Our Dystopian Reality
This Sunday, April 26th, at 2:00 p.m. Texas Standard Time, 19:00 for most Europeans, Chris Reeves and I will stream a concert live from the Texas Hill Country just a stone's throw from the Colorado River, west of Austin.
Today, April 24th I'm updating my March 19th blog to include the reality of the shutting down of my online CD sales outlet, CD Baby, which means that my wife and I will now personally handle all of the shipping & of my physical CD sales from my website, https://www.johnarthurmartinez.net/shop.
Breath in, breath out. Smile more, worry less. Read more books, write more songs. Walk the dog more without the cell phone in hand. Start the book I know I have in me. Fix the the things I promised the wife I would fix months ago. Organize my office and music room like I promised. But before I do this there are a few things I need to do first as this dystopian reality unfolds.
As an independent musician and my own webmaster I'll immediately update the calendar so that I'm responsible to the fans letting them know which shows are canceled. That's all of them for the time being including my 2020 JAM EuroTour which originally slated for mid-May to mid-June including shows in Spain, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, back through Switzerland ending in France. Of course, I'll keep sharing the good news like the nomination for Western Swing Song of the Year by the Academy of Western Artists, the radio spins from Texas and international stations, and the recent feature on the Texas Standard (https://www.texasstandard.org/stories/after-a-fateful-knee-injury-this-singer-traded-his-tennis-shoes-for-cowboy-boots/).
As a independent musician I'll explore all of the revenue streams available that don't involve performing in front of an live audience. I've got a storage room full of CDs (I've recorded 14 albums, including my most recent For the Love of Western Swing & Other Love Songs) that I'll sell through my own website, Apple (iTunes) and Amazon. I'll create USB thumb drives for $75 of all 14 albums for fans who'd like a music format that will play in their new vehicles and in their homes with no CD player.
Order one at https://www.johnarthurmartinez.net/shop or by emailing info@johnarthurmartinez.net). I can book future house concerts (book one at info@johnarthurmartintez.net) for fans across the world so that I'm in full stride when the chaos subsides.
Furthermore, I'll still do concerts from my home and create a revenue stream using an online PayPal Tip Jar so as not to inadvertenly expose my family, myself, or my fans to Covid-19.
As a husband and a family man I absolutely need to find a way to keep this "Home Made of Stone" I've built for my wife by exploring all of the ways to make ends meet including applying for grants from the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, making mortgage loan modifications with Bank of America or even possibly refinancing at the current lower interest rates, asking deferments on certain bills, etc. I'll explore the various programs available through the State of Texas and through the Federal government to stay afloat. I'll utilyze the resources available throught the American Federation of Musicians and the local chapter, Austin Federation of Musicians. I'll make this work.
After I do all of these things Yvonna and I will be fine. And, I wish you could see the smile on her face when I do all of her honey do's like planting more plants in the garden, weeding and pruning our peaceful patio area under our majestic oaks, replacing the rusty shower curtain bar, like reorganizing my product room, like cleaning the clutter in my office...