Why I Love CD Baby
Look! I’m RICH! Well… it’s a start…
Ahhh, look at it. Money I’ve made from music, posted directly to me. No label, no accountants, no expensive audits to see how much money the label has “forgotten” to pay me this time… bliss!
I think this is the fourth cheque this size I’ve got from CD Baby. There were two or three earlier, smaller ones before I raised the payment limit to make the conversion more economical (banks charge to convert because, ummm… they can).
Notice also that most of the money is from digital downloads. In actual, physical CDs, I’m selling a piffling amount. This is the reality for musicians nowadays - nobody really gives a crap about physical product. Sure, I’ll keep on releasing CDs but this is because I’m an old bloke wot likes to hold a lyrics booklet, likes to see artwork. Obviously, that isn’t how most buyers of my music feel. Logically, I should stop manufacturing physical products. But I won’t because I’m nostalgic and illogical and love the feeling when a new album of mine arrives in shrinkwrap. Releasing an album only as an mp3… it just wouldn’t feel as real to me.
Also, the bulk of that digital income is from iTunes. I tried to get on iTunes for around a year with no joy, even got my lawyer to email them. CD Baby got me on there in about a month. That income is money that, if I’d left it to Apple’s iTunes Store admin team, I would never have earned.
If you’re an independent musician who hasn’t ever tried CD Baby, check them out. Having been a musician for 25+ years now, I can tell you it brings a tear to my rheumy old eye to actually get paid for my work.
I’d also like to thank every one of you out there who’s paid to buy my music. Believe me, it does mean a lot to me! 
Don’t Mention The War iTunes Review!
Yaay! It’s taken a while but there’s now an official review for ‘Don’t Mention The War’ up on iTunes. Here it is:
White Town’s “Your Woman” was probably the most unlikely one-hit wonder of the 1990s, a rather brilliant mash-up of a 1930s vintage trumpet sample, old-school synth pop rhythms, and playful gender-bending lyrics.
But Jyoti Mishra knew the musical mainstream wasn’t for him and cleverly left EMI to return to the indie underground that had spawned his one-man band. Unfortunately, the resulting album, 2000’s Peek & Poke, was terribly inconsistent, and afterward, Mishra seemed to disappear entirely.
Returning to music with the self-released and completely self-created (down to shooting the cover photos and designing the packaging) Don’t Mention the War, Mishra has unexpectedly created his most consistently entertaining album so far.
The 12 songs on Don’t Mention the War (title courtesy of Fawlty Towers, but also pointedly acknowledging the extent to which a war that has lasted longer than World War II is ignored in the day-to-day life of most Brits and Americans) fuse all sides of White Town’s musical personality, from early guitar-oriented twee pop EPs to the dance beats and electronics of Women in Technology and the sometimes strident political themes of Peek & Poke.
For the purest expression of the last, note “These Are the MPs,” a set of minimalist synth washes over which Mishra recites the names of the members of Parliament who voted to authorize the Iraq war, a track that wouldn’t have sounded out of place on a very early Mute Records single.
Other songs are considerably brighter in tone, even when Mishra’s lyrics tend toward the dark. Highlights include “A New Surprise,” two and a half minutes of acoustic guitars, handclaps, and winsome lyrics (”Where are the Jetsons and flying restaurants?/Where is my golf course on the moon?”) that sound like a vintage Sarah Records single circa 1991, the sweet-natured electro-pop of “I Was Trotsky’s Nun,” and the excellently titled, atmospheric instrumental “Theme for a BBC Natural History Series Starring Richard Dawkins.”
It may have taken over half a decade, but Mishra has finally conclusively proven that he deserves more attention than one fluke hit has given him.
What a lovely review! Thanks, iTunes!
You can see how accurate the review is by clicking here for iTunes or here for CD Baby! 
Buy Stuff!
Do you long to wear a tiny, independent record label’s logo on your chest? A label no-one’s ever heard of, hence making you cooler than liquid helium?
Are you a long-time White Town fan who’d love to have teeny-tiny badge versions of all my albums?
Well, today’s your lucky day!
I’ve just opened a suitably miniscule merch shop. Click here!
(Oh, and you can choose colours, sizes and even styles of top. But I’d steer clear of the camo.)
Women In Technology on Play Digital
Play.com have pre-empted Amazon’s DRM-free mp3 service with their own shop. And I’m pleased to see my EMI album on there for a bit cheaper than you can get it on iTunes. Well… four pence cheaper! Also, it’s iTunes Plus so there’s no DRM on that download either.
But if you’re anti-Apple or simply prefer downloaded mp3s, check out the Play.com shop!
Make The World Go Away - HD
White Town - Make The World Go Away from Jyoti Mishra on Vimeo.
I’ve just joined Vimeo so now you can see the vid I made for ‘Make The World Go Away’ in lovely HD. Yaaay!
If you click the little pic marked ‘Full’ in the bottom left, it should launch the super-duper, fullscreen version.
