The world has flipped upside down. And for the good.
Amazon.com is truly an amazing thing… They have revolutionized the world in so many ways. Never before have the Gatekeepers of the world had so much power, mystique and control taken away from them. Books publishers, music labels, movie studios, TV network executives, fashion designers, big box stores, those who previously had the power to decide who they let into their controlled spaces. Their power and influence is slipping away by the day. Their fiefdoms crumbling.
Gatekeepers always decided who could participate. Determined the price participates would pay. Decided the cost buyers would pay for the art somebody else created. These same Gatekeepers also determined what slim sliver of the profit to bless the original creator of the art with by throwing a few coins at the very feet of the artist who brought life to the vision. The Gatekeepers held sway over and made up their minds as to who would be confirmed as authors, artists, designers and creators. They alone, decided what was art and what was not. (Insert Andy Warhol quote: “Art is what you can get away with…” He chose himself and put them in their place decades ago. He ignored them, so they had no choice but adopt him!)
Between Amazon.com, Google, and a few others like Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, You Tube (owned by Google), Spotify, Pandora, SoundCloud, iTunes and even by smaller website like Etsy and Daily Paint Works, these Gatekeepers have now been put on notice. If you have a message, a story, a book, a script, a song, a painting, a product, any creative need of expression of almost any kind and are in need of a platform, these are your people. Your best friends.
In this new world of wilting Gatekeepers, you can simply step over them. Anybody with an idea, can for minimal or no cost publish a book on Amazon.com. Do you write music or sing, then upload your own original music to SoundCloud. You’re an aspiring actor or director and have a movie idea? Shoot and post your movie and on You Tube. How about you have a great idea for your own music video? You Tube is without a doubt your best friend.
Here’s another…create your own You Tube channel then develop an idea for an original television show. Pitch it to Amazon Prime, Netflix, Yahoo or Hulu. These four companies are all streaming original programming.
You can use other venues to start a blog to express your thoughts or ideas on any subject. Or you now have the complete authority to shine a bright light on news no one will cover.. It’s all free.
Ok, not for one minute am I saying any of this is easy or can be done in an hour on Sunday afternoon. There’s a learning curve to everything. You must to re-write, re-work, re-do, re-think, re-attempt and re-invent almost everything to get it right if you want it to be the best it can be. Especially if you plan on sticking around.
I said this in my previous blog post, but it warrants repeating >> “No longer does any person have to be anointed by a publishing house, an agent, an editor, executive, head of a studio or some other keeper of the lock and keys. The market place can now be the ultimate arbiter of what is worthy and not someone who has assumed power over your work, craft or your art.”
If YOU believe in it – just put it out there. My new book, “TWO HEARTS” is now available in the Kindle Store on Amazon.com