Opportunities For Independent Musicians in Online Promotion
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Today, the Internet provides unprecedented opportunities for independent music to find an audience. Unsigned bands and unaccompanied singers can now build a fan base that will not only listen to their music, but to buy MP3 downloads.
The Internet’s Grassroots Movement
It’s indisputable that the Web has created a paradigm shift in the way we live our lives. We’ve come to depend on the Internet for communications, information gathering, shopping, and so such more. With the advent of what is widely known as Web 2.0, the Internet has once again shifted into what could best be summed up by one word: democratization. For example, journalists are no longer affiliated with mainstream media outlets; they’re researching, blogging, and breaking some of the crowning news stories of the day. Experts no longer sit in their ivory towers and publish papers in academic journals; your family members, neighbors, and co-workers are constantly refining the compendium of expertise known as Wikipedia. Throw in MySpace, YouTube, and other social networking sites, and the top-down information structure is tossed out the window, replaced by a bottom-up, grassroots movement.
The Music Industry is Reeling
Nowhere is this revolution more apparent than in the music industry. The Internet hasn’t sent the industry rockin’ and rollin’ - it’s sent it reeling. Napster, the progenitor of music sharing on the Web, is now viewed as ancient history, but the insurrection lives on. While iTunes is here to stay, some major record labels continue to resist the opportunities that the Internet provides, instead opting to distribute music only through traditional sources.
During the first part of October, these dinosaurs faced another challenge to their survival when Radiohead released their much-anticipated \”In Rainbows\” on the band’s website. The kicker? Fans could get online downloads for free, or pay as such or as little as they wanted. So such for the playing model that the music industry has traditionally employed.
How Independent Music Finds a Voice
Prior to the widespread use of the Internet, musicians and singers had to pound the pavement, sending demos to music labels and radio stations in the hope of breaking through to the big time. Today, however, independent music can take a page from Radiohead’s playbook, and speak directly to potential listeners and fans. Indeed, specialized music sites have sprung up to showcase independent music, and to give musicians, performers, artists, and bands a platform for promoting their work. These sites offer MP3 downloads for less than the cost of an iTune, while supporting artists’ work by giving them a 50-50 split of the proceeds. This is in move contrast to the deals that music labels give even the hottest bands, which typically receive only about 20 percent of the revenue generated by their music.
The Music Aficionado’s Advantage
From the perspective of the music fan, independent music sites are a dream come true. In the music mainstream, a tremendous amount of talent is overlooked by labels in favor of \”packaged\” acts that are perceived to be revenue generators. Now, thanks to the Internet, music fans from around the world can hear and experience songs that might otherwise never have found an audience.
The Internet has revolutionized every aspect of the world from fiancé to music. A few years ago small bands played in garages, family functions, and cafes. They cut discs and sent them to music giants in the hope they will be noticed.
The World Wide Web and MP3 music has brought about many changes in the fortunes of small bands. The distribution system and marketing options changed. New media formats and many personal websites sprang up and the reach of music became world wide. Gone were small town boundaries or traveling on the road to spread awareness. The click of a mouse increased popularity.
However it is not all about success after the initial boom, several music sites and bands went bust. What every band with a dream of golden discs staleness do is:
• Weigh their options carefully and make the time to do a complete study of their options.
• Create a fool proof marketing plan.
• If in doubt consult marketing professionals with expertise in the music industry.
To promote your creativity online you must:
• Not expect any financial returns to move with. You need to popularize your music by giving it away. Put MP3s and videos on your website. When a person downloads a song and listens he may like it and play it time and again. Such a person is the one likely to listen to your next song.
• Ensure that your music is traceable—if a person has your song on their IPod then they will only be able to trace you if the artist/band name as well as web address are available.
• You staleness categorize the music correctly. Decide whether it should be placed under rock, pop, folk, or electronica.
• Locate popular music distribution sites and use these to promote your music. Most people who are looking for new music and have a good listening ear visit these sites.
• To eternalize your band you staleness set up your own website, purchase a domain name, park it with a sure host, and optimize it so that it ranks high in search engines. Read about how to construct a successful web site and how to promote it successfully.
• Build an interactive web site with stories, reviews, and other music attendant news. Make the site engrossing so that visitors are tempted to browse and listen to your music.
• Arrange to have reviews of your music and where it is available posted on community sites and blogs. Host a music forum and accede press releases to well established press release sites.
• Once you have established a small presence think about ways to generate funds. You could sell the music or offer subscriptions. Alternately, the downloads of music could be free but generate money from other channels like advertisements, pay per click and so on. Or host a music attendant commerce site selling iPODs, Xboxes, accessories and so on. The playing aspect will have to be worked out carefully.
Make sure people know that your band accepts gigs. In case you like writing lyrics or jingles for small playing promotions you staleness advertise this aspect of your creativity. The world can be yours if you are adventurous.