Death In Kettering (Acoustic Version)
Hello!
This evening, I was feeling a bit woolly and reflective, remembering how much fun it was to play in Stockholm last week. So I recorded an acoustic version of ‘Death In Kettering’ and I thought I’d share it with you lovely peeps. It’s the sound of me around 8.30pm!
You can hear it and also download the mp3 for free by clicking here.
The track was recorded straight to stereo, no overdubs or studio magix, all I’ve done is EQ it a bit. So it’s a bit rough but quite representative of what I sound like live with just a guitar (ie, a bit rough).
Hope you like it!
love and kisses,
Jyoti
PS - And the original electronic version is available to listen for free or buy here.
Hej Hej Stockholm!
Photo by Mattias Cosy Den
Last week, I played at Landet, Stockholm.
And it was excellent!
The gig was organised by Cosy Den (thank you, Mattias!) and I again had the privilege of playing with the urbane and debonair Erik Halldén:
Landet is a wonderfully intimate and ..er.. cosy venue but it’s also got great lights and a PA that would shame many a larger club. It’s such a joy to play and actually be able to hear oneself (and thanks also to Gaz for doing a great job on the sound again).
I loved being able to lock around the people in the audience, from face to face and sing directly to them. I guess I’m just not rock’n'roll - my favourite type of gig is exactly this kind of small, personal affair. The first half of my set was acoustic, just me warbling over my hamfisted guitarrings. The second half was similar but with the addition of electronic backing tracks. I wouldn’t have been surprised if the whole thing had fallen as flat as a pancake!
But the audience… oh, what lovely people, as attentive and polite as they were windswept and gorgeous. I really couldn’t imagine a British audience being so charming and gracious, sadly.
Afterwards, I got the best reaction any songwriter could ask for: two beautiful ladies separately approached me and said how my set had made them feel a bit emotional and tearful. They understood exactly what my music is about. Yes! I am the king of indiegothelectrofolk!
And I had even more flattery in the course of the week that followed while I was still in Stockholm. I kept bumping into people who’d been at the gig and searched me out at gigs and clubs to tell me how much they’d enjoyed the set. As if I wasn’t enough of a rampaging bighead already! (Coming back to my normal Derby life has been somewhat of a shock to the system after all that…)
This was another dream gig for me and I’m not surprised it happened in Sweden. There’s a spirit, a pure passion for music there that doesn’t seem present on these shores where everything seems far more cliquey and “cool.” And I’m entirely the wrong size, colour and age to be cool, after all! I just can’t fit into them skinny trousers! 
To everyone who was at Landet, thank you for listening and all the sweet things you said after the gig. Hopefully, I’ll be seeing you again, soon!
And next on the gig trail…
Finland!
White Town Facebook Page
As you may know, I’m not a fan of Rupert Murdoch. Therefore, I’m also not a fan of MySpace.
Imagine how happy I am that MySpace is currently being trounced by Facebook! Every person who defects from MySpace or, more importantly, stops directing people towards it prevents money going into Murdoch’s pocket.
And I don’t like what Murdoch does with his money and influence.
Basically, I’m in favour of anything that hurts Murdoch’s Evil Empire,
So far, the one big advantage MySpace has had is that it’s the first port of call for musicians. Name a band, google them and you can find their MySpace and listen to songs.
Now, Facebook has taken up the challenge and introduced Band Pages (as well as Pages for Actors, TV Shows, Brands..). Hopefully, this means there’s at least a choice if a band wants an instant website complete with songs, vids, discography etc.
I’ve just created a Facebook page for White Town. It’s a little bit superfluous since I have this site, all sparkly and spangly. But what the hell, it’s free and maybe it can be slightly more interactive than this site. And every time someone’s looking at my band Facebook page, they’re not looking at MySpace.
Click here to see for yourself!
Blogroll Spam…
I had to take my links to friends’ sites today. It used to be on the right. Sadly, the links are now full of spam 
Apparently, it’s a known issue, unresolved. Let’s hope it’s fixed soon! I’m just posting this in case any other Wordpress users have the same thing happen. Also, to let my friends know that I haven’t suddenly gone off their websites!
Ahhh, spam… the bare essence of capitalism: vicious, destructive and uncaring.
Make The World Go Away - The Popvid!
Yes! It’s 4.48am now and around forty minutes ago, I finished editing the first popvid I’ve made in… well, since the original 1990 White Town Super 8 grainfest.
On the plus side: non-linear edting is much easier than a razor blade and sellotape.
On the minus side: iMovie HD kept crashing about every four minutes so I had to keep saving every three or so. That was a pain in the arse!
I’m quie pleased with how it’s turned out. It’s obviously a bit rubbish as it’s the first time I’ve written and made a popvid with a story (the ‘Your Woman’-era ones were all by the godlike Mark Adcock) but hopefully I’ll get better with experience.
Thanks to Ash who gamely agreed to let me order him around, drive us about and scramble over rubble. He’s a trooper!
Have a click above to watch the vid!
