The system is bullshit that you only make about 77,000 dollars from sales topping 2 million.....let's say each copy was sold for 15 bucks each. At 2 million copies, that is 30 million dollars. And she only sees 77 grand? She is right, someone is getting rich off those sales and it sure as hell aint the one who wrote the material.
Lily Allen Angry for Not Earning Enough Money From Album Sales
Lily Allen is unhappy when finding out that she has earned only 50,000 pounds from her debut album "Alright, Still" despite its impressive selling point, which reached almost two million copies worldwide. "I don't make any money out of record sales at all. I make money out of touring and syncs, publishing," she says during an interview in Q Radio.
"My songs being put on 'Grey's Anatomy' things like that," Lily reveals further. "I don't make any money at all from selling an album, which is probably why I feel so angry about doing all this promotion because I am not earning any money out of it, someone else (is) and they don't have to live with the lasting effects."
In related news, Lily Allen has hinted to make a live appearance at this year's Glastonbury Festival during an interview with Absolute Radio Hometime DJ Geoff Lloyd. "I will be playing lots of festival this year. I'm not allowed to say which. But yes, one begins with a G," she states.
Lily's second studio album "It's Not Me, It's You" meanwhile is due to hit the U.K. market on February 9. Its sounds will reportedly range from jazz, country to dance music.
Showing posts with label start a label. Show all posts
Showing posts with label start a label. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Thursday, February 26, 2009
A Recession Is Great For Freelance Work
Now would be a good time to concentrate on making money with your talents, not skills. Get out and talk to people and offer your services. Advertise your services.
Always thought about freelance work but have not found the right time? Well, if we are faced with a recession, experience shows that a recession can be a good time to be a freelancer.
Many larger companies and organizations lay off full-time employees and contract the work out to freelance professionals. It's cheaper for the some companies because they don't have to pay related benefits or long-term employment issues.
How do you get started? You don't need to even quit your full-time job. Becoming a part-time freelance professional has never been easier. Then, if you decide you have enough work and want to switch to full-time later...you can. Some people just stay part-time and enjoy the extra income.
In order to get started, the first step is finding a good freelance community and search for work that may be of interest to you. There are many different freelance communities with thousands of different jobs available. You will just have to find the one that fits your interests and goals.
Once you have found work that you are interested in, you will either apply or bid on the available work. You may not be chosen for every assignment, but with so many available, you are certain to find just the right work for you.
Then you work with employers, complete your assignments, and receive payment.
As you complete more and more work, you will earn a reputation as a freelance professional...so if a recession hits, they will pick you as their worker of choice.
Always thought about freelance work but have not found the right time? Well, if we are faced with a recession, experience shows that a recession can be a good time to be a freelancer.
Many larger companies and organizations lay off full-time employees and contract the work out to freelance professionals. It's cheaper for the some companies because they don't have to pay related benefits or long-term employment issues.
How do you get started? You don't need to even quit your full-time job. Becoming a part-time freelance professional has never been easier. Then, if you decide you have enough work and want to switch to full-time later...you can. Some people just stay part-time and enjoy the extra income.
In order to get started, the first step is finding a good freelance community and search for work that may be of interest to you. There are many different freelance communities with thousands of different jobs available. You will just have to find the one that fits your interests and goals.
Once you have found work that you are interested in, you will either apply or bid on the available work. You may not be chosen for every assignment, but with so many available, you are certain to find just the right work for you.
Then you work with employers, complete your assignments, and receive payment.
As you complete more and more work, you will earn a reputation as a freelance professional...so if a recession hits, they will pick you as their worker of choice.
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Free PHP Script That Sells Your Beats and Music!
504 Productions (www.504productions.com) will help you install this script for 25 bucks.....customization is extra though! But check it out if you want to sell your tunes. They have a mini flash player plus many many many more features.......
Maian Music
Introduction:
Music is my first love, so its a surprise its taken me so long to develop something music based. I had the idea for this script in 2006 when someone mentioned adapting Maian Cart into an .mp3 system. This script enables you to preview and sell your music in .mp3 format. In the live demo you`ll find some of my own music from a few years ago. Some of you may remember it from M-Dream a while ago. Enjoy the script!
