Hi everyone, my new album VORTEX OF DISCOVERY came out just a few days ago. I have uploaded three new songs from it on the my space player, so you can hear them for yourself. I will be getting the album into web stores like CD baby, guitar 9, ect in the next few weeks. I will also be doing digital downloads in the future for the first time, so stay tuned to know when those become availible. I have a MOUNTAIN of work ahead of me in order to promote this new cd, and when it becomes availible for purchase on the web in the next few weks I will update this blog to let everyone know. In the meantime hope you enjoy the new tracks!

Peace,
Patrick

TOP TEN PEOPLE I ADMIRE:

1. Neil Peart
2. Robert A. Heinlen
3. Preston Reed
4. Joe Satriani
5. Frank Zappa
6. Billy Corgan
7. Alex Lifeson
8. CS Lewis
9. George Orwell
10.King Diamond

TOP TEN PEOPLE THAT MAKE ME ILL:

1. George W. Bush
2. Gene Simmons
3. Fred Durst
4. Bobby Knight
5. Ted Nugent
6. The Great Kat
7. Rush Limbaugh
8. Ted Haggard
9. Ann Coulter
10. Fred Phelps

Hi there.  For the past year many my space users have been systematically contacted by a company called "Hitt Music group".  I signed on with them for about a year, and now I'm done.  The following is what I have to say about them.

Basically, Hitt Music group is a company based out of  LA - a music resourcing company, that claims to move it's clients careers forward by placing their music in films, television, and so on.  When I was contacted, I was told that I was going to get a press kit designed, that I was going to get A&R consultation, possibility for placement in films.  They told me that my music has the quality to "make it" or "have what it takes".  They made me feel really special.  And then they asked me to pay $400 up front.

And I'm embarresed to report that I actually forked it over. I'm ashamed to say it, but I did it. I didn't  think I was going to make it or anything. But I decided to take a chance - just to see what happened.  Just to see if they really were "the 1 music resourcing company in the industry" like they said.

Well, it's been a year. I will give you a play by play of what took place, if anything.  First they told me they were going to revamp my myspace page to make it look better. They actually did a nice job on that.  Then they told me that I was going to get consultation with A&R. And who were these A&R people? They didn't say, and were very mysterious in their answers.  "different people who work for us" came the reply.  So one day I got a call from a guy (I mention no names) who's voice sounded no older than mine, saying he had listened to my CD.  He basically went through it track by track saying what he liked and what he didn't like.  I criticize my own work all the time. He wasn't telling me anything that I didn't already know about my own music.  And then he told me" I really don't have much experiance listening to instrumental music, so yours was hard to critique".  Oh really? And this was supposed to be this big A&R expert I've been hearing so much about. That was it. That was my so- called "A&R consultation".  Very boring.  He was of no help to me whatsoever.  If HMG were really serious about consulting me to help me with my own music, don't you think that they would get someone who actually was more experianced in the instrumental field? 

And here is another weird thing. You know that email they send out to every musician on myspace?  "hello I'm Melissa from Hitt Music group and we would like to contact you for a possible publishing/record deal" - blah, blah - you know that one? After I paid my fee, I got that same email at least twice during the course of the past year- nevermind the fact that I was already a member.  You would think that the team would keep track of it's own players.  Something fishy about that.


Then came the bio.  They claimed they were going to re-write my bio to make it sound more professional. "We have the best writers in the bussiness" I was told. All I have to say about that is - I wish I could have used it.  They emailed my bio to me, and they changed a few words and sentences around - but that was it. Nothing interesting. 

Then came the film submissions. This part was the most telling.  They must of sent me hundreds. Many of these films are looking for one of four things. Screamo/hard rock/alternitive/punk.  There were only a few out of hundreds that were even remotely close to instrumental music. I probably made about ten subbmisions.  Everthing else was rock, punk or rap. Just listen to my music on my profile. Does it fit these catagories? I really think not.  It's at this point I decided that these people were running a gong show.  When you call them up, they are nice and helpfull at times, but sometimes they don't return your phone calls.  All in all, I just felt used- and angry. Read this by one of the company's  founders - Eric Dawson:

"My name is Eric Dawson and I am responding on behalf of the Hitt Music Group.

