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Looper's Delight
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Sorry about that empty Post from earlier in the day. I'm no Music Industry Expert, but These topics have been squarely in the center of my mind the last few weks as AKASH is about to perhaps move into a different realm of its commercial existence. >From being mainly a performance art collective into an "Entertainment-Package", AKASH is now more or less positioned to be sorta inspire the experience and behavior which audiences displayed toward The Rocky HOrror Picture Show without duplicating rocky horror. We want audiences to have the same repeat - over and over again experience with AKASH that people would have similar to like that they did have with Rocky Horror where relationships were built up around it and the movie not only was entertainment but the experince became the event and subsequent experiences were built around the movie...we want that type of experience but we want to make it more interactive and have an evolving story to be able to compensate for the amount of performers who come and go thru AKASH and also have stock characters who are available to individuals who can slip into them and both grow and adpat them quickly and professionally so that there is a continuity which can be counted upon by audiences to be deleivered and maintained by AKASH. & that means we are now adapting away from 90% improv to a more "scripted" and a lot more narrowly defined set of musical landscapes with a lot less full frontal nudity and more of an emphasis which is deliberately set at a level of certain R-Rated Sexual Content which is fit to be printed and or on the level of a Howard Stern MEdia System...But Who Needs Clothing? Try looping in a context-venue where 50 or more persons in your audience are having sex in front of you or all around you as they - the audience - are engaged in extreme Bondage or very explicit sexual acts...if you found yerself @ somethin like that, you'd have a gig that is very similar to what we have in AKASH. But how many robert fripps are there out there already and how many more of them can there be in such a narrow market & how are they ever gonna sustain themselves regardless as to who they are and or how good they are or will be? A lot of great musicians are understandably so wrapped up in the perspective of being a "good musician" as opposed to also simultaneously looking at what not only is contextual in terms of audience and performer relationships, but also in terms of the music industry where developing and connecting with an audience and also where both on the inside and outside getting paid etc, is all about and down to - meeting people who are going to put money in your pocket or getting a chance at connecting with people whom you can work with or encounter who will help you put money in theirs & your pockets. But to blance the art commerce thing takes a certain energy in personality and disposition of which I definitely dont naturally have or care to engage. but still I find myself improvising in that area and holding my own - sorta- but it is if you need 10 heads to talk together and also its challenging knowing you are reasonably intelligent person dealing with people in a music industry that think you really know nothing and treat you that way at times when for yrs before u met them you were the manufacturer, factory, sales, marketing, distribution, promotions, street-team and publicist all in one but suddenly you are dumb as you sit in an office environment - have not adapted to that one yet as we are also learning we dont have to like the people we do business with to do business with them and get what we need. and it seems IMHO to likewise hold that any musical endeavor which seeks to go beyond the garage is about not where you are at as much as it is about where you in turn are willing to Meet people where they are AT. That is something which you are either willing to do, conscious of or not able to do or motivated to not do. But unless you willingly play to an audience who appreciates "obscurity", it seems that those audiences who appreciate obscurity don't have $ depending upon the level of obscurity you're at. A hardcore "obscurirty" crowd tends to be other obscure musicians ( which is desirable and perfectly understandable) and or the people with whom you will perform at some other time. & I'm not saying obscurity is a bad thing as much as I am saying that getting paid for obscurity and seeing people make money while u perform at their establishment and not having them want to pay you is to be always expected becasue you have to have more to "show" for something more than than just your good performance-work when talking about pay in a commercial context, that all again comes down to perception and how well you mangage or direct-re-direct that energy or how you create a perception of value which is compelling to make someone feel that they shoud and need to pay you. It is simply not a realistic expectation to get paid for having obscurity unless you somehow invert the obscurity around somethinng audiences and also promoters do get and or would like to have/get or want to be like themselves becasue atthat point you are guraunteeing something in large quantities and consistently so to where promoters-booking agents know that to get you they will have to be competitive and equal to or better than what other venues pay to get you as that their investment in you is small compared to what their