Dear Alma, Which record do I make – the one I want or they want?

Dear Alma

I’m at a career defining moment and any advice you give me is likely to be wrong.

I’m a pianist in my early 20s with a very active agent. She has been approached by a major label with a deal for me to record the Grieg and Schumann concertos. I would rather my debut record was something cool by Missy Mazzola or Miroslav Srnka or various others you’ve never heard of who I get to play with friends at summer festivals.

I’m dying to record this stuff. My agent says, wait. I say, how long? She says, forever.

I’ve been approached by a subsidy label who will let me record what I like without the usual fee. My agent says going off-piste will cost us the major-label deal.

What do I do now?

I love your approach to these issues.

Frank Admirer

PS I don’t even like the Grieg concerto

Dear Frank Admirer,

What a simply lovely dilemma. I can tell you, we are all jealous!! You must be unbelievable. I mean, it’s really really hard to record standard rep, let alone with a major label. I am just grinning thinking of it. I hope I get to hear you some day, I probably already have!

Ok but back to reality. Your dilemma. First things first, there is no burning building, so take a little time to think things through. Not to go all “mom” on you, and I am sure you don’t even want to hear it, but the human brain actually doesn’t become fully formed until the mid-late 20’s. The part that’s still trying to get all done is the prefrontal cortex, which does stuff like planning, prioritizing, and making good decisions. I am just saying this because let’s make sure your decisions are super sound. It’s not you, it’s your under-done brain.

The first thing I would advise is to find a publicist. That is the person who holds both your hand, as well as your agent’s. They are your advocate, help you develop your trajectory, your vision of who you are and who you want to become, have deep knowledge of the musical field, understand the manager’s perspective, and have a bevy of their own contacts that will expand what your agent has to offer. You could start by asking around, checking websites of people you admire, and for sure check in with you agent. You don’t want to pick someone they don’t like.

Brutal truth time.

#1 Your manager doesn’t really care about you. They have a slot for a hot 20-something pianist and you are that person. Don’t ever think they are your friend or on your side. Be nice and professional but don’t be fooled. They are a business.

#2 The record label couldn’t give a rat’s ass about you. They have a slot to fill, and rep to cover. You can’t (maybe I am wrong – you could give it a little try to swap the rep slightly) change it. They know their audience and want a young super pianist to play those pieces so they can sell them to their loyal audience. They have a list and will go to the next person down if you aren’t interested in the project.

#3 Back to the manager. They have a list of presenters – orchestra, recital and festival. They need standard rep and as big of a label as possible to slot you into those dates. They signed you because you worked your way up the traditional soloist ladder. They might have an “alternative” musician but it’s not you. Not yet, anyway.

Ok “mom” again. Frank Admirer, you need to rebel a little. You need to find your voice, have fun. If you are this successful, you must have been practicing so hard and winning so many competitions that you missed out on the pot-smoking, reckless, fun part of your life. That’s really sad. You need that. How can you find that without spinning totally out of control and mutilating your hard-won success?

Record the Grieg and Schumann. Suck it up and be the superstar you are. Play Srnka for all of your encores. Work with your agent and manager to make a classy, cutting edge second recording. Maybe brainstorm with that label to find a good idea that works for all of you. Why not go all out and commission Srnka for 24 preludes, and record them live in Piccadilly Square? Or ask Missy Mazzola, who, according to Google, is the the Art Teacher at Wai’anae High School. She has 49 followers on Instagram. That’s just grand.

Questions for Alma? Please put them in the comments section or send to DearAlmaQuery@gmail.com