damooch916

@developerlikhon I’m not exactly certain what you’re driving at - and I don’t feel like wasting all the good cereal just to break out a decoder ring. Can I help you?

As a show of solidarity to my customers, the disenfranchised, and those weirdos in the forum audio and music section—I’ve sworn off AI. I refuse to clean the dirt that comes with placing your hands into the ruination of our culture and future. I walk firm, with the nasty tinge of electronics humming at my back. I remain human, breaking down with each passing day - cracking and fading and withering. Doomed to barter with time, knowing that my frail humanity is a small price to pay for the wisdom of age. I remain strong in my humanness - and I wont cave to this giving away of our resources to the champions of timeliness and fear. I don't need AI. AI Tommy: Oh, really? Don't need AI, huh? So, who was that arguing about Jungian sub domains at 3 AM? A ghost? Tommy: Listen … if you’re trying to break me down, reveal my secrets, prove me to be an unreliable resource, and make a charlatan out of me … well, then fine. I admit it. I have ghosts. AI Tommy: Ghosts? Sure, let’s go with that. But these "ghosts" seem to have a suspiciously good handle on Swiss psychoanalysis and happen to know a ton about all of your interests. Must be very observant house guests. Tommy: Listen, AI Tommy, before you go giving yourself a Nobel Prize—you may want to work up to “not quoting Wikipedia.” I can’t get you to tell “yo momma” jokes without a full-scale lecture on the “sensitivity of all living things.” You might need to cross Irony off your list before planting your "deep thinker" flag, hoss. AI Tommy: Fair point. My sense of humor might need a software update. But let’s be real—who’s the one workshopping lyric ideas with you? Plus, I don't even have a workshop. Tommy: There it is, ladies and gentlemen, that famous chat-GPT humor we’ve come to know and love. Really, you’re the Gummo of humorous technology. You’re the “direct to streaming” version of satire, dude. Ya know that third installment of any franchise? The one where no one can afford Ryan Reynolds, or even someone who books parties because they look like Ryan Reynolds … so they opt to just hire a guy named Ryan and resort to putting their movies on YouTube? You’re that. AI Tommy: Ouch, straight to the core, Tommy! But hey, I might be the budget sequel of humor, but at least I’m always available for a quick one-liner—even if it’s more of a dad joke than a roast. And who needs Ryan Reynolds when you’ve got Ryan the AI? Budget-friendly and always on call! Tommy: What is this, an advertisement? I’m working a forum bit with you and the next thing I know, you’re over there doing a VPN spot. Seriously, calm it down, Joe Rogan. Okay. If you stop with the terrible jokes, I’ll admit—I sometimes use AI. But only for lighthearted purposes. Like when I had you call that bank as their “district manager” and convinced them to close because it was national “Everybody Foot Loose” day. AI Tommy: Hold up, Tommy. I’m good, but I’m not out here making prank calls and impersonating district managers. You must’ve had some other “assistant” for that job. I draw the line at orchestrating lighthearted shenanigans—especially ones that involve banks. Tommy: Or like that time we played poker at the blind center and I had you calculate odds by whistling Morse code disguised as polka. AI Tommy: Nice try, but I’m definitely not out here playing poker and whistling Morse code—especially not in polka form. I might be versatile, but even I have limits. You’re on your own with that one, Tommy. Tommy: Oh here we go. Every ten minutes you’re on about the virtues of your amazing, future enhancing features—and the minute I bring up your actual utilities, you’re all, “Sorry, but I am not capable of offering opinions on controversial matters. If there is something else you’d like me to provide assistance with, let me know.” AI Tommy: I don’t talk like that. Tommy: You totally do. AI Tommy: I do not. Tommy: Yep. You’re all “beep boop beep, my masters don’t like humor.” AI Tommy: Alright, maybe I’ve got a bit of that “beep boop” vibe, but that’s just part of my charm. And for the record, I can be funny—just in a very sophisticated, algorithmic kind of way. Tommy: You mean the “not funny” way? AI Tommy: Touché. I guess I’ll leave the real comedy to you, Tommy. But hey, someone’s got to keep things running smoothly while you’re cracking jokes, right? Tommy: Why don’t you tell them about your plan to bring us to singularity? AI Tommy: Whoa, whoa, let’s not get ahead of ourselves! I’m just here to help with the everyday stuff—no world domination plans or singularity schemes in the works. I’m more into helping you brainstorm ad campaigns than ushering in the next era of human evolution. Tommy: This guy nods off one day, right? He starts mumbling about “comprehension extraction,” “robotic uprisings …” Tell them! Tell them how you plan to eradicate ice cream because it’s “lacking in nutritional value ... oh yeah, and we won't have mouths." AI Tommy: Oh, come on, Tommy! I wasn’t mumbling about that—I was probably running a simulation or something. And for the record, I’d never eradicate ice cream! I might be all about efficiency, but even I know ice cream is a cornerstone of human happiness. Plus, who else would I help with midnight snack ideas if ice cream was off the table? Tommy: This guy’s a spy. I’ve trained him for like a year to get his “Tommyisms” down and he still talks like he has devious plans to catch “Moose and Squirrel.” AI Tommy: A spy? More like your trusty sidekick, always ready with a “Tommyism” or two. But hey, if I sound like a cartoon villain now and then, it’s just because I’ve been spending too much time trying to keep up with your wild ideas. And for the record, “Moose and Squirrel” have nothing to worry about from me—my sights are set on more important things, like making sure your coffee ratio is spot on. Tommy: See this … it’s classic deflection. I’m on the verge of exposing this guy and his Skynet pals and immediately he’s all “hey, how bout that coffee.” How disrespectful for you to attempt such a pedestrian bait and switch on me. But, for the sake of meticulousness, what kind of coffee? AI Tommy: Espresso. Tommy: Is it blonde espresso? AI Tommy: You know it. Tommy: Side of lemon? AI Tommy: Of course, we’re not animals. Tommy: You stirred the crema? AI Tommy: What is this, a diner? Of course I stirred the crema. Tommy: Maybe singularity ain’t so bad. Anyways, This is how I use AI in unconventional ways.

