Zak Claxton Happy Fun Show on Bandcamp (02.19.22)

Here's the entire show, unedited and uncut, if you wanna.
For the uninitiated: the Zak Claxton Happy Fun Show has been the name of any of my live video streaming performances going back many years, and happening across many online platforms. According to my records -- and yes, I document these things like any good insane person does -- the very first one was on February 6, 2010. Oddly enough, looking at the set list from that livestream video performance almost exactly 12 years ago, several of the songs were among those I chose for this show. There's a reason for that which we'll get to shortly.

Anyway, that first show -- done on a platform called Ustream which was pretty hip and new at the time -- went well enough that I scheduled another one that month, and kept them up for a good while. I also expanded into other livestream platforms, doing shows on StageIt, Streamjam, Facebook Live, and probably other things I've long since forgotten or no longer exist. I've probably done about 40 of these shows in total.

Looking quite serious while hitting that Cmaj7.

How To & Review: Bandcamp Livestreaming

So, as a livestreaming music performance veteran, I can actually give you some pointers and compare/contrast the experience on Bandcamp versus other platforms. I give Bandcamp a solid B+ (and no platform has been great enough for an A grade from me, so this is really good). If you're interested in doing your own livestream show on Bandcamp, it's similar to other platforms. Bandcamp has a full tutorial about it available. My short version is below.

1. Use a solid audio/video streaming broadcast software like OBS.

I was already familiar with OBS; it's become a standard for independent broadcasters like me, and is very popular among the podcasting/Twitch crowd. It has powerful and flexible features, and it's an open source software that is free. Seem too good to be true? It's not. OBS does everything that most people need, as well as many advanced features that most won't use but are nice to have around in case you do. Bandcamp themselves recommend OBS, so go get it (and it works great on both Windows and Mac).

OBS is fantastic. You can set up scenes like the one I have above for "ZCHFS on Bandcamp" where all my settings and audio interface/camera connections are saved. Next time I do a show there, I am one click away from starting my broadcast.

2. Set up your video and audio tools.

This is not a thorough tutorial... there are are tons of great videos on YouTube on best ways to setup your stuff for live video shows. But the short version is that your connected audio interface and camera should be automatically recognized by OBS. Get a good audio signal (loud but not distorted), get a good video scene (minimally making sure you're well lit... I opened a window shade). Bandcamp will provide a server and a stream key; you'll plug both into your OBS setup.

3. Test your stuff.

Bandcamp is super smart; you can't even schedule a show until you test your setup and make sure video and audio are working as planned. Assuming you get sound and picture to work, you can schedule the show in Bandcamp and continue to test as much as you want. Like any show, your attendance will only be as good as you are capable of promoting the show in your various ways. When the show is ready to begin, hit the "Start Show" button on your livestream page and that's it. You're live.

Once your show is scheduled, it will appear on Bandcamp's list of upcoming live streams.

What Good About Bandcamp for Livestreaming?

• Set up a virtual merch table and sell music that you have available on Bandcamp.
• Sell other merchandise items... physical media, t-shirts and so on.
• Get tipped through the same interface you use to sell music.
• No ads or other pop ups to interrupt the audience.
• Built-in live chat with fans and random audience members.
• Nice clear image and sound (contingent on the quality of the stream, of course).
• Your video gets recorded and can be downloaded after the show ends.

What's Less Good? 

Just one thing, and there's no way around it. Bandcamp requires registration on their platform to view the show. It's such a small thing, and yet it can be just enough to stop a person from impulsively watching your set with one click. Some people just don't want to register/login for just about anything. I'm not blaming Bandcamp for this issue; I'm blaming human nature.

On Facebook, I could go live right now and have easy access to potentially thousands of people who might watch my show with minimal effort, getting a little notification that "Zak Claxton is Live"... but I also have very little means to monetize a Facebook show without outright begging for tips to my PayPal or Venmo or whatever. Also, Bandcamp is an actual music platform, while Facebook is a completely evil company wringing the life out of every one of its users. It's total shit, and I don't like encouraging its use, to be honest. 

All that being said, I did sell several albums at my show yesterday. Bandcamp is smart for doing it the way they do, and I'll be doing more shows there in the future.

