just an absolutely miserable, sleety, cold, wet, crap day... the run was good, footing excellent... I'm soaked !
The Mercury City Gazette
Dear Mary from West Virginia,
Thanks for taking the time to write. I do appreciate your comments regarding Kasim Sulton's Quid Pro Quo.
“Why is Kasim Sulton's 'Quid Pro Quo' not played on the radio? Almost the whole album would fit perfectly on top 40 radio.”
Radio programmers, fractured demographics, erroneous audience research data, and ultimately the state of radio as you know it, have alienated audiences from hearing artists like Kasim Sulton, and that trend is likely to continue. In a nutshell, it has nothing to do with the quality, calibre and heritage of Kasim Sulton, nor his brilliant songwriting and musical prowess. It has all to do with corporate monopolies, controlling what you hear. Radio “DJ's” have no power or freewill, and should they stray from format, they risk losing their livelihood. Does this sound familiar as of late ? Spooky...
{FYI: Industry consultant fees can range from hundreds of dollars to thousands per month, I think you get the picture here...}
Small independent companies such as Sphere Sound®, have strict budgets and funds from limited revenue streams have to be considered wisely.
Let me expound about the strategy I had in mind regarding the release of Quid Pro Quo...When Kasim and I decided to work together, I took into consideration the history of his body of work, and the family of artists of which he is deeply connected to. Kasim's identity has evolved over the years from his Utopia progressive rock roots, to an established session guru and singer-songwriter, as well as Meat Loaf's musical director, bassist and vocalist. Essentially, even though he is a household name among a deep fan base and the cognoscenti, we were starting with a blank tablet to even be considered for conventional radio airplay.
When we released QPQ, there were several strategies in place.
Of my many goals, airplay on terrestrial radio was on the reality short list. Both Kasim and I felt if we could reach his core demographic, obtain a distribution channel, and sell the disc in an economical business model, success would follow. I believe we achieved those goals. My main pursuit was to put money in Kasim's pocket so-to-speak, and let him sell the CD unencumbered. That's the main goal for any artist, and we achieved it. I'm proud of that...
The bright side is that, Kasim's music is distributed by one of the largest companies in the world, and he's heard by millions now via iTunes, etc, and the reach of his music is global. Is it not a fantastic time to be an artist ?
Stay tuned for what will no doubt be a victory for way overdue artists like Kasim Sulton, as technology grows and file sharing becomes legal, AND the artist gets paid !
In closing, here's a Nostradamus-like prediction from a musical giant, that fits my argument well...
“Musicians still need record companies to fund their work.”
But he's not nearly so optimistic about radio's future:
“It's finished, or soon will be. Given my usual prescience, {that will happen} in about 15 years.”-
Pete Townsend, Yahoo! Internet Life/April 2000
Scott Van Dusen is the owner of Sphere Sound®. Among his passions, Van Dusen is known as a former veteran professional radio broadcaster, programmer and champion of music and the arts... He was paroled from radio in 1999, after serving a 25 year sentence.
