JPF Home Page Forums General Messages General Message Forum TAXI

Von,

Guess who else openly endorses TAXI? Derek Sivers. You know as well as me he lists and endorses very few companies. (Look at who ISN'T linked on his site and who is.. it's quite interesting).

It's also a bit insulting to read "I will say that CD Baby the one shining beacon of integrity in the world of indie music business." Not only have you left out amazing companies and people like The Future of Music Coalition, who have done more for indies politically than anyone, including Derek and myself (though we're both on their board) or Muses Muse who pre-date both CD Baby, JPF and most others on the web in helping Songwriters and Artists (they probably even reviewed one of your CD's at some point) or even JPF ourselves (which is more ironic since you posted this rant on our website), you apparently don't feel any of us have "integrity" enough to mention in the same breath as CD Baby. Pretty offensive. And there's many many more out there doing great work not only with integrity, but tirelessly working to help indie artists, even those many are hardly thankful, such as yourself. Of course, those of us who work FREE are often the first ones forgotten by folks like you.. because we aren't charging you money or putting any money in your pocket directly through a weekly check. Forget networking, or education, or protecting your rights, or promoting your music, NOT because we're paid to, but because we want you to succeed. That apparently doesn't show up on YOUR radar screen in the Integrity department. So who is REALLY all about the money? Sounds like it's you.

It also insults all the honest companies out there like TAXI and Disc Makers and Oasis CD Duplication and Song U and Indie-Music and The Indie Bible and NSAI and dozens of others who conduct honest business every day to offer legit services with great service and value to those who need and use them as intended. The fact that you leave any of the above (and many MANY others) out of your "integrity" equation says a lot more about you than it does about them.

Things apparently are not as black and white as you've convinced yourself. There are plenty of good guys and plenty of bad guys out there. No one has the market cornered on integrity or lack thereof. But if you're going to throw stones, why not throw them at the actual bad guys instead of tearing down (or just as bad, completely ignoring) the small number of honest companies who DO have integrity and who DO have the indie communities best interest at heart?

There's an old cliche explaining that the reason artists get screwed by the industry is because everyone knows that as soon as they can get away with it and have the power themselves, those same artists will bite the hand that fed them in the first place, so many in the industry simply sink their teeth in first. This fear of being bitten often causes indie artists to devour their own in a paranoid frenzy long before they even have the power (or developed the talent) to get away with it. It's a stereotype for sure.

Some of that is actually true and some of it is simply justification used to screw people because people aren't actually stereotypes nor do they always behave the same way. But don't cry wolf when you haven't been bitten by one and don't ignore or forget those who have gladly fed you along the way with little or no strings attached. If you do, then you'll simply be an example of the cliche and stereotype actually come to life.

Brian