I thought my skin was growing a bit thicker after over ten years of huckstering original music performance and recordings but for some reason, certain things still hurt. A natural-born salesman I most certainly am NOT! When applying for employment upon college graduation I unconditionally dismissed any and all job openings that hinted of sales. I generally feel that if someone wants or needs something, they will seek it. Consequently I never wanted to be the one to present them with something which I WANTED them to want or need.
Truth is, my stance on the matter has not really changed in essence since then. The one thing that HAS changed is that, after learning about what constitutes a successful music career (and I guess I have to qualify that by adding "commercially" to 'successful' because let's face it, if you have any talent, ability or passion about music, you do want to reap rewards in the critical and/or financial realms) I am now able to 'salesify' enough to confront a potential audience. That's just marketing, plain and simple.
So in my joy at being on the WAMMIE ballot for Best Jazz Recording, I thought that, since (from the WAMA website) 'nominations and balloting come from the WAMA membership' that I would bring my good fortune at being nominated to the attention of the WAMA membership because, as a WAMA member myself, I sometime read hastily and more oftentimes FORGET things. Frequently a small reminder can be most useful. A small reminder is what I intended to send the WAMA members, light-hearted, brief but to the point. So while I don't know all the WAMA members personally, I thought we had a common bond in our 'support' of the Washington area music community. I guess not all WAMA members feel that bond.
Turns out that two 'reprimanding' comments were returned to me in response to my request for a vote; one from a member I do not personally know and another from one I do.
*Sending unsolicited mass emails to DC musicians that you don't know asking for you vote isn't the best way to gain their support.
*I don't really care much for begging for votes. Please don't include me
on your list.
Granted the comments were innocuous enough (at least maybe one more than the other) and I have removed the two names from my mailing list in respect of their wishes, or in the case of the first, his implication.
But still . . .
. . . it hurts.
What do you think?
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My latest release, Black & White Then Back,
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