Brian,

That is not the responsibility of the studio. There's is to make the best sounding recordings they can do and treat the customer right. That is not a song critique service. People have to do their own homework. That is the problem with all of this. People don't do research, don't shop around, don't attend seminars, workshops or get into communities where they can find people to be straight with them on their material.

And a lot of those same kinds of people go for those idiotic "Nigerian General" scams too. Heck, what was Bernie Madoff? He scammed a few people too.

We all try in our own way to do education. Good Lord I know I do. But a lot of people WILL NOT be disuaded.They believe in their dreams and NOBODY IS GOING TO CONVINCE THEM DIFFERENTLY.

It is not that there are scammers out there. That is in every walk of life, every business, every corner of humanity and always have been. It is that the dreamers who adhere to these kinds of things sometimes are their own worst enemy. Not only do they go for these different scams, but they defend them all of the time.

When you sit across from someone who sold the farm and think she is going to get a record deal at 45 years old AND continues to spend mohey at the same studio to the tune of $100,000 over a three-four year period, only to have been told over and over and over again that their material was too weak, they were too old and had been tried to be steered every way to slow down or not do that, who is at fault there?

And that is what we all deal with continually. You had 50,000 plus people who contribute to the JPF awards and I can assure you that about a third of those felt that was going to take them to riches and glory. I know that because they show up at my seminars and workshops depressed because they did all this and they didn't get some big payoff out of it. And no matter how many times you tell them that is not what you do, explain the rules and be exactly who you are, they still don't get it.

About half of what I do is damage control from people who have done just that. So I don't have quite the sympathy for people who fall for schemes, scams or some get rich quick approach. These pages are filled every single day with the "Have you ever heard of...." and fill in the blank of the latest "Pitch service" that promises for X amount of dollars they are going to promote them to some radio station or get them a concert tour in Japan."

It is not like the information is not out there. It is not like people such as myself go hoarse from screaming at the top of our lungs about this stuff. They still do it. They still parade into publishers,song pluggers, pitch services, demo studios like Lemmings and throw money at something thinking they are going to make it in the "BIG TIME" With hideous songs,terrible recordings and dealing with shysters.

I say it is "Buyer Beware." If it sounds too good to be true, it is. A little common sense goes a long long way, but when you are a dreamer and your personality is craving attention, craving success, jumping at anything shiney, common sense is the last thing that comes into play.

MAB