Digital Sales of Indie Music.
The free and open communication of the internet has led not only to reduction in the power of record labels, but also to reduction in costs associated with distribution and promotion, with the rise of social media. As i have discussed in my blog The Post-Internet Indie Music Industry, today, an indie artist is free to create a song, upload to a host website and share it through social media, reaching out to listeners across the world, from the comfort of their home. The emergence of sites like SoundCloud for music and YouTube for videos allow users to easily upload video and audio content for free.
These platforms which are highly trafficked, not only enable users to make their videos public but allows them to easily share them on the web through link and embed. As I have discussed in my blog Indie Music and the Internet, an important factor behind online music communities beginning to form is the benefit of social media associated with the rising popularity of the internet. Additionally, the new strategies for marketing, promotion and advertising offered by the internet, allow indie artists and bands to connect directly with their fans and easily distribute their work to a highly expanded audience. One such interesting approach to advertising is to release free music as a means to market your live performances. Social media giants Facebook and Twitter that serve as a useful tool for hopeful musicians to connect with fans, enable users to create the opportunity to develop buzz around a new artist by having a song or video spread virally their enormous network.
Some websites like Beatport, started in Denver in 2004, have found success in digital music, following in the footprints of Apple, but offering niche based songs that may not be found on iTunes, catering specifically to the emerging genre of electronic dance music. I have written about this in detail in my blog Impact of Digital Sales on The Indie Music Industry. Other social networking sites such as MySpace, cater to specific artists, offering them a platform to promote and post free projects, stream their work and sell albums. Today, artists can distribute their new music simply by posting a download, or purchase, link directly to their fans through their Twitter or Facebook accounts. Selling music through the iTunes store is more difficult if not affiliated with a major label, but not nearly as much work as it once was to independently distribute an individual or band’s work.
As I have discussed in my blog How to Become a Better Indie Artist?, no label is going to develop talent in you. You have to prove yourself. All that labels care about is how much they can earn from the connections you have made and the fans that follow you. They are already successful. They are going to add your success to theirs to remain successful. Your talent is going to get you fans and your fans will get you investors and labels. So do not undermine the power of connections. Get on to the internet, start connecting. Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter kind of platforms do not require any expertise and is the best place to advertise yourself. YouTube is the new radio. Upload all that you can, whenever you can, and make sure it is good. Listeners are searching for new videos all the time.
Promoting indie music on social media has taken an interesting turn today, with social media and promotion being deeply and intricately intertwined. Most indie artists are releasing some or all of their music online, free of charge and without needing a label or publisher to promote them. The free music published online is used to advertise relatively unknown acts which the consumers are not yet ready to pay for. These are also used by established groups or individuals around upcoming albums or tours, to build momentum. As discussed before, historically and traditionally, artists have majorly been earning from live shows as opposed to actual sales of recordings, income from which has mostly gone to record labels, releasing free music has served as a powerful promotional tool and has helped boost demand for concert ticket sales.
Please share your experiences and I will add them to my future blogs.
