From M/Cyclopedia of New Media
- The Internet offers new prospects in creativity and control for artists, in particular independent musicians, through new distribution opportunities.
- In the past, independent artists were reliant on word-of-mouth and local record stores and publications, but the digital age has opened doors for do-it-yourself exposure.
- Indie artists can promote themselves online without geographic and financial restraints, leading to a more equal playing field between mainstream and unsigned musicians:
- An average independent musician can now produce a product that can compete in quality with commercial products, with a relatively minor investment in resources (Mistrot, 2003).
- On the World Wide Web, songs are virtually accessible to any person with a Internet-connected PC, even those who may never otherwise walk into a record store or even listen to the radio. This gives opportunity for every independent artist to present their work on a global platform and possibly tap into a new market of music listeners:
- Every act that can’t get signed to a major label… can reach literally millions of new listeners, enticing them to buy the CD and come to the concerts… Where else can a new [or unsigned act] get that kindof exposure? (Ian, 2002).
- Online exposure not only gives an independent or new act the opportunity to build a fanbase, but the chance to form relationships with listeners and promote themselves on a more intimate level through websites, discussion forums and chat rooms.
- Fans and listeners can further promote their favourite indie artist by sharing mp3 song files and bootleg concert recordings online and creating fan sites and street-based support teams:
- For ideas [such as music], fame is fortune and nothing makes you famous faster [than an] audience willing to distribute your work for free (Barlow, 1994).
- These new distribution opportunities have led to the downfall of intermediaries. The previous control and power of record labels and management teams has been shifted to the artists. Consequently, “hierarchies are coming undone, gatekeepers are being bypassed [and] power is delving down to [the individual]� (Shapiro, 1999:9).
- Traditionally, record companies were key players in the music industry: essential for recording, producing and distributing CDs and scouting undiscovered talent, as well as promoting and managing artist careers.
- In the technological age, artists can bypass these ‘middle men’ and have direct online access to information, resources and listeners from around the globe and self-promote in a cost-effective manner:
- It used to be that a label was needed to finance, manufacture, store, ship and market [an artist’s] music… But in the digital era, it costs nothing to ship your music over the Internet to a fan. So the biggest reason for labels just went away (Lanier, 1999).
- Part of the control taken from the record companies has gone to the consumers, allowing them to dictate and customise their listening needs. They have the option of downloading or purchasing single songs or entire albums from any artist or source they choose, without the aid of retailers, permission from labels or even leaving their home (Lam and Tan, 2001:63).
- MP3 technology has allowed independent artists to distribute music on a global platform with minimal costs and without delivery hassles.
- MP3 (MPEG-1/2 Audio Layer 3) is an “audio compression algorithm capable of greatly reducing the amount of data required to reproduce audio, while sounding like a faithful reproduction of the original uncompressed audio to the listener� (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MP3 ).
- Originating with a “huge underground movement of [American] college students on the Internet� who converted CDs into mp3s, the format is economically appealing because they are often free and easily obtained. MP3s are also popular because they are relatively small in size to store on a computer hard disk or burn to a CD (Lam and Tan, 2001:63).
- Many music distribution sites, such as MP3.com (http://www.mp3.com ) and Download.com Music (http://music.download.com ), offer countless free mp3 downloads of independent recordings, elevating a song’s opportunity of being heard and an artist’s odds of being discovered.
- MP3.com, which features both unsigned and established artists, offers an indie musician a chance to bathe in and benefit from the mainstream limelight:
- Imagine having your CDs on the shelves of one of the world’s largest music stores, sitting side-by-side with CDs by artists such as Madonna… Imagine the exposure potential, especially [if] through careful placement, [you could] get your music directly in front of the people most likely to buy your music… [and they can] with a click of a button… preview your music right on the spot (Nevue, 2002).
http://www.cdbaby.com/covers/f/i/fireants2.jpg
Image of Fire Ants' album cover 'Save The World' retrieved from http://www.cdbaby.net
- Mark Hermann of New York blues band the Fire Ants, an independent act on MP3.com who received a major label contract and features in Rolling Stone magazine, credits the site for initially getting their music heard: “[I]n one month [of being featured], we had… over a thousand hits on our site at MP3. I think there were over 200 downloads of our songs�.
- MP3’s Australian spinoff (http://www.mp3.com.au ) offers a more indie-focused distribution service, with every song on show being uploaded by the independent artist themselves.
- A site affiliated with MP3.com, Download.com Music, also offers thousands of free independent songs. It caters for listeners with even the most eccentric and individual of tastes, featuring categorised songs from pop and rock to gospel, bluegrass and children’s music. The site features band biographies, website links, direct downloads and recommendations, as well as a weekly newsletter with features and reviews.
- A similar Australian-based distribution site is OzRock (http://www.ozrock.com/ ), established in October 1999. Promising to feature only the “best unsigned, independent and upcoming bands from all over Australia�, OzRock encourages listeners to preview songs by homegrown talent.
- In addition to distribution sites, independent music can also receive exposure through peer-to-peer file-sharing programs.
- Despite the ongoing controversial debates surrounding the effect of file-sharing, “many experts have asserted that [its] widespread use… [has] actually helped the music industry, as millions of people use these programs to discover new artists…[and] a way to ‘try before you buy’ � (Gal, Singer and Laird, 2003: 40).
- In the 21st Century, indie music distribution has gone from tattered street flyers and the occasional EP in the local record store to global self-production, promotion and circulation on the Internet:
- The cross-marketing opportunities are unbelievable… [It is] instantaneous, costs are minimal, shipping non-existent… [The Internet is a] staggering vehicle for higher earnings and lower costs (Ian, 2002).
- Disintermediation of the music industry as a result of the Internet, has allowed artists to take control of their career and promote themselves worldwide without geographic or financial limitations, or even the backing of a record label.
Christelle Tan 04:04, 29 Oct 2004 (EST)
See also
LINKS
<p>
REFERENCES
- Hustwit, G. (1997). The Musicians Guide to the Internet: The Guide to Getting You (And Your Music Online), USA: Rockpress Publishing ISBN 0793566983<p>
Christelle Tan 05:16, 29 Oct 2004 (EST)
