This is my second post this evening (scroll down just a bit for the first), and it's a bit of an editorial piece (you're forewarned). I want to encourage all my readers to buy music! Especially during the Christmas season when you're looking for that perfect gift, buy music! Music is truly and absolutely the gift that keeps on giving, to use a familiar cliche. Give your friends and family the gift of music, and they can enjoy it for days, weeks, months, and years. Whenever they play it, they'll think of you! Yeah, you can give fruitcake, which I know everyone loves, but once it's joyously devoured, it's gone. Music can last a lifetime.
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| The Country Duo, Kasey Rausch and Marco Pascolini (photo by Carlo Pascolini) |
But the main message here is the "buy" part of buy music. Whether you're buying for a friend or for yourself, support the musicians that made the music happen. There are countless outlets for streaming on the internet - free services, fee-based services, sample before you buy venues, subscriptions, and many more. Many independent and local musicians - local to me, local to you - depend on streaming and download services to get the message of their music out, to get exposure, to let you sample before you buy. But they depend on sales to earn a living, and to be able to keep on making awesome music. You like what they do, you gotta buy it so they can keep doing it.
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| Hot Breakfast! |
And you're not just supporting the name on the album. You're also supporting the session players, backing singers, producers, engineers, songwriters, and everyone else that makes the music happen. The $10 you spend to buy a CD or the $6 for a legit download goes to a lot of people. Buy music!
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| Lorie Jo Bridges |
Even when you can "name your price" on Bandcamp or Noisetrade or any of these other great websites where you can hear music from hundreds or perhaps thousands of musicians, leave 'em a tip. I personally have to get a lot better at that - I'm guilty too, of naming a price of "Free!". But I'm going to get better at tipping - at least a couple of bucks. Or, you can go ahead and download it for free and listen, but if you really like it, go back and leave that tip.
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| Melinda Mullins - The Johnny Mullins Collection |
Thanks for listening, er, reading. The artists that I've met through Merry & Bright, either in person or just via e-mail, have all been wonderful! They are amazing, dedicated musicians that really deserve the financial support of their fans. I hope that you can join me in supporting them, not just now during the Christmas season, but all through the year with all kinds of music. Below are links to some of my favorite musicians' music stores, and many have their music available on Amazon, iTunes, and the other usual music outlets. Again, thank you, please pardon the editorial in the middle of the holiday season, and please, buy music!
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| Laurie Cameron |
P.S. Buy merch too! Nothing like wearing a t-shirt from your favorite band while listening to their music that you bought!
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| Kelley McRae and Matt Castelein (photo by Brandon Dickerson) |
Der Bingle's Favorites
Old Sound
Katie Garibaldi
Russ Hitt
Thisbe Vos
Phoebe Gildea and Noah Brenner
Jillaine
The Country Duo
Lorie Jo Bridges
Victor and Penny
Melinda Mullins
Hot Breakfast!
Laurie Cameron
Kelley McRae
Photo credits noted where available. Artists, please send photo credits and I'll update the post.
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