What you see in front of you is not a music album. It might look like one at first because it has songs, and a cover, and a song list, and a booklet… But it’s not.

 

What it actually is, is a combination of 8 years of sweat and tears in the music studio (both of joy and frustration), 40 songs that were not included, more than 10 different instruments, 2 long periods of depression, 3 different continents, 7 guest musicians, and 1 proud parent that writes to you right now.

 

So with all these numbers, how do I set a price on ‘Only Music’, my first big release, which is as you read is much more than “only music”?

 

How do I set up a price on all the numerous hours I spent in the studio, and the hours spent on studying different instruments and practicing, and the money that was spent on equipment and teachers?

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When I listen to music that uplifts me, transforms me, takes me to other places, connects me to other people, and stays forever as the soundtrack for memories from my life, I don't think in terms of prices. Heck, with good music, I almost stop thinking completely.

 

(Rant alert...) It's confusing for me to set up a price for my music in a world where the value of music is expected to be the artist’s joy of recording and playing, but not more than that. For many years I bought into this idea, even as a being a musician. Me and many of my friends found ourselves in endless situations where on the one hand it was obvious to everyone that the bartender will be paid and get tips, and on the other, for some mysterious reason it was expected from the musicians to play for free, just for the sole pleasure of performing.

 

Though it sounds like a rant (because it is), my point is that of hope. The screen that you are reading these words from enables us to speak to each other without the limitations of time and space, and with that lies the power to make a change. We are bypassing the middleman, the merchant that lived off the art of others for thousands of years. We can create our own rules of transaction!

 

I value my work, and as the years passed I value more and more the work of others. I feel pure joy and sense of purpose when buying albums of musicians that sometimes bring me to tears, and in that way I directly support them. I literally become an inseparable part of their process, without even meeting them.

 

So when I buy an album I know that this money that could also buy me two cups of tea (I don’t drink coffee) is not lost, it is an investment. Forgive me for being sentimental, I invest in the better world. Money is just a form of energy. It is my choice, and also my responsibility, to do something good with it.

 

Here you have it, and the choice is your. Is it the pizza or buying something more than just a music album? Or maybe both, because let’s admit it, pizza is pretty awesome.

 

So the price that decided to put on this first release is $9.99. Just like it’s portrayed so wonderfully in the novel £9.99, we live in a world of consumers, even if Ikea claim that they build furniture “for people, not consumers”. We all know the game, and we all play it. What I am saying is that we can choose how to play it. You can invest in my work, and the work of other musicians, and in doing so, you can start creating music without even picking an instrument.

 

If that sounds good, click that “order” button, and leave a comment. If you have your own thoughts on the subject that you want to share, even if you disagree, please leave a comment. I believe that this is such an important subject that it deserves a discussion.

 

Much love,

Sasha Raskin