June 2009: Recap and Maybe Rehab?

It’s been a while since I’ve put anything up.  Things are crazy busy right now in just about every single aspect of my life.  It’s a bit overloading at times, but what a blessing to be busy and not bored!

As many of you know, my partner Jon Johnson and I started a licensing and publishing company called LITHUM [Music Licensing and Publishing] in mid 2008.  Since then we’ve had a VERY busy and exciting journey.  Filing paperwork with the state; creating relationships with artists and composers, as well as mutually beneficial relationships with other licensing entities and portals; still recording, mixing, and mastering music; and a whole host of other things – it’s been freaking nuts.  We most recently provided all of the runway music for the American Cancer Society’s Benefit Modeling Show.  That was GREAT! Thank you Altreah Dennard for that opportunity!

We’ve also pitched to Microsoft, New Balance, Coca-Cola, Hawthorne, and some other thing that will run during the NBA Finals, so hopefully we’ll hit some of those.

This month has started off BUSY.  Why should it be any exception?!! HAHA. Getting back into the educational swing (hopefully my last semester), buying books, getting a new roommate, losing an old roommate (wouldn’t exact say “losing” lololol), and still working my freaking tail off at Opus 1 Music… Again… NUTS.  What a blessing to be working there and in this industry.

This weekend is especially exciting as I’m sitting on a panel speaking about music publishing and licensing to all media.  Listen to some of the names on this panel (what the heck am I doing on it?!):

• JR Lindsey, Chrysalis Music
• Jerome Spence, Position Music
• Carlos Hudgins, EMI
• Tim Bjorkman, LITHUM
• Jay Warsinske, Indiepower.com
• Passion Miller, Universal
• Gary Bowen, Emblem Publishing

Yeah… Um… Holy crap.  BUT, with that said, I work my tail off day-in and day-out in this industry and I’m confident that I will make my individual mark on the panel and give some helpful insight or thoughts into this world of publishing. It is a huge privilege and honor to be on this panel.

I don’t want to get too scattered, so I won’t say too much more for now. Things are so crazy I may need some rehab!!!

 Thanks for reading.

I’ll see you at the top!

Blessings-

Tim

What’s more important?

This week we had a forum in class that asked what’s important in this era of free-download music/video. Is it more important to fight this battle on intellectual property or to just move with the industry and focus on turning profit with music? The former seems to suggest that the fight for intellectual property is near dead or a waste of time – I can’t agree with that. Here was my response to the forum. Enjoy And feel free to share thoughts.

As a producer, songwriter, and musician it is very hard to watch the demise of the record industry as we knew it growing up. As I type that I see that that represents only one way of thinking; only one way of MY thinking even. Almost immediately I disagree with myself! Correct thought can see the other side of the issue, and its a compelling one, that this is how culture, industries, societies, etc. grow and adapt. We should be excited! I tend to have a much different analytical thought process – a different understanding and way of thinking – so this may become a hell of a rant to some of you. It may not even make sense to some, but here we go.

We are in charge here. Some of us run around with our heads cut off like “Oh no! What are we gonna do?” But we are in control. As musicians and songwriters we are the creators, developers, packagers, and distributors of our product. When it comes down to it there isn’t much we have to do to take control and advantage of the current situation. As creative people we have the ability to imagine and realize things that others stand in awe of us for. I remember sitting in my ex-girlfriends house 3 years ago just strumming out some chords and her dad says, “I’ll never understand how you guys [musicians] do it…” I wasn’t playing a song, wasn’t working on one, and wasn’t even paying attention to what I was doing – I was just chillin’. That’s how much power we have. Tim (that happened to be his name too) stopped everything he was doing to listen and watch me.

What I’m trying to say or ask rather is this: “Is it the shift in culture, the “Music is free” culture, or our intellectual property that we should be concerned with at all? I don’t know that it is one or the other, sometimes I wonder if it’s either. I don’t mean to sound dramatic but I’m a firm believer that the power is in our hands and we have a lot to say about how we move forward from here. The people will take what we give them. If we give them T-Pain who can’t sing and can’t dance, but offer no alternative, that’s what they’ll love. If we give them artists of John Legend’s caliber, someone who can sing his ass off, connect personally with the crowd, and do it all in an incredibly more intellectual mature fashion – the people will love it too. If you read between the lines here you’ll see I’m not talking solely of the music itself, lets remember that TPain and J. Legend are products. I’m trying to hint that there’s always a smarter, more mature, and professional alternative. Have we seen the latter version of iTunes? Is iTunes the T-Pain or the John Legend? I’d rather not sit here pulling my hair out with nerves and instead create the John Legend version and build it so that both sides, musicians and fans are getting what they want/need.

I’m not necessarily saying people are sheep (although we often are) I’m just trying to show that we have the power to turn this thing in our favor. The public didn’t think of Napster or iTunes – they just embraced the hell out of it. They will not think of the next thing, but they will surely embrace the hell out of it too. So when we talk about these things I process them a little differently. YES! I want to get paid for my intellectual property… It’s MINE! But I have to be smart enough to figure out how to make sure that happens. I can’t be short-sighted. You don’t create a new and improved toaster-oven and just expect every house in the United States to go out and pay you for it. As the inventor it’s also your job to show them it’s worth the money, or you won’t be selling any toaster ovens. You have to follow through.