Script Features:
- Easy to use mp3 music store to sell/preview mp3 tracks
- Add unlimited albums
- Group tracks into albums
- XHTML/CSS public layout
- Premium Beat flash music player for mp3 previews
- Store mp3 files outside of web root for security
- Store album mp3 files in their own folders
- Expiry limits for downloads and download page for track protection
- Built in check to prevent linking to download page
- Option for discount if whole album is purchased
- Supports 15 currencies
- Paypal IPN test mode available via Sandbox
- Optional mod_rewrite for search engine friendly urls
- Structure albums as parent/child association. ie: Sub categories
- Optional SMTP send mail option
- RSS feed to show latest albums
- Option to include artwork download link with full album purchase
- Graphical stats to view most popular track/album purchases
- Search engines for both public and admin interface
- Simple cart system
- Option to add smaller mp3 file for previews
- Template driven for easy HTML editing
- Auto installation file
- Public interface contact option
- Option to contact buyers from admin interface
- View sales in admin area with album/track purchase details
- About and Licence pages updateable via settings
- Option to re-send download link to buyer
Requirements/Testing Environments:
PHP v4.3.0 or higher.
Paypal Business or Premier Account
CURL support enabled for Paypal IPN system
GD graphics library with Freetype support for captcha
Browser Testing: IE7, IE6, Opera 9.2.5, Firefox 3.0
Local Server Testing: Apache server (2.2.4) running PHP v5.2.5, MySQL v5.0.45-nt
Production Server Testing: Apache server running PHP v5.2.4, MySQL 4.1.22-standard
Error Reporting Level for Development: E_ALL
http://www.maianscriptworld.co.uk/free-php-scripts/maian-music/free-mp3-music-store-system/index.html
Friday, August 8, 2008
The Rise & Rise of Independent Music
The Association of Independent Music (AIM) is holding a special event to celebrate 50 years of successful independent music which will include a gig, a five part television series, a one off auction on ebay and the release of a double CD full of "independent" covers. Artists including The Prodigy, The Charlatans and Maximo Park have all given their backing to the cause and plan to donate songs for the album. Songs to be covered include Joy Division's Love Will Tear Us Apart, PIL's Public Image and Ghost Town by The Specials.
Independents Day marks the anniversary of Chris Blackwell and Graeme Goodall's indie label, Island Records. The Jamaican-born label signed giants U2 before selling to Polygram in 1989, a trend which many independent labels followed. Creation and Factory records disappeared in the 1990's whilst others folded through a calamity of errors from over expansion to cashflow problems.
Independent music is responsible for more than 25% of the UK's music scene and is claimed to have pioneered the music industry for many years. Alison Wenham, Chairman for AIM stated that [independents] had been "at the forefront of every single new musical movement over the years."
For proof of this, just take a look at every popular music scene over the last 50 years: There was the DIY punk scene in the seventies, the indie guitar sounds from New Order in the eighties and the massive dance music boom in the nineties.
Today, we are seeing the independent label make a comeback. Domino Records have given us two recent chart toppers; Scottish band, Franz Ferdinand and northerners, Arctic Monkeys. The internet has provided a new platform with which to promote this music. Sites such as Myspace, Youtube and Facebook all promote bands young and old, signed and unsigned for general consumption. These social networking sites have allowed users to access new music much easier than ever before with some 40% of users embedding music within their pages.
Russell Hart, chief executive of Entertainment Media Research added "Social networks are fundamentally changing the way we discover music... the dynamics of democratisation, word of mouth recommendation and instant purchase challenge the established order and offer huge opportunities to forward thinking business."
Local label, Signature Tune is making the most of these sites and one of their bands, Lakes is reaping the benefits of using an independent label. Scott Byatt, the band's drummer said "As a band on an independent label, advances in communication and technology mean we can communicate with bands and promoters the world over helping us network and get shows with ease... Our CDs can be bought in many high street stores and our tracks can be downloaded from iTunes, once again without the help of a major."
Radiohead were perhaps the first big band to see the change in direction and act upon it. After the end of their contract with music giants EMI, the band went solo with the release of their latest album, In Rainbows. The album was released as a digital download in October 2007, allowing customers to pay as much, or as little as they liked for it. The group took ownership of their own songs and released ten tracks online more than one month before the tangible album was released in the shops.
