Below is a video where I explain how I became the first non-signed artist on iTunes through CD Baby.
Transcript of what I said in the video:
This is the really condensed version of how I became the first non-signed artist on iTunes.
Derek Sivers started a little company called CD Baby a bunch of years ago in order to help independent musicians sell their music on the web. I didn’t want him to sell my music when he first contacted me. So he actually hounded me for four months before I finally relented and started selling CDs on his website.
CD Baby was originally more of a Windows, Linux, kind of a platform and I’ve always been an Apple guy. Any time there was an issue with the website I would contact Derek and have him try to fix it, so that it would work for Apple customers.
Over the course of a few years Derek and I got to be really good friends. One day a few years ago I was driving down to the NAMM show in LA and Derek called me while I was driving in my car. He calls up and he says “Guess where I am?” And I throw out a couple of random answers and Derek is like “No. It’s not there. No, it’s not there.” And eventually he tells me that it’s Cupertino and he’s about to meet Steve Jobs at Apple.
So I’m like “Fuck You.” (laughter). Because I’ve always wanted to meet Steve and unfortunately as we now know, Steve is no longer around. And the reason he was up there is because Apple wanted to bring in the CD Baby catalog to the iTunes catalog. So that they could pump up their numbers and make them sound really big. Because everyone wanted to have a million tracks and nobody had it with all the major label songs.
A couple of months later Derek calls me up again and he says “Are you in front of your computer?” And I say “Yes I am.” I type in the URL that he gives me and low and behold it is a little special place on CD Baby to find out how you can fill out all of your information to send your music to iTunes. I filled out the information. I hit send and Derek calls me back and says “Congratulations. You are the very first person in the database going to iTunes!” And I’m like yeah. Actually I didn’t actually do that, but it felt like I needed to say that just now.
The next step was to wait around until the music actually got uploaded to iTunes. Unfortunately Apple was dragging their feet and Derek was having problems with a guy by the name of Moses Avalon, who was creating all kinds of trouble.
Couple of months later, Derek calls me up again and he says “I’m thinking I want to dump the whole digital distribution thing. Because all I ever wanted to do was sell CDs.” And I’m like, “Derek, you don’t want to do that dude. Digital distribution is the future.”
The decision was made to stick with the digital distribution. Derek decided that it would be a wise idea to return everybody’s money. In the end, what ended up happening was, Derek returned everybody’s money and people still got to go to iTunes through CD Baby. And I ended up being the very first person in the database to go to iTunes.
And that is how you are now able to get on iTunes. Thanks to a guy like me.
Looking at the featured image for this post, I’d posit to say that if Taylor Swift actually saw the video I’m talking about – that would be the reaction of her face. Then again I could be overstating it just a little.
In January I saw an internet meme going around that stated something to the effect that one of Taylor Swift’s ex boyfriends should write a song called “Maybe You’re The Problem”. Well, I haven’t dated Taylor, but I thought, what the hell, I’ll write a song as if I had. Thus “Maybe You’re The Problem” was born.
Check it out:
(since this was posted – it seems that YouTube decided to pull the video at Swift’s request – not to worry, I’ve updated and rerecorded the song. It will release to all digital services in 2017)
I did this strictly for fun. Then I told a few friends and within a day it kinda started to viral. It got liked on the Geek & Sundry youtube feed – that led to a bunch of views and comments over on my YouTube page for it.
Regardless, I’ve never met Taylor. I actually do like a bunch of her songs. I don’t hate her, I don’t harbor any ill-will and in all fairness, many of us have been a problem in one relationship or another. Who knows, at some point it would pretty rad if she and I penned a song together.
Until that happens, enjoy the song. Leave a comment. Share it with your friends. Who knows, I might actually hear from her. Or at least I might hear that she saw it, much like Lady Ga Ga apparently saw my cover of her song. I have no delusions that once I hit the ‘fame’ plateau on this forthcoming release I’m doing – I’ll likely get parodies and responses to my music as well. So be it, and I look forward to it.