Scott Andrew - lo-fi acoustic pop superhero!

Dreaming Of Violets was downloaded for the 800th time sometime last night, and the number is still climbing, thanks to a number of people who thought it was cool enough to merit a mention on weblogs and mailing lists. 800 downloads over three days, approaching 2GB of bandwidth. Geez!

Some people are calling it a collaboration, which I’m not sure is entirely accurate but I’m okay with nonetheless. Shannon and I didn’t say, “hey, let’s write a song!” I just embellished what was already a very well written tune. Shannon herself nails it on her site; I heard a lot of potential in “Violets,” and felt compelled to flesh it out, while trying to remain true to the spirit of the song and the way it was presented.

I think this experience reveals something important about independent artists; because they have more control over their work and a lot less to lose, they tend to view things like this as an opportunity, rather than a threat. That, and the fact that Shannon and I can deal with each other directly as equals, rather than talking through record label-appointed lawyers and artist reps. This is partly why (in my experience) most DIY artists seem to be very comfortable with the idea of MP3 file trading and the Web and see it as a tool to strengthen the bond with their audience, while signed artists are often indifferent or ignorant of the issues, and tend to view the Web as a money leak, because that’s what the label tells them.

I was going to write something here about how more indie artists should keep weblogs, but I’ll save that for later.

Allan Karl is calling it “cobloggaration.” Heh.