Blogger's Block?

It has been about four months since I have blogged in my pages here. I can't quite work out why this is the case, apart from the fact that it is sometimes a bit of an effort to set up the HTML pages upon which to write (this is blogging à la Meccano, not à la Leggo, if you see what I mean). Back in January, when I last blogged, I had just started to perform live in the Second Life® virtual world as Fyrm Fouroux. Since then I have played over 90 gigs, nearly all being 60 minute shows. I am now reasonably confident working my internet streaming software and watching the levels on my real life mixer as I do this. The multi-tasking does not end there: I try to look at what is happening at the venue on my computer screen between songs, and to read what the avatars at the venue have typed to me in the chat box. By and large it has been very enjoyable, although sometimes things feel a little flat.

I wrote an article about my experiences playing live on the internet for AIM (Association of Independent Muscians) and that appeared in their April newsletter. Unfortunately the article is only available to members of AIM. I also visited their Music Connected event on digital music. This was held at Glaziers Hall, just by London Bridge and Southwark cathedral.Walking around the stalls, I did not get the impression that the people attending this event had much experience as a musician playing live on the internet. Most of the people seemed to be from the music biz, rather than muscians per se. One of the themes that permeated the event was how to make people feel that they were getting their digital music for free, and yet still manage to get money from the consumers to pay the musicians and other people in the middle. Tying the music in to a mobile phone contract or the purchase of a handset seemed to be one option that was being seriously considered. Another way forward was to offer the download of mp3s at a regular price and then to discount this or offer it free if the downloader agrees to take the track with some advertising content (either displayed as a banner or delivered onscreen at the time of download). I came away from this event feeling that the state of the art was a little confusing right now but that things were going to change in the world of digital music in the near future. Change was certainly a buzz word. I remember a young woman standing up and giving a presentation about what her company had been doing and apologizing for the fact that some of the information she was referring to was nearly a year old - and thus almost too ancient to be of relevance to the current state of affairs.

I have continued to play at real life buskers and open mic events, mainly at the Smugglers pub on Roker beach in Sunderland. I usually go down there with my mates Terry and Tom; three of us can share a taxi quite economically and that means we don't have to worry about drinking and driving. We tend to have been less adventurous about exploring venues further afield just lately.

I'm still plodding away with my piano practice and lessons. I remain doggedly optimistic that eventually there will be something of a break-through, but it certainly hasn't come yet.

Back to John's Blog (Index Page)
Back to Lewis Music HomePage