THE FOOL OFFERS MORE
(welcome to my foolitarium!!):
April fools' day is one of my favourite days of the year! Welcome!
I am certainly one of the biggest fools I know and commit myself anew each day to surrender even more to it, everyday it seems by Divina's grace I become less of an idiot and more of a fool. Hallelujah!
I cannot and do not subscribe to one religion (although I used to consider myself a "booty-ist") for in truth my heart is too big for just one, a single religion would die of loneliness inside the womb of my heart. Many of them I am very fond of, they sparkle like stars in the night velvet sky. My religion such as can be ascribed to a name is the religion of humanity.
All of the prophets whether Moses, Buddha, Malcolm or Beethoven came to remind humanity of its grace and power and were all humanitarians to their core, whatever marketing labels were left behind in their wake to sell their concepts to the people.
Jesus offered his services to his time not in the view that it would later be called 'christianity', I doubt whether he cared what it would be called, the gardener drops the seeds and leaves the naming to the florist. He came to elevate humanity's view of itself and to prove that the power of love triumphs over all doubt and that without the value of ethics we are all but a hierarchy of monkeys attacking one another at the slightest provocation. We all need harmony to hang our melodies on and to conduct ourselves with balance and mercy.
Whatever you call your religion or spiritual practice, it is an empty bell if it is not ringing the chorus of humanity and right conduct between neighbors.
It is in this same spirit that I refuse to sit idly by whilst the Angels of Mercy, gifted with the power of song and who are fueled consciously or unconsciously with the desire to praise God's humanity and to keep the people's vibe up are continually co-opted, strangled and raped of their reason by the thieves who have corrupted the temple of music and charge an ungodly fortune for the priviledge of reaching the public.
Too many Angels have to all but sell their souls for the service they wish to provide and are forced to even change their natural keys is order to accomodate small-minded views of them and are being choked by the indifference to their original aims, until they lose even their voices, followed by their desire and somewhere in between the belief in their magic and Divina's will for them.
It is an abomination unto God and we are naive if we believe that the Divine Mother whose Grace all Angels serve shall continue to sit passively by and allow the infidels to moult the feathers of her children and drain them of their blood simply for the sake of quarterly profits. To name but a few: Bob Dylan, Bob Marley, Jimi Hendrix, The Beatles, Van Morrison, Joni Mitchell, Stevie Wonder, Earth-Wind-and Fire, Prince, Bruce Springsteen, U2, Patti Smith and the MC5 have proven that prophets can be profitable when the bankers stand behind them and not in front of them.
I say a change is in the wind.
Let the Angels regain their form and sing in their true unforced and inspired keys and their desire will be replenished and everyone wins, including the same industry now handcuffing them and ripping them off in the exchange, and the people once again shall come back in great numbers to get their vibe lifted for nothing excites us more than when the choir of Angels are singing from their hearts and not just from the charts.
It shall be clearer and clearer that Angels do not work for industry, although with respectful conditions they are willing to work with industry. Angels work for whom they receive their gifts, Heaven, through the offices of their intuition. They work in all of their myriad ways to uplift God's children and not for profit margins alone.
This would put the cart in front of the horse which causes the goods in the cart to spoil and frustrates the hell out of the horse. When industry forgets this it loses its spark which slowly loses the people they are trying to reach. But when they begin listening to the Angels once again, their flowers bloom once more and the large numbers they lust for return as well.
The recording industry faces greater fragmentation for no other reason (despite the many excuses) than the fact that they have stopped listening to their artists and expect the artists instead to listen to them.
They determined at some point that they were more important than their stars (and became in the process much bigger divas than we are!). Because of this they have lost their sparkle not because of DVDs, videogames, the internet or the conjunction of Pluto with Jupiter.
It also doesn't help that they are largely accountants and lawyers now and putting these types in charge of creative enterprises always rubs the skin off the golden goose eventually and is like having a vegetarian run a butchers' shop, it just doesn't make sense and dwindling profits prove this.
Clive Davis continues to have success wherever he goes because he is a music man, (though that has become a novel idea in the music business.
Sign fewer 'producer' driven acts and more 'artists', give out smaller advances and reduce the number of years artists are tied up for, provide more equity and better incentives, allow more creative flexibility (be honest most of you executives know nothing about music and are even afraid to have your own opinion) and a renewed commitment to nurturing (once upon a time called A and R) and support them so that the public can get to know and develop a relationship with them and then stop cheating them!
As well it is the height of immorality to sit on top of an artist's work, seeking to bully them into submission by refusing to release the work or the monies due simply because you can. If you have no faith in the work let it go, this is fair.
Artists' lives are invested in their work.
The film industry has 'play or pay' contingencies, it is time for the recording industry to bring a conscience into play and to stop screwing with people's lives just because they can. The fortunes of a company can change overnight just as it can with a single person.
Principles of fair play are simply good karma.
Spirit will not continue to bless an industry that continues to curse and bind its Angels.
Turn the beasts of inspiration loose once again and let them weave their spell, and the public will once again be beguiled in the numbers you lust for.
Grace is not seduced by pre-packaged and chained boxes and all that other tired, stifling baby in the cradle killing demographic researched bullshit, for Grace like the wind prefers open rooms, and your rooms have grown stuffy to the point of allergy, (and its cousin lethargy) and for God's sake, put musical people back in charge of the day to day operations.
To the exceptions who continue to serve the Angels graces I salute you, we hope to see you in charge soon. To the rest, you are the problem, not radio (who are also looking for revitalisation) and all the other scape-goats you blame for your lack of heart, courage and vision.
COPYRIGHT SANANDA MAITREYA,
APRIL 1ST 2002.