Front man for the band, Thom Yorke noted the growing number of pirate copies of their music being appearing online and in an interview with Wired he said, "every record for the last four - including my solo record - has been leaked. So the idea was like, we'll leak it then." Yorke's attempt to beat the pirates seem to have worked. On average, the electronic download sold for 4 GBP. Not bad considering you could download it for free if you were feeling too tight to pay.
The return to indie worked wonders for Radiohead. Although the downloads from the website, inrabows were not counted in the album charts, the band did manage to create enough hype and speculation around the release of their album that when the CD actually hit the shops, it reached number one in the UK album chart, the United World Chart and the US Billboard 200.
Other groups may do well to take note of this action when considering future releases. Of the music industry, and in particular their ex record label, Yorke added "What we would like is the old EMI back again, the nice genteel arms manufacturers who treated music [as] a nice side project who weren't too bothered about the shareholders. Ah well, not much chance of that."
Au contraire, EMI boss, Guy Hands is keen to seize upon the opportunities presented by smaller, independent labels. These labels have always maintained a stronger working relationship with their artists and are much more keen to try their hands at new promotional techniques. With the renaissance of DIY music and bands creating music for music's sake, independent labels cannot be ignored. EMI declared that they are planning on working like a larger version of the indie label, with many smaller labels working under their umbrella.
So they may be more willing to try new techniques, but the problem of shareholders still remains. Wenham continues, "If you have shareholders to please, inevitably it becomes about making music from the music." Indie music is very much about the music and as long as the shareholders give the smaller labels a wide berth, we should continue to see more impressive acts pushing the scene forward.
Independents Day marks the anniversary of Chris Blackwell and Graeme Goodall's indie label, Island Records. The Jamaican-born label signed giants U2 before selling to Polygram in 1989, a trend which many independent labels followed. Creation and Factory records disappeared in the 1990's whilst others folded through a calamity of errors from over expansion to cashflow problems.
Independent music is responsible for more than 25% of the UK's music scene and is claimed to have pioneered the music industry for many years. Alison Wenham, Chairman for AIM stated that [independents] had been "at the forefront of every single new musical movement over the years."
For proof of this, just take a look at every popular music scene over the last 50 years: There was the DIY punk scene in the seventies, the indie guitar sounds from New Order in the eighties and the massive dance music boom in the nineties.
Today, we are seeing the independent label make a comeback. Domino Records have given us two recent chart toppers; Scottish band, Franz Ferdinand and northerners, Arctic Monkeys. The internet has provided a new platform with which to promote this music. Sites such as Myspace, Youtube and Facebook all promote bands young and old, signed and unsigned for general consumption. These social networking sites have allowed users to access new music much easier than ever before with some 40% of users embedding music within their pages.
Russell Hart, chief executive of Entertainment Media Research added "Social networks are fundamentally changing the way we discover music... the dynamics of democratisation, word of mouth recommendation and instant purchase challenge the established order and offer huge opportunities to forward thinking business."
Local label, Signature Tune is making the most of these sites and one of their bands, Lakes is reaping the benefits of using an independent label. Scott Byatt, the band's drummer said "As a band on an independent label, advances in communication and technology mean we can communicate with bands and promoters the world over helping us network and get shows with ease... Our CDs can be bought in many high street stores and our tracks can be downloaded from iTunes, once again without the help of a major."
Radiohead were perhaps the first big band to see the change in direction and act upon it. After the end of their contract with music giants EMI, the band went solo with the release of their latest album, In Rainbows. The album was released as a digital download in October 2007, allowing customers to pay as much, or as little as they liked for it. The group took ownership of their own songs and released ten tracks online more than one month before the tangible album was released in the shops.
Front man for the band, Thom Yorke noted the growing number of pirate copies of their music being appearing online and in an interview with Wired he said, "every record for the last four - including my solo record - has been leaked. So the idea was like, we'll leak it then." Yorke's attempt to beat the pirates seem to have worked. On average, the electronic download sold for 4 GBP. Not bad considering you could download it for free if you were feeling too tight to pay.
The return to indie worked wonders for Radiohead. Although the downloads from the website, inrabows were not counted in the album charts, the band did manage to create enough hype and speculation around the release of their album that when the CD actually hit the shops, it reached number one in the UK album chart, the United World Chart and the US Billboard 200.
