Buying from original artists
Grope
2,970 Posts
So I contacted a German Jazz msuician asking him if he had some leftover copies of his old record. He answered me quickly, saying that even his personal copies were sold a long time ago. But he seemed happy that a young guy was interested in his late 60s release. He offered to send me a remastered CD (his son digitally remastered the original recordings for his 50th birthday). His son only pressed ONE CD of it. So the German Jazz musicain copied his only CD and sent it to me. Including a picture cover and all that. I'm totally happy. Don't get me wrong. I appreciate it. Eventhough he offered me the CD first place. I never asked him for a CD.Anyway, NOW, he's asking me to pay 25 Euros (= 30 USD) for the CD copy. He never said that I need to pay for it before. I was offering him some CD copies of my favorite old Jazz records in return. We never spoke about money! I know some people might think that I'm a cheapskate, espacially since there are only 2 CDs of the recording and since he copied it especially for me, but anyhow, I'm a little pissed off.Should I pay him the money? I think it would still be cool, but I'm not 100% sure yet. Help me out. Advise please...
Comments
i wouldn??t pay
Is it good?
i was sayin' - i'd pay him, but my girlfriend who read the letter by him was like: "wtf? he didn't tell you that you need to pay for the cd. what an arse!". so i was thinking that she might be right. he should have told me before. but since the music is so good and it probably took some time to copy the CD including the cover, I'll pay him. RIGHT? I wouldn't hesitate to pay, if it were only 10 euros or so. but 25? that's quite a lot... well, i'm not sure how to handle this at all...
i'll put it like this: at least one song will be used for my mix for you. which will be finished next month (please excuse - exams' coming up)
But it's my first time contacting an original artist. It might just be the going rate... (not that there is a going rate for sth like that, but still, it might be a "going rate")
This is a guy who made music that you think is great, great enough to try and track him down... he made you a CD and while his methods are suspect, you would've had no problem paying for the records (for resale or for yourself?
People in this game are so caught up in the status of rare vinyl we too often forget that these artists are people who created it in the first place. Every time I talk to an artist it is important to me that the conversation to go beyond just "do you have extra copies of this record".
You're not duty bound to pay him 25 euro, but I think that's the right thing to do. If you are broke then offer him what you can afford.
i did that too. i contacted him to say hi and to tell him that i really appreciate his music. i couldn't resist to ask for an extra copy though... he replied immediately and offered to send me a cd first place.
yeah, that's what i'm thinking. i might pay him the 25 euros. but i still think that his method are suspect. he should have told me before sending the CD to me.
yes! that's right. i might just pay him and say thanks again.
You poor doggie?
Aha, but so does the artist...
ethical quandry?
Have you been buying latin artists and their records lately?
and he's only a little more suspect than if he actually had jawns, you brought them and you sold them for more than you paid for them without upping him on the value of said jawns. If you don't want to deal with these cats on their on terms, stick to digging and leave them alone. YOU CAN'T JERK THEM ALL.
One thing to remember is how many of these artists, who have made this great music that we all love, are flat broke right now. Hard for even the super talented to make money in the music business.
If you really respect the guy's work I'd send it to him. I mean, his tactics kinda make him sound desperate.
in fact, i know that he is not poor. he owns a jazz club, is a teacher and his wife owns a book shop. that's what's bugging me most. i'll send him the money, but i still think he's acting a little strange. he really should have told me earlier that he expects me to pay that much money for a cd copy.
BUT afterall, the cd is dope and he included a nice picture copy of the cover. in the end, it's all good.
any other experiences? artists acting strange? do people usually get paid for interviews (say interviews that appear in wax poetics)? i'd like to call some german musicians, but i'm a little scared that they expect to get paid for interviews...
Anyways, I have been in contact with a quite a few old musicians here in Denmark. I would never pay for any interview. Just tell them the truth which is that you're doing it because you care about their music and you dont make much money from it anyways.
I have heard many stories about people demanding pay to talk through my job. We never pay anybody. The last person I heard about that wanted money was Gorbatjov. They didnt pay him though and therefore didnt get the interview.
Most of the musicians I have met or talked to have been really friendly and flattered that somebody my age actually knows who they are and care for their music. My guess is that most musicians in Germany would act the same way.
Grope, just go ahead! You will learn so much about their music and music in general.
Bless,
Dress
I say pay the guy but make tactful mention of the fact you weren't aware of paying him for the CDR. You are getting a decent rip for your mix, right?
It isn't common. Usually they do it as part of publicity for their music. But certain artists do indeed expect to get paid for Interviews. A certain well-known jazz-funk artist is demanding something in the area of 10k for a phone interview. Guess how soon you'll see his name in an article in a magazine like wax poetics...
10k? that's crazy!!! but i was already guessing that some artists act weird. I bet that some German Jazz artists would demand big money too. That's why I never ried to contact them.
But Dress might be right. I really need to start interviewing local people. When was the last time you read a good interview with a German Jazz or Jazz/Funk artist?
a local musician. local local. very unknown. his bassist was wolfgang schmid who is now one of the best Jazz bassists worldwide...