by Ken Newman
There is an overwhelming flood of music being released every day now. Thousands of songs hit streaming platforms constantly, and even strong records can vanish under that weight. You can spend years writing and recording an album, only to discover that the release window lasts about two weeks before the internet moves on.
That realization hit me while I was standing in my storage area, looking at shelves sagging beneath boxes of vinyl.
Two released albums. A lot of records. Not nearly enough buyers.
Like many musicians, I had taken the album approach. I had even taken the vinyl step. I co-produced Blanket the Homeless, a project I remain deeply proud of, which helped support the San Francisco charity I founded by the same name. After that, I released my solo album, What Am I Afraid Of?
Both albums meant a great deal to me. Both required significant time, money, faith, and energy. People connected with certain songs. We sold some copies. And then, like so much independent music now, they disappeared almost as quickly as they arrived.
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I have often found that maturity is among the greatest of virtues, for it is the juvenile who often sit and wonder why they are disliked.