Other groups may do well to take note of this action when considering future releases. Of the music industry, and in particular their ex record label, Yorke added "What we would like is the old EMI back again, the nice genteel arms manufacturers who treated music [as] a nice side project who weren't too bothered about the shareholders. Ah well, not much chance of that."
Au contraire, EMI boss, Guy Hands is keen to seize upon the opportunities presented by smaller, independent labels. These labels have always maintained a stronger working relationship with their artists and are much more keen to try their hands at new promotional techniques. With the renaissance of DIY music and bands creating music for music's sake, independent labels cannot be ignored. EMI declared that they are planning on working like a larger version of the indie label, with many smaller labels working under their umbrella.
So they may be more willing to try new techniques, but the problem of shareholders still remains. Wenham continues, "If you have shareholders to please, inevitably it becomes about making music from the music." Indie music is very much about the music and as long as the shareholders give the smaller labels a wide berth, we should continue to see more impressive acts pushing the scene forward.
Friday, July 25, 2008
Introduction to Music Licensing
By Brent McCrossen, Audiosocket
Most of my career I've seen the great aversion bands and musicians have toward "Music Licensing". It would appear that many of them find the subject too complicated to grasp. It's not. They only need to spend the necessary time developing their knowledge of this amazing tool. It will push the exposure of their art and drive revenue from the music they make. It's impossible to cover the entirety of the subject in this article. However, this will dispel some of the fears and act as a quick tutorial.
You've seen the drastic changes that have happened in the music business over the past few years, right? People are buying less and less music. File sharing has impacted artist's ability to make a single dime off of their work. We're not here to debate the good and the bad of that. We're here to discuss a remaining channel of revenue and one that can really blow your band's profile into the mainstream. That channel is music licensing.
In following shows like The O.C, Grey's Anatomy, The Sopranos and Entourage it's easy to see the impact they've had on emerging artists. With commercial radio's reputation on the decline people are seeking new avenues to discover cutting edge, quality music. More often people are finding that new band while watching TV or hearing some killer track on a web site. It's the new way. It presents great opportunity for the artists that know how to meet it.
With the price of gas being what it is, touring is expensive. Still worth while but costly. IF you've got a record deal, in most cases, you need to sell enough records to "recoup" the cost in making and promoting that record. Then, and ONLY then, do you get 10-12% of the records sale price. At that rate you could sell 100,000 records and only make 0-$8,000.
Now imagine this. You own the rights to your music, or have a good publishing deal and a TV show wants to license your hit song. They can pay a lot of money for this. For example, let's say they make you an offer of $25,000 to use your song in the background during a car chase on CSI Miami, most of that $25,000 is going straight into your pocket. IF you're an indie artist that owns the rights to the music and has no agent, 100% of that money is going in your pocket. How much would you have to tour to make that? How many records would you have to sell?
Consider this equation.
Most of my career I've seen the great aversion bands and musicians have toward "Music Licensing". It would appear that many of them find the subject too complicated to grasp. It's not. They only need to spend the necessary time developing their knowledge of this amazing tool. It will push the exposure of their art and drive revenue from the music they make. It's impossible to cover the entirety of the subject in this article. However, this will dispel some of the fears and act as a quick tutorial.
You've seen the drastic changes that have happened in the music business over the past few years, right? People are buying less and less music. File sharing has impacted artist's ability to make a single dime off of their work. We're not here to debate the good and the bad of that. We're here to discuss a remaining channel of revenue and one that can really blow your band's profile into the mainstream. That channel is music licensing.
In following shows like The O.C, Grey's Anatomy, The Sopranos and Entourage it's easy to see the impact they've had on emerging artists. With commercial radio's reputation on the decline people are seeking new avenues to discover cutting edge, quality music. More often people are finding that new band while watching TV or hearing some killer track on a web site. It's the new way. It presents great opportunity for the artists that know how to meet it.
With the price of gas being what it is, touring is expensive. Still worth while but costly. IF you've got a record deal, in most cases, you need to sell enough records to "recoup" the cost in making and promoting that record. Then, and ONLY then, do you get 10-12% of the records sale price. At that rate you could sell 100,000 records and only make 0-$8,000.
