[microsound] Re: commentary on one-copy label

[steinbrüchel <steinbruchel@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Am 29.3.2008 2:55 Uhr schrieb "onement" unter <contact@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>:

> Hello all,
> I'm Sylvain Chauveau, the man behind the one-copy records label
> Onement. I've received today a link to this network of comments,
> talking about the one-copy record of Robert Hampson that I've just
> released.

dear mr. chauveau
thank you for your kind and detailed reply. very interesting to read your
point of view concering the project. and of course all your arguments are
all very valid...
 
> First thing: please forgive my broken English.
> Then: those comments I can read seem really very interesting to me,
> even if it mostly says that my concept of one-copy records kind of
> sucks.

i don't think your project «sucks», i just don't agree with it and i also
ask myself if it's necessary to have a project of this kind in the field of
music.
 
> After all, that's really OK because from the day I decided to make
> this crazy thing come true I knew that I was accepting to hear also
> tough critiques against such a concept.
> And, from what I read here, it's not that tough, though no one seem to
> think my concept was a good idea.
> 
> The first message I see asks "is it medieval courtliness or maybe only
> an arty provocation?"
> Ouch! I think I want to answer this. I don't understand the idea of
> "medieval courtliness" and what it could have to do with an LP, sorry
> (if someone can explain that to me...). As for the provocative aspect:
> no, no provocation in my attitude.
> The original idea is to make the same thing with a music recording as
> with painting or sculpture, precisely. To make it unique.
> This is not a provocation. It's just that I can appreciate painting very much.

and why is it that you can appreciate painting (or any other art form) very
much? did you see every painting that you really like in real life or do you
also have stacks of art books and similar items with reprints of thus
paintings at home (like i do :)?

did you ever see a painting reproduced in a book which totally fascinated
you or touched you in some other way, but without every seeing the real
thing itself? i can only speak for myself, but i would guess that about 75%
of all the paintings, objects, photographs, whatever other art form there is
i have only seen reprinted in books without ever seeing the original piece
of art. for instance i really like the work of modern german painter tim
eitel, but have never seen one of his pictures in real...

> Who claims that selling a painting $40.000 is a provocation?
> Why should it be provocation to sell a unique recording of music (and
> of course I don't mean the Robert Hampson recording is sold for that
> price)?

that's not provocative at all, but even if a painting is sold for this price
you'll probably be able to find it's printed in some catalogue or any other
art book and therefore also possible to enjoy for the «poor». this is
exactly my point... you don't give the people that enjoy the work of robert
hampson the possibility of hearing his composition. it's not that the
original vinyl is sold as an unique object in the edition of one, but in
addition with (for instance) the possibility of downloading (for money or
free doesn't matter here) the tracks (or similar)....

no, it's the one object. one liveperformance and that was it... if all the
painters and artists, etc. would choose this path i for instance wouldn't
know the work of mark rothko or bernd & hilla becher or most of all the
other artists i admire and am influenced by...

> Is music really lower than other arts?

not necessarily, but does this matter? is music art? when is something art?
when not?
 
> The immediate answer will be that a recording can be reproduced, and
> that a painting and a sculpture can't.
> But we all know that video and photography, who are totally
> reproductible, are accepted as works of art and sold in the art fairs
> as well as any fine arts.
> All those who think that a one-copy record is a joke should also shout
> against the market of videos and photos at 5 copies sold $10.000 each
> - and maybe they already do?

see above...
 
> I also read: "Prize winner elitist item of the year'.
> This points one the problems of my concept. Of course, as we press
> only one LP, it will be expensive to make, and expensive to buy.
> That's a bad thing. I admit. And people like me, or other fans of the
> composers who will play the game, won't be able to buy the LP.
> But, please be honest, who did regret this about painting?

i regret this fact about a lot of objects of arts. if i would have the money
(and space) i would have loads of paintings, photographs, whatever around in
my living space... for instance, if i would have enough money i would love
to own every release by the label «en/of». my main critism there is that
most people really enjoying the music side of these editions can't pay the
necessary cash and i assume (maybe wrongly) that many collectors acquiring
these pieces just do it for the sake of collecting and «owning». luckily the
label released a nice catalogue with three cd's (a sort of compilation of
their past releases) documenting the editions. excellently done and
therefore making is possible for people with less $$$ also to enjoy the
pieces...
 
