As an independent artist, you're always figuring out how you're going to fund your next album.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
I'm very driven, and I always have been. So I'd like to release a successful album, continue in musical theatre, and be more involved in business.
When you work on an album for three and a half years, you're kind of ready for it to get out there. To have your songs reach people.
I would make far more money if every song were my own, but I don't write to fill up the album with my songs.
Nowadays, with the state of the music business, for any artist, whether you're up-and-coming or you've been in it for awhile, you have to explore different revenues and different ways of expressing yourself.
It's a tough thing to know that when you're making your album, you're going to end up collaborating with, say, Wal-Mart, on your artwork. That just sucks. And the pressure behind getting the numbers real fast is, to me, dizzying.
The biggest difference between me and other artists out there is that they'll put anything out to sell a record or sell a ticket.
A lot of new artists sign their deal and then go into a development stage for a year or two or sometimes never get out of it. For me, because I had been a working songwriter in town, I had a collection of songs that I was ready to make into an album. At the time, I didn't realize it was becoming an album, but it was.
It's like whether you're in a huge movie or you've just recorded an incredible album you've got to do the next thing, and that's part of being an artist.
I drop free music because I want people to know I'm still working. I want people to know I'm working and making my money independently. I don't want to charge for a mixtape; I'd rather charge for an album and really give something to my fans.
Whenever I release a record, it's my record. It's not a selfish thought. I may work all year 'round for other people. So, finally, when I come out with my own album, it should be me with the creative help of other musicians.