Dear Santa...
Dear Santa,
It’s been a challenging year for creators. I hate to complain. I know I have so much to be thankful for. And I'm actually a very optimistic gal. But we musicians (songwriters, composers, artists) need your help.
I’m sorry that I’m being redundant, Santa. It's just that last year I asked for the very same thing. I know you and the elves are busy. And maybe you just couldn’t get to us. Or maybe some of us were a little too naughty? Hmm. That's possible, I guess. There was that night that I…oh never mind.
Anyway, Santa...SONA (Songwriters of North America—my advocacy group), has worked tirelessly lobbying the Government to give some relief to the debilitating regulation on our digital royalties. We made some progress, but it feels like we're pushing a rock up a hill. Sometimes it seems like our very own DoJ doesn't care about us. How can that be, Santa? Can you please have a word with them? Honestly, I think they are the naughty ones.
A few weeks ago I had the freakiest dream. I dreamed that there was no more music anywhere...no more songs or Muzak or film score. No opera, no jazz, no hip hop. Nada. I was walking around turning on radios but nothing was coming out. Picking up guitars but there were no strings. No keys on pianos. No players in orchestra pits. No streams on Spotify. It was terrifying, Santa. Imagine…a world without music.
So, of course, I wrote a song about it. I mean, Santa, I’m a songwriter. That’s what we do. We write about stuff that makes us happy...or crazy...And it makes us feel better. Do you know why, Santa? Cuz writing songs is cathartic and it allows us to express ourselves and reach other people—let them know we know how they feel. Writing is our oxygen. For some of us...it's our life. Our livelihood.
I don’t mean to be melodramatic. I don't really believe that I’ll wake up one day to find that music has disappeared. But there will be a whole lot less musicians if something doesn't change soon. I can promise you that.
So can you help us, Santa? We understand that there are others in the world whose situations are more dire…and they need you even more than we do, so by all means first help those whose health and safety are in danger. But if you make your way down your list and find that you come to us, we’d be ever so grateful for some attention.
We don’t need material gifts, Santa….just some shift in the Universe that gives us faith in the idea that we, and the young people who will come after us, will be able to sustain ourselves and keep giving the world what they can not live without:
Music.
Thanks, Santa. I always loved you...even though I'm Jewish. :)
Love,
Shelly
PS. Here’s the song about my dream.
I want to thank my SONA brothers and sisters (Adam Gorgoni, Adam Dorn, Chris Horvath, Helene Muddiman, Nick Nittoli, & Michelle Lewis' lending of her husband Dan Petty), for helping me document my dream. I’m proud to say we kept most creative efforts in the SONA family. If this song speaks to you, please share it with a musician and please consider becoming a member or a friend of SONA. We need you.
Big hug you to my "little" cousin Chad Peiken for his editing chops.
Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukah
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