Feb. 2023 | Vol. 10 Iss. 02
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SOUTH JORDAN PIANIST TELLING STORIES THROUGH MUSIC By Rachel Aubrey | r.aubrey@mycityjournals.com
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er genre: contemporary, new age, solo piano, but according to longtime fan Holly Potter, it’s not your typical “elevator music.” Pianist and composer Michele McLaughlin describes her music as a diary of her life. Unlike most full-time musicians, McLaughlin is 100% in charge. A true independent artist, without a music label attached, McLaughlin has been able to create freely and authentically since 2007, telling stories through her music of things that inspire her on a daily basis, from trips to foreign countries to the purchase of a home. Born and raised in Utah, McLaughlin started playing piano at age five, and recalled being drawn to piano above all other instruments. “If there was a piano around, I was always tinkering around on it,” McLaughlin said. A self-taught pianist and composer, she released her first album in 2000 called “Beginnings.” She has produced an album every year since. In 2003, she took advantage of the online platforms for music sharing and streaming. The streaming turned lucrative in 2007, when she was
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finally able to earn enough revenue to quit her full-time job, thanks a loyal fanbase. “It was always my dream to play and write music,” McLaughlin said. “To have it actually become a career and this is what I do for my life, that happened by accident.” With 22 albums to her credit, and more in the works, McLaughlin’s music producing pursuits began as simple cassette tapes of recorded Christmas music which she gave to family and friends during the holidays as gifts. Thanks to digital streaming services like Pandora and Spotify, she was able to quit her job as a project manager to do music full time. According to her website, she has received 67 million spins on Spotify, 14 million spins on Apple Music, 13 million spins on Amazon Music and 1.8 billion spins on Pandora. A spin means someone has listened to the track for 30 seconds or more. While those numbers seem like they would have big money signs attached, musicians streamed on Spotify, for example, earn $0.002 per
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Solo piano artist Michele McLaughlin quit her job in 2007 in order to pursue a music career full time. (Photo
Continued page 11 courtesy of Michele McLaughlin)
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