would anyone please read and respond to my post

[Onyx Ashanti]

s my online studio session service worth the effort

I am really trying here and i'm at a complete loss. I offer to do my particualr brand of session work for free. my services are at www.onyx-ashanti.com. I have offered for free. and the services that i do charge for i charge very little. but i can't reach and sort of critical mass. i think it is a lack of communication insight on my part

i am sincerely asking for blunt direct feedback about my concept and its implementation. PLEASE be blunt. if i suck, let me know. if the concept is overly simplistic or complicated or flawed, any insight would be not only greatly appreciated, but i would be willing to share what i glean from any advice anyone is willing to share.


thank you in advance

onyx

[bopstar]

maybe peeps just aint ready. your ahead of your time bro. stick at it. askin the question u just did strikes me is definitely a right move, seein if u can refine the way it communicates. but basically, your on to something. this mode of collaboration just hasnt kicked in yet. but its coming and your one of the first thats ready. i would say you'd get a lot more response this second from the experimental community than this community, theyre not with you yet. if u say the same thing on the microsound and soundasart mailing lists i bet all kinds of improvising, computer programming, reaktoring maxmsping abletoning madpeople come out to play :)

[Onyx Ashanti]

thanks for the feedback. I had hoped to be more of a part of what was going on here, but thats the way it crumbles sometimes. have fun ya'll.

[Onyx Ashanti]

actually, let me say this also. I am really good at what i do and i take it very seriously. i have played with and recorded with alot of people, and still do. this project isnt based on me not being able to get work, its based on the realities of the new world order as it stands; many cats work with computers and networks...I work with computers and networks...we can work together. simple

if anyone goes to my site and actually listens to the the example tracks (www.onyx-ashanti.ning.com), you will hear that its not experimental sounding, unless it needs to be. but i try to retain a certain "onyx" thing that is my signature.

I dont believe that peeps aint ready. i just dont think they've been given the right option at the right time. so here it is; THE FIRST 3 CATS TO SEND ME A TRACK TO http://soundcloud.com/onyxashanti/dropbox i WILL DO A FULL ARRANGEMENT SESSION FOR FREE. By full, i mean multipart horn/synth arrangement, solo parts...everything i do, i will do and do it for free, with full access to the stems, and everything. and i will post the result right here on this thread.

if it's case that cats aint ready, then i make the offer to help them be ready. if its a case that cats aint feeling what i'm doing, well, that's on them.

i remember back in 2002-2003 when i was playing around brixton using traktor 2.3 to dj with, and cats were BUGGIN!! I got hated on HARD, and now everyone is all serato, and traktor. when i was playing clubs back then, sometimes peeps didnt know what to make of a wind controller player/digital dj, but I'm hard headed like that and in the end you gotta follow your plan.

THIS plan is not even the future. its the now! so right now maybe nobody is feeling it for whatever reason, but by this time next year, i plan to have 12-15 regular "clients" from this forum alone. and it will be because i made them ready.

I plan to be down with my freaky weird brethren on the max/msp and fl studio forums too (no ableton live here). thanks for the suggestion. i didnt think of offering my services to the experimental crowd, but that would just be more crazy custom patches for the sound library.

remember, the 1st 3 heads...

onyx

[T-Bird]

how long has the site been up? i think maybe there's a bit of impatience making you feel as though there's not interest when in fact people haven't had enough time to find you.

you know folks is lazy!!!

[AYBEE]

My Brother

I think it's sounds
and looks
DESPERATE
and that WEIRDS people out...
You are TOO talented...
I told u this in SF...
I think you have something to say...
something powerful within the realm of
ART.

Stop trying to MONETIZE stuff,
and find a place to speak from that's pure...
and keep doing YOU.
If no one Listens SO WHAT...
Do it for YOU man.
The world is tipping over with Huslters, Thieves, and GIMMICKS
and you will not out hustle, and out gimmick anyone.

Moreover you don't have to...

- Balance -

[Onyx Ashanti]

yeah, i think i may be going about this in the wrong way.

my concept was that i could make a can't-lose offer as a way of building trust over time, giving rather than asking for something. Some economic stuff that i've been studying. and i still think it will work, but, I have to refine the wording. Desperate is not a good look.

if this is also coming across as a hustle (a desperate hustle is not a good combination...) then i've definitely got to refine things. I'm thinking, less "selling/offering a service" and maybe more "something there as just another thing i do".

the Monetization thing has evolved a bit in the last couple of years. there are many many ways to monetize, which is a necessity because i am a full time artist. a friend of mine does scheduled live one on one wind controller tutorials thru skype video for $1 a minute (although i am in no way interested in teaching...just thought it was a cool idea), and does pretty well. and i already do the online session work, but i wanted to try it in a more "out there" way.

I'm going to stick with it, because i see it as the future without a shadow of a doubt. Artist doing things like this will be common place in a couple of years or less. I've got to refine and re-examine ALL aspects of everything concerning what it means to be an artist in a hyperconnected digital world, where music is free and sponsorship comes by way of small payments from networked sponsors, ie. rather than labels footing the bill, fans, "friends"(myspace version, not real world), clients will pay for various scarce access to artists they follow, work with or both, which is increasingly common in a world where many people, at least, dabble with music software.

which brings me back to my original post; blunt, feedback on my concept. i dont see a flaw in the idea i now see flaws in how i am conveying the idea;

Bopstar says that cats arent ready which means that its my job to bring the idea out of the clouds and bring it back to NOW.

T-bird said that my impatience may be clouding my judgement, which is true. too much coffee.

and you said it "seems" desperate with a hint of hustle and gimmickery...

AND IT'S ALL THE KIND OF ADVICE I NEED! I really appreciate ya'll taking the time to give me feedback. Just reading your reply's has given me a load of new ideas. I want any feedback anyone is willing to share. thank you.

[MELANIN]

Hey Onyx, you said be blunt so here goes.... Your the best i've seen do what you do, with a wind controller, live and all that! It might not be your main aim but get a couple of hot tracks out there, with vocals, i love vocals lol, some support from one or more well respected DJs and see how the tables turn.

What i've noticed in the music game, a lot of people are too concerned with self promotion instead of unifying! So just do you and keep promoting yourself.

[Onyx Ashanti]

thank you. unifying was/is the purpose of this excercise. to link with cats. I'm currently producing a couple of female singers here in London and just published one of my previous collaborations with an american/british poet living in berlin Small Talk, published recently.

it actually funny. psychology is funny. I've played on dozens of tracks, some of which have charted and won grammys, but if i offer to play for peeps, using a system, it's a scam. but if someone "discovers" my services, they feel as if my "scam" is more worthy somehow. very very interesting.

I've got a proper releases coming for you in may, Melanin. i will make sure you know about it.

[Orlando Perez]

I feel your ideology, it's a great concept and I like your thirst for making music. Looked you up on SC and i enjoyed it.

Will put something in your dropbox over the weekend if i get time (please note that it's my birthday this weekend and all might not go according to plan).

One Love

Orlando Perez

[Onyx Ashanti]

OR...things may go according to the plan you havent accepted yet. hmmm...

[Orlando Perez]

heheheh yeah i been drinking mount gay rum all evening, hopefully the kids won't wake up too early 2morrow.

Incidentally, I added you on soundcloud, if there's a track you fancy blowing your horn on lemme know, I use ableton live so i can make soundpacks or everything in .aiff if u use mac.

Bless

Orlando Perez

[Onyx Ashanti]

cool. i'll check it out