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Blog: Stern, Professional, Business-like

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I was watching The Brits last night, just about managing NOT to hurl PHYSICAL OBJECTS at the parade of vile venal money grabbing shits paraded across the screen saying "Hey! Isn't British Music Great?! Whoo! It's KRAZY, anything can happen!!" from a podium with MASTER CARD written on it in HUGE LETTERS. ANARCHY!

So yes, I was sat there thinking "PAH! The Music, it is NOT a business and should never be, it is FREE EXPRESSION OF THORT, not an INDUSTRY. BOO!" and yet, today, you find me being BUSINESS LIKE. For LO! I have been DEALING WITH things.

The DEALING WITH began yesterday really. Not long after we last corresponded I got a call from the print shop. "I've had another go", he said, "And I think I've got it a bit better." I DASHED around and LO! He had INDEED got it done perfectly, printing direct from THE DISC in much the same way as certain members of my household had told me I should do it last night. There was to be a LOT of me saying "You were RIGHT about that!" later in the evening. A couple of hours AFTER that visit I got another call and ran round AGANE to pick up 300 copies of the BOOKLET! HOORAH! They look GORGEOUS!

It was however TODAY that the DEALING WITH came into it's own, when I got a phone message from our MANUFACTURERS, asking me to ring them about PROOFS. I had discussed this ALSO with The Binding Of My Book, as she works in Communications/PR and so does LOADS of printing things, and she advised me to get a Printers Proof, just to check it all looks right. I was thus in a STERN POSITION as I spoke to the chap at the other end of the phone, saying things like "MMmm, I see, so why does that cost so much extra?" and "What is the different between these kinds of proofs, my good man?" It was actually beginning to be FUN - usually i QUAIL at the prospect of such things, but now I was like one of those BUSINESSMEN you sit next to on busy trains. You know the sort, they sit there saying ridiculous things like "It's our ass on the line. The bottom line. His loss, we need a team player. I need it on my desk now, dammit Mac" with a STRAIGHT FACE. I bet INSIDE they're are going "HA! I can't believe I'm getting AWAY with saying this nonsense!" Or, at least, I hope I do.

Anyway, we had a good DISCUSS about it and I must say I was impressed with the way they answered all questions, and in a way I think I actually UNDERSTOOD, and didn't seem to mind being ASKED them. Over the years I've DEALT WITH all sorts of shysters and bullshit merchants who treat you like a MUG, like they're doing you a favour taking your money, so it's always nice to get to DEAL WITH people who treat you PROPER. Hopefully this will continue when we actually GET the MERCHANDISE!

Merchandise! Dealings! Proofs, Invoices, schedules and units - this is how people become members of The BPI isn't it?

posted 19/2/2009 by MJ Hibbett

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