- I’ve brought on a couple of new clients for publishing representation: San Francisco’s Sleight Of Hands (check out their excellent cover of “I’m Not In Love”) and Nathan Maners. There are others in the works. Exciting times here at 8DSync.
- I’m also working on two new projects in an advisory role: an upcoming EP from Arthur’s Landing titled Spring Collection; and a single from Terry Grant’s More Ghost Than Man project, taken from his stunning 2016 self-titled album.
- A major project this month was the launch of Snax’s PledgeMusic campaign for the vinyl version of his excellent Shady Lights album. I was closely involved in putting this together and enjoyed collaborating with Snax and the PledgeMusic team. This company has a great crew working behind the scenes. If you are a fan of limited edition vinyl in a deluxe package or solid electronic funk music in general, then I implore you to check out Snax’s Shady Lights campaign.
- Eagle eyes may notice that I’ve removed the Services tab from this site. I’ve decided to do fewer label services projects and focus more on music publishing, licensing, and consultancy. I’ll be revamping things here over the following weeks, and will be offering a new way that I can help independent labels and self-released artists determine and implement innovative strategies. Stay tuned.
- The weather is warming up in Florida. We’ve already hit the mid-80s a few times, and we’re not yet out of February. I’m torn between being worried and overjoyed. Regardless, I’m resuming my Lake Holden paddle board sessions, a highlight of my day and the preferred way to meditate and think.
- What I Read This Month:
- What I Watched This Month:
The Square
Hiroshima, Mon Amour
BPM (Beats Per Minute) (my favorite 2017 movie, I think)
Phantom Thread - What I Listened To This Month:
Deutsche Elektronische Musik 3: Experimental German Rock and Electronic Music 1970-82
Palta – Universel
Pendant – Make Me Know You Sweet
Patrick Cowley – Afternooners
San Mateo – Breather
The House In The Woods – Bucolica
Kuniyuki Takahashi – Early Tape Works (1986 – 1993) - A Few Other Things I Enjoyed This Month:
Seth Godin has a fantastic new weekly podcast titled Akimbo
If you make true crime documentaries then act quickly to acquire the rights to this tale of the Worst Roomate Ever
I like the writer Steven Johnson, and I’ve been wrapping my head around blockchain, so I found this article fascinating: Beyond The Bitcoin Bubble
Artist Winston Smith designed all those Dead Kennedys album covers I loved as a teenager. It’s a pleasure to find out he’s a pretty cool dude, too.
What Am I Doing Now? (January 2018 Recap)
- In addition to strengthening a daily journal habit that began a couple of years back, I’ve decided to plunge into Ryan Holiday and Stephen Hanselman’s The Daily Stoic Journal, accompanied by a reading from The Daily Stoic. I’ve been casually studying Stoicism (indeed, taking part in what’s become a resurgence), fascinated by its intersections with Buddhist teachings. The most profound learning comes from action or reflection, so Holiday’s prompts to journal on these philosophical teachings are themselves an encouragement to dive in further.
- This leads to a change in my morning routine. This month I’m experimenting with waking by 6:30 AM and quickly making a cup of strong tea (usually a teaspoon each of green tea, black tea, ginger, and MCT oil). I then read the day’s entry from The Daily Stoic and meditate for 20 minutes. After my quiet meditation, I journal in The Daily Stoic Journal, write at least a page about what’s on my mind in my blank journal, and then plan out my day in the Panda Planner (something else new I’m trying out). Then it’s coffee time, light breakfast, and the start of my workday. So far so good, and I’ll report back if this routine changes in the next months. (update: the Panda Planner is a great idea, and it might be perfect for you, but it turns out it doesn’t quite fit into my routine.)
- Speaking of meditation, I highly recommend Kevin Rose’s Oak app. It’s free and useful for meditators at any level, though I still recommend Headspace if you’re just getting started. After using Headspace for a few years and becoming comfortable with meditation, I find that Oak’s unguided meditation feature is perfect for my needs. I’m enjoying the app’s breathing exercises, too.
- I started 100 days of Seth Godin’s The Marketing Seminar. This is my second time through this program. The first time I didn’t finish as I got sidelined by things that needed attention in my personal life, and overlap with my intense four weeks in altMBA (which deserved 100% of my attention). Now that I’m fully focused, The Marketing Seminar is impactful, and I’m having a great time and learning a ton. It’s making me a better writer, too, as it’s kindly pressuring me to write all the time. (I highly recommend The Marketing Seminar and altMBA … feel free to contact me if you have questions about either.)
- As part of a goal to ramp up a writing practice, I’m going to try my hand at writing record reviews (or short essays about records I’m listening to). Maybe this will also give some virtual ink, and a shiny new search result to a few overlooked album releases as I’ll be focusing on the mostly unrecognized. Here’s my first effort.
- This month I spoke to a copyright class at Full Sail University and sat on a couple of panels at this year’s Music Placement Conference. Both were terrific and fun experiences, and I enjoyed talking with (and hopefully inspiring with encouragement) the students, songwriters, and music industry types I encountered. I’m aiming to do more speaking and panel appearances throughout the year.
- My friend (and fellow altMBA alumnus) Dean Caravelis interviewed me for his fantastic Outrageously Remarkable blog. It’s a straight transcript, so I come off a bit ranty and stumble through frequent run-on sentences, but I believe this conveys the enthusiasm and excitement I feel when I talk about these subjects. I also don’t think I’ve ever publicly told that Mike Watt story.
- What I Read This Month:
- What I Watched This Month:
I, Claudius
Wormwood
The Florida Project
A Ghost Story (loved it)
The Disaster Artist
Call Me By Your Name - What I Listened To This Month:
Art Feynman – Near Negative
The Gentleman Lovers – Permanently Midnight
Hiroshi Yoshimura – Music for Nine Postcards
Ebo Taylor And The Pelikans
Goran Kajfes Tropiques – Enso
F ingers – Awkwardly Blissing Out
Habibi Funk: An Eclectic Selection of Music From the Arab World - A Few Other Things I Enjoyed This Month:
How to Be a Responsible Music Fan in the Age of Streaming
Jaron Lanier on The Ezra Klein Show
See With Your Ears: Spielberg And Sound Design
Another Green World: How Japanese Ambient Music Found a New Audience
How Kraftwerk’s Classic Album Computer World Has Changed People’s Lives
Legend of the Fall: Mark E Smith Kept Swinging to the End