AN OPEN LETTER

Dear All,

To borrow from Tolkien, pianobook has been “An Unexpected Journey”. I won’t pour too much syrup over this open letter, but I say without reservation it is single-handedly the proudest achievement of my professional career.

What started as an album project had a few people try out sampling some pianos, telling their stories has metamorphosed to a constellation of connections, friendships, a ton of amazing instruments and in a few cases lives, careers and profound course-changes for some individuals. Moreover some incredibly kind, enthusiastic and committed volunteers, contributors and creative souls who have kept this extraordinary thing ticking.

Throughout this unexpected adventure we have enjoyed, fretted, pondered and sometimes panicked over what most people are not so fortunate to experience even once. That being the “success-problem”. Where entering into something without any clear expectation leads to needs being met and being needed urgently. There have been countless conundrums and steep learning curves which only the help, kindness and generosity of others have been overcome.

It is probably no-surprise to you that at times I have found attending to the needs of such a project incredibly difficult given my already somewhat demanding role as a media composer, but also the founder of a couple of larger scale sampling enterprises. In addition to that running the engine room that keeps the motors turning on these enterprises, a YouTube channel, also provides a very unique set of time soaks.

Alongside what we have achieved as a creator-led project I have always stated that this should just be the beginning. Finding a way of rewarding and compensating those who give so much of their time and talent has been a conundrum beyond the resources we had available to us. But also in hindsight a totally expected result of getting a large number of humans together to do something, complications do, and have occurred. Once Dunbar numbers have been exceeded natural divisions and disagreements occur which require better communication, refocussing and guidance from the people responsible for keeping the place safe, inclusive, welcoming and enriched.

The last 3 years have proven a struggle for pianobook, finding the commitment it so properly deserves, the enthusiasm, creativity and dare I say it, acumen in communication to keep it on it’s toes has often been beyond the custodians who took it on in good faith. I took pianobook back some months ago but again found myself overwhelmed with the task ahead, especially whilst setting up an entirely new venture myself.

What I needed to find was a new creative director to take on my role as both a front-person but beyond what I have ever been able to offer this project – and what it so rightly deserves – that being it’s full attention. Finding someone who had both powers of communication, an understanding of the technology but also a profound sense of the opportunity this enterprise presents and why its worth, as a once-in-a-lifetime chance, to take it on and make it thrive.

So it is with utter delight to announce that I truly believe I have managed to persuade someone who is not both capable but I believe possesses skills beyond my capabilities to take over the reigns, re-shoe the horses, lubricate the axles and resume the journey into the next chapter. He’s basically brilliant and an absolutely lovely chap. May I introduce, or re-introduce you to a mister Owen Bolig!

For many of you needless to say Owen has been a passionate and generous contributor to the community for many years now. He has that rare mix of technical proficiency combined with creative flare, but most importantly the willingness and ability to communicate. I’m not stepping back or aside. My role is simply changing to that of someone who can offer business experience, works as an end-user and is on hand to offer advice where sustaining content output is concerned. I will remain on the board and continue contributing to the community in the shape of free samples and monthly videos dedicated to the pianobook cause. My biggest job in hand is to put some finance in place to make this whole effort sustainable beyond just “keeping it going”. Help set up the trading enterprise which I hope will provide some form of compensation to creators here. But also help support and promote piano book across our music making space.

Owen is joining the team of Stephen Tallamy, Simon Fyffe and Pete Clark to make this a reality and judging by recent zoom calls, everyone seems to be on the same page. Even if part of that page is now in the United States (I’ll let Owen introduce himself and tell you all about his journey on this blog).

In addition to this announcement today I have spoken of changing the name of Pianobook to Audio-Inc. In what will be a frustrating volt-face for many of you I am now (for legal reasons I won’t bore you with) am under strict restrictions not to change it’s name. So pianobook, derived from every piano having a story will remain our name for the foreseeable future.

In a few weeks time I hope to announce a technical partnership which will make so much more possible, not least a sample platform for us all to learn and work within that will keep piano book free, truly free, inclusive and available to all.

You will see that we have brushed the dust off the site as a very early-stage of a phased approach to improving the whole thing. It runs smoother and I hope you will see it start coming to life more over the next few weeks.

After searching for key-holders for several years now we have managed to regain control over our dedicated piano book YouTube channel and Instagram account so please subscribe to these if you haven’t done already. We’ve also set up a new forum (currently a sub-forum of Crow Hill) which requires less demanding mediation than discord did and hopefully a more suitable environment for the sharing of resources and ideas.

What can you do to help? Well, one of the best ways of rewarding the work, effort and generosity to this project is to leave reviews. If there are any instruments you have downloaded, enjoy and use please take a few minutes to go and review them. Validation is such a crucial motivator when creating new and exciting things for other souls. So whenever you get a minute please be sure to review away!

Finally thank you for your support of piano book, of myself and for your patience. It is you that has made this such a successful problem for us! This open letter is a mere prologue to us taking pianobook on into exciting and fresh new chapters.

Enough of my waffle, over to Owen!!!

C. X