Trilaterus Blog

What was and is Trilaterus, llc

Trilaterus, llc has gone through a conceptual transformation since I first incorporated it in 2001.  At first it was going to be a subscription based internet resource for classical arts video and audio, hence the old name, Internet Arts.  Since then, that concept was somewhat successfully started on web sites like Andante.com.  The difference however, is that I was thinking that the Internet Arts archive would consist not of commercial recordings that the first generation of sites utilized, but of the vast amount of archival recordings that symphonies, and opera and ballet companies make of their live performances.  Ownership of these performances is, in many instances, joint between artists and their managements.  This ownership stake would have continued through Internet Arts. Both the non-profits, and the artists would get a cut of the proceeds from the subscriptions.  If you mix a bunch of major and minor orchestras and opera and dance companies together, then you would have an archive that would be vastly larger that any made out solely of commercial recordings.  Sometime after Andante.com closed down, it seems that many of the larger professional arts companies have decided to do almost exactly what I had envisioned 5 years ago.  However, in most cases they have tried to set up their own shops, or go through itunes where the classical arts are lost in a way too big pond in my opinion.  So my idea still has merit and could still occur in the future, although lately I am thinking that subscriptions are not the way the business is going to mature.  Paying a set fee per download is the future.

I was working on this myself, and I had to abandon the idea when I realized that starting a business is about ten full time jobs, and at the same time I began to get more involved in composing, a desire I had kept at bay for about 20 years while I was working on my playing career, then raising small children, etc.  A few years ago, when Frank Proto, asked me to compose a short piece in honor of David Walter’s 90^th birthday, I started writing in earnest and haven’t stopped for hardly a day since then.  He and Jon Deak are my major inspirations and Gurus; not necessarily stylistically (even though I do love both of their music) but in the sense that if they could do it, then I could do it too.

Since I am completely self taught as a composer, and I have gotten a late start in the composing business (relative to my age, 45) I figured that if I presented my compositions in editions that resembled finished publications, then more conductors would take them seriously.  That may or may not have proven to be true, but in the meantime I decided to offer some of them for sale, hence this web site, which I finally put together when the Lament and Restoration CD came out.  The sales aspect is far from the main factor.

Speaking of the CD and the ensuing one, Trilaterus, I came to the realization that if I really wanted a composing career I couldn’t wait for the phone to ring with offers, but I was going to have to create my own opportunities.  (Good advice for anyone going into the music business today.)  Internet Arts owns this web site, the Trilaterus CDs and publishes my compositions and arrangements, and offers the CDs for sale on Paypal.  The Crowther Trust owns the Lament recording.

I recently officially  changed the name of the company to Trilaterus, from Internet Arts, for two reasons.  One was that the group Trilaterus seemed to give me a good persona, so to speak, and the other one was that Internetarts.com was for sale for $2000.00 and I saw that I could register Trilaterus.com for only $15.00.  Such a deal!!