Big Jim:

I don't think anyone is interested in squelching creativity - even the executives. Most people in the music biz actually appreciate great work, regardless of its attitude. It's just a matter of whether they feel they can actually do anything with it commercially (get it on the radio, sustain a mainstream career with it, etc.) After all, it takes a massive investment to launch and sustain a recording career. So, every decision along the way can be critical. As Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen have a built in following, they have always been free to express all the dark dynamics of life.

What I've observed through nearly four decades in this biz is that hit songs make people feel better - whether it's the commiseration offered by a sad song or the exhiliration provided by an upbeat tune, or the inspiration of an anthem of idealism. Music works when it speaks the truth. People have an intuition for honesty and they connect with genuine emotion.

At this point in time, I doubt if a lot of people wanna be dragged into an artist's wrist-slitting self-indulgence. So, if writers wanna write that kind of stuff, that's cool. They just shouldn't complain when those execs don't jump up and down and scream, "That's a freakin' hit!"

Best,
Rand Bishop
songwriter/producer/author Makin' Stuff Up - secrets of song-craft and survival in the music-biz
www.makinstuffup.net

Rand Bishop
Songwriter/producer/author