A friend of mine works for a music studio. He said that a lot of their business is coming from oversears because they can pay whatever the full price of the studio is, and for them it's a bargain. The next day, a UK manager came into our office and said that he's been sending his bands over here to record because even at full price -- with hotel costs, studio costs, and perdiem -- it's all a lot cheaper than they would pay in England.
This is when I realized that America, at least the music industry, is now offering cheap labor to everyone else. It's like how we go to China and Mexico for labor because it's cheap, and think we're gettingn a bargain... but then everyone says we're taking advantage of the less privilaged. That's us. That's what we've become to other nations.
It's weird to me.
I'm hoping that this sort of thing will help our economy in some weird way. We're in peril. We used to be too expensive for everyone. The Canadian dollar is basically equal to the American dollar. The British pound is twice (if not more) the american dollar. It's probably going to get worse.
This is why I havent visited the UK in sometime and declared to many of my britisih friends "I hate the UK." It's not that I hate the UK, it's just that I hate that I can't afford it. I can afford mexico, i think. I can afford the midwest, i'm pretty sure, but what fun is Cleveland? Everything is catching up to us. It's embarssing. The only benefit that I'm feeling right now is that when my british friends come to town, I dont feel bad about them paying for things for me -- lunch, brunch, drinks, dinner -- i really dont mind.
Of course the war has a lot to do with this. As does 9/11. As does Katrina. As will the fires in California. So what do we do? I'm seriously asking -- what do we do? Obviously, this blog is not a political one of any sorts... it's just a spot for me to muse about things, and right now it's 5am and I'm unable to sleep because of this issue.
We've become pathetic. We used to be such a great nation that was prosperous and comepeditive and now we're just the place people go when they want to save a dollar.
A way it's close to home for me is that Stolen Transmission cant even think about signing a UK artist. Even if offering the most that we can offer, it'd still be an embarassing offer to anyone over there... but meanwhile, our oil prices are intense and to keep our bands on the road has become ridiculously unprofitable for everyone but Exxon. They make a meager amount playing shows and spend whatever earnings they make on gas money. I've been trying to get my bands to switch to grease-not-gas, but they all have regular gas vans that, when attempted to be sold would never come close to helping them afford a diesel van that could be converted to this amazingly helpful and in the long run, profitable process. It's so hard and painful to watch and hear my managers call and say "we just need to afford gas" and not knowing how to help them. I don't know what to do.
I'm sorry, i'm just venting. I can't sleep. I'm scared and worried about what our future holds. It makes me so depressed and left with a feeling of helplessness.