"Allow me to interrupt my own set with this irrelevant story," he said, gesturing wildly.

Any Notes on the Show?

Yeah, just a couple of them. I focused mostly on original music, which makes sense because that stuff -- both my solo album and music by They Stole My Crayon -- is available for sale right there on the Bandcamp platform. Since I planned a couple of covers, I was also able to include the music of other artists on my merch table, which felt like the right thing to do.

A cover I hadn't planned on doing but added for sad reasons was "It’s Easy (Like Walking)", the collaboration between The Sadies and Kurt Vile from 2017 that I liked so much. A couple of days before my show, Dallas Good of The Sadies died very unexpectedly at age 48 from a heart condition of which he'd only just become aware. I felt compelled to give some tribute to the man and his great band by doing the tune, and I'm glad I did. In fact, I'm bizarrely proud that YouTube flagged my video of the show with a copyright claim on that very song, meaning I did it so well that a robot thought it was a little too good.

I did promise the show would be fun. I meant for me, but hopefully you too.

ZCHFS on Bandcamp set list...

Falling Down (Zak Claxton)

It’s Easy (Like Walking) (The Sadies/Kurt Vile)

Longing On (They Stole My Crayon)

This Afternoon (Zak Claxton)

Garter Snake (Macie Stewart)

Blew The Dust Away (They Stole My Crayon)

Always Tomorrow (Zak Claxton)

Hannah Sun (Lomelda)

Box by the Cliff (They Stole My Crayon)

You're Like a Cloud (Zak Claxton)

Things Under Trees (They Stole My Crayon)

*Zak Claxton on Bandcamp Improv (Zak Claxton)

*Indicates the first performance of this song.

Huge thanks to all who hung out for the show, and special giant thanks to those who helped support it!

Random Thoughts: Super Bowl LVI

Joe Burrow being folded into a small origami swan by Aaron Donald.

I've been a fan of NFL football since I was a little kid, which was about 750 years ago. I know some stuff about football; I participate in pools every year, I follow the ups and downs and ins and outs of every team in the league. And don't get me wrong; the game of football is fucked up in many ways. It's a violent sport that causes irreparable injury on many levels to nearly every player. And fully admitting my awareness of that fact, I still enjoy the hell out of it.

Here on the day following Super Bowl LVI, I don't have a lot to say, but a few things merit inclusion in this ongoing log of random whatever.

1. It Wasn't a Great Game

It was an okay game at best. I mean, it was close and wasn't decided until the last minute or so. But the overall play of both the Rams and the Bengals wasn't nearly as dynamic and exciting as nearly all of the playoff games that led up to the big one. Poor throws, dropped passes, porous offensive lines, very few big runs, a mostly conservative game plan... it was okay. If it tells you anything, ESPN's NFL Power Rankings the day after the game has the Chiefs and the Bills in the #1 and #2 spot, and neither of them even played in the big game.

Side note: despite being born in Cincinnati and living nearly my whole life in the greater LA area, I'm not a fan of either team, which made watching the game a lot less stressful.

The only other football-related note is that Joe Burrow is a young and very talented guy. You would assume it's an automatic given that he'll be back in another Super Bowl soon. Well, there was another guy who was one of the best quarterbacks of his generation, and he also made it to one Super Bowl in his second season... and never went back. His name is Dan Marino. I'm just saying... there are no guarantees, in sports or life or otherwise.

Speaking of QBs, is this guy a future hall of fame inductee? Despite having now won a Super Bowl, I'm not seeing Matthew Stafford as one of the all-time greats, but I suppose we'll see what happens with the rest of his career.

2. The Halftime Show Was Amazing

I couldn't be happier about the halftime show, because it was long overdue. How laughable is it that the hip hop world was never made a part of the NFL's biggest event until now? The show, centered around Dr. Dre and featuring Snoop Dogg, Mary J Blige, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, and a surprise appearance by 50 Cent, managed to be both too nostalgic for some and too Black for others. That made it pretty much perfect for me. The fact that conservative pundits were aghast about the show showed me that they did all the right things. I'd place it as the second best Super Bowl halftime show of all time, behind only Prince.

