| CD Baby DIY Musician Podcast |
 Nov. 13,
2008
Ep.38 : Pandora Radio
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| An Open Letter to Tony Van Veen/Disc Makers |
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Dear Mr. Van Veen,
The announcement that Derek sold CD Baby comes as a big
shock to most of us I’m sure. I knew he would do it some day.
I'm happy for him and he deserves all the money and success. I
hope you paid him a butt-load of money. (butt-load is an
“indie” term) hahaha…
Derek proved over and over, year after year to be trustworthy.
He always had the artists’ best interest in mind. That’s why it’s
easy to find so many accolades and love heaped upon him within
these pages. I feel the same way. Derek has helped all of us
and we truly love him for that.
As for the new owners, who knows? I have used Disc Makers
many times. You have done first-rate work for me every time
and I always recommend you to my friends. But that doesn’t
mean you will do the same with CD Baby.
The most important thing that made me trust Derek over the
years is that he had a policy of no strings attached. Which in
return, made me vehemently loyal. Unlike another company
that
I first started out with called The Orchard. They had many,
many strings and consistently changed their contract. They had
a clause that basically said they were your non-exclusive
distributor and you could let someone else distribute your music
that covered territories, which they did not. However, they said
they pretty much covered the known universe. And if you
wanted to leave, you had to give them written notice and have a
pretty damn good reason, and they would decide if it was good
enough or not. After many public complaints, they finally
loosened up a bit and started to let people out of their contracts,
including me. But it took many letters and much perseverance.
With CD Baby, if you were unhappy, or just simply wanted out
for ANY reason, you just walk away with your music and they
would pull everything from distribution. No letters, no begging,
no nothing. You just walk. Period. I think that clause kept
everyone at CD Baby honest. That's what made me trust them
for all these years.
Will this policy remain in place? If Disc Makers lives up to their
good intentions, I’m sure most artists will remain loyal and stay.
If you turn into corporate evil, well, so much for your big
investment. Anything can happen even with best intentions.
Companies can turn evil. If you do not keep Derek’s “walk”
policy in place it would certainly be a red flag.
Mr. Van Veen, this letter is written with the utmost respect and
high hopes to the next chapter of CD Baby. I have been a loyal
CD Baby artist for many years, and a Disc Makers customer for
many years. I am a touring recording artist and have enjoyed
the first-rate service and competent, honest, distribution of CD
Baby. I still need a competent and honest first-rate distributor
and hope to stay with CD Baby. But I’m only human, I need
reassurances, I need no bull-shit answers. I’m a businessman.
You have big shoes to fill.
Sincere thanks,
Steven Alvarado
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I,am Happy for Derek.Wishing him all the best.I will miss him, he was the best!still I,am sadden:(
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I'm surprised he didn't do this sooner, especially since nobody buys CDs anymore...
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I still buy CDs (lots of them!)
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Well, according to an interview not too long ago, Derek himself has some stuff to say about that:
"Are you operating on the assumption that the CD will remain an important format?
Yes, but you can tell that CDs will go away someday. Our physical CD sales are 35 percent higher than they were at this time last year. Ten percent of music fans buy all of their music as digital files, while 90 percent still get their music on CD. It surprises me when I hear a musician say, "I'm not going to make CDs anymore; I'm going to be digital only." It makes me want to ask, "Are you at the point in your career where you can shut out 90 percent of your audience?" It's still worth it to make a CD. Artists have so much more sales potential if they have both formats available."
See the full article here: http://www.berklee.edu/bt/193/coverstory.html
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| by JM
on Thursday August 07 2008 @ 06:49AM PDT [ reply | parent ] |
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WHat is with this nonsense that nobody buys cd's anymore....do you read the trades...maybe they just don't buy yours...Sorry....JM
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I hope CdBaby will be continue an easy way to distribute the music of every artist in the world.
CdBaby are making a revolution in the music business.
Derek Sivers has been ah honest and transparent leader and his staff has always been gentle and patient with everyone.
Thank you Derek and many wishes to the new owner.
http://musicjazzvideos.com
http://www.aboutmusictheory.com
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I am happy for Derek to explore other interests. Sad as it is for me. It's almost like watching your favorite sports athlete retire. It is always scary when someone new steps up to bat and I think Tony Van Veen will have to win the trust of a lot of us who believe so highly in Derek. Mr. Van Veen, please do everything you can to maintain the trust and loyalty that Derek built over the years. He deserves it more than any of us do! YOU HAVE INCREDIBLY BIG SHOES TO FILL. Show us your working with us. And Derek, we all owe you a huge thank you for the 10 years you've been helping us with your company, CD baby. Best wishes with all your new ventures. I'm sure we'll still see you around!
Kelly Pettit
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/kellypettit
http://www.myspace.com/kellypettit
http://www.kellypettit.com
http://www.meermusic.com/kellypettit
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Agreed. I'm sad to see Derek go - he's a hero and a trusted figure in many of our lives.
I have to concur with Kelly - she said it so well I don't have much to add.
Please, Mr. Van Veen, fill his shoes well. Uphold and respect his legacy. And if you have pro-artist vision to add, I'm sure we're all curious to hear about it.
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Thanks Tony. I've read, and am happy. I look forward to
moving forward. Thanks for reading my letter.
-Steven Alvarado
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Does anyone know what Derek is planning to do next?
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---
http://www.kellyfranklin.net
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| NOTE: If you need a reply you should email CD Baby directly instead of posting here. We don't often read old message board postings, and have no way of replying to them!
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