So...art is personal?

We had an interesting experience this past week. Someone we know who has a studio remixed one of our songs.

For Johnny, this wasn't a new experience. When he was 19, he was in a band named The Arrleys that had a record deal in Nashville, and they recorded several of their songs with a producer there.

Yup - that's for real, y'all.
Who likes that 90s hair and the matching outfits??

Johnny's entire experience in Nashville was a defining one, because he learned how the big-music machine works, and one of the things he walked away with was the realization that he didn't like the loss of control that comes with signing the various contracts involved: management, development, recording, etc.

Yes, with the right scenario, you can become Keith Urban. But in the wrong scenario - say you're 19 and don't really know what you're signing - you can end up with a very dissatisfying situation.

Musicians talk about it all the time, but just a few of the things that can happen are:

• You can find yourself locked to a manager you don't like.
• The record company can refuse to allow you to perform.
• The record company can break up the band (decide only to work a certain member or members).
• You can end up with songs you don't like.
• You can end up making very little money while others get rich off your work.

These are all common experiences by musicians who get caught up in "the machine," and Johnny dealt with several of them when he was in Nashville. He told me many times about spending all these hours in the studio only to end up with versions of his songs that he hated. I'd heard at least one of those songs and thought it was good. I didn't get it.

In fact, I've wanted to hear what our songs might sound like if a professional producer got involved. We've produced all of our own songs (thank you, technology!), and I'm proud of our music. But we have musician friends who have worked with various producers, and I've loved what they've put out, and I couldn't help but wonder at times, "What would that producer have done with our stuff?"

I know, James! It gets the wheels
turning, doesn't it?!

Well, this week, I got to experience what it's like when someone takes one of your songs and does what they want with it, and you have no control over what they do. I didn't like it.

I'd like to think that when a big record company isn't involved, you have some say over what a producer does. But I guess it depends on the producer. I don't know. But I do know that when you get big time, you often don't get any input. And I now know that I wouldn't like that.

I wasn't crazy about the remix of our song. There were things I liked, but some of the things I liked most about the original were gone, and it really changed the whole nature of the song for me. Our vision, our energy, our essence - who WE are - felt assaulted. The new version wasn't awful, but it just wasn't us anymore. I know, now, how Johnny felt in Nashville.

Johnny didn't feel as strongly as I did about the remix, but maybe that's because he's been through it before. He knew what to expect when he handed our tracks over to this person. It was new for me, though, so it was more jarring.

I'm not saying that now I'd never want to work with a professional producer. I still would like the opportunity at some point to work with someone who hears things we don't and can take our songs to the next level. A new perspective and a practiced ear can take something good and turn it into something great.

But I'd want a say in the final product. I wouldn't want my art, my songs to be at the mercy of someone else's vision.

There are people who would prefer the remixed version of our song. They would think it improved. But it's not always about what someone else wants or thinks. There's something real about staying true to who you are. If you're an artist, and you're creating something, you're communicating something - and how you express it is not irrelevant.

If a sculptor creates a statue, no one thinks it's okay to come in and start chopping off pieces and gluing on new stuff.

Courtesy: DuctTapeGenius.com

If someone can help you execute your vision better, then that's great. But if, instead, they turn your creation into something you don't like and that's not you or yours anymore, that's different. I may not always have a choice, but when I do, I will want to have a voice on what someone does with our songs.

Unless, of course, Rihanna wants to record one of our songs. Then it's green light, baby - she can do whatever she wants. I might hate the final product, but I could swallow that hate with every step I took on the way to the bank. Hey, don't judge me!

I'm an artist, not an idiot.