I’m just returning from an inspiring Crowded House show at Sherwood Forest, Nottingham. I’ve seen Neil Finn and Tim Finn countless times, and I never tire of it. Tonight was no exception. The band is strong and vital, even as most of them thrive into their 50s.
Yet what I’m thinking about as I debrief from the show is how Tim Finn, on the brink of personal set backs and a row with his record company about 8 years ago, said, “Forget it!, I’m going it alone.” He decamped from New Zealand (where he lives) to Nashville, to record his album Say It Is So with his own money, musicians, time, etc. It doesn’t hurt that he had several of the guys from Wilco throwing in on the project. He created his own label and touring company, covered all the upfront costs (things that a label is supposed to do), and set out on a global tour on his own.
I saw him on that tour, and from the audience there was no difference between a ‘big label tour’ and a ‘bootstrapping tour.’ At Bimbo’s 360 in North Beach San Francisco he was on fire…And, he did that whole tour on his own. He ended up making enough money on that tour to make money, which is more than a lot of musicians can say about their ‘big label deals and tours.’
He started small, stayed small, and ran his little band like a start-up. This, after 20 years as front man of Split Enz and a stint with Crowded House, where he and Neil can fetch crowds of over 100,000 when they play ‘down under.’ For Tim, it wasn’t about the money. He has money. His Split Enz royalties pay a life-tme of wages every year. For him it was about integrity: Artistic control. Simplicity. A say in who was on the album and who toured. These are things that artists often sign away when they go with a ‘big label.’
Tim Finn is now back with a big label, but on terms more agreeable to he and his friends.
Sort of reminds me of coworking…Working with communities of our own choosing. Simple but powerful stuff.
The Butcher
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