returns will be for them. And I'm not saying that you should expect to be treated unfairly..but rather I'm sayin that obscurity does have a price just as everything in this world does including te flip side of obscurirty - commercial - success. And also where even with an "obscure" audience that has $$$, they tend to only come out to "name" shows for the few artists they see and already know. But unless you are one of Those few who are already selling something you are almost intentionally shut out or you operate on how you are "PERceived" as being where that operative enegery is confirmed through others who are perceived to be doing or saying something... But in these business situations which are really manipulations of illusions - I personally still take serioulsy the illusions as they are all part of what ya encounter and have to be prepared to either respond to or react to in either a proactice or less than - leveraging - reactive manner. And another way to view the whole art vs commerce thing is that you must either have your own money to finance your wrk and thusly live by what you set your intentions to be and or you compromise ...but to what degree? ( compromise is something we are all literally born Doing IMHO ) Personal & Shared Goals can be acomplished collectively or individually but seeing both sides of where you play in terms of not justthe venue but the arena you will be a laeger part of regardless as to whether or how much you like "it- the industry-audiences-tastes, etc" or regardless as to what degree you agree with something, it is IMHO empowering and a conscious chance to prepare and position youself into creating other opportunities for you to continue to do and expand-share your musical experiences with others. But again, maybe if we were to consider where people are at and what we are doing and where we can at least meet them where they are at and then move them along to wherever weare at - that type of art is actually the most effective where in that process in addition to the time you spend crafting, developing or honing your skills you can not just preach to the choir but truly grow the flock and transform yourself without being swallowed up or lost or having to be marginalized. & I firmly believe that people dont really listen to music the ways in which they used to in the sense where their listening is a lot more passive with critical fucntions largely absent or dumbed down or in most cases IMHO actively ambivalent where until awakened &/or redirected elsewhere, people mainly go humming along to what is immediately available for them and especially so today where there is absolutely more music than ever available to anyone to pick and choose from and less interest on listeners part in experiencing new music as much as there is an emphasis on reinforcing imagery which is very group and herdlike for the masses ( not bad or good but its aesthetic currency depends on the messengers and their intentions and ability to tell a story beyond the herds but still success or reaching the masses beyond the choir doesnt happen becasue of that often i think it happens despite that aesthetic). People ( a commercial audience or an audience which would get entry-level-commercial-designation) could care less about the musical experiences we as musicians have had or what we seek to discover as that people's ambitions are not as great as they once were concerning listening and hearing music and in many instances, i dont even think they are aware of the dynamics of their relationship to music anymore. Also, the amount of time that people have or consciously and deliberately give their attention to music is something which they only marginally do. Music is less and less something which people are seeking out as it now doesnt really pay to guide people to other outlets or newer outlets unless they are your own and no one listens or cares that much when you do these days unless you are like everyone else IMHO. But to make all this stuff work ya (IMHO) gotta dumb down "marketing" of self and your complexities and speak and make others feel that you are on their simple and immediate-level and have the necessary tie ins which are able to be drawn to get others to buy "you" because thats how the message gets out today and with reptition and thru multiple Visual Associations you become transformed into a brand. Thats nothing new i would imagine to a maturing music industry, but it was never as true as it is today with so much music being present and so little interest and demand for new music which you would pay to receive. I'm also saying that today either you sell & are perceived as bankable or you have the perception of branding and an image which multiple people can buy into or rather you are perceived as a waste and marginal or worse IMHO labeled "experiemntaL" by people who woulnt know the meaning or experice of the word in 10,000 lifetimes. And as a maginalized-"experimental" act today there is less and less room to play with unless you have other ways of generating income form filmt tv radio etc., but there are to my knowledge only a handful of people who do that consistently enough to almost barely earn a decent living for themselves let alone the smaller handful who are considered top dogs in that arena who get fees. I also think IMHO any succesful commercial musical venture comes down to 1 or 2 things & the least of which is talent, copmetence and abilty :) The main key ingredient to starting a sort of commercial success is a to develop a connection