Today’s lesson in the music business arrives in the person of a man named Dave Godowsky, who has a full-page feature, complete with serious- and committed-looking photograph, on page 22 of this morning’s Boston Globe “g” magazine. The title of this article is “He’s (finally) ready to take his music public”. Mr. Godowsky has recorded his first album, at the Wisconsin home studio of a band called Bon Iver, which is apparently an “indie rock darling”, according to the article in “g”. One of the members of Bon Iver, upon discovering that Mr. Godowsky was a songwriter, invited him to open for them at a couple shows last summer. In order to promote his new album, he has a co-residency at the new Somerville Armory for February, where he’s being accompanied by, among other folks, Mark Erelli.
Now, you might ask, if Mr. Godowsky hasn’t taken his music public yet, what in heaven’s name is he doing with a full-page feature in “g”? I’ve been taking my music public for years now – you say – and I don’t recall having a full-page feature in “g”- you say. Why is he opening for Bon Iver? Why does he have a residency at the Somerville Armory?
Well, Mr. Godowsky, it turns out, is an A&R man for Rounder Records. Aha! You say. It’s all rigged! Well, no. Here’s the dirty little secret: this is how the world works.
I don’t know anything about Dave Godowsky besides what’s in the “g” magazine article. He may be the next Arlo Guthrie; he may be a mediocre bore. It may not be “fair” that he has a full-page feature in “g” magazine and so many other talented people don’t; but there are only so many full-page features in “g”, and someone’s got to get them. And the journalists’ search for subject matter, just like a club owner’s search for headliners or opening acts or a listener’s search for entertainment, isn’t a thorough search. There’s no time. There’s too much talent and not enough bandwidth, and so the people who get the attention are the people who have put themselves in the position to get it.
I can guarantee you, for instance, that all things being equal, if you work for Rounder Records, you’re more likely to get an article in “g” than if you don’t. I can guarantee you that if you’re a volunteer at WUMB, you’re more likely to get airplay on WUMB than if you’re not. I can guarantee you that if you’re an open mike host at a local venue, you’re more likely to get a gig there than if you’re not. This. Is. How. The. World. Works. And it doesn’t bother me.
As you know, I am not crazy about my place in the music world. I want more attention, more publicity, larger audiences, better opportunities. Now, I could sit in my room and stew about my lot in life, but the world keeps telling me, over and over, what I can do to fix it. I can volunteer at WUMB. I can become an open mike host. I can enter lots of songwriting contests, so the judges can hear my name and my music. I could get involved in politics and play political benefits. It’s not a matter of whether I can do these things – it’s a matter of whether I want to.
We all make our choices, about our time, our sacrifices, our priorities. The fact of the matter is, when there’s a lot of competition, as there is for airtime in music, the sacrifices are steeper, and the priorities have to be more severely skewed. It would be great if every one of the talented people I know – every one of the talented people you know – could get the attention they deserve. But that’s not how the world works. Dave Godowsky is how the world works. And I can live with that.