Now imagine this. You own the rights to your music, or have a good publishing deal and a TV show wants to license your hit song. They can pay a lot of money for this. For example, let's say they make you an offer of $25,000 to use your song in the background during a car chase on CSI Miami, most of that $25,000 is going straight into your pocket. IF you're an indie artist that owns the rights to the music and has no agent, 100% of that money is going in your pocket. How much would you have to tour to make that? How many records would you have to sell?
Consider this equation.
- You wrote a great song that gets licensed
- You get paid for it
- There is no three. There is no maze for you to traverse between you and the cash. It's not necessarily that simple but it really isn't that hard.
Let me explain a few more details.
Every show, commercial, website, DVD or video game that has a song or melody in it required a license to use it for that specific production. The process to secure the license is called "Music Clearance". This license allows that user to feature the music in their project for a certain amount of time, in a certain area and for a certain feature. This is called the "Use". The type of use often helps determine the price of the license. If your music is in the background and barely heard it won't make as much as say being in the opening credits.
Music Supervisors are the people in charge of selecting music for any one project. These experts work closely with the producer and director to make sure that every scene requiring music is enhanced by its presence. To date music supervisors are becoming the tastemakers for today's audience. They can't be underestimated. In many cases they have more influence over a bands growing popularity then the DJ's of yesterday. One placement on a popular TV show, while paying potentially over $50,000, can help bring your music to the limelight and slam you through the door of success. Music supervisors are one of the gatekeepers.
There are a number of technical terms that one needs to know about music licensing. The most crucial components pertain to the licenses themselves. In order for music to be cleared music supervisors needs to secure two separate licenses, the "Master" and "Synchronization". A Master License pertains to the actual recording of a song. It doesn't manner who wrote it, this license applies to the recording of the track. The Synchronization License or "sync" license allows the user to reproduce a musical composition "in connection with" or "in timed relation with" a visual image, e.g., motion picture, video, advertising commercial. Read it again. Let it "sync" in. You'll get it.
There is a lot to know about music licensing but that shouldn't shy you away from the education. If you've got some great songs, trust me, people need them. There are 100's of 1,000's of films, TV shows, video games and websites in production everyday. One reliable way to gain access to this opportunity is to work with a Licensing agent. Licensing Agents represent bands, musicians and composers for placement in film, TV, Video games and all media. There are a number of licensing agents like me out there. Take the time to do the research and see if you can turn the head of one or two of them. A good licensing agent is another gatekeeper. Their alliance and contacts with the nations top music supervisors can provide a lot of benefits. In most cases they take a % of the licensing fee for their work. Others take a % of the royalties you receive when your song airs on a show etc. It's still wise to arm yourself with information so you know when you have a "good" agent. The more you know the more likely you are to succeed.
Keep writing great songs, studying the industry and playing music. With a little effort and knowledge you're sure to succeed.
Monday, July 21, 2008
35 Things To Consider When Starting Your Own Record Label
by Christopher Knab
Fourfront Media & Music
- Why are you starting your own label? (What is your motivation?)
- Why would anyone want to buy your music anyway?
- Is there currently a market for your kind of music? Prove it!
- If you are not releasing your own music, have you ever read a recording contract? Are you aware of all the traditional clauses that are in such 75-100 page contracts?
- Do you know anything about copyright law?
- What is a Mechanical Royalty?
- Have you ever heard of the Harry Fox Agency? What do they do?
- What do you want to achieve by starting your own label?
- What do you know about the day to day business of selling music?
- Will your new company be a sole proprietorship, a partnership, or a corporation? (Do you know the pros and cons of each?)
- Have you registered the name of your company to make sure you can use that name?
- Will you need any recording equipment or office equipment and supplies to run your label?
- Do you have a recording studio you can work with?
- Do you know any record producers and/or engineers?
- How much money do you think it will cost you to startup your label, and to finance the recordings and marketing of the recordings for the first year?
- Where will the financing come from?
- What local, state, and federal tax responsibilities will your label have?
- How will you sell your records? (Live shows, Internet sales, mail order, catalog sales, Distributors, Stores?)
- What specific distribution and retail sales plans have you arranged so fans of your music can easily buy your releases at record and other retail stores?
