On the first day I posted downloadable music, my merchandise sales tripled, and they have stayed that way ever since. I'm not about to become a zillionaire as a result, but I am making more money. At a time when radio playlists are tighter and any kind of exposure is hard to come by, 365,000 copies of my work now will be heard. Even if only 3% of those people come to concerts or buy my CDs, I've gained about 10,000 new fans this year.
I'm not really as motivated about music downloading as some of you guys, but I thought you'd find this interesting if you hadn't seen it. I don't even know who Janis Ian is. :) (My tastes in music tend toward John Williams.) But I am interested in "intellectual property" conerns and how it relates to technology, and potential new business models that may arise when the entire world gets a clue as to how bits work.
Her best known song, at least it's the only one I know, is "Fly too High", dating from around 1980.I don't even know who Janis Ian is.:)
Re:Janis Ian
jordan on 2002-10-23T15:48:57
I would say that her best known song is At Seventeen, from 1975.
An interesting article that recaps her life in advance of a tour she undertook in the late 90's , seems to agree that this was her biggest hit. I learned from that article that she wrote a hit song about Interracial Dating in 1966, when she was 15 years old (possibly 16 years old, but still)! It's amazing enough that you could have a hit song about such a sensitive subject in 1966, but written by a 15 or 16 year old makes it even more remarkable.
At Seventeen is a great and poignant song. Sung really well by Janis, also. Don't just read the lyrics somewhere, find a copy and listen.
