Rags to Record: the backstory

My 1st entry…on August 1st. I like that.
(*ok, technically it's the 2nd today but I wrote this on the 1st.....i just didn't get around to posting it until now)

So, I’ve decided to document this process I’m embarking on….the process of doing for myself, a musician, what a label would be doing for me if all the major labels weren’t these ridiculously big corporations with virtually no artist development even for pre-teen prodigies, the only people, by the way, they will even bat an eyelash at. These days, 21 is pushing it and 22 is over the hill. Jesus, just send me to a home already….

But I digress.

I’m not here to bitch about the state of things. I’m here to document my journey; a journey I began a year ago when I decided that no label was going to sign an unknown 30 yr old singer songwriter. So, I went out and found the money myself. 10 months, 5 investors, a manager, a lawyer, and an LLC later – I have formed my own production company, Neumark Melody Productions LLC.

Rags to Record: I am about to begin the process of what I call, “Rags to Record.” (I’m not really in rags though, I usually wear pretty cute clothes I think.) But the point is, I am about to take the money invested in me and operate as my own label, funding the recording of my album, the publicity, marketing, and distribution that will follow, as well as tour support starting early summer 2007.

The Players: I am not alone in this – my manager, Mark, is a key player, as is my lawyer, Kevin, and of course my 5 investors: *Seinfeld, *Frasier, *Raymond, *Lucy, and *Kramer. Of course, I’ve changed to investor’s names to protect their anonymity. I went with famous leading men/women in their own sitcoms (except I couldn’t think of a 5th, so I went with Kramer.) Anyway, I’m sure in addition to these players there will be many more along the way.