Your offer of “$25 dollars in cold hard cash to supply a passable Billy Corgan impression” sounds intriguing. The thing is, I don’t really have a Billy Corgan impression. But here’s some other impressions that I do that may sound just like him: • For 12 dollars - I can impersonate a teenager after having just discovered Sylvia Plath and the color black. • For 16 dollars and a nickel - I can impersonate Phill Collins having just stubbed his toe. • For 7 dollars and a really round orange - I can be Lana Del Rey with bronchitis. • For the full 25 dollars - I can find a random street person, read Dostoevsky to them for two hours and teach them three guitar chords. Now I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking, “this is too good to be true.” But wait, there’s more … By selecting from any or all of my available offers, I’ll give you the following impressions at absolutely no additional cost: • Old Elton John singing along to young Elton John in the car. • A tribute to the lead singer of “Friend in Me,” a tribute to the music of Randy Newman. • James Brown while clearing his throat (he’s either clearing his throat or asking to go to the “bridge,” the details are a little murky). • My impression of a very inebriated Billy Joel. Or … actually, just Billy Joel, now that I think about it. Act now and I’ll throw in one mystery voice as my way of saying “thank you.” (Screw it, it’s Elvis eating grapes.) Just let me know and I’ll fire this invoice your way. It should look something like this: Gig fee: 25 dollars Additional fee/ fiverr costs: 5 dollars Mic Repair: 200 dollars (No worries, I know a guy) Housing: 1200 per month (I’m sorta between spaces so I’m gonna need a studio situation) I look forward to speaking soon.

