This Is What A True Fan Can Do When You're Open With Your Music

A still from Gabe Askews fan clip, check the source for some cool production stills

Photo Credit: VRay.info

I've wrote in the past about the advantages of being free and open with your music. I don't mean just give it away, but when a fan uses your music in say a video clip or a mashup; it's almost always better for everyone involved to leave it live, and put that cease and desist letter back in the draw.

See, when you're open about your music. When you make it known that its okay for people to incorporate it into new artistic works (especially non-commercial works), be they remixes, mashups, fan clips, amazing things can happen. If you want to get into the nitty gritty about how this all works, I have some more philosophical posts on the origin and evolution of ideas (essentially memetics).

Askew said he chose the song because "it inspired him", and naturally Grizzly Bear is his favourite band.

But for now, let's just admire the fruit of this process. CG artist Gabe Askew is not to pleased with his current industry, "the sad fact is clients simply don't want to pay for great creative work". In an interview with VRay.info (read the full interview here, it's a great read if your interested in the production) he adds "this has really drained me creatively". It's an amazingly common fact of life as budgets get tight, quality and creativity can dwindle in an effort to cut costs.

But the artist is Askew was clearly itching to do some real work, "early in this year I told myself, I have got to do something that is purely my own and is up to my standards."

Let just say his standards are pretty damn high, and thats a good thing.

For four months of his own time, he sunk his teeth into something he, like most, really enjoyed; being creative.

The result is a fan clip of Two Weeks by Grizzly Bear. Whilst the official clip was done by a production company and is good in its own right, personally this fan clip blows it out of the water. It's simply amazing. In two months its had over 258K views, and increased exposure for both Askews work, and Grizzly Bear.

At this point I should make it quite clear that if you put your music up and be open about it, Askew will not make a clip of it. You can't expect a fan to make something like this, without asking or payment. But, if your music connects with a fan things like this can and do happen. Don't expect them to, but like Grizzly Bear, be open and thankful when they do.

The Power Of A True Fan

Askew said he chose the song because "it inspired him", and naturally Grizzly Bear is his favourite band. He is a true fan if there ever was one. I can't say how much money he has spent on tickets and CD's, or if he ever even bought an album. But his contribution to Grizzly Bear makes all that a moot point.

Here is the fan clip and the original beneath. I love the song as well, if you do to here's Grizzly Bear's website. 

And the original: