Call for Help (Support)

Hi Folks,
this is a call for help, something, I think you would have never imagined to read from me. But heavy conditions require heavy actions. To me, begging you out there for help is a heavy thing. Ok, so I'll describe what makes me doing that step:

Since 2007 I was self employed (freelancer), because I was offered some work at project from companies mainly from the US. I decided to become self employed, because the company I was working full time for at this time was about to go bancrupt. So instead of becomming unemployed I prefered to become self employed... with all the risk this carries inside. For the first year, everything went fine. It was not making me a rich man, but my girl and me could live of the cash comming in. But after a year two of the main contractors told me without prior notice, that the projects I was working at were either finnished or the staff was reduced. This caused far less money comming in and I wasn't able to pay our healthinsurance anymore. Well, we felt quite healthy back then and so this wasn't nice, but also no big deal.

In December 2009 one by one the other companies giving me work told that they cannot afford to pay me anymore. This process went on, until in June 2009 I had allmost no contractors anymore giving me work. I tried everything to acquire new contracts/work to do with little to no success. So at start of September it was unavoidable to report my girl and me as unemployed to the unemployment office, so they pay us at least unemployment benefit to have food and pay our rent. All the liitle cash I had saved on my bankaccount for "harder days" was used up. But now the REAL SH*T started: The folks at the unemployment office told us, that in order to get unemployment benefit, we need a health insurance. So we tried to get one, but all insurance companies
refused to give us health insurance. There's a law in germany since (I think so) 2007, which tells health insurance companies, that they must give a health insuranceto any german with no regard to if he had one before and no regard to financial or employment status. First the companies we called were trying to fool us by telling us the opposite. Well after I told them, that there's the law mentioned above, they started playing on time. This means they delay everything. And the unemployment office tells that they can't help it: They cannot pay us unemployment benefit unless we have health insurance. I think you get the problem.

So since September we are totally out of cash and weren't able o pay the rent. We get some support from neighbors and friends to at least have a bit of food on the table. But the landlord says we're gonna be kicked out of our flat if we do not pay the rent. Additionally (how fitting to the overall sh*t) my health is going down the drain. Not just that I am in a deeep depression, but also I have pain allmost everywhere in my body. I have (I think it is called that way) vertigo which makes for example a risky thing to ride a bike. I feel weak as sh*t am allways tired. Not the state I love to be in as you can imagine.

To keep it as short as possible: This is a call for help going to all the people out there who like my music, me or for whatever reason are willing to help. You know that I usually like to be the "tuff guy" and this doesn't suit me well, eh? I wrestled for quite a time with my "foolish pride" until I even typed this text. I do not like to beg, but it is the last thing I can do now. So please, if you want and can: Donate something to my Paypal account (alionsonny@alionsonny.com).

IMPORTANT: I would prefer if you had something to work for you, because I prefer to work for cash. Most of you know about the several skills I have and event tho I am not feeling very well these days, I am still able to work.... my girl says the opposite, but what does she know ;)

I allways gave everything away for free and maybe I could have a less hard time if I had been a good capitalist. But: Some people can't help it.

Please don't make this thread your personal payday. I know there are folks out there who do not like me or even hate me. And those folks maybe feel tempted to now tell me that I deserve what happens to me. Well if you think so... party on and keep it to yourself. It was not your sword which cut me down, it was just bad coincidence. And don't forget: Tomorrow some bad luck may happen to you.

I do not really feel well to post this, but it is the last thing I can do. If you don't want to use paypal, just message me for banking details. If you want to help in any other way, you can allways mail me.

Thanks
Sonny

Can you compose me a song (or 3-4) ... for FREE?

This news entry is somewhat different from the usual news you find here. There's no new song or video to announce this time. No, I just want to share a little rant with you, that's it. So what is it, Sonny is pissed about? Here we go:
Since I am a very nice guy, I share my music, videos and other art with you, mostly for free. Even tho a donation is allways appreciated, I usually do not ask you for money to enjoy what I produce. Well, some people seem to think, that because of that, I must live in Cockaigne, where everything is fluffy and free. But I can assure you: I have to pay rent, electricity, online costs, webhosting etc. and I have to drink and eat and work for it. That just as a bit of information for you.

From time to time, with a increasing frequency, people ask me for "a favor". Some ask me to do something at their homepage, some want me to build a bassline, a drumpattern or some graphics or video stuff.... and of cause for free. Nobody ever had the idea to offer me some cash for my works and usually this is ok, as it is small "favors" which do not cost me a huge ammount of time. So usually I just help out and get more or less credited for it. That's 100% as I love to help.

But then there are those who expect me to do huge ammounts of work for them... also for free. The absolute "bestseller" amongst this is the request "Can you build me a reggae riddim on FL Studio and send me the flp-file (projectfile)?". I usually keep cool if I get such requests, even tho I am tempted to ask the person what the fuck he thinks what ammount of work he just asks me to give away for free. Those requests, may it be for composing complex drumstyles, complete songs or even a whole album concept allways come in with no offer for what I get in return. People expect me to edit their musicvideo for free or even produce a whole musicvideo for them.

