It's a new frontier for the Music World. Almost daily we're seeing new innovations, issues, technologies, and lawsuits in the digital music world. The funny thing though, is we're also seeing greater and greater sales figures there as well.

I'm starting to think the long life arc of the CD is going to be cut short for this ever growing, and always controversial medium. We're seeing a larger number of artists being thrust into the spotlight by more unconventional methods. Whether it's my "favorite" Disney creations like Miley or the Jonas Bros and their TV shows, or Fiest and her huge iPod ad, or MTV's Making the Band series, we're seeing the new music moguls always reaching ahead for the new technologies, the new marketing ideas, and the next best way to stand out and at the same time lower their costs.

Face it, more can go into promotion and marketing if you don't have to pump said money into duplication and production. It's a different world now, and we've got to roll with the waves or be drowned in the surf.


http://www.techradar.com/news/internet/mp3-compatible-music-campaign-unveiled-481711

It's a matter of Auditude

Here's an interesting file sharing idea. Auditude has developed a plan that would decriminalize file sharing by turning each file into an advertisement for the publisher. Now granted, I'm not familiar with all the fine print of this thing, but it appears that both MTV and MySpace think it has some merit, as they have both signed on.

Now, as I looked over the blog that I've linked below, I got to thinking about how something like this might work.

How would the artist have to innovate to still be able to make money under a business plan such as this? Even with the ad embedded in the file, the song is now totally free. Would it then mean that you'd go with a lesser quality file and then offer an "ad free" higher quality file for a download fee? Would it be advertising for your CD, a medium I see fading fast? Would it throw the artist into having to rely on merch and live performance monies to survive? Would it lead to an over saturation of music availability making it that much harder for people to find you?

It's going to be interesting to see how this plays out, and it certainly demands more looking into.


Read more here, http://government.zdnet.com/?p=4160

Don't take YOU for granted!

Hey all,

After being down sick for the last week, I came to the realization of just how important it is to make sure your health is a priority.

How many of us, as Indies, hold health insurance on ourselves? Do you set aside a portion of your earnings to cover yourself and the other members of your band? Do you just wing it? Leave it chance?

I know there are many Indies (probably more than not actually) that hold a day job to "pay the bills" and "cover insurance", but there are a large number of us that are out here on our own without the safety net to make sure we don't fall, and health insurance is expensive.

The good news is that there are people looking after us.

As a member of ASCAP I have access to their insurance pool, a great pool of other working musicians and songwriters and publishers that band together to get decent pricing on health insurance. I'm sure the other PROs have similar deals.

All I'm saying is, that when you depend on yourself to stay afloat, don't take yourself for granted.

Take care of yourselves and stay healthy.

Doom, Despair, and Agony on me..........

It's been pretty Doom and Gloom in the media recently. Hell, even the music news outlets are talking about economic recession and the failing economy, and by the way Wall St. is acting, the $700 Billion Bailout didn't ease any of the panic.

People want an escape. They want to be able to run away from the negativity and just get out and have a beer.

I'm not sure how, but gasoline has actually dropped in price. $2.99 a gallon here in Kansas City this morning. Now, I may be way off, but I would think that this might actually be a grand time for enterprising young touring bands. Load up the old van and hit some regional clubs. Play up on the escapism branding in your marketing and draw out the people who want to run away from the hype for a while.

The thing is, no matter how hard things have been for me in the past, I've always felt that a cover charge, a CD, or a beer or two with the guys are luxuries I couldn't live without. I'm willing to bet that I'm not the only guy in America that feels this way.

If you play it right, you may just be able to make a bit of money, and you'll be doing your part to pump money back into the economy. Win/win, and you're a true American Hero.

More on the CD Baby buyout front.

Linked below is an article from Moses Avalon's website. For anyone who doesn't know who Moses Avalon is, he's the author of such books as "Confessions of a Record Producer" and a long time critic of Derek Sivers and CD Baby.

I won't even begin to go into his credibility, mainly because I don't put a lot of faith in people who hide behind a pseudonym, but his math in this is pretty intriguing. I do find it funny though, that for someone who has made it one of his missions to cast doubt on Derek Sivers, he sure does stroke him there toward the end.

It does seem that Discmakers are going to have their hands full doing damage control for some time to come.

Again, if any of this is true, which I'm sure it would be pretty easy to verify, then I truly hope that Discmakers does the things that they are promising and lends a little of their credibility to the situation.

http://www.mosesavalon.com/mosesblog/

Talk about Smart Marketing!

I make no bones about the fact that the new crop of Disney creations are not my thing, but I do find it interesting the lengths that Disney will go to to capitalize on them.

Take for instance this newest bit I got this morning from Digital Music News. It seems that you can now get Free download cards for Jonas Brothers songs from your morning breakfast cereal packs. These "kid friendly" packs contain a single serving of your favorite breakfast cereal, a juice drink, a snack, a spoon to eat it all up with, and now even your favorite empty calorie music to go along with it all!

I won't go into how wrong I think it is that the record label is getting benefits from this thing being supplied to our nation's school children (I'm sure at tax payers expense), but from the commercial stand point it is a stroke of pure brilliance.

Talk about targeting your ideal audience!

Joint Venture ideas like this could be an outstanding marketing goal for Indie artists as well. What if you were to combine your music with the products of others? Licensing opportunities are everywhere these days, and maybe your favorite up and coming Designer, Artist, Writer, or whatever, could be your future business partner.

http://www.digitalmusicnews.com/stories/091708jonas

The One Thing Labels Don't Want You To Know!

If there's one thing the Record Labels around the world do NOT want you to know it's that, YOU DON'T NEED US.

That's right. The Record Label as it's been known is going extinct.

We're living in an exciting time when everyone has access to the same quality of services. We as Indies may still have to work a little harder to get the same kinds of notice, but for the first time in history, you don't have to rely on the Middlemen. Of course, it means that you have to familiarize yourself with so much more information, but each and every one of us has the ability to create our own organizations, and our own futures.

We're artists right? Do we need corporations like Disney, Sony, or Virgin to "create" us. If you're serious about wanting to make the Music Industry your life, then you have to approach it with commitment, and not mere interest. You have to live it like your life depends on it.

I'm shocked at the things the average musician doesn't know. From the working composer that doesn't know how to register his creations with his Performing Rights Organization, to the cover band down the street, plastering their versions of other peoples songs all over the place without the slightest clue as to what a Mechanical License is.

There is a lot that we as Indies should know about the processes our music goes through in order for us to bring in the kind of income that we would all like to see. You have to commit to learning something new every day, and to being the best you can be at what you do. Let's face it, even if you are one of the few that does get signed, you're still responsible to understand what it is you
are legally responsible for and entitled to.

If you are going to build a team to take some of this stuff off of your hands, then make sure that the people you hire to represent you know what they're doing, because if they don't, you may end up paying the price for their incompetence.

Traditionally it is the Label that takes care of the legal and contractual responsibilities for the artist, but with the right information and the right level of Commitment you can go the distance and still retain the control over your own destiny.