Repugnant Marketability

While driving back and forth to WRAMC in preparation for my son's surgery, I happened upon a business named, Quickie Beckie's. Quickie Beckie's takes care of kids. That is one of the worst names I have ever heard! I was intrigued as to how anyone could think "Quickie" could be an appropriate moniker for anything other than a fast food joint or somewhere you get a happy-ending and I don't mean the dessert at Friendly's.

Quickie Beckie's might be a decent name for a band, but a childcare program?

We have gotten music submissions from some crazy-named bands. The one that takes the cake for me, which could have had the BEST sound in the whole world, but I could not get past their awful name, was "Drunken Fetus." I couldn't find the humor in the choice nor did their image match who I thought they were as musicians. I found it to be repugnant and therefore not marketable. Choose your band's name wisely. Whether you like it or not, you will be judged on that choice often before anyone even hears your sound.

Say It Ain't So Fort Hood

About the only place I feel relatively safe nowadays is on post. It is the one place where uniform wearing service-members hold the door as you drag your kids through AAFES, your Power Zone purchases are tax-free and you get your own friendly grocery bagger to walk you to your car. It's like a safe haven in this cold cruel world we live in for those who call themselves military.

I'm sad for everyone right now. I hope it was an "outsider" who came into our collective house and wrought this calamity. It is easier on the spirit to think so.

~Sidney

The Other Half of TTFR

Fool me once

I was recently involved in planning an event that had multiple coordinators who, prior to this particular project, had never met. One person immediately took charge and the rest of us took the path of least resistance and let them run with it. I figured they must have done this before, so I will sit back and manage my little corner of the event while they tackle the over-arching goals. The gathering didn't go so well. It wasn't a total disaster, but clearly it didn't flow as smoothly as I would have envisioned or hoped. At the event, this person shared they had NEVER done this before. What?!?

It was apparent that I didn't do my due diligence. I failed to dig deeper and play more of an active role in helping this person get it together. Shouldn't I know better? In fact, yes I should. TTFR has hired firms that on initial interview are enthusiastic go-getters that have a clear vision in response to whatever it is we are asking of them. Early on, we didn't dig deeper. We took these professionals at face value and hired them, sometimes at a significant cost to our bank account, as well as our reputation. It didn't matter that TTFR paid them a lot. We got burned more than once at different price points. At least we shared the love.

So the event happened. That was a plus. Was it as great as it could have been? No, but I know better for the next time.

More sordid tales from TTFR

When starting TTFR, Sean and I visited a SCORE counselor in Newport, Rhode Island. Our counselor had an office in the basement of an old Victorian home. It was December, pitch dark, and we had to walk around the back of the house to knock on the pseudo-office door. As we approached the door, I looked down and saw a work-room to the left where an older man was peeing in the sink facing me. That's right, I said peeing. He, as we later found out, was the owner of the house and he obviously didn't want to go upstairs to use the toilet. Fair enough, it was his house after-all.

Anyway, a few awkward moments later he comes to answer the door and all I can think is, "Was he really peeing in the sink?" Honestly, I remember nothing of what our counselor said that night. I only remember feeling caught off-guard and a little bit like a Peeping Tom.

TTFR does not have media come to our pseudo-office. This is the only way to ensure that no one at the label is caught with their proverbial pants down. We want TTFR to be remembered as a powerhouse of military music as opposed to an outhouse.

Just Do It

Whatever it is.

The Marine Corps Marathon was in DC today. I caught the tail end of the race in Crystal City as the last of the runners were approaching the 23 mile mark. There were all kinds of people that were getting it done.

I couldn't help but think that running a marathon is a lot like starting a business. When you first have the idea people are skeptical. They don't know if it is something you are truly committed to or just a fly by night idea that you will shelve sooner rather than later. You start out with gusto training for a marathon and getting a business off the ground. In the process, your body takes a beating both physically and mentally. Your knees hurt pounding the pavement as you chalk up the miles week after week. Your head hurts crunching numbers in an effort to improve your business' bottom line. You question what the hell made you want to do this in the first place. After an invigorating run or closing a deal you remember why you did it. Your focus is renewed and you get out there day after day. You just do it.

Like the people I saw at today's marathon, some were slow-going, some were visibly injured, some were cruising along, and some were really struggling. What I saw was a snapshot in time as they were 23 miles deep. All I know is they kept putting one foot in front of the other and somewhere down the road is their finish line.

What does it mean to profit-share?

There must be profits in order to share them.

No profits mean that your debt is greater than any money you actually made.

Simple concept, yet a concept not easily grasped by those who have never had to actually start a business, run a business or keep one going.

If you are a lucky business owner fortunate enough to work 9-till whenever-shit-gets-done because there is only YOU to gitter done as opposed to a 9-5er......you get it.

Stick with your niche

If you know what it is. Our niche, or specialized market, is the military. To The Fallen Records only accepts submissions from those who are serving or have served in the military. At least once a week, someone who doesn't fit that criteria emails us to say we should accept music from spouses, children, parents or significant others.

Thousands of labels exist that will accept submissions from anyone. If we were to compromise on that one seemingly innocuous issue, we may as well call it a day for TTFR. Nothing would separate us or call attention to what makes military-made music authentic. Listening to it, you know our artists have been there, done that.

A recent FB comment sums it up perfectly, "Since I got home, this music is about the only thing that makes sense to me."

We think our fans appreciate that TTFR is the world's only military record label. So, do you?