Musicians, When you were in your 20s, May Determine your Chance for a Career!

MUSICIAN, TELL ME WHAT DECADE YOU WERE IN, IN YOUR TWENTIES, AND I’LL TELL YOU IF YOU HAVE HAD A MUSIC CAREER. Let’s see how close I can come.

1960 – 1979
Musicians who were in their twenties during the years 1960-1979:

Hundreds of labels competed for best songs, best groups, and the radio played the cream of the crop. YOU either were part of some aspect of this explosion of music in every genre, OR you were a major player in a strong local scene, OR you or a fellow musician you knew, made it nationwide. You heard your music, or the music of friends on local radio and maybe a few times nationwide.

1980 – 1989
Musicians who were in their twenties during the decade from 1980-1989:
You had to have a video to have a career because of MTV (before Michael Jackson, they blocked all musicians of color – so many of you had no chance till that change). Quality of the song came in second, to visual appeal.
The price of making a video soon was out of your range to all but the largest music labels, and your attempts looked amateurish. CD’s were the new technology, and all musicians could make them in limited runs. But most of CD sales went to best recordings of the past, or current superstars.
You still could tour and back up touring acts, but it was hit and miss, and excluding a fluke hit, your best chance was learning new technology, and being a studio musician. Few if any had national careers, the labels began to consolidate, and a few superstars, with glowing reviews – that to your ears didn’t seem all that great at all – took over the charts. A rare few of you got airplay on local radio stations – usually limited to Sunday night dead air times! Punk rock was popular, but few could sell many records. The music media began to be either corporate ad driven press releases, or zine indie music reviews.
You began to see the music industry as mostly blocked from you and the musicians you knew.

1990 – 1999.
Musicians who were in their twenties during the two decades from 1990 – 1999:
Were you cute, adorable, and in a boy band? That was your only chance. The rest of you led an indie grunge path. You sounded like every other alt band; but you could tour and play half empty clubs. Soon indie musicians all sounded the same. You got no radio airplay – the only music that did was generic pop – and tours were getting too expensive and limited to top acts. You sold a few CD’s but got no publicity or reviews other than someone’s fanzines.

2000 – 2020.
Musicians who were in their twenties during the two decades from 2000 – 2020:
You have never been in the music industry. You are not now. No one you know is. The consolidation of all the labels in the world into THE BIG 3 LABELS: Sony, Universal, Warner, has ruined the music industry – propped up the same 9 aging pop stars – you are not one of them – blocked all new music and, through the media and radio they own, they dominate all, and give themselves constant good reviews. You think this is normal!
You feel your place in music, is no place at all. You can search out your favorites on the net – but you still don’t understand that they, for all their real talent, are lucky to make minimum wage – with no benefits. Cooking fires pays better! You are so beaten down that you can’t even imagine a music revolution against all this.
The musicians you know can make great technical recordings and many have fine talent, but you all know that none of you will ever get radio play, concerts in anywhere larger than half empty clubs, or playing with many others on a festival stage.
You get some streaming money, but are not surprised to learn that 1% of musicians make 90% of all streaming money – so even those partial pennies for you are peanuts. You never hear anyone really exciting on national or local radio. Concerts are the same dinosaurs that have toured for years. You’ve given up, buried your head in the sand, and not only accept all this mess as normal, but support it with your dollars!
You blame boomers, they blame you! You hear about a music revolution but doubt it!

Fifty Years Ago, or The Ballad of John and Martha

FIFTY YEARS AGO , or The BALLAD of JOHN and MARTHA

This is a convoluted story about a MYSTERY TAPE. – with link and 2 photos!

George Gimarc has quite a bio in music. Here is a quote from his Wikipedia entry:

George Douglas Gimarc (born 1957) is an American disc jockey, record and radio program producer and author based in Texas and is in the Texas Radio Hall of Fame. He is known for his extensive and
authoritative knowledge about the classic rock radio format, recorded music in general, and specifically the era of punk rock. His broadcast programs have been heard in various formats in the US, Canada, Europe and New Zealand, via licensed stations and unlicensed pirate radio transmitters.

