BURKARD'S BLOG

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19 AUG 03: PAYING FOR AN ANTIQUE

I found out Monday afternoon how much I must pay to use a traditional gospel song on my upcoming CD. The standard "Just a Closer Walk with Thee" will cost $150! Aw, c'mon - I DO tithe, really....

You may not realize many church singers these days use accompaniment tracks for their songs. I guess it's because good pianists are becoming hard to find -- so suddenly, that new GPTV fund-raising show on learning to play piano doesn't seem that weird.

I've used a cassette background tape to sing "Just a Closer Walk with Thee" in church - but live performance is one thing, and using a track for a recording is something else. Isn't that strange? The track-makers actually are optimistic my album will do well -- so they want a cut up front.

A record company in North Carolina offered to "lease" me a CD master of "Just a Closer Walk with Thee." I'd already paid about seven bucks for a cassette - which again proves buying is always a better deal than leasing.

The record company is sending me a form to fill out, regarding using their track on my album. I'm to send it back with either a check for $150 or a credit card number. That will ease the blow a little, since the rebate plan with my credit card will put me in line for a $20 gas card -- enough for one tank, if I hurry.

I had a choice between three accompaniment tracks for the CD. One would have cost me $50, the second about $110. I chose the oldest, most traditional song of the three - and wouldn't you know, it has the highest licensing fee! Why doesn't the auto market work this way?

At least the track of "Just a Closer Walk with Thee" is in a "Southern gospel" style. That means I may be able to get it played on WMLF-AM, Monday through Friday. And if the album sells, I'll add a salsa beat to it for Ritmo Latino Radio on weekends.

On a happier note, I stopped by the recording studio Monday afternoon - and went through the process of picking a design for the CD. There are so many possibilities, you almost wonder why NBC didn't have a "Today Plans an Album" promotion for its talent search.

The assistant at the recording studio recommended I use a typeset style called Trebuchet, which looks like this.The assistant kept calling it "Tree-Bucket" - explaining she's still staging a protest, against even sounding French. [True!]

I'm daring to put my address on the CD's. It either was that or display my phone number, thus risking crank callers - or putting an e-mail address, and doubling my daily amount of spam.

Once the permission form is filled out and I choose a design for an album cover, I'll be able to give you a launch date for the CD. At this point, I'm marketing the album myself - so M.C. Hammer's buddies don't grab hold of my bank account and drain IT dry, too.

But enough about me - let's see what's been happening around town:

+ Former Columbus Police Chief and Georgia Corrections Commissioner Jim Wetherington was named the new Headmaster at Calvary Christian School. If that doesn't solve all the discipline problems at that school, I don't know what will.

(I can hear the critics with long memories now - saying Jim Wetherington took this job, because he still feels guilty about his son torching Columbus High School in 1981.)

+ The Columbus Chamber of Commerce announced "Heckler and Koch" will open a firearms plant, employing at least 200 people. The timing of this announcement couldn't be much worse. They'd better not hand out job applications at Bianca Walton's funeral.

+ The Columbus Southern Open cancelled next year's "Champions Tour" golf tournament, because a "title sponsor" could not be found. There's an obvious question here, which no one's asking. How bad off financially is AFLAC that it can't afford this?

(Maybe Heckler and Koch can sponsor the tournament in 2005 - and every round will have a shotgun start.)

COMING WEDNESDAY: We go to court with subpoena in hand.... we'll see what happens....