I recently received an email in response to my blog, “Swimming UpStream,” from a young musician in Germany. He had written previously to say that he had enjoyed my CD, and is a multi-instrumentalist, interested in pursuing a career in music. After reading “Swimming UpStream,” my critique of the music business, he wrote again, this time sounding a bit discouraged by the “current music industry.” Well, I hate the idea of discouraging anyone from doing what they love, so at the

“Crooked as a dog’s hind leg.” That’s what my dad would say. When it comes to the music business, he wouldn’t be far from wrong. There are myriad stories of shady record deals, crooked managers, unscrupulous contracts, unpaid royalties, and bankrupt artists. Stories of honest and honorable people in the record industry are few and far between. Record labels have stacked the deck against young musicians since the beginning. Artists, some with little or no formal education - a