Through the years I have contacted him a few times about my music so we know each other. Then on August 6th, he emailed me with this message:
This is a sampler of an unlabeled tape found among the debris of Sellers Recording Studio. Is this collection of songs you?

He had added a link that had a sampler of the songs from a longer tape.

I listened … and went back 50 years. The technical sound was very very good, the instrumentation was simple and direct, but the straightforward voice was different and could have been me, or someone else …. I listened some more.

Then a few phrases popped up – that were definitely me – the lyrics of mine back then, were very specific so that I began to notice phrases that I had labored over during the making of this music – my first rock opera – John and Martha, a 5 act illustrated short story. I made it a point that each song would move the love story forward, so there was little wasted lyrics. The recording was made in the early 1970s when I had just gotten out of NTSU and moved to Dallas.

The Beatles album Sgt. Pepper had inspired me to connect my songs into a story. John and Martha was my first major illustrated short story. As I worked on it, the story began to evolve and included everything a short story would have: action, romance, some character development, and a plot. This recording was my first studio recording made somewhere between 1973-77.  I sang all four parts

Gimarc had found the boxes in storage on the Texas gulf coast. There was water damage on most of them. See the photo he sent me of a typical box.

He had rescued them just in time. They were soon to be destroyed as trash. Some tapes were completely ruined, some were playable. My tape was in its own individual box; but that had disintegrated from the weather and water damage. Remarkably the tape was in good condition. Whatever identification there had been though, was on the box that had disintegrated. There were no markings of any kind on the tape itself. Gimarc got the boxes of tapes back to Dallas and began to investigate.

Gimarc is not only a music collector; he has also issued certain albums of the treasures he has unearthed. Perhaps the most noteworthy include the Grammy award winning album, of previously unknown live recordings of Hank Williams from 1950 called The Garden Spot Programs; and Glen Campbell Sings for the King, a collection of demos for Elvis Presley sung by Glen Campbell!!! These collections of rarities are ongoing projects, and he tells me, more are on the way. I encourage readers to follow up on these historical releases.

Now back to the boxes of tapes and what was found inside them. He said most of the tapes were corporate ads of varying originality, lots of radio promos, and some assorted music like mine.

When it came to the mystery tape, he said that he had asked his friends and music contacts if anyone could identify the singer or the songs. Finally he found one that said it might be me, because he seemed to recall one of my 3 – VERY OBSCURE – how in the world anyone would remember – 45 singles that had two cuts from my John and Martha rock opera!

DESK CLERK/ OTHERS LIKE YOU. 1978. Two songs from my cast recording of John and Martha. I sang the uptempo song Desk Clerk, and Joy Tarver sang the ballad, Others LIke You. The main cast was Martha, sung by Karen Bella (a notable singer, composer in her own write – hear her on youtube!) and John, sung by me. This 45 was from a later version of John And Martha that had a 4 person cast. (See photo).

Those of you, patiently waiting, to hear this tape of the full recording of JOHN AND MARTHA will have to wait longer. We’ve decided to hold out a bit on that! But for those wanting to hear a sampler of the recovered tape; here is the link:

MYSTERY TAPE, JOHN AND MARTHA SAMPLER, by TOM HENDRICKS.
The 9 minute sampler file can be found at:
http://hunkasaurus.com/MysteryBand.mp3

Will you ever hear the entire first recording of John and Martha? Will you ever hear the later cast version of John and Martha? Who knows, we may have to wait 50 more years and see if it pops up again!!!

Tom Hendricks

Raining Down, recording and video by Greebly Mork

"Raining Down", is a brand new recording of a song of mine, by Greebly Mork.
Here is the link to his version and youtube video. Then under it I’ve added a link to my rough youtube demo. When you listen, I recommend you use your headphones and you’ll get the richest sound experience on both.