> Here I must explain a few simple things about the Onement label:
> - I do press a real vinyl, not an acetate dubplate (Mr Steinbruchel)
> which makes me pay for a mastering and for as much as for 300 or 500
> copies. But I've decided to do like this because vinyl allows a better
> quality of sound and less wearing away (do we say like this in
> English?).

this is great, but also why not make 300 copies if you anyway pay the same
price anyway? i would be happy to buy a copy...

> - 50% of the price I sell the item comes directly to the artist (the
> composer).

i'm wondering how you define the price of the object and how you intend to
sell it... will it be auctioned?

> - I give the artist an advance when he starts creating a recording for
> Onement: so that he is sure to get a bit of money whatever happens
> after he finishes his work.

that's very honorable of you... concerning money in the field of
«experimental music», i'm always wondering why many artists that make music
expect to be able to make a living from it... it's just a basic fact that if
you make «difficult» music that only sells 500 copies that it'll never be
enough to cover your daily expenses... as you won't sell more cd's probably
not more people will attend the performances and thus the fees won't be very
high... all very logical and in my own personal opinion also ok (at least
for me).

> - The artist is totally free of the artistic choices of his work, and
> the duration and artwork are decided with him (that's why it's even
> possiblyopen to other format than LP, Mr Steinbruchel, even though
> vinyl may be suggested first).
> 
> To end up, I can say that Onement is of course also a reaction to the
> supposed disappearance of the disc format. You may disagree with the
> concept, it's OK, but at least one can admit that it's a try to do
> something when few people know what to do this real mutation.

yes, you are completely right there and therefore i also don't think the
project «sucks». as mentioned above i just disagree with certain points...
 
> Also:
> - Yes, I heard that Jean-Michel Jarre did sell a one-copy LP in 1983.
> I don't pretend I'm the first one to have the idea. And I even hope I
> won't be the only one to make it.
> 
> - Come on guys, I'm a musician too. We all know how hard it is to deal
> with a label (small or big) and control everything on your record and
> get paid. How many times did you do 500-copies CDs without getting a
> single dollar on the sales? At least I give some money to the artist,
> from my own pocket. And if the records are not sold after a few
> releases, I'll end up broke as hell.

well, good luck then :)

> And a composer such as Robert Hampson wouldn't have agreed to release
> another 500 copies CD, partly because he was fed up with working 8
> months on a piece and not getting paid at all when it's out.

see, that's what i don't understand. what does he expect? to be paid for the
eight months of work? in this case lots of labels would owe me muchas $$$!
 
> - Can I can control if the composer will destroy the master? Well,
> maybe I could do like Jean-Michel Jarre (master destroyed under
> supervision by police representative). But seriously I won't. I trust
> Robert Hampson and all the others who will do a work for Onement. I
> don't think it's their interest to make copies of their own recording
> who will be sold as unique.

that's not my point... i haven't said that robert hampson will not destroy
his master to sell additional copies. i just assume that he'll keep the
files to maybe have another listen in 10, 20 or 30 years. or maybe also play
it for a friend or whatever... and there the concept already doesn't really
work anymore.

of course i only assume these things and therefore i might be completely
wrong... but my assumptions only come from my own believes and how i handle
my own compositional work.

> - The Onement concept brings me back a lot of comments, either very
> good and enthousiastic, either ver bad and sometimes insulting (well,
> that's part of the game). Anyway, the next one-copy releases will be
> by Antti Rannisto, Keith Rowe, Sébastien Roux, John Tilbury, and by
> Pierre-Yves Macé.

it'll just be a shame to have so much (probably) good music made for
(almost) no one to hear. in this case i very much agree with david from
microsuoni... how did you do it with the robert hampson release? have you
listened to it just once? did you not make a copy (file, recording, etc.)
for yourself?

> All of them elitist, medieval provocators?

who? the artists producing the music? the individuals buying the piece? you
as publisher?

> You tell me.

thanks again for your openess in your reply.
ralph (aka mr. steinbruchel)
 
> Sylvain Chauveau
> 
> www.onement-label.com
> www.myspace.com/onement

ps: i think it would be more conceptual and true to the project if you're
myspace page wouldn't feature any excerpts...

-- 

.:.: http://www.synchron.ch :.:.


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