When to take jobs on and when not to

R

rob aylestone

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As I've got older (and grumpier, says the wife) I react badly to idiots who phone me and say, I hear you do recordings - and then the first thing they ask is "how much?" Usually, if somebody mentioned money first, I don't want to do it. This week, via Facebook of all things, somebody local asked if anyone new somebody who could record them - and I got suggested. A young girl - probably 18-20 from her Facebook pics. We do have a few mutual friends from entertainment around here, so I asked her to tell me what she wanted and she said she'd written a song. I asked if she had it recorded on her phone or something I could hear? I got a dodgy audio track but she did have a useful voice, although the sad waily style - not really my thing, but I was interested. A quick shazam, however revealed what she had done was take a commercial track, and write new words. So what I did was write a new track using different but complimentary chords - played rhthmically differently and mine might go up and the original down and vice versa. Mine had a different left hand and 9ths, Major 7s etc. The basic song is just piano - then strings and a bit of percussion pop in half way through. All she needs to do is change the melody she sings a little and we have a totally different and nice song - hopefully.

Shazam doesn't link the old and the new - so I think I have it.

A good day today - Youtube emailed to say my complaint that BMG had claimed one of my own songs as one of theirs has been released. Damn cheek that a big company like that claim little people like me's own work!
 
If someone says to me "I hear you do recording", my first question is "what do you have in mind?"

If they couple "I hear you do recording" with "how much do you charge", my first question back is still the same.
 
I’m going to use this as an experiment. I’ll add her as an artiste to my songtradr account and manage it. Offer her a 50/50 on the residual after fees etc. Her name, not a ‘feat.’ tag. I’ll register the recording side as me doing everything bar singing and register the song as words her, me music and then leave her to market it. I don’t expect anything but it will be useful to see how the system works. I’m VAT registered so thats another thing to explore to see how it impacts on the accounting side.
 
Change of plan. I'll see you at 10.00am produced nothing. At 11.30 I messaged. Sorry, my friend had an accident. Studio cleaned, tidied. Kit set up, tracks prepared and a no show. A simple message telling me the problem would have been fine. Me having to chase her? Forget it.
 
For someone who's still employed, being on time is important. For those of us who have hit retirement, Monday at 10 is the same as Tuesday at 2, as long as I'm not at the dentist or the golf course....

Hopefully you'll finally get together, find out you've got a killer song, a big star will pick it up and turn it into a #1 hit, and you'll end up swimming in money!

.... well, we can dream, can't we?
 
She contacted me over the weekend and I gave her the benefit of the doubt. We re-arranged for today between 2 and 4. At 2.50 she texts to say between 3 and 4, and it is now 4.35 with no more messages. I am NOT going to text and ask where she is. We're done!
 
rob aylestone said:
She contacted me over the weekend and I gave her the benefit of the doubt. We re-arranged for today between 2 and 4. At 2.50 she texts to say between 3 and 4, and it is now 4.35 with no more messages. I am NOT going to text and ask where she is. We're done!
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Would it be considered prejudiced if I guessed this person was either a millennial or younger?
 
Spot on! I checked out facebook. A mutual friend popped up. I text him. “Do you know XXX well? She didn’t turn up twice?” He responded and said she set up a home cleaning service. He booked her. She never turned up!
 
Too bad. I guess some people are just too important to think that other's might also have important things to do.

On another topic, I've never used Shazam. All I've seen is the TV show where people try to "Beat Shazam". Didn't have a clue that it was actually a service that you could use to search for songs.

I wonder what it would do if you threw a generic I IV V blues progression. There must be 1000 other songs out there with that!
 
Apparently - it's me that's in the wrong for not considering her reasons for not attending. She saw my message saying I'd gone home so thought there was no reason to get in touch till today! Shazam is actually pretty good - I use it to find things and it is damn good, but I also use to check it doesn't think a track I have done is somebody else. Occasionally, if I'm doing a cover - for a stage track, it says it is the orginal. At that point I know its good enough!
 
There are thoughtless self centered people like that of all ages. You aren't the reason for her character flaws.

Mick
 
There is one other studio within ten miles. We get on really well and help each other out. He just called to say she has been in touch. She has a track she needs to sing on. Presumably the rough demo I sent her that is in no way finished. He's declined to help her, although he did it differently. He said £50 and hour. Minimum 4 hours.
 
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