Raining Down, Greebly Mork
https://youtu.be/9G58_20tWWs

Raining Down, Hunkasaurus & His Pet Dog Guitar
https://youtu.be/ZxY4R4PeyfE

Greebly Mork is, not only a talented musician, arranger, etct; he is the moderator of an online Face Book music group called, "Reinventing the Wheel". The group may be virtually the only place most musicians can get a review of their music!
Mork has set up this basic rule; before a musician posts his song, he has to review and comment on 3 other songs. That has worked well. Visitors will find lots of great music from about 100 musicians so far; and each song posted on the site, is packed with lots of comments.

This is my review of "Raining Down" by Greebly Mork:

Wow! There is a lot here I wanted to talk about. Your version is topnotch studio work, compared to my rough live demo; so, listening to your version in headphones is a real treat. You get that professional crisp fullness, plus a solid clear separation of parts.
I liked the simple intro that gets things started, and keeps things in a basic form up to the big choruses, with those multi vocals you are celebrated for.
But what was a real delight to me is how you use the background vocals to, not double track the lead, but to add a second answering melody line to the chorus. That was really sweet!
Good guitar work on the middle. I like the 3 or 4 different leads that built up before the song goes back to the verses.
I may be just imagining this, but the second revised version I listened to, seemed more lean on instruments on the verses, which
gives the choruses more punch. You mentioned minor changes – was there some changes like that too?
The one thing that surprised me the most is your version sounds more optimistic than mine, believe it or not! That’s the fun of hearing another’s take.
Now every review has to have one negative – and here it is: I did NOT see the 11 measure’s long, vocal belting, "OHHHHHHHHHH" at the end on your version! But I’ll let that slide as artistic differences! LOL

Thanks for doing this! It’s a big treat to hear one’s song done up so well!

Music Quotes about the Music Revolution from Musea, since 1992

Music Quotes about the Music Revolution.
From Musea, since 1992

Time for a change in music – instead of just 3 companies controlling everything there should be thousands!

Musea, leading the music revolution against the “Big 3 Labels” that control the music industry.

Those born since the 90s have the delusion that mainstream music is supposed to be bad and not the best in the world.

The Big 3 Labels control manufacturing, distribution, promotion, reviews, concerts, radio, awards shows, music media, music charts, and streaming. Anything else they sue out of business by their watchdog organization, RIAA.

When you have to search out a musician’s music, they are probably making minimum wage, while 1% make 70% of all money in music.

When people hide their heads in the sand about all this, it’s the same as bowing down to the 3 CEOs that control and have ruined music.

Join us – thousands of musicians against the 3 CEOs that control the music industry.

Time to stop supporting the 3 old men, no women, that control all music, the Big 3, and start supporting all musicians. That includes ending the glass ceiling against all women in positions of leadership in the music industry.

Which side are you on, 3 CEOs, The Big 3, that control the music industry or all musicians?

Musicians need your support not your head in the sand!

Who here would get upset if there were more than 3 people who decided if you got a career in music or made minimum wage all your life?

The Big 3 control 80% of the music industry and their lawyers the other 20%.

When the music media blocks out the music revolution against the Big 3, they block out every musician making minimum wage or less = thousands of talented people.

Music revolution has two sides:
3 greedy CEOs that prop up the same 10 top 40 pop stars versus all the other musicians in the world.

Katy Perry spent $11 million on promoting one song!
Ed Sheeran’s “Divide” tour has made $736.7 million!
To make minimum wage through streaming on Spotify, a musician has to have 336,842 total plays. No musician can compete against the pop darlings of the Big 3 Labels!

Remember my ear is always open.

World’s First Singalong Song

Dear Readers,

Today I posted my new video, the world’s first, online, singalong, song. See lyrics and sing the ‘lalalala chorus.” Join the world.

For this and all my channel of youtube videos see this url and give it a thumbs up or comment. Thanks!

YOUTUBE CHANNEL
https://www.youtube.com/user/TomHendricksMusea