Why Bother!

Today, right now, as we speak, or read, my latest release is out there just waiting for you to go gaga over. Desperate Mothers and the Fabulous Perch, is now officially released and available, in both physical, and not so physical, mediums for the world to enjoy.

The question a few may ask, is why. Given how much music is put out there and the finite amount of time people have to listen, much less new stuff from someone they've never heard of, that's a perfect acceptable question.
I could be glib and say, "It's because I can," which is true, but beyond that it's also the nature of existence. Think of the metaphysical tree in the forest question, then put it in the real world and the answer is: if you have no presence where you can be found, then you do not exist. It doesn't matter how good or how bad your songs may be if no one can hear them.

For someone like me, who has dwelt in the house of anonymity, the desire to be heard is profound. It doesn't matter, as a philosophical proposition, how many people hear what I written and recorded; I do care and like any artist would like many to hear and enjoy what I do, but even if it's only a few, it is still verification of existence, of being an artist in this world.

It also means that all that work, even from long ago, still has value and still has a place.

That might seem an odd thing to say, but for a long time having any means to distribute your work outside of a label contract was high-near impossible. Recording was expensive and distribution out of reach for any regular musician. Even those of us who found our way into DIY production and were able to make high-quality recordings, it was still prohibitive to have them manufactured in a way that people would see as legitimate; think, vinyl, cassettes, CDs with actual artwork, etc. Any idea of what a run of 100 albums would have cost in 1985? Today, it's $1500-2000. That's not chump change. CD's are less expensive, about $300 or so, but CD's are uncool now whereas vinyl records have that cool factor, but getting someone to fork over 15+ dollars for a 40 minute record may not be as easy as you think.
Streaming may not pay much, assuming you have enough listeners and play to cross the magic threshold where you'll actually get paid, but you can be heard.

And that is the heart of the matter.

If you so desire, you can hear the album on Spotify, Apple Music or at mrprimitivemusic.com.

©2018 David William Pearce