We've finally had a long enough break between concerts to really dig into your New Music New Video composition competition entries, and we are loving everything. KUDOS to all of the entrants so far!
Amongst the social media chatter, an interesting topic came up regarding the competition: the absence of a cash prize.
"...the opportunity does not have a dollar prize for the winner... this is an example of an all-too-frequent occurrence, artists being offered 'exposure' rather than being paid for their work. Might you also consider offering some kind of prize for the winner?"
Here are our thoughts (but we're also curious to hear yours!):
Yes, in some sense, this competition is about exposure. We absolutely hope to expose wonderful new music to our large international online audience. We receive unsolicited compositions on a near daily basis (much of which is really fantastic!), and since it is impossible to perform every piece sent our way, we thought of the competition as a way to highlight at least a few of these composers’ voices.
Beyond that, having made dozens of these music videos in the past 10+ years, we see the prize as granting so much more than just exposure. It’s an opportunity for a composer to collaborate in the creativity of filmmaking, think outside the box, have fun with classical piano music, and learn from our video-making experience.
Those who deem a cash prize to be the only suitable reward may not be the sort of collaborator we’re searching for. We began making our music videos from scratch, resourcefully using venues and equipment already available to us, and we quickly came to enjoy the thrill of the entire do-it-yourself process, from the beginning’s blank canvas to the magic of editing. We’ve discovered that the artistic joy lies in the back-and-forth exchange of ideas, the brainstorming, the imagination, the collaboration! We‘re looking for someone to join us in the process.
It should be noted that not only is there no financial compensation for the winning entry, but there is no financial compensation for any of the artists involved… no compensation for any of the other composer applicants, none for our volunteer production assistants, none for the two of us (who will serve as the pianists, producers, videographers, directors, audio engineers, and video editors). And we will personally finance any necessary production expenses ourselves, such as piano moving, permits, insurance, props, advertising, etc. In the end, we hope to spend less than a couple thousand dollars on production, but nonetheless create a music video that would, by all industry standards, compare to a $30,000+ budget production. We’re excited to do so! We see the investment of time, skill, and money as an investment in the winning composer and in the advancement of our mission to make this music a relevant and powerful force in society.
Now you know our thoughts on the matter — care to share yours? Let us know what you think in the comments or on social media!
