Rude "Professionals"

[Scott Greenberg]

Curious if anyone else has had to deal with these people.

On several occasions now I've had some rather rude interactions with people I would have considered "professionals"(in music and recording). I'll be talking with them, usually through emails and suddenly they'll stop replying.

Sometimes theres a potential business deal and I understand if they decide to go in another direction and work with someone else. It happens, I understand that. But all I'm asking for is a "Ok, thanks for your help but we've decided to record somewhere else" etc... Instead they drop off the face of the earth(mid conversation mind you) and i never hear from them again.

I'm hoping that these are a few isolated incidents, and not the way it is out there now.

[Mane1234]

Some people are pretty much rude out there no matter what field you're in. I think there's this feeling that since it's just an email communication then you don't have to speak to the person as you would a phone call. Where I work everyone talks to each other through email which I know at times is more efficient but it's also really very impersonal too. That's what I think anyways.

[cgarges]

Sometimes people are like that. Or sometimes they'll tell you one thing and do something else entirely. It sucks, but it happens all the time. I'd much rather hear why I didn't get a gig, even though it's often tough to deal with at first, but at least if I know why, I can figure out whether or not it was something I could do something about.

Chris Garges
Charlotte, NC

[blackdiscoball]

I'd much rather hear why I didn't get a gig, even though it's often tough to deal with at first, but at least if I know why, I can figure out whether or not it was something I could do something about.

I agree.

[jakeao]

I agree, not getting back to someone is total billshit. I have a good friend who works in the movie business and he deals with the same shit all the time. We always joke about how god damn unreliable creative people are.

[cgarges]

I'd love to see some cross-pollination between these threads for discussion's sake:
http://messageboard.tapeop.com/viewtopic.php?t=63157

Same basic idea, "getting back with people," but with opposing perspectives.

Chris Garges
Charlotte, NC

[;ivlunsdystf]

You can rest assured that people who choose to be dinks about stuff like this will eventually self-destruct, although the process can take decades so it's not worth waiting around to watch. Just shrug, tell yourself 'okay, that guy's purpose on earth is to be a douche' and keep moving. What else can you do?

[dynomike]

I think there's a difference between 'being a douche' and not replying to an email thread which appears to be fruitless. Creative people are often moody and impulsive, and you just have to get used to that. I try my best to keep organized and on top of email conversations, but some people are just not wired up that way.

[CurtZHP]

Creative people are often moody and impulsive, and you just have to get used to that.

Didn't someone once say, "The artistic temperment is an affliction of amateurs," or words to that effect?

I know plenty of creative people (myself included) who are not moody and impulsive and don't use "creativity" as an excuse for bad manners.

[signorMars]

I think a lot of bands (especially younger ones) are afraid to say no or that they've gone a different way... either they don't want to hurt your feelings or they're afraid they're burning some sort of bridge. But from my end, I vastly prefer the "we've decided to go another way" email or phone call than getting the mass email or bulletin on mySpace about the new album they just finished recording when they still are stringing me along about doing the project.

Had 2 bands do this in the last month or so... one was pretty cool about it... they didn't email me because we were playing a show together soon and wanted to tell me in person, but the recording went quicker than anticipated and I found out when they posted the songs on mySpace. that one didn't bug me too much. the other band I saw it coming because this has been probably the 3rd time it's happened. Their drummer wants to record with me, their bassist wants to record for free. Everyone in the band is terrified of conflict so no one will stand up for their position (no joke... I played a show with them once that they had booked and i had to go talk to the club to collect the OTHER band's money because these kids were too afraid of the confrontation). Sometimes these people end up fizzling out, as stated above... Sometimes they explode, Pitchfork loves them, they play all the big festivals and get signed to a major label and all the press neglects to mention that you recorded some of the songs on their album (including the single)... but what can you do?

[@?,*???&?]

I'd love to see some cross-pollination between these threads for discussion's sake:
http://messageboard.tapeop.com/viewtopic.php?t=63157

Same basic idea, "getting back with people," but with opposing perspectives.

Chris Garges
Charlotte, NC

Uh-oh, is Garges trying to direct the thread here?

Very subtle young man, very subtle indeed.

[cgarges]

I just think that it's interesting how in one thread, it's okay for someone to not call back, but in another, it's bullshit and unprofessional. I see a double standard and would like some comments on it.

Chris Garges
Charlotte, NC

[Scott Greenberg]

Well my whole take on it is (clearly) that you should call back. Just because something is happening over email or phone conversations too doesn't mean it isn't rude to stop mid conversation. If it happened in person, face to face, you would say "what the hell is wrong with that person" is they walked away while you were still talking to each other.

[@?,*???&?]

I think 'dick-i-ness' in the studio or outside the studio boils down to insecurity. I've seen alot of insecure engineers. There's so much to know. It's tough to be candid about your knowledge when there are so many other people doing this. It's sort of like, "Are you threatened at all when the artist you are working with has their own Pro Tools system at home as you make their record?"

Problem is, too much second guessing by people that may not be serious enough about this stuff to begin with.

Make a record. Make a record of the time. Preserve it in some master domain. Manufacture bar-coded product and move on to the next record.

It's pretty simple.

[wedge]

I think that there's a different level of expectations in the realm of email communications versus phone and/or face-to-face chats... Not saying it's good, just saying that it's something that I've observed, for many years, especially in the online dating realm. Lots of email communications just going dead. I've gotten to the point where I don't take it personally anymore. If the phone's involved, or I chatted face-to-face, then I'd be pissed if somebody bailed...