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Post by M57 on Jun 23, 2015 6:54:54 GMT -6
I've been pondering this one and I'm wondering what folks' opinions are.. What is/are the very best way/s to cut out the industry sharks/huge corporations, maximize exposure, but eschew - or at least not care about monetization? Put another way, the goal is to give the finger to the industry. Assume the songwriter is not at all interested in making any money, doesn't want the industry to make money, but is looking for exposure - and wants to secure all rights.
To the degree this is possible, this includes avoiding Youtube, Facebook, iTunes or any other entity who's primary interest is NOT about supporting the artist/songwriter, etc.
Again, assume that money is not the goal. When you join ASCAP BMI - doesn't that make your music accessible to those major players for a non-negotiable standard cost to them and payout to you? ..or can you opt out and sell entirely independently. As far as I can tell, signing up with CDbaby or similar automatically makes the music available on Facebook, etc. Again, is there any way to assure that the music is not accessible to these major players.
I'm thinking the likes of SoundCloud and Reverbnation come close in the negative monetization department. The artist pays a fee, and the music can be streamed and no rights are handed over (..or are they with Reverberation?).
Mind you, it's not that I actually want to screw the industry - but rather, I'm trying to understand the mechanisms involved.. A similar question is what sites are good for distribution, but more importantly don't have affiliations or cut deals with the larger players?
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Post by NoFilterChuck on Jun 23, 2015 7:05:09 GMT -6
the best way is to quit music altogether. use GumRoad.com if you want to sell independently.
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Post by tonycamphd on Jun 23, 2015 7:52:09 GMT -6
tough road... You can try a gorilla, or grass roots marketing scheme on your own maybe? i'm not sure all the details with facebook, that place is a virtual tarpit, they seem to own anyone who signs up? i signed up 6 years ago, logged out, NEVER logged back in, and people say that i'm accepting them as "friends" to this day? really? haha.
The dream come true scenario is do NOT sign with any PRO's, record co's, or publishing co's, then write a beast tune, get it out there and make it a popular #1(the easy part haha), then you will be in the driver's seat as all these co's will be competing to sign you, good work if you can get it, now go write that mega hit 8)
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Post by jcoutu1 on Jun 23, 2015 7:57:26 GMT -6
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Post by b1 on Jun 23, 2015 8:53:07 GMT -6
I wonder why there are so few Indie success stories. We have the opportunity today to do so much more than previous generations. I've dreamed of this time for my 50 years of songwriting; and it's always been original Indie-style that I figured no label would touch, so I've ignored the thought of trying to mimic the radio success stories. I've made music that was important to me and found that was the key to gain the ear of listeners - at least it's seemed that way to me. We can have a "more level playing field" (humor me) with the internet that was never possible without having access to the major leagues. I've come to believe that reaching the most senses of the consumer at one time is the best way to gain an advantage for an unknown - such as music videos; and if I could figure a way to incorporate smell along with auditory and optical senses, chances of success would be increased dramatically. I like the option of using the distribution networks that are in place and mentioned by the OP, based on a percentage fee, as much as I like retaining the rights to all of my life long work (it means something to me and a part of me). I think we should make an impact on music, more than getting sifted through the strainer of past "eras". There has never been a time like this and it's really in an infant stage... now, how to make it work... bouncing ideas around is a good start and throwing out the naming conventions when they interfere with our goals should not be discounted - IMO. |
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Post by swurveman on Jun 23, 2015 18:43:56 GMT -6
I wonder why there are so few Indie success stories. - IMO. Because they don't build an audience. And for all the criticism of "the industry" that's what they did very well: Help the band build a paying audience, both for their recorded content and their live performances. Yeah, there are some local scenes that spring up from time to time that build momentum for indie bands, but mostly building an audience takes as much expertise in promotion and publicity as quality performing by a band. It is the very rare exception of the quality band that has no audience and gets plucked out of nowhere and becomes a success. Indie bands would do well to meticulously build a paying audience for their live shows and recorded music. It takes a lot of hard work. |
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Post by b1 on Jun 24, 2015 2:38:51 GMT -6
I wonder why there are so few Indie success stories. - IMO. Because they don't build an audience. And for all the criticism of "the industry" that's what they did very well: Help the band build a paying audience, both for their recorded content and their live performances. Yeah, there are some local scenes that spring up from time to time that build momentum for indie bands, but mostly building an audience takes as much expertise in promotion and publicity as quality performing by a band. It is the very rare exception of the quality band that has no audience and gets plucked out of nowhere and becomes a success. Indie bands would do well to meticulously build a paying audience for their live shows and recorded music. It takes a lot of hard work. That's why I feel video helps to lessen the tedious marketing aspect and give another creative outlet in the process. Marketing is another full time job all by itself, but it has to be done, else-wise it's all in vain. |
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Post by b1 on Jun 24, 2015 2:46:35 GMT -6
YouTube, Vimeo, etc. are great tools to get recognition; if done whole-heartedly! It helps to have your media accessible and available to the "new found" audience. It all knits together. Anything left undone is nearly impossible to regain upon discovery by new listeners.
