Distribute Your Own Products
Sometimes it's best for artists to keep their mouths tight shut and simply ... smile! That way, you'll get another gig, but you'll burn up inside. And then you'll die.
During the production of music, feature film and TV productions, compromises are made. The writer, director or musician can leave a project feeling choked. This is the main reason why we have one-hit wonders and one-off feature film directors. They simply got sick of the middlemen and opted for an easier life.
A writer / director can be blocked by a distributor wanting to give his mate a lead role in a movie. Or a music distributor who wants an unfeasibly huge cut of CD sales. A blocker might be a Producer unwilling to submit a film to various markets or festivals based on the fear of how it will be received. …
Poor judgement like this has killed many good movies. A TV writer . . . (oh, the poor, underpaid TV writer) feels shattered and raped when the show she wrote hits the screen and is completely unrecognisable.
Script Editors, Producers and the TV company have all had a say in the unofficial rewrite.
Or a feature writer feels raped, having to write hacky material for money on a project which is really somebody else’s baby.
Many artists have horror-stories like these. They can end up with no copyright whatsoever in their own work (they often work for a set fee) and if anything, get only a fraction of what they deserve.
Today, however – creative horror stories like these can be avoided …
The film and music industries are full of talentless, creative blockers. But the day of the middleman, thanks to broadband, ever-fracturing markets and the slow demise of television – are numbered.
Artists can easily get their own work out to their fans and many bands are having a lot of success doing just that. TV and Film is coming next.
But this doesn’t always mean that producers and other creative distributors needn’t be involved. They do have their place.
Artists can be a little wishy-washy when it comes to selling themselves and sometimes it’s often good to pair up with a like-minded Producer or Distributor. The best Film Producer for your show has usually written or directed something (of note?) in the past and will probably have a much better understanding of how an artistic vision can be dealt with (or tempered). The best music distributor will have a string of yesterday’s hits on their CV, the best TV producer will have written many shows before and the best film producers will have tried their hands at both writing and directing.
In short, the best people to work with are the ones who have experience.
Teaming up with an experienced artist and a non-greedy web distribution service such as Bandcamp or Indieflix) will ensure that you will never suffer the effects of creative compromise again.
We are in for a treat. The internet deals with niche markets. The arts you love will be free to shine in different ways.
Having said that, if you’re keen to make a $400m Hollywood Block-buster or work on a popular TV series, buckle in, do what you’re told and have fun. But most importantly, keep your mouth shut!
