A Rant with a Happy Ending

When you own the masters of the music or have legally licensed the music from another party, you have the right to give it away for free. Otherwise it’s not really free music. As we’ve been discussing more and more, it’s called stealing.

If you file share or illegally download music, it’s the same as ripping off a can of soup from the local supermarket.  Stick it in your bag when nobody’s looking and hope you can make it out of the store without being caught. If you get caught, ya’ go to jail.

If the supermarket decides to introduce you to the new brand of soup and give the can away to you as a promotional item, then that’s their choice. Then that can of soup is truly free.

It feels silly to me to have to state the blatantly obvious, but unfortunately in today’s world this simple, practical honesty should be understood by us humans, but isn’t.

Instead, the entire music business has tanked because a couple of generations of people decided to start stealing and nobody did a thing to stop them. Now small efforts are being made, but very few are being arrested and even fewer are getting even slaps on the wrist. Stealing from the music business is simply becoming a way of life.

This is one of the most cock-eyed things I’ve ever seen in my life. And it’s happening to me!

So everybody now! Rush over to your windows. Throw open your doors! Lean out of those windows and scream to all who might listen! “I’m not going to take it anymore! I’m not going to take it!”

OK, so now I’m doing it, but I’m the only one! There’s nobody else leaning out screaming! What happened?! I guess everybody is sitting on their couches listening to their swiped music on their headphones and didn’t hear me.

Now everybody! Get up! Fight for justice! Protect the Artists!!! What has happened to Integrity?

Ah, fooey! Nobody cares… Everybody’s too busy rippin’…

If this sounds like sour grapes, it is!  What ever happened to my royalties? What’s the deal with my latest ASCAP check? It’s a quarter of what it used to be and I’m four times more prolific! What am I missing here?

My money.

With all that said, Watchfire music is giving away free music. It seems the thing to do these days. At WFM, each artist agrees to give away one of their songs off of each CD for nothing. Pretty good deal. In my nearly 40 years in the music business, I’ve never seen that happen until the last couple of years.

Do you know how hard it is to make one single – to write it, craft the lyric, find the key, record the track, record the background vocals, the lead vocal, mix it and master it, etc.? It costs thousands of dollars for that one song and countless hours of one’s life. (Remember, this is a rant.)

And then you give it away to promote the rest of your work. And you have to give away one of your best songs because you want to represent yourself well.

Oh, oh, oh, it can be a bitter pill…  In no other industry that I can think of is a practice so ludicrous as this practiced.

Now here’s the real eye-opener:

We’ve been saying how some companies give away free songs to attract customers?  Watchfire Music is now giving away free Inspirational albums!

We’re so intent to turn you on to our great artists and their Inspirational music that we’re giving away a choice of 3 different genre specific compilation CDs to lift your life, soothe your soul, shock your system and float your boat.

Here’s a great way to get to know our Inspirational artists. Just click here, go to our home page, look for the Sweeeet Music Giveaway ad (this ad can be found on all pages of WFM as well), opt in and instantly download one of the following free 10-song CDs of Inspirational music.

Gospel Smooth – A laid-back compilation of great songs prepared by us just for your quieter moments of reflection

Christian Hits – A terrific anthology of the best of the best of our artists and their Inspirational music

Gospel Alive! – An up-tempo blast of fresh new thought and energies perfect to get you up and get you goin’

Why are we doing this? We all, WFM artists, WFM staff, WFM backers and even I want you to get to know our music.  So we’re going to go to great lengths to do so. Even though no one makes a cent.

On top of it all, it’s the best of the best. I promise!

Take advantage of this tremendous offer. This is no ad. This is my personal blog. This comes wrenchingly from the heart.

For more inspirational music, thoughts and ideas from Peter Link,
please visit Watchfire Music.