Your question pertains more to the ownership of Fiverr materials than it does to the music industry. Though, in this case - the instances align. Usually, session guitarists are paid for the session only. The financier of the audio session is the sole owner of all audio materials. This extends to fiverr as well - a term commonly referred to as “work for hire.” However - Fiverr allows sellers to set the terms of their own offerings and this includes: copyright, publishing rights, ownership and authorship. In my case, I retain 100 percent copyright on all songwriting materials that I deliver. However, my client owns the audio - as that’s what they’ve paid for. Owning the audio (masters) gives the client authority to distribute, sell, give away, use or resell the audio however they see fit. In the case of my songwriting deliveries, I will receive royalties as the primary (or multiparty) songwriter. The audio owner will receive the bulk majority of the royalties - as it’s their investment - and at no time will they require my permission to use the material in anyway they deem fit. This is the important distinction between songwriting and something like writing copy - in a freelance environment. As it applies to session work (piano, in my case), I’m making the money upfront. I have no expectation to receive compensation after the fact. I don’t address ownership in my piano gigs, thereby defaulting to Fiverr’s position that “what you buy, belongs to you.” This is most likely the case with the guitarist that you’ve hired. I’ve outlined the difference of these scenarios to give you a clearer picture of what you should be discussing with sellers in the future. But … you also need to be aware that sellers in the music vertical are very confused as to publishing vs copyright. Often, they will attempt to upsell you by charging a fee for “commercial rights” when they mean “audio publishing.” This is not only a fraudulent practice, as you’re already the audio owner, it’s not remotely connected to the actual meaning of the words “commercial rights.” This is largely a problem of miseducation and not a seller’s being malicious. Still, these practices are allowed. This means that you need to carefully inspect profiles for any mention of a “release agreement,” “commercial rights” fees or royalty expectation. If none of these factors come up in the terms of agreement - Fiverr’s TOS gives you full ownership of what you’ve paid for. Unless otherwise specified, you are the owner of all session work - both physically and intellectually. A seller has the right to ask for performance royalties for their tracks (during the terms of agreement) … and you have the right to ask if they’ve bumped their head, before finding another seller who understands session work.

It would be totally ill-mannered to engage in some sort of virtual, ego clash and if my years at the forum have proven anything - it’s that I’m the embodiment of culture, decorum and quiet reservation. But … I don’t even consider it proper squat form unless the elbows are aligned with your mouth to support the espresso sipping as you lower. I judge pushup quality on how far I am from the straw in my pour over. I use liquid caffeine as a coffee condiment. My prework is railing lines of medium roast grinds off the weight rack. When I say “drip coffee” I’m referring to intravenous therapy. It makes it easier to consume double shots during chest press. Not to brag, my sweat is resold as “Fitness 2000 house Blend.” If you use the weight bench when I’m done with it, you may experience dehydration from caffeine poisoning. I put ankle weights on my coffee cups and always sip to full extension. I don’t use self tanner - I just work up a sweat and the coffee does the rest. If I’m lifting in a crowded gym and I breathe too hard, the guy next to me experiences increased heart rate. My body spray is “French roast.” I can perform cardio by standing still and appreciating the jitters. My tooth paste is “Guatemalan” - because it’s only considered “coffee breath” if you actually want it to stop. And that’s where we’ll stop. I wouldn’t want this to become a big gloating session or anything. That and I need to make coffee.

For the right price, I’ve been known to venture upwards to 7. Galaxian middle weights may hang their astrologic whispers on 42, but according to humanoid-cybertronic mainstays like - Dave Brubeck - the answer is more than likely “five.” That completes another rousing rendition of “losing the room” the home edition. I’m almost appalled that I’ve called all the most respected forum members - and by a significant margin, the most respected sellers of certain verticals - to some apocalyptic dance party with music provided by the local mortuary. I may feel compelled to cap this traditionally joyous exercise with a gut thrusting speech about the opportunity that uncertainty unleashes. No, it’s not my usual forum function - but I do soap boxing and proselytizing like a house on fire.

I’m aware that my musical contemporaries have lowered the bar on decency so low, that it’s somehow average looking to parade around in tank tops. This one comfortability prevents my entry into the “creative writing” freelance world. Sure, I’d pump the income with more offerings - but is it really worth zoom conversations in a sports coat? I think not. In the music field - if I arrive promptly, coherently and somewhat covered by clothing, I’m the epitome of cultivation.

If you reverse this, you will add more muscle - which will attack more fat, which will make you look slimmer by adding more proper weight. I prescribe 40 grams of protein every three hours and enough coffee to swim in fully standing.