There seems to be a bit of confusion of how we conduct our business. We are very proud of the accomplishments we've had as a company for our artists. A service company that helps promote your music is not a new idea, and certainly has been done before ( i.e. Taxi, Sonicbids etc). We are here to revolutionize the way a company like ours does business.

HMG was created to help further develop the passion of music as a career. We realize HMG is NOT FOR EVERYBODY, especially those who consider music as more of a hobby. The purpose is to give independent musicians the same type of opportunities that have always been available to the major industry players. HMG is a service-based company that charges a flat fee. This ensures that it never becomes about who's making the most money, otherwise they would be getting all of the attention, all the time. With our flat fee based service, every artist is on the same playing field all of the time. Each of our members receive consistent opportunities throughout their membership term. My name is Eric Dawson and I am responding on behalf of the Hitt Music Group."

Ladies and gentelman, this is a flat out exageration.  Every artist is on the same playing field all of the time? Then why Eric - why - are there a number of overwhelming placements for commercial mainstream music, but none for fingerstyle guitar? I was told at the very begining that HMG was interested in my music because they thought it was what film companies were looking for.  That's what I was told.

 Like I said, some of these films had a few slots for instrumenatal music, but very few.  And to say that a flat fee isn't about who's making the most money is a complete pile of horseshit. I paid $400 up front, and there were no gaurantees.  I knew that going into it.  Was I gaurenteed a film or publishing deal so I could recover the money which I invested? Of course not. You pay these jokers just enough, so they can make a living off of your guilability.   The only gaurentee, is that Hitt Music makes the money off of these flat fees.  And I would be willing to bet, that there is far more money being made on their end than on  the artist end.  Needles to say, I think Eric Dawson and Co. have a bit of explaining to do.

My point here is, that if I'm going to pay $400 of my hard earned money, for you to place my music in films - it had better be dammed specific.  If there are films that are looking for "finger style guitar music" or "instrumental acoustic" I want to know about it. I can't get anywhere with a film subbmission that says - screamo/punk/rock/instrumental. Instrumental what? Guitar? Piano? Very overated folks. Let's face it. Today's rap and punk artists will have far better success with HMG than a little old acoustic fingerstlye player.  All of their succes stories are bands.  I havn't heard of one instrumental act that made it because of HMG. So Mr. Eric Dawson, you wanna explain to me how everybody is "on the same playing field"? Give me a fuckin' break. 

So is Hitt Music a scam? I say decide for yourself. In my humble and honest opinion, I would have been better off spending $400 on a whore.  I least I would have gotten SOMETHING out of it. If it sounds like I'm pushing my point too far, I probably am(forgive me).  I just feel that too many hard working musicians are being ripped off, but you know what they say, "there is a sucker born every minute".   I am not attacking HMG because I didn't "get a deal".  Like I said before, there were no gaurentees.  What I am attacking is the hype of their company.  They make you feel like you are in good hands, when in reality, they couldn't do anymore for me than I could have done for myself.  In fact, I've made more contacts in the music biz, and gotten much farther on my own, than anything Hitt Music has tried to pull. 

 I'm not interested in sueing, wasting my time taking them to court, or any of that shit. I would waste too much of my life doing that.  Hitt muzac has helped a few bands here and there, but for $400 they overexagerate every aspect of their services. They are underacheivers.  They want your money - and alot of it.  Don't waste your time. The real music bussiness is hard enough for any musican to pursue, that takes their art seriously- and on top of that, in this day and age, we have to deal with fakers.  There is a world of difference between real artists and sideshow clowns.  HMG is the latter.  If I had to sum up two words to describe my whole experiance with Hitt Music in the past year it would be this: Good Riddence.

Patrick