Maybe the disagreements that are arising in here are because for most of the history of recorded musicare you had to reach at least a certain level of experience and skill based on performing in front of an audience before you were recorded. Now, with the process of recording your music available to almost everyone, a lot of music is being recorded without the long years of growth that come from performing and honing your craft. Recording your music is a wonderful learning tool and I'd encourage all musicians, whether they are singer/songwriters or not to put your music down on tape or CD. To some extent, it can help to gain the experience that might otherwise have taken years to develop performing. I learned an enormous amount over the years recording my songs and music, multitracking harmonies and additional instrumental tracks. It's a terrific way to grow.

At the same time, I sympathize with anyone who is barraged with CDs to listen to. When I was running a concert series, I received a steady flow of cassettes and eventually CDs from people looking for a booking. For many years, I listened to every tape or CD I received and wrote a personal letter offering encouragement and making compliments where I could, with honesty. I know some musicians who were just beginning when I received a tape from them, and they went on to be very successful. They always remembered my encouragement, and when they had grown in skill I ended up booking them several times. As home-made CDs became more prolific, I reached a point where I couldn't keep up with the stack of unsolicited music in my mailbox. It was impossible to give a fair "listen" to every CD, or to send a personal letter thanking each person. That really bothered me, as I think it is very important to encourage musicians early in their development. We all started somewhere and weren't very good. Whether the musician every became "very good," or not wasn't the point. I just wanted to respect their commitment to trying to create music. Unless you've been in a position of being deluged with unsolicited CDs, many by musicians who haven't really developed to the point of being ready to seriously consider booking (or playing over the air) I think it's difficult to realize the problem that Ron and others like him have. No matter how sincerely you want to encourage people, just the shear volume of music you receive weighs you down.

And remember, most people who run folk shows work very hard at it, and give a lot of thought into programming their show in a way that the music flows and each track compliments the previous one. It's a lot of work and like much of the hard work that is done in the folk community, from doing radio programs to hosting a concert series, the people who have that love of the music receive far more criticism than expressions of appreciation.

So, Ron: Knowing you a little bit, I know that you are a generous man who has given countless hours of his time to promote and encourage appreciation of folk music. I think that you've stated your opinion in a carefully worded, sensitive way and I applaud you for that. I know that you are not trying to discourage young songwriters, or other musicians from testing their wings. Sometimes, they just try to fly a little too soon.

Thank you for your kind words, WeeLittle... keep working on your music and I'm sure that you'll bring enjoyment to others..


Jerry