Didn't see it? You should, and I don't care if you're a person who can't relate to rap. Note that you can't see it here; the NFL is out to get me personally. No, just kidding. They just want to control the experience of their content, and... no, they hate me, they do. It's all true.

3. The Ads Were Ads

Much like the game itself, the ads were okay. Some were awful. Some were sorta great. Few were very effective. None were revolutionary. On a personal basis, as a longterm fan of The Sopranos, the spot for the new Chevy Silverado EV truck featuring Jamie-Lynn Sigler and Robert Iler was absolutely enthralling.

This ad was aimed right at me, and it hit.

Some other ads sort of worth mentioning, I guess...

• Alexa/Mind Reader with Colin Jost and Scarlett Johansson.
• Toyota Tundra/Joneses.
• Lay's Potato Chips with Paul Rudd and Seth Rogen.
• The ad with the bouncing QR code that there was no way in hell I was going to scan. These fucking cryptocurrency people can all fuck themselves.

4. Snacking

I read a stat that I found hard to believe, but apparently it's true that Americans eat more food on Super Bowl Sunday than on any day of the year with the exception of Thanksgiving. For me, the Super Bowl is a spectacle of delicious snacking, rather than big meals. Kat came through once again this year with her incredibly good guacamole. 

Kat's famous Super Bowl guac. Avocados, garlic, cilantro, Serrano peppers,  lime, red onion. Prep an hour ahead of the game, let the flavors intermingle. Simple and delicious.

We also did a little more frou-frou snacking later in the evening, breaking out a truffle tapenade that was lovely with some sesame water crackers and Jarlsberg cheese. After the game ended, a barrage of various explosions shook our neighborhood via my fellow LA-area residents who were happy about the victory. I'm glad for all the true old-school Rams fans. I'd enjoy seeing my Raiders get back there someday, hopefully sooner than later.

Anyway, that was Super Bowl Sunday. I enjoyed it. As usual, I'm going to miss the NFL season while it's gone. I always do.

Hotel Chelsea (02.01.22)

I'd like to think all of my shows are special, but to paraphrase Orwell, some are more special than others. Photo by Kat.

I've done plenty of themed shows over the course of my 15+ year span of doing live solo shows in Second Life. It's very rare that my musical theme is for any specific purpose; it's almost always some random thing that I thought up while combing through my repertoire and deciding what I'll play. Songs that start with the same letter. Music from the '90s. Bands from the UK. Whatever.

That was not at all the case for my show at Hotel Chelsea on February 1, 2022, where I did a full hour dedicated to the music of two artists who have consistently been among my most important musical influences and inspirations: Neil Young and Joni Mitchell. My choice to cover and pay tribute to Neil and Joni wasn't at all random. It was because improbably, both artists were top news stories this past week due to a pretty interesting situation that we'll delve into below.

Neil and Joni in the mid-1970s, perhaps at the height of their respective creative powers.

Neil and Joni and Joe and Spotify

You've already heard about this, so I'll make the synopsis quick. On January 23, Neil Young penned an open letter to Spotify, a company that offers streaming music and audio content. It stated that he felt that popular podcaster Joe Rogan was responsible for purposefully spreading misinformation about COVID-19 and the vaccines that help prevent it, and that the platform would have to choose to host either his music or Rogan's podcasts. Spotify, unsurprisingly, opted to stick with Rogan, so Neil followed through and had his music pulled down.

For the benefit of anyone who doesn't understand, Neil never expected that Spotify would choose him over Rogan. In 2020, the streaming platform had paid Rogan $100 million to have exclusive rights to his content. Rogan's podcast is very popular among a coveted demographic: young males with spending power. About three quarters of his audience are men with an average age of 24 years old.

Shortly after Neil's ultimatum, his friend and fellow respected musical artist Joni Mitchell followed suit, stating on January 28 via her website that, "I’ve decided to remove all my music from Spotify. Irresponsible people are spreading lies that are costing people their lives. I stand in solidarity with Neil Young and the global scientific and medical communities on this issue."