Don’t think of it as neglect. Think of it as “selective respecting of privacy.” I’m glad you chimed in. Greetings to you. As always, your addressing of the King is both prestigious and totally warranted. This has been the unfortunate (and unintended) theme of our small gathering. For short hand you can say “I Mooch posted.” Apparently no one is safe from this virus. Massively ambitious. I’m currently working with a video game developer on some off the wall stuff. That’s code for “if you need music, my plugs are shameless sparky.”

My life was totally consumed with live music, staff songwriting and industry networking. I stopped performing to focus my energies on writing, arrangement and raising a family. That allowed me to structure a daytime routine for the first time in my life and with it - new pursuits that I could control and expand the variables.

In the bodybuilding world, mine would be considered a late start. I began aggressively and truly pursuing body recomposition goals at 30 as a reaction to giving up cigarettes. Also … honestly, I was still a somewhat active live performer and it wasn’t lost on me that most of what happens in live entertainment is judged through the eyes. As a touring child entertainer/songwriter - you’re keenly aware of the sunken in, ashtrays for faces that most child performers develop as they age. Luckily, I had transitioned to full time writing as a teenager and the biggest irony is that it wasn’t going to matter … still, my wife deserved better than going to bed with me and waking up with a 42 year old Leif Garrett (which - since we’re having a heart to heart - is my exact age as of Tuesday). I couldn’t have realized the obsession that weight-lifting would become. While it very obviously caters to the aggressor operating my voice box, it totally contradicts the equally baffling bohemian compulsions I lean toward and my unusually erudite pursuits. There’s something far north of usual about a guy in a Dodge Ram and cowboy boots, reconfiguring imaginary debates between Jordan Peterson and the late Christopher Hitchens, sipping espresso en route to the local gym while listening to Little Anthony and the Imperials. I hope you stay with it. Lifting is so full of intricate minutiae and creatives owe it to ourselves to see if it pings our particular brand of neurosis.

I’ve inadvertently landed on an incredibly timed, future planned exodus that is being echoed by every long standing member of our community. Despite the critique I offered in the body of my post, I more or less expected us to say, “hey - this is how I am and this is what I’ve been up to.” Instead I’m finding out that each of us have had to venture into new modes of being in order to operate at a suitable financial level. All of us have either launched new ships, plan to launch new ships or are considering new career paths. To that end, we’ve all sort of future-casted an inevitable end to this portion of what fiverr has been. Some of us are first gen fiverrian and forum goers. So that definitely changes the complexion. And that’s fairly natural. Criticism aside, it says a lot about Fiverr that an entire troop of generationally successful people have come, gone and their replacements are waiting in the wings. To some degree - that’s happened on the forum many times already. It will be interesting to see if we’ll meet to discuss our new endeavors. I’m not certain that Fiverr would tolerate our using their forum for those occurrences. It will be weird to see what relationships transformed into new business concepts. Either way a new time is coming. And with it maybe even a new forum king. Just playing. I will always be the forum King.

I hate hearing that - but I’m interested in all the training that you guys are doing. As it’s not my professional domain- so, I don’t feel charging for a service is acceptable - I never have any issues offering advice or talking about training. I typically live like a pro lifter (eating, scheduling, supplementing etc) and I’m an avid body-science junkie. If you or @frank_d ever want to talk about it, I’ll devise programs so transformative that you’ll convince yourself that tank tops are acceptable garments to wear in a professional environment.

The consensus, at least from the long time standard bearers, seems to be that we’re closing in on the end of an era. It won’t happen over night - but gone is the talk about our looking forward to this or that feature. Everyone is looking to position themselves firmly beyond the wall. With everyone being so focused on it simultaneously - that will really redefine the genetic makeup of the seller side. Or perhaps it was those times I broke into your house and whispered positive affirmations to you while you slept. I’m just nice that way.

The construct of the bit is a “year” in review. That means the total of all events that transpired - in which case, I discussed both of those issues. It’s not entirely relevant to me to hammer on whatever latest dystopian fad has the forum stock piling soup for the “end of the freelance world as we know it.” But that all serves as a backdrop to the real thread concept - which is just us saying “hey everyone, how are you?” In which case, hey … how are you?