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Wholala Organization on TVB’s Monday File.

In the programme, the chick was sobbing, for reasons I don’t understand. A few observations:-

1. The chick’s husband works in Shanghai and can only come home on weekends.
2. The couple is, like most “middle class” of that age, in negative equity. Their property is rented out, and she is staying w/ a friend who is very supportive of what she is doing.
3. They spent HK$40K to make her album and only 300 sold.
4. She doesn’t have a proper job and works full time on her music, which doesn’t pay.
5. She was very busy as her sister could only catch up w/ when they are going a gig.
6. Her sister found it strange that she was doing it for no money.

1. She has very good technical support on the Wholala website.

   She must be enjoying what she’s going, otherwise she would have quitted. Right slim chance that she’s going to recover that HK$40K investment (a whole load of CDs?!) However, if she believes in what she’s doing and enjoys doing it, I don’t think she has much to complain about.

   To low budget musicians, I think the new Apple Garageband is going to help a lot. Expensive recording studio sessions no longer necessary. Do most of the instrument sound tracks with a (1) MIDI keyboard and a couple of (2) guitars on an (3) iBook w/ an (4) audio capture interface, then go rent any old sound studio, and finish the vocal and the drum (if so desired) tracks. The whole mobile recording studio setup could be acquired for around HK$20K.

   As for publishing CDs, dupe it on CDRs. Buy bulk blank CDRs for around HK$1 each, about HK$2 for the jewellery case, maybe HK$0.5 for the cover. You ain’t the Twins, so you won’t turn off your target customers for having a plain cover or not attaching karaoke vounchers. Start w/ 50 or 100. Send 25 to
   CDBaby.

   Had the Wholala chick gone with the above w/ her HK$40K budget, she might still have over HK$10K left, to record a 2nd or even a 3rd album. Moot point I know as Garageband isn’t available until later this month, but similar software has been available for awhile now, only none as inexpensive and easy to use.