The goal here for both artists was never to shut down Rogan, but to call attention to the fact that major media platforms have a responsibility for the content they host and disseminate, and to that end, they both did a hugely successful job. Conversations have been happening worldwide in this regard ever since Neil made his initial statement, and it's an ongoing situation that continues today.

Neil and Joni today. It's amazing to consider how these two septuagenarian artists can still generate front page news simply by expressing their opinions. Side note: while Joni has retired due to various health issues, she was just honored by the Kennedy Center for her lifetime of achievements, and Neil is still making music, having recently released the album Barn with his band Crazy Horse.

Where Do I Stand?

That's easy; I stand in support of the same opinion that Neil and Joni expressed. I have been very consistent on this topic throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Vaccines work, and the vaccines developed by Moderna and Pfizer (and to an extent Johnson & Johnson) have been extraordinarily successful in allowing people to have better odds of avoiding COVID and/or not having severe illness or death if they catch it anyway.

I did not want the topic of my show to be about bashing Joe Rogan. I really don't think he's the real focus here. I defend the First Amendment vehemently, and people like Joe can continue to state their opinions regardless of what others think. However, as has been the case on many topics from vaccines to elections to racism and much more, the focus is on the platforms that allow the spread of misinformation of many sorts. In fact, after I did my first song, I opened my show with the following statement...

"Old Neil and Old Joni were in the top of the news. They decided to have their music pulled down off of Spotify because they felt that there was content on the Spotify platform that was misinformation about vaccines. I gotta say, I'm not here to support that, and I'm not here to go against that. I'm here to play music for you guys. But I am here to say, it takes a lot of nerve to give up a source of income as a musician, and take your music off the most popular streaming platform in order to take a stand. I admire that, and that's all I'm gonna say about that."

And that's all I did say. No ranting, no throwing guilt at people for their outlooks. As I said, I was there for people to relax and enjoy a night of music, but I did want to be sure they knew exactly why I'd chosen these two artists in particular to honor at this show. Once that was done, I moved on to focusing on the performance, which went very well. More on that in a few.

The only thing I'll say about Joe Rogan, whom I neither love nor hate nor really care about in any sense, is that he's not the person that many of his fans seem to think he is. He endorsed Bernie Sanders in the 2020 presidential election. He supports cannabis legalization, gay marriage, and other libertarian/centrist outlooks. Joe is a comedian who provides entertainment to people, and I'm not here to judge how seriously people take entertainers (self included) regardless of their level of influence.

Let's Talk About Spotify and Streaming

Having nothing at all to do with this current controversy about Joe Rogan, a lot of people have now become aware of the vastly unfair and inequitable business model of Spotify and, frankly, most music streaming platforms as a whole. In 2022, there are basically three ways to purposefully experience recorded music: a physical purchase (like a vinyl album, a CD, a cassette, and so on), a download (where you pay to download and then have continued access to a song or collection of music) and a stream (where you pay a subscription fee to a service where you can listen to thousands, or even millions of songs or other audio content like podcasts upon demand). The streaming model also allows for free access to content that is supported by ads, which is pretty much like radio except the listener chooses the songs they want to hear.

It easy to see why many people choose the streaming option. It's very much in line with how people in the modern era like to get all their entertainment, like they do when watching video content via services like Netflix. It's very convenient, and it's relatively cheap. I don't blame anyone who likes to stream music.

However, there is one thing that many people are just now learning about, which is that in comparing the three methods of music distribution, streaming is extraordinarily unfair to the people who create the actual music. The typical pay rate an artist receives when their song is streamed is $0.0015. In other words, to make a penny, the song must be streamed about seven times. If the song is streamed 100 times, the artist might get 15 cents. If a song is super successful and is streamed 50,000 times, the artist gets about $75. An important thing to keep in mind: not all artists are paid at the same rates. If you're an artist on a major recording label who is well known and it's to the benefit of the streaming service to attract listeners to have your music available, you'll likely get a higher rate that's negotiated by the label. Taylor Swift makes more per stream on Spotify than, say, Zak Claxton.

Let's compare that to downloads, where typically the artist receives about 70% of the revenue. Those same 50,000 downloads (as opposed to streams) will pay the artist $35,000. That's still not a huge annual income, but it is a viable number. The $75 they get from the equal number of streams likely won't cover a week of groceries, much less rent. 

