Klarinet Archive - Posting 000400.txt from 2002/09

From: "Anthony Wakefield" <tony-w@-----.uk>
Subj: Re: [kl] "tooting your own horn"
Date: Fri, 20 Sep 2002 11:04:22 -0400

Like I said a few days ago, it`s the only form of advertising a composer can
get if s/he is on their own as an individual.
Unfortunately, this can quite often not look quite so attractive as a big
publisher`s advertising, due to the enormous expense the biggies can go to.
Bear has probably over-indulged his ad space a little too much in klarinet,
at the expense of trying to discover, and make genuine friends, who would be
only too willing to then help push his cause. He won`t be able to do this
within klarinet, as it`s members are too far scattered.
All thru` history, I`m sad to say, is that the individual artiste who
vocalises as his way of selling his art has not been seen to be tolerated,
if his main concern has been to push his own works. Hence the use of the
psudonym, which helps the "pusher" to "push" someone else`s art - if you can
see thru` my hidden logic. The painter would "show" his work. He wouldn`t
"describe" it as a means of selling it. A composer should therefore let the
"sound" of his art therefore be judged by his listeners. This, unfortunately
will work out to be more expensive, unless the composer has his loyal
friends to play and/or record it for him.

The big conglomerates can of course push till Hell freezes, and not too many
are offended, as it is accepted that this kind of exposure is what makes the
world go round.

Where is the balance between the two kinds?
Tony W.

> Nancy,
> The quality of Bear's music has not been the point. Never has, at least on
> the BBoard.
>
> As Jim Fay put it so well many years back now in one of his notes for
> Klarinet:
> "Repeated commercial advertising is more likely to alienate readers of the
> list than generate customers."

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