with a significantly sizable audience ( an audience that spends $$$) engaged by making them wanna be like you or making them wanna do what you do or getting people to covet something you have where people can feel themselves in situations which they perceive you to be inside of which they themselves desire. But for AKASH having 5-10 naked female performers tends to always attract a crowd of at The Very Least, 150 persons and has also created a niche of sorts for us. Just the experience of seeing us perform in the venues where you would normally find us is keenly tied into the whole experience where by your just showing up becomes just as much part of the performance and relationship with existing and new memebers of our audience as does the performacne the musicians and Permers give on the stage. The idea of AKASH began as a joke which was a reaction to taking the on the face - absurdity of something like Fripp playing Pizza Hut and using that very same idea in the context of playing solo guitar shows in adult bookstores and going on tour wsith the concept ust for the sake of saying you did it...well....it turned out to be the most significant musical endeavor of my entire life as it has now grown to include some of my all time faves from the philly music scene ( elliott levin has been an idol of mine for years now and he is a full fledged member of AKASH) Our music doesnt have to be groundbreaking & it doesnt have to be profound or full of personal and shared transformations ( though we do aim just for that and wo do try to bring a classic reference to the quality of music where from as many perspectives as possible, you can or could relate to what we do and or take away something different if in fact you would so choose to see us beyond the sensationalism). But we dont market AKASH that way and we dont say look at how good our music is and how well we have developed our art/craft and its overall perspective as we offer & push a "package" of music, sex and fun..and even though we dont really rock, I think what we are doing is more traditional - rock n roll than what you would see most rock n roll bands who pump the power chords giving audiences these days :). & for us AKASH just needs to be whatever it asks the performers to be prepared for delievering and it really needs to operate in the sphere of 2 bubbles: creative intentions and commercial considerations ( Which is still part of your performance aside from the execution and creation of music from haed body, tool, etc) and where those 2 bubbles intersect or where we DO choose to Make them intersect as a Conscious Decision and how well we balance those decisions really is more or less where in the context of a commercial enity we try focus our collective considertaions and aim. AKASH is undoubtedly commercial, sensationalist, Warholian and Unapologetic, but it does make great marketing and tie ins & has gotten us great press locally here in Philly as well as providing us a vehicle where we definitely don't get paid by standard variable experimental musician wages...& thats not why we do it, but we sure don't play for free anymore and we are at this point, having the time of our lives and creating other opportunities to do other stuff which we want to do which is aside, separate and unrelated to AKASH. & after 3 yrs of playing for free in coffe shops, sex shoppes, art galleries, adult bookstores to private sex parties to private swingers clubs, to really bad go-go-bars and up into maintream niteclubs and more upscale alt-lifestyles communities, where all around the USA, we now do charge a very high premiuim ( for the music we play) which is somewhere very north of $1k for a whole evening ( but split that between 10-12 people and it is not that great though it is kinda - OK if you are playing out a lot and on the road a lot, which we dont do that often as we will pick up the pace in 2002 as we all say bye bye to day gigs ) and we now get that premium without having any airplay or hits and we can see a consistency developing where we are a brand now. Also, I'm a firm believer that give anybody $5-7million ( i wish we got that in our deal!) in seed $$$$ for advertising and an effective promotions-street team and in the 21st centurey if you can get your music used to sell sneekers, clothing and or other products, i'm absolutely certain that better than 85% of the time you will get a return on that investment. I'm a rigid believer that you can sell almost anything to anyone if you keep repeating a mantra ( regardless as to whther there is value or aesthetic merit to what you are selling ) and by buying up enough space where you can get other people to repeat your mantra that you will sell and be a huge success though not necassarily a long lasting flavor. Again, it is real simple to determine what people are into: People like msuic they hear and observe other people liking and enjoying and they buy what they see other people buying. It is that simple or sad. But if you realize that and consider where people are AT, it may have an impact on the audience you are connecting or about to connect to and how far you might be able to share/advance a dream. For AKASH the way/path to grow and the way to take what is perceived as difficult music and "art" - has been to co-brand and wheel and deal with fetish fashion retailers and sex toy vendors as well as various BDSM film producers, other Porn Performers and BDSM Magazines to market their products to our audience where they in turn use our imagery and name ( repetition and association again ) with their larger demographics which is a perpetual churn of sorts...