The royalty rates for streamed music have a lot of variables, and not everyone is paid the same. It's complex and it makes comparison difficult, but here's a graph from Soundcharts.com that gives you a frame of reference.

Are All Streaming Services Bad for Artists? Are Some Worse Than Others?

Well... yes, compared to traditional sales of physical media or the download model. Spotify, as the market leader in music streaming, gets a pretty bad rap on this topic, but frankly other streaming services, which include dozens of platforms like Apple Music, Amazon Music, Tidal, Deezer, Qobuz, and many more, can be nearly as bad (or worse in some cases). Pandora and YouTube Music seem to be at the worst end of the list, with Amazon, Apple Music, and Tidal tending to pay a somewhat better royalty rate to the artists who provide them with content. Some of these services also offer better-sounding audio quality compared to Spotify, if you care about that. Here's a big list to refer to and compare.

The reality is that people like streaming. There will never be a way to put the genie back in the bottle. Fortunately, there seems to be a certain percentage of people who still enjoy owning physical media, or enjoy being able to own their own music and support artists in ways that go beyond the instant gratification of a stream.

My personal favorite online music service is called Bandcamp. They tend to focus on independent artists that I prefer, and they are extremely fair in terms of percentage of artist compensation. You can preview complete songs before deciding whether you want to buy the music, and they also offer a way to buy both physical media and merchandise from the artists who are represented there.

If you're looking for a music service that lets you discover cool new music and is very fair to the artists who make it, the choice is easy... it's Bandcamp.

How About That Show?

Ah, the show was just great. We had a large crowd to start with, with Max Kleene being there in the slot before mine, and many of his crowd stayed around for my show. We also had a nice influx of others who came in for the promised Neil/Joni music, in addition to a smattering of my regular Zakster fans.

A superb crowd hangs out after Max's show to hear me do my Neil and Joni tribute. Photo by Kat.

While I've played all of these Neil and Joni songs before, in some cases many, many times, some of them have only made very rare appearances in my set list. Photo by Kat.

In case it's not obvious to everyone how I feel about keeping up the fight against COVID-19, I continue to wear my mask in SL as I do in real life, and will continue doing so until the point where I would be comfortable in that same club in reality. Photo by Kat.

One note about some of the songs I chose. It's difficult to perform some of them simply because they are often in alternate guitar tunings... especially in the case of Joni Mitchell. I explained to my audience how both Neil and Joni contracted polio as children. For Neil, it left him with a pronounced limp ever since. In Joni's case, it left her without the hand strength to fret guitar chords in the way most people do. This led to her exploring different ways to tune the guitar and achieve some amazing and unique sounds as a result. The downside is that like most musicians, I don't like taking up time during my set to tune and re-tune the guitar. That's one reason that many of her songs, as great as they are, stay buried in my repertoire. 

Side note: between Neil and Joni, I have well over 60 songs that I've performed from time to time. It's more than any other artist I cover, for the simple reason that I love sharing their great music and keeping people aware of their greatness over the course of time.

Hotel Chelsea set list...

Free Man in Paris (Joni Mitchell)

Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere (Neil Young)

Court & Spark (Joni Mitchell)

Don’t Let It Bring You Down (Neil Young)

A Case of You (Joni Mitchell)

The Needle and the Damage Done (Neil Young)

Furry Sings the Blues (Joni Mitchell)

Old Man (Neil Young)

All I Want (Joni Mitchell)

Harvest Moon (Neil Young)

Sex Kills (Joni Mitchell)

Heart of Gold (Neil Young)

Huge thanks to the many people who came to Hotel Chelsea for this special show, with extra thanks to the following who helped support it!

Jenaia Morane, Elaine8000 Resident, Troy Shoreland, Canuck Dismantled, Hairy Thor, Bec Jigsaw, jerzzie Reece, Trouble Streeter, Maximillion Kleene, StevenStrikker Resident , Kat Claxtonmy terrific manager Maali Beck, and Hotel Chelsea manager Shyla the Super Gecko!