The most satisfying part for me is that it’s still going.  I followed through on my idea instead of fizzling out. Completing the show in the midst of family & ministry responsibilities, work and other musical pursuits has been quite a challenge at times.  It has pressed me into new levels of efficiency as I have continuously refined the whole process.  I am now able to push through challenges that would have derailed me before. 

The wonderful thing is The Lord has continued to refine my vision throughout the year. I am much more prepared to operate within the music business than I was a year ago. I am learning to locate my audience as well as how and where to post music so they can find it. I am also learning how to properly carve out time for my music without neglecting my family – not an easy task.

It is very gratifying to see tangible progress toward the goals I wrote down a year ago. I still have a long way to go and much work to do, but I am definitely moving.

p.s.  I promise it will not be another 11 months before I make another entry here and you will also be seeing more entries in the blog as well.

About 2 months ago, I was listening to the SSRadio lounge and chill channel and I noticed that they appeared to have a shortage of programs on that channel compared to their other channels. Since I am a big fan of downtempo music and have a pretty large collection of tunes that fit the format,  I decided I would like to try to fill in that gap and applied for a time slot. I didn’t realize how much of a backlog of applications they had because as of today, my application is still being processed. I completed show #1 a few weeks ago and am very eager to get started so I’ve decided to just move forward and put the show out as my own podcast while I’m still excited about this.  I do still hope to secure a timeslot there because their built-in audience would be beneficial, but nevertheless, I must move forward with this.

            I’ve written previously in this blog about the challenge of balancing music, family, ministry duties, etc., so it’s reasonable to ask why I would commit to something like this now.  There are a mixture of personal and business motives that I will summarize in 5 reasons:

1) This is a way to share my love of music and connect with people who have similar tastes. God willing, these connections will open opportunities to share The Gospel.  (see the Exodus Music Mission Statement)

2) It’s a means of connecting with the music industry and getting my name “out there”. This is a platform where I can also play my own original tracks. If the show is well-received, opportunities could open up.

3) It’s a good way to direct traffic to my website. The DJ mix from each show will be posted here for download as well as any new tracks I play on the show.

4) This is a way to focus and channel my insatiable appetite for music into something fruitful. Selfish arrogance prevented me from becoming a professional DJ years ago, this could be an opportunity to correct that.

5) This is an important step in training myself to recognize niches and opportunities and step into them instead of cowering and making excuses.

So now ya know. Listen to the player above or on the homepage or HERE and enjoy the show.

I’ve been producing music for over 20 years. I never really wanted to be a star. Fame doesn’t really appeal to me. Frankly, I’m too insecure to tolerate all that scrutiny. I have always wanted music to be my main gig. I want a top-notch studio of my own to work in. At this point, that means enough money to support my family comfortably. As I’ve gotten older, my vision for this has changed – for the better, I think. I see options now that, frankly, I wasn’t open to in the arrogance of my 20’s. But unlike in my 20’s, it’s no longer just about me and my dreams. I have a family now. Anything I pursue has to work within my household and within the vision we have for our family. Even more significantly, I live for Christ now. Any aspirations not in line with The Lord’s call on my life must be let go.

I have resisted saying this for a few years, but I’ll have to say that 2010 is my “do or die” year. This year, I clear some hurdles and make significant, measurable progress or it’s time to turn my attention and passion in another direction.

Critical questions for this year:  I know I have the talent to rap, the question is whether, at 41, does God still want to use that voice?  For years I have had a certain “sound” in my head (production-wise) but have always been too busy to sit down and flesh it out. This year, that sound will get developed. The question is will anybody like it? Can it be promoted? Will it get me the production work and licensing opportunities I want? To have long-term viability, THE CLYDE DEE CONCEPT needs a live stage performance - which means a very different approach to how I compose and arrange that music. Can I pull that off? Will people want to come out and see the show?

  One way or the other, this will be a critical year for me. All of these things will require a strong commitment to private preparation and I don’t expect this to be easy. At the end of 2010, I will have some answers… and plenty of new music. 

            Anytime you endeavor to utilize your gifts as a source of income, you risk corruption by defiling your inspiration.  I believe somewhere along the line that happened to me. Through a series of events & circumstances – not the least of which was living across town from my studio and having to share time with 4 other aspiring producers – I gradually stopped making music from the heart and started making it for business purposes. I no longer had the luxury of making music when I felt inspired. I had to do what I could when the studio was available – regardless of how I felt. I tried to make the best of it, but it simply was not conducive to me doing my best, most inspired work. I created some good music for sure, but my motives weren’t what they should’ve been and I believe my music was effected – negatively.