& that has nothing to do with music but everything to do with reaching people and having what is as i'm told is having a credibility of sorts. We have been very very very fortunate and blessed to recently come into significant seed $$$ from a Porn Producer - GASP- of all things :) ... This backing company has paid for our 1st video "The ABC"s of Kinky Sex" which was recently shot on location @ NYC's legenday HELLFIRECLUB. The realtionship and $$$ and distribution and tie-ins we will get out of the association means marketing and distribution is not coming out of our pockets anymore but being split as we are now in effect a subsidiary of that company-backer and that we can now reach a larger - but still very targetted audience - and significantly expand our web presence with people who already know how to break and sell products of a competitive niche variety. But our demographic is and was deliberately and somewhat calculatedly chosen ( nothing too magical in that revelation & definitely not too artful it would seem but it was where we all were and have been as individuals and as being part of that demographic, we all know it quite well: Straight-Gay-BDSM Male and Female - Couples 25-50 who have incomes of over 50k+ and who are also inclined to be members of private-exclusive clubs and or pay high premiums for their fetish indulgences as well as actively engage with other people in public in dwtwn areas of major USA cities. Subsequently, there is a Huuuuuuuuuuuuge market there with that as with the demographic we have chosen they are cocnsistent, loyal and willing to pay premiums for perceived value and we also get a currency with Goth Kids 18-24 who have all the traits of the older folks we appeal to. But also note hat the 25-50's like to consider themselves hip but arent ready for smooth jazz or celine dion and dont wanna listen to the cure over and over again and they are child-free and not ready to blend into the backdrop of surburbia or picket fence living - at least not completely as they are looking for enertainment which is decidely adult, adventurous and also different from the choices they have made for them by other media; this crowd actually does care what they listen to and is open more so to more adventurous stuff - even though we are not really that out there - contextually and based upontheir experience we are the most radical musical things they have heard in a long time - we dont lecture or play history professors to our audience becasue that is not what they want or what we need to do for them :) So the key thing for AKASH was to create a demand and develop a niche which we could be able to plug into and get cocnsistent responses from and get paid considerably better ( having a team of 7-12 persons is high overhead) than the local pubs or venues where everyone else plays and where they shaft you with charges here and there regardless as to how many persons you bring out to the venue. Also by getting press but not being as accesable as other Bands we created a demand by being around Philly all the time without being in the usual places which kinda has spared us from the lenegdary Philly Backlash as thatwe are from a very small town City which is extremely tough on outsiders but even tougher on its own kinfolk. But i would say our stuff is definitely more of an entertainment oriented perspective/vehicle where the emphasis is directly on the strory telling aspects of visual performance and within the venues alongwith the music which is used as a backdrop to the overall AKASH experience we provide. Others here would choose a more purist route and decry the commecialization we are doing of certain elements of the avant garde ( of sorts ) , but we constantly love to mix the mudance, serious, sexual, religious, absurd, purient, as well as commercial and contemporary with satire, subversive inversion as well as ritual where both the goddess & whore think as one. The clothes or lack of clothing do make the audience show up in many & most instances. But even with that lack of clothing & with crass sensationalism in place, there still has to be something there of which a perforner-entertainer-musician has connected with a Story - where in turn a performer can effectively translate and communicate that dialog with others - other than themselves or the un-initiated. Again, I'm no music industry expert, but part of the tricks to the art-commerce thing seems to be able to pull of a delicate balancing act which is conscious but not self conscious and to strive to be Perceived as Relevant without being marginalized and still Creative without making people feel they have been left behind by you and ultimately coming down to you being who you are and the person you need to be as you are only & always who you are, no matter what mask you use to hide your face. My best and funniest moment doing all of this was last year at a swingers club where a very beautiful - natural bodied ( rare these days ) Blonde Porn star came up to me after our set and said that her orgasm rode the waves of the guitar solo i had played...and shucks, I just blushed and said to her - "thank you" as I thought to myself that it was really "A Hard Days Night", and I chuckled to myself as we broke down our gear and went home and said goodnite. Warm Regards, JP/AKASH BUY THE NEW AKASH CD: "THE GIFT OF PUNISHMENT" www.akashmusic.com www.mp3.com/akashmusic REMEMBER TO ALWAYS KILL YOUR EXPECTATIONS