For such a funny, clever guy, that was an oddly leaden article. I would have expected something written by JoCo to have a little more wit, or at least sentences that were less plodding. Strange.
He didn't write it. It's "as told to," which makes it sound like he narrated this story, more or less, to a reporter. If I imagine him saying this out loud, it's somewhat less plodding, but it lacks the structure one might hope to find in a newspaper column.
Jonathan Coulton was featured in the "Music: Top Live Shows" section of the March 26, 2009 issue of Time Out New York.
The feature entitled, "Jonathan Coulton", discusses Jonathan¹s music and live concert at Symphony Space. The writer states, "Coulton¹s melodies are straightforward, catchy and earnest." She also states, "His unashamed sincerity makes him a hero to geeks, and to the geeky parts inside the rest of us."
ETA: must be less lazy about using google, the article is here. Enjoy.
JoCo actually made it onto today's podcast of The 404. I just started to listen to it, but the summary page says that he sang "Code Monkey: and "Re: Your Brains" live on the broadcast.
That 404 interview is excellent. I loved the guys not familiar with his music, laughing their asses off at Code Monkey. Kinda makes you remember what a great song it is!
I'm not sure if I count as "media" but I have written a little about The Bearded One at Catching The Waves, the net's most amateurish and sporadically updated free music blog. (Sorry to clog up the forums in this manner.)
JMonkee's link is no longer working for me . Did Blog Talk Radio just get wanged by JoCo? Janged? Jocinated? Somebody please come up with a better pun.
And scroll down to the episode with JoCo... I think that's just a different way of ending up in the same place, but maybe it'll work better for you....
Nevermind it's working for me now. Either it was a very temporary thing or something up with IE (the only browser available at work ). My bet is on the latter.
That post is so inflated with insults and expletives that I had trouble finding the actual content. Eventually I got tired of looking for it, and stopped reading.
I think we have to concede the point that just because this worked for JoCo, doesn't mean it will work for most other artists too. JoCo himself has said time and time again that there is an intersection between the audience for his songs, and people who are internet-savvy and helped spread his music around. Without that connection I doubt he'd have been nearly as successful with this as he has become.
And I think that's kind of the point the author is trying to make, although he uses poor examples and does so in a very aggressive manner. What a douchebag.
I think the JoCo business model can best be described as follows: do everything yourself until you have enough income that you can afford to start farming out some of the tasks piecemeal, and milk fan support and word-of-mouth for all it's worth. The former is typified by his home studio and the slow growth of the JoCo enterprise; the latter is typified by the Creative Commons licensing and the implied encouragement of derivative works, the blog, the forums, etc. It's very much akin to a start-up company that's trying to stay private and grow organically so that it can remain privately held, in contrast to the VC-funded IPO-oriented start-ups which are more akin to signing with a major label. It's not for everyone, but it's not as impossible as it might have been a few decades ago.
I'll concede that JoCo isn't a household name. In fairness, I don't think JoCo is really trying to be an arena-filling rock star; rather, he's trying to make enough of a living doing something that he loves that he no longer needs a day job, and success is defined when his net music income exceeds his previous programming income. I think he's said that he's reached that milestone.
The fact that he has a family influences his choices. If he were single, he could reinvest more of his income back into his enterprise, and he could spend more time touring.
Somehow, this interview at hotnews.tv from last October seems to have slipped by us. Nothing earth-shattering, but charming nonetheless. (Extended interview here.)
I don't know when it will be published, but a writer from the Washington Post recently contacted me to ask if I was the "JoAnn in VA" who posts here for a fan interview to go along with his write up on JoCo. I think it will be out sometime around the Birchmere concert- before hopefully so more folks get tickets. Shoot, not before I get mine- better hoof it up there fast to buy them! Soon as it is out I will let you know. Unless he posts here first, as I am hoping he will, (hint hint hint).
Comments
That makes me think that Raymond interviewed him, and then paraphrased his answers (in a leaden and plodding way).
ETA: Oh damn, here come the ninja-monkeys....
And JoCo needs new photos.
Too bad I haven't been to any of his concerts yet.
"I'm actually taking the summer off from touring, to do some serious writing. So expect a lot of new music."
Amen!
sides this was put up expressly for plugs, so. no worries.
ETA: JoCo also mentioned that the dvd is coming out, in the "first week of May"......
Try again!
You can also try going to:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/path101
And scroll down to the episode with JoCo... I think that's just a different way of ending up in the same place, but maybe it'll work better for you....
1) Video of the Hodgman book tour show from Seattle last November is on the Seattle Channel.
2) Here's a post from last week, related to JoCo's front-page post from today...
;' )))
Jonathan Coulton talks about Chocolate.
@CJ: Whah???
Maybe.
And I think that's kind of the point the author is trying to make, although he uses poor examples and does so in a very aggressive manner. What a douchebag.
I'll concede that JoCo isn't a household name. In fairness, I don't think JoCo is really trying to be an arena-filling rock star; rather, he's trying to make enough of a living doing something that he loves that he no longer needs a day job, and success is defined when his net music income exceeds his previous programming income. I think he's said that he's reached that milestone.
The fact that he has a family influences his choices. If he were single, he could reinvest more of his income back into his enterprise, and he could spend more time touring.
Soon as it is out I will let you know. Unless he posts here first, as I am hoping he will, (hint hint hint).
(Not really.)
Not sure why it took so long to release, but there it is.
Re: JoCo
Should run Sunday -- should be easy enough to find if you search on his name at http://www.facebook.com/l/;washingtonpost.com.
--Mike