            One of the benefits of such an extended layoff is that my inspiration – my “muse” – has been restored. I have music bubbling inside of me just itching to get out! In 2010 I will get back to making music from my heart. I’m not abandoning the business part, just putting it in its proper place. The best tracks will be right here on this site for you to download. Once I’ve got enough hot ones out there, hopefully I’ll get some calls for some remix work. Either way, there will be plenty of new music for you to enjoy over the coming year.

As some of you know, my dance project “Goldfinger Vol. 1: 100% Pure Dance Music” is on sale at various outlets on-line. I have 3 more projects that are completed and scheduled for release very soon. I have decided to offer them as free downloads instead of selling them. They will be available on at least one other site, but of course you’ll have first dibs right here. 

The goal is for this to be a marketing tool that creates the kind of exposure for my music that will generate interest in upcoming projects as well as the placement/licensing of tracks in TV, movies and compilations. I also hope to eventually generate some production and remix work for myself.

Sonic Landscapes is already available. I am finishing the cover art on the other projects so expect to see them all up by thanksgiving. Each time a new album is posted, I will announce it here.

YO! I need your help! Pass on links to any friends you have that might enjoy any of the tracks or DJ mixes. Put links on your myspace or facebook pages. Check back and download frequently and, most of all, Pray for me. I have a mission to complete (see my post from 12-28-09).

The plan is to develop some consistency with the small changes. I'll walk off the 1st 20 lbs., then get back to running. It's a daily fight and the road to 175 lbs. is a long one, but I'm not giving up. There is too much at stake - I need to be a healthy, energized father and husband. My family needs more from me than I can give in my present condition and I know the LORD isn't pleased with this. I've come to understand how deep and intricate the mental aspect of this battle is. All behaviors have underlying emotions that drive them. These emotions must be dealt with and conquered before you can change the behavior.

Join me in praying that I grow stronger in this area before the serious health problems start.

Needless to say, with all of that going on there hasn’t been much time (or energy) for promoting music or updating this blog. As I work to find the new rhythm of my life, I hope to hit the ground running with my latest release – Sonic Landscapes – as well as my ongoing quest to find outlets for my music. Most significantly, once I get the remnants of my studio re-assembled, it’s time to start working on some new music!!

Stay tuned, and come back here often.

Each week you will also find a DJ Mix Of The Week free for you to download, put in your iPod or mp3 player, and bump it loud all day & night!! Mixes will cover a variety of genres. Be sure to click the title of the mix for a description of the mix and a playlist.

Check the MUSIC section every week!!

By all means, holla back with comments and pass a link to all of your friends.

A few months ago, I began developing a promotional plan with the goal of increasing 1) the exposure of myself as a producer and 2) sales of the music in my current projects. The cornerstone of this plan is the upgrading of this website. I wanted to add features that would get people to not only visit, but return and pass a link to friends. So I’ve added the ablility to purchase tracks right from this site, lots of free tracks to download, and I even dusted off my Djing skills and posted some hot mixes for your ipods and mp3 players (I must confess that making the mixes is more fun than it is work, but it does serve a purpose). I’m in the process of adding some new photos and redesigning the site as well as completing the cover art for my current projects. I am very close to completing this part of the plan. Money is extremely tight for me just like it is for you, but thankfully God has blessed me with the ability to do many of these things myself.

The point is, I’ve had to hold back on many other aspects of my plan until I finish this portion of it. It wouldn’t be beneficial to drive visitors to a site that isn’t finished. I am very eager to complete this portion of the plan so I can move on to the real work of promoting my projects. It has to be done properly, though. I have to make sure that if someone hears a track they like, they can immediately go somewhere and buy it. Knowing myself, however, I run the risk of “getting stuck” in this phase. It’s a very comfortable, low-risk part of the process. Frankly, I need to hurry up so that I actually do get to the next phase…

My biggest challenge is balancing my determination to fight through the inevitable resistance you meet as you approach the completion of anything worthwhile with my determination to not neglect my wife and children. This is the daily struggle. When all is said and done, I don’t want to be another man who is successful in business but a failure at home. However, the fact remains that effective promotion requires time plus I still have to work my 9 to 5 to keep food on the table. Add to that my commitments to my church and my ongoing battle to make the necessary lifestyle changes to get my weight down where it should be… as I said, this is the daily struggle.

To be honest, this is the point where I have fallen off throughout my life – when it’s time to step out of the isolated, comfortable phase and really put it out there and take the risks. I have persistently prayed for more strength and courage and The Lord has brought situations into my life to build it. I’ve been working at this for a lot of years and I’m no longer a “young cat doing his thang”. Frankly, a large part of me wants to call this a “do or die” season – if something major doesn’t happen this year, I throw in the towel and move on to something else. But that is just discouragement talking and I cannot allow myself to be led by that.

Right now, I must stay focused on the light at the end of this tunnel. And when I get there… I’ll write here and tell you about it.