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Post by M57 on Jun 24, 2015 4:37:00 GMT -6
Anything left undone is nearly impossible to regain upon discovery by new listeners. What do you mean by this? Like releasing a single prematurely before the video? |
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Post by b1 on Jun 24, 2015 5:03:34 GMT -6
Personally, I would prefer a video be discovered first. But, if audio is discovered first, I think the video should be accessible also - simultaneously. Kind've a double whammy in place, but video is going to make the biggest impact, I believe.
Sometimes a song can be decent, but if a good video is available, the interest and likability will be dramatically increased.
I suppose a person could make a second career out of promotion, or have a good agent, but if the music/video gets the idea across professionally, all of the post work would be much smoother. It's a life-style for sure.
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Post by jcoutu1 on Jun 24, 2015 6:40:14 GMT -6
Personally, I would prefer a video be discovered first. But, if audio is discovered first, I think the video should be accessible also - simultaneously. Kind've a double whammy in place, but video is going to make the biggest impact, I believe. Sometimes a song can be decent, but if a good video is available, the interest and likability will be dramatically increased. I suppose a person could make a second career out of promotion, or have a good agent, but if the music/video gets the idea across professionally, all of the post work would be much smoother. It's a life-style for sure. I agree with video being important as well. Having all of your ducks in a row at the time of launch is very important, IMO. Another "indie" artist that rose up at least semi-organically is Karmin. They were a couple Berklee kids that were well managed. I think they were releasing a new video or two every week doing covers, and hair tutorials, and other stuff to keep interest up and grab views. Their "Look At Me Now" cover exploded (96.5M views at this point) and got them on Ellen and stuff. After that they got a deal and released an album or two that have at least gotten a fair amount of airplay in New England (not sure how big they've gotten nationally though). |
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Post by b1 on Jun 24, 2015 7:25:59 GMT -6
Personally, I would prefer a video be discovered first. But, if audio is discovered first, I think the video should be accessible also - simultaneously. Kind've a double whammy in place, but video is going to make the biggest impact, I believe. Sometimes a song can be decent, but if a good video is available, the interest and likability will be dramatically increased. I suppose a person could make a second career out of promotion, or have a good agent, but if the music/video gets the idea across professionally, all of the post work would be much smoother. It's a life-style for sure. I agree with video being important as well. Having all of your ducks in a row at the time of launch is very important, IMO. Another "indie" artist that rose up at least semi-organically is Karmin. They were a couple Berklee kids that were well managed. I think they were releasing a new video or two every week doing covers, and hair tutorials, and other stuff to keep interest up and grab views. Their "Look At Me Now" cover exploded (96.5M views at this point) and got them on Ellen and stuff. After that they got a deal and released an album or two that have at least gotten a fair amount of airplay in New England (not sure how big they've gotten nationally though). That's interesting. They launched an all out campaign with all of the links in place. The vids I checked had multiple millions views. Gitter done! |
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Post by jcoutu1 on Jun 24, 2015 7:33:54 GMT -6
Well, they started these in 2010, so they didn't have all those videos at the time. Also, I wouldn't be surprised if they pulled down videos that didn't do as well after they scored a deal. Anyway, they seemed to do a good job generating interest and getting views. |
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