Boomers Making Coasters

I am a boomer. In the last couple of months, I have embarked on recording a new album. There are pluses and minuses to this endeavor. First off, at my age, is this just a vanity project or a harebrained money making scheme? I guess, on the whole, every album throughout history by anyone is a vanity project. Some of us like to think that we’re Jackson Browne or Joni Mitchell (insert more current artists here if you are under 60). I like to think that what I write has some value and I like to share. As far as a ”money making scheme”…whatever.

I’m a slow writer; not very prolific.  But, when I get enough songs to make an album, I jump in. It’s a cool and fun thing to do. I love the process of watching the songs take shape through cool arrangements and interesting instrumentation. That is really the motivating force; the process, building the layers. I am one who thrives in a collaborative environment when it comes to producing and arranging. When you have an idea that might work, and then it does, that’s really cool. I record because I love bringing things to life in new and different ways. These days, however, I don’t spend a bunch of money on a physical medium to sell. I usually order about 200 CDs for the folks who cling to that technology. I consider them a loss leader. Which brings me to the conundrum.

I have several friends in my age group who are singer/songwriters and continue to record and put out CDs. Most of these folks don’t play out very often and are not quite up on marketing through social media. Most of them make the mistake of ordering at least 1000 CDs. The conventional thinking is that the more you buy, the less they are per unit. That’s all well and good except, they end up with boxes of CDs under their beds for years. Without a distribution network, steady gigs and marketing, their houses become CD warehouses that never shrink. The ones they give away to friends usually wind up on a coffee table somewhere with some type of beverage resting atop the art work that was so painstakingly fretted over. The death of CDs could easily have been predicted years ago. Looking at the long history of music media and the speed of change, we should have known they too would disappear. It’s hard to find a new car with a player in it and most new computers have done away with CD drives.

So, now what? Well, the ”what” is digital distribution. How long that will be the case and what’s next is another story. Probably brain buds. I’m not smart enough to figure that one out. But that’s where we are today. I would certainly not discourage anyone from producing CDs for sale at gigs and to pass out to friends. But, as a viable vehicle in the future, not so much. Those of us of a certain age remember picking up a new vinyl record from our favorite artists and reading the liner notes and finding out who played what and discovering all the great musicians who made those records sound the way they did. That was always really magical and allowed us to dream of being one of those folks. I know I’m talking to Noah about the flood (as my sainted mother used to say). 

We have all lamented the sterilizing effects of the technological advances in music production and distribution. The sonic quality took a big hit early on with Spotify and its ilk squashing the files into oblivion. It is absolutely true that there is more information on a CD or vinyl LP with the full hi res files than on those mutant MP3s that we all listen to on our phones through our ear buds. It’s sad. Neil Young was right. More streaming services, however, have caught on and are offering hi res files. Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal and Amazon are probably the most used. But, what the heck, if you want to make CDs or vinyl records, knock yourselves out. There are still those of us around, albeit slowly vanishing, who still prefer to have all of the music you made audible in all its’ hi res glory with some cool cover art and information.

So, to my fellow boomers, keep making coasters! Some of them will actually get played and be enjoyed by your friends and fans. That is my hope for us all. 
John Cable, March 2024