Something dawned on me yesterday as I was talking to a friend on how to help get his band more exposure online.
He was clearly smart enough to realize that no record company is going to sign him for a variety of reasons and that no booking agent is going to represent him anytime soon – until he can prove that he’s worth a good couple of thousand dollars a show.
He then looked at me and had a massive realization -
“The music industry has really changed!”
It occurred to me then and there that there are so many interesting ideas that can be drawn out between how the web 2.0 mindset is progressing and how musicians need to start thinking if they wish to really build a following both on and offline in the music industry.
I remember about seven or eight years ago when Chuck D started raving about the Internet and would always hint at the idea that the era of record labels being in full control are finished. I always had a slight question in my mind about it and wondered if it’s really was possible for a small band to actually make a career out of their music without being support by a label with proper money behind them.
On one hand I agreed with him but on the other I used to also think that a band or artist cannot discount the sheer power of a well oiled record company marketing machine.
When those guy decide to get behind something, they generally through so much money at it, that they generally get a decent result and return on their investment.
However, It’s one thing thinking you can upload your album onto iTunes and sell it, but actually getting people to buy it and pay money for it is another world of pain all together.
In short, the tools were there but the application was not so clear cut.
However in today’s world, the ability to market on a grass roots level through twitter, myspace, facebook, bebo and every other iconic social network is so easy and accessible for an artist.
The question now in my opinion is not so much about can I make it in this business on my own without a record label, but rather how can I use these tools as promotional and marketing devices to funnel more credit card purchases through my iTunes account.
Bottom line -
Just like the web 2.0 world has radically changed the way people use and experience the internet, so to musicians MUST start to be able to radically change their mindsets in terms of how they go about marketing themselves and promoting their wears and tears online.
In my opinion, online community building is the key for an unsigned band to draw attention to themselves and help sell more of their music. By understanding that on a slightly sub-conscious level your not really just doing it all because you’re a nice guy, but in a very subtle way you are using all these web 2.0 application to help sell more records and build your profile, you will hopefully find a good enough motivation to care and ultimately succeed in your efforts.
Knowing how to seed, build and nurture your online community and turn them into fans that will not only reply to your twitter feeds but actually buy your next single when you release it online is really the underlying mindset that should be ingrained in every bands mind.
The music industry 2.0 is here to stay and as much as the record companies fight change with a goliath style approach and think they can try and still control the world one court case at a time, you and your band should be doing the complete opposite and fight like David to focus on building your communities and channeling your efforts online to help sell more content and further bring the music industry into the next generation.
(There are so many gaps and more questions that need to be asked and raised from this post, please feel free to ask away either in the comments below or at my ask the expert page)
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