What do those folks think? Don't they realize what massive ammount of work is behind all those things? Do they think I am just on this planet to fullfill their dreams? Many of those folks even leave no doubt about, that they want to make money using the services they expect to get from me, like that guy who runs a relatively successfull website with a radio on it, and asked me to create a jingle for his online radio show... for free... while he generates a good income from his website and radio ventures. Do those folks think I am stupid?

Why am I writing this newsentry right now? Easy: Yesterday I got a mail which (from my point of view) put the cream on the cake of impudence. A guy wrote me, that he likes my music (this is how it allways starts) and that he does a site about boardgames. I don't want to go into the details, but the bottomline was, that he asked me if I could do 3-4(!!!) original custom tracks in orchestra style for some videoshow to be played in the background while people talk about a certain boardgame. The fact alone that CUSTOM COMPOSED SONGS should play in the background makes my toenails roll up. This is like using a painting by an old dutch master as toiletpaper... after the dutch master custom painted the painting for just the purpose to serve as an asswipe.... hillarious... eh?

Ok, but never mind the usage and that the site linked at the bottom of the mail was literally screaming THIS IS A COMMERCIAL SITE AND I STRIVE TO MAKE SERIOUS CASH WITH THIS! What did this guy think? Did he think that it is the work of about 5 minutes to create a quality orchestral music piece on todays digital equipment? If so, why doesn't he do it himself. If it is such an easy thing....
The reality is, that a minimum of several hours of work is required to create a quality music track, regardless of its genre. But orchestral tracks require a huge ammount of more work than, for example, a simple pop-techno piece. I plan a minimum of 4-8 hours alone for composing and arranging plus the time for mixing the final result. And can you, dear reader, understand that one must give me a GOOD reason to invest such a huge ammount of my creative lifespan? For me it is clear, that simply giving me credits on some website is not that kind of a GOOD reason.

This is why I indeed do contracting works for music- and video production, graphical works etc. For such tasks as composing complete tracks, producing musicvideos, creating complex graphical artwork etc., I have hourly rates I work on. A good ammount of cash IS a great reason to invest time and work. I think we all live in the same world, right? I think there's nobody living on this planet who doesn't know about the fact, that serious work costs serious cash in our beloved capitalist system. And especially people, on whose websites I only need to take a look and I see that they run a business should know the price of artistical craftmanship. So I cannot really understand how one could make me an "offer" like the one I got yesterday.

To set it clear once again and for all: My free works available for download on several websites are free to use EXCEPT FOR COMMERCIAL PURPOSES. If you make money with my works, I want my share or hell breaks lose. So, you can use my music as a soundtrack for your holliday videos on YouTube, you can burn them on CDs and give them as a gift to anyone, you can play them on your online radio etc. But once you make serious cash with using my music, don't forget to give me my share.

If you want me to make something special for you, if it is not much work AND it is for non-commercial purposes, you'll most likely have me doing it for free. BUT: If it is a huge load of work, such as producing whole tracks, producing your music video etc., please mail me for my hourly rates, terms of service and other business stuff. This is ESPECIALLY the case, if the usage of my works generates money for you. So consider this, before you mail me, asking me for "a favor".

Another important note: The term "crediting someone" seems to have become a somewhat magical spell for some people. They think that "crediting" pays all bills. Friends and neighbors: I meanwhile have so many people, websites etc. crediting me, that your crediting is nice but just one amongst a huge load. So don't expect the magic sentence "we credit you on our website" to work at me. There's still things I do for crediting, but it must not be too much work.

Long text. I hope all of you out there now know a bit more about me and my handling of "requests for favors". If you feel tempted to ask me for a favor, please keep in mind that I am not a rich wealthy guy who can spent hillarious timespans on making your dreams come true. If I find your name amongst the donators for alionsonny.com, chances are bigger that I will do even bigger stuff for free for you. But if you wanna make sure that I'll work for you, just make a contract with me and pay me.

I have been very lazy recently...

... in updating my homepage and various other places on the web. I was not lazy in making music tho. Two new songs were released since my last update of this site:

1. A new song for the "Alion Soundtrack" has been published a while ago. The title is "The River Valley" and, as hopefully everybody can imagine, this song shall be played while exploring a idyllic river valley.

The River Valley (Alion OST)
LISTEN -- DOWNLOAD

2. It was about time for the release of a new "reggaelike" song. Listeners told me that this is probably is the best song I ever published in the "reggaelike" segment. As topic of the song I have chosen the classic spy movie topic this time. So here's the song:

Special Agent Jones and the case of the Saphire Cross
LISTEN -- DOWNLOAD

So what was it which kept me from updating my homepage, blog and lots of other stuff? Well, you know me and somtimes I do not find some stuff too important :p Ok, some things are not going the way they should currently here, but I don't want to bother you with my problems. ;)

Well, that's it for now. Much stuff to update. Let's go