With all that said, my intellectual property means the world to me. As KRS-One says “Your lyrics are a manifestation of your soul”. What he says next is what really messes me up, far more than this whole free-download era/intellectual property fight. He’s talking about songwriters/rappers that aren’t singers/rappers and goes on to say, “… To sell your lyrics or music, is to sell your soul…”

Ponder that.

Move!, on the move, He’s moving, it’s CRAZY!

It’s a little late for the October update… I know. Things have been very busy for me this last few weeks. It seems that i am always saying that, and you know what, it’s always true! Thank God it is the way it is though, I wouldn’t have it any other way. LITHUM, the company that my two partners and I founded, is MOVING. We are starting to see a more steady flow of clients and the paper – you remember the paper work – it’s still piling up. This thing isn’t easy when you do it the right way.

Music is good. Logic and I just cut a record called MOVE! which has a great sound. The world will probably never hear it, unless loved ones leak it, but it is a testament to our growth as we develop a creative chemistry together.

Another situation that has been powerful but also consuming some of my available brain power (which is why the post was forgotten) is a situation at work. To see the way that God works in everyone’s lives, not just those that are believers is, at the least, powerful. He truly loves us all. At the audio-post facility I work at, there is a lot of situating going on; 9 people are involved. The company promotion procedures usually seem to be seniority driven, but this last couple weeks has been a little different. Now I apologize for being vague but I really HAVE to be, it would not be good to name names. Basically, the way things “SHOULD” have gone, 4 of these people would not be employed any longer. 2 would have been so pissed that they quit, and the other two wouldn’t have gotten hired at all. The way that God was at work, EVERY SINGLE INDIVIDUAL, including myself, was INCREDIBLY blessed by the situation. 2 people received brand new jobs to start their journey in the industry, 4 people got promoted to not only the position they wanted but the shift that they prefer, and 3 of us got blessed with shift preference as well. This is vague and maybe doesn’t mean much to you, I haven’t nearly “told the story”, but the story really isn’t the important part. God showed himself in a large way this past couple weeks. So this is just a public thanks for His blessings.

Oh, did I mention that 6 out of the 9 don’t believe? In fact, they usually put Him down… His mercy is unlimited.

Well, speaking of moving, I gotta keep it moving and get to some more work. And oh! I didn’t mention, I’m a full-time student right now too!! LOL!

Love to all-

-Tim `Boy Genius` Bjorkman

“Journey” Or “Destination” ?

As I started out on this journey of becoming a private business owner, I didn’t really grasp how demanding it would be.  The paperwork.  The database building.  The phone calls.  It just seems like once we’re near completing a task that there is one more facet to that project that surfaces leaving it incomplete for yet another day.  This could be described as tiring or frustrating, but these different obstacles have really become what is making this so much fun.  Every – single – day – there’s something new to learn about our business, or the business of music, or myself.  How can one complain with that?  Is that not what one of life’s main purposes is?  The search for self.  It has been said that “It isn’t the destination but the journey that makes it all worth while…” [my paraphrasing], and to that I say “AMEN”.  No, I’m not old, not yet able to label myself as TRULY wise, I’m not even a glimpse of my full potential.  I’m not far into my journey of creating a company or my career in the industry.  What I have learned though is that experience and knowledge isn’t something that only comes from time.  It comes from diligence, hard work, perseverance, and creativity.  In a weeks time I have learned skills that will serve me throughout my life.  Some of these things may have taken any given person months to study and become fluent in.  Perhaps others would have picked up on them more quickly, but nonetheless I now have these tools in my belt.  These pieces of knowledge that I can call upon as issues arise will be with me forever.  With that said, I reflect on what is more important or maybe I should say, what is more enjoyable. Thinking back on the past month or so of learning and “journey-ing” and then comparing my current state, my “destination”, and knowledge that is now sitting “on call” in my “tool belt” – I think I can agree - ”It isn’t the destination but the journey that makes it all worth while…”.  I praise God for blessing me through this journey and bringing me to a destination that is more than I asked for.  He truly is amazing.

 

As always, I pray everyone that reads these words be blessed.

 

-Tim “Boy Genius” Bjorkman

“Logic-al” (The Playboy Jazz Festival and more…)

So the last time I “left you” I had updated you on an on going internship that has now ended in a job offer from Alan Ett Creative Group. I was extremely lucky and blessed to come out and start January here in California – excited with hopes high – and land a job in the music industry to end April.

I am currently cramming 5 to 6 hours a night catching up to the rest of the industry with Digidesign’s “Pro Tools”. My engineering has always been on a industry-quality level, but I am VERY excited about the possibilities that are being afforded me with this new (new to me) gear. I think I will ALWAYS be an “out-board guy” but nonetheless I am looking forward. It was the “logical” next step.

Now, to tie in to my title “Logic-al” - 

I had the opportunity to attend the Playboy Jazz Festival on Saturday (6/14/08). Tower Of Power absolutely KILLED that show! It was a BLAST! After a dinner at Mel’s I got to hear a talented artist out on Hollywood and Highland. Just a guy doin’ his thing out on the sidewalk – just like people do everyday on Hollywood, but this guy was fire. I made the opportunity to contact him happen by talking to his homie “Myth” off to the side. After learning of the artists name “Logic” I got some contact info and I am in touch. I am VERY excited about what will happen between these guys and myself.

 

Please check back and comment. If you need music – hit me up, if you wanna collab – hit me up.

 

Love and Blessings-

Tim