved to work together so that there are more sales. Loyalty need not be a one way street. Everyone involved deserves the same level of respect and deserves to be compensated for their efforts.

Only When There is $ Up Front
Without a financial commitment on the front end from the entity that is “the record label” by providing assistance in the funding of products, which in turn gives the record label a valid stake in the success of the product, an exclusive agreement should not be the way forth without their being a financial stake on the front end from everyone involved. This is becoming a rarer and rarer thing. The record business is bankrupt and there is no money up front for an unknown artist. There is too much risk at not enough capital.

If the Compact Disc goes away, the potential need for capital upfront, also goes away. So even this concept down the road may actually become obsolete making the concept of an exclusive agreement even more of a bad idea for an artist.

It is in the best interest of the artist to work online via social media and offline in the real world, making connections and enlisting an army of individuals, promoters and retailers to fulfill all of the functions of yesterday’s classic record label model. Even when it takes classic fundraising from services such as Kick Starter, it is still ultimately the artist that is in charge of orchestrating all of this and the one with everything to lose. Again, why would an exclusive agreement be any benefit to an artist today under this model?

Wal-Mart does not consider itself a record label (while they may have an exclusive deal, that is because they pay for duplication and distribution), iTunes does not consider itself a record label nor does any other mp3 online retailer. Google music being the latest, does not consider itself a record label needing an exclusive deal. They are all only facilitators for having the music heard. The artist needs them all.

The difference in many cases today is when a retailer makes the extra effort to promote the music as well as sell it for multiple artists and this does indeed deserve compensation for the time and work that is involved. A percentage of music sold via their outlet should be enough to compensate the individual without having to sign an exclusive deal. Again I say, it’s in the best interest of this retailer if there are more than one retailers promoting the artist, everyone stands to gain. Of course each retailer is only promoting their storefront but getting the name of the band or artist out into the world will only help the consorted effort over all.

If an exclusive agreement is mandated between a record label retailer and an artist and an artist pursues other retailers to also sell the music, I feel it becomes a conflict of interest and stirs up ill will between the artist and label even though it’s all done hopefully to enable the success of all parties involved.

All for One and One for All
I’m obviously writing this from an artist’s perspective and this would, on the surface, all seem to potentially benefit an artist the most. The reality is though that in today’s internet age an artist is on their own to decide what to do with their art and who to work with. Limiting this to an exclusive agreement seems like an archetype of the past and way to put all your eggs into one basket and watch them slowly cook over a decade or so until your music gets heard or not. How can it possibly be a better situation for the music to only be emanating from one source? Today, only a global community that truly emanates the music via multiple circles at once can ensure the success of music and the arts.

An End to Piracy For Real!
There is true strength in numbers and in community. This is fact. People deserve compensation for their efforts, this is also fact. I simply believe that the days of the exclusive record label agreement is an antiquated dinosaur from an era where the artist had no connection to the world other than through the record label. This is obviously not the case anymore. Loyalty should be to the music and to the art, not to whoever signed it to an agreement first. If you’ve been given a chance by the artist to earn a percentage, then if the work is of quality and your network is vast you should have no problem being compensated for your promotional efforts. When this is the case, any individual with a website and some knowledge and desire, could potentially become a promoter and retailer that ultimately benefits from the music and arts. Music should be available for sale from every website that wants to share it and the owner of that site should get a percentage of the sale. Talk about a way to stop piracy!!! Give everyone the chance to benefit and profit from the traffic on their own site! A shopping cart widget could easily setup the architecture for this scenario.

I await the record labels complete and utter balking of this notion but to me it seems a smart way forward as a global cooperative where everyone works together without a feeling of servitude and without a feeling of being denied or unappreciated for their efforts. We all want to be appreciated for what we do. In the end it’s more of a change of perspective than a fundamental change in the way of conducting business. We’re actually already doing this via Facebook, Twitter, Myspace and the like, the only difference is that there are still corporate entities trying to control the source (the artist) and be the single bank on the back side where the money ultimately ends up. When demand increases and the artist is no longer capable of managing things themselves, then there will be more money to compensate people for handling the control of the situation.

Time to Fly
If the music is the important thing, then set it free and let it flourish, propagate and fly. Trapping the artist in the cage of an exclusive agreement only limits their potential and the potential profits of any and all retailers that the artist has given permission to sell their work. Promotions should not emanate from only one source. They may start with one but ultimately to be successful today they must proliferate and spread like a virus online through many circles.

I say if you’re an artist starting out, stop pursuing the record deal entirely and build a team that can discover, market, retail, counsel and support you instead. All you need to do is define clearly the expectations of everyone involved before you begin working with them. More than likely no one will get rich from this scenario but the world will be a richer place for it and everyone can have a stake in the success of an artist or band.

It’s a simple fact in this world. You get out of it what you put into it. Why should art and music bear the brunt of indentured servitude any longer when one person can ultimately connect with every living soul that has connected to them via the internet?

All that is necessary is the new perspective of how the global community can function together. Hopefully this will not be seen as disrespectful to anyone and to the ways of the past. Ideally, I hope it gives more people ideas about how they too can set their love free and take part in something they care deeply about. Both the lovers of the art and the creators.

Fly! – John

The statement could mean many things. It could relate to the progress towards a goal or it could also possibly be a symbolic meaning for a place. For me the name simply means “striving”.
Reaching Ground

It’s a statement that seems to be resonating deep in my soul every time I meditate on it or think about it. It’s a concept that I almost always write about in my songs. What it takes to try and what it means to believe in yourself.
Reaching Ground

The concept for the name came to me one evening this week after a stressful day, quieting my mind and thinking about where I am in life, what I’ve accomplished and where I’m going. I was a bit confused overall to say the least. The encompassing feeling that I had at the time, was that of not being able to tell if I was arriving at something, or if I was walking away. Everything in my life right now has that kind of crossroads feel to it and while I’ve certainly chosen a direction and have started plowing down the path; I’m not entirely sure if I’m arriving at what is new or walking away from what is old.
In all reality, the answer is obviously both.
Reaching Ground

Awhile back I wrote a blog entitled “What’s in a Name” where I declared the search for a real name for the band was underway. So after almost a solid year of searching and trying to discover a name that described what I feel my music is about and the overall vibe of what the music sounds like; the quest is over! I give you the name of the new band!!
Reaching Ground

Reaching Ground defines a hope and possibly even defines the taking of a stand, in realizing who I am, what I stand for and where I want to go. I hope people are able to relate to it and put themselves behind this rallying cry and feel a true kinship with the concept. It certainly has much more depth than calling the band “John Orr Franklin Band”.
Reaching Ground

There is already an online push to test market and brand the name online and there is even some NEW MUSIC to coincide with the launch. We hope you enjoy the new direction and we’d love it if each and every one of you that have kept up with the music of John Orr Franklin over the years will visit the new pages and connect with us there as well. Thank you for the continued love and support! See you on the new pages!
Reaching Ground

http://www.reachingground.com

a new start, a new way, a new day, a new focus, turning the page
Reaching Ground

Rg is the 111th element of the periodic table of elements, officially approved and added November 4, 2011.
Read more on this here!