- Do you have the money, time, and determination to compete in an industry that releases over 500 new records a week?
- How much does it cost to manufacture CDs, Tapes, and/or vinyl?
- What 'configurations' will you need to manufacture your music?
- How many copies do you need to manufacture for each release?
- What are 'package deals' offered by manufacturers, and are they right for you?
- Will you need to make any posters, bin cards, or other promotional materials? If so, how many and how much will that cost?
- What specific packaging choices are available and which is right for your releases?
- How did you estimate the number of copies you needed?
- Did you count into your estimation the number of free CDs you will have to give away for promotions of various kinds?
- How will you go about finding new acts to sign to your label?
- How important do you think the graphic element is in designing your label's logo, and specific cover artwork for your releases?
- Do you know any graphic artists with record jacket design experience?
- What specific information should go on the cover, back cover, spine, booklet, and on the CD itself?
- Do you have your own Barcode? Why do you need one?
- Do you know how to write a music marketing plan, a distributor 1 sheet, and other promotional materials?
- Who is your customer? If you think you know them, then describe them in very specific terms. ( Why am I asking you to do that?)
Death of the Record Label?
Another nail in the coffin. In today's day & age, you should just DIY! This is just another article that backs this fact up. If you are waiting to be signed by a label, why? Why are you not just doing it yourself?
DJmag.com investigates the changing landscape of artist promotion, and the possibility that in the future there won't be any record labels.
By Paul Sullivan
“I think it’s true to say that the record buying public want to discover new artists for themselves,” states Casey Thundertone, founder of fledgling ‘reggae-tronica’ label Thundertone, which has released cutting edge singles with U Brown and Earl 16.
“They’re becoming increasingly aware of the sophisticated marketing tactics the majors employ to plug their artists.
“Savvy buyers are also fully aware that the singles chart is based on corporate marketing might, not the quality of independent music out there.
“This means it’s essential for any label to have a strong online presence.”
Direct Avenues
With so many direct avenues now open between bands and audiences, the question has been raised as to whether labels are necessary any more, or whether they will be in the near future.
A whole virtual world of online labels, distributors and stores is already established, with more being set up each day.
Yet the physical world of CDs, vinyl and face to face promotion/business dealing is all still very much alive, and many doubt that traditional industry processes will cease operating altogether.
“Record labels aren't totally obsolete yet,” reckons Tom Adeyoola, frontman of unsigned hip hop outfit Bussetti.
“Most bands would still rather be playing music than dealing with the business side of things and the financial backing of a label is still essential when you want to break out to a bigger public.
“But in a year or two...who knows?”
Hard To Succeed Without
Katharine Alcock, singer with talented Zero-7-esque chill out champions Maya and side project Southern Down concurs: “On the whole, even in today's climate, artists would find it hard to succeed without being signed to a label,” reckons Katharine.
“We are no exception. We can keep projects going on a small scale via the net, but without the time and resources that a contract would offer, we'll be unable to focus as much attention onto making music and getting it out there as we would like.
“We all have demanding full-time careers, and need to earn money to live and make music.
“Labels are signing fewer and fewer artists.
“This is the reality for us and many other musicians at the moment.
“At least the net enables us to get our stuff out there for other people to listen to and enjoy.
“Ultimately, that's the whole point of making music.”
Keep Options Open
Perhaps the most sensible thing for new artists then, is to keep all options open.
Use the internet to gain visibility and build a fan base, to test out your music and bolster your contact book.
If it works out well and you can make a living without a record deal, all well and good.
But it’s worth bearing in mind that there are also many good labels around ready to help out those who are willing to also help themselves.
“I don't believe that getting a record deal is necessarily moving ‘up’,” concludes Bob Baker, whose BuzzFactor site offers marketing tips for unsigned artists.
“Teaming up with a label makes sense if you get to the point where you can't handle the workload of growing CD sales, booking requests etc.
“But wanting a label to bail you out because you're not making much progress on your own is not a wise move.
“Do it yourself first…it's the surest path to success.”
DJmag.com investigates the changing landscape of artist promotion, and the possibility that in the future there won't be any record labels.
By Paul Sullivan
“I think it’s true to say that the record buying public want to discover new artists for themselves,” states Casey Thundertone, founder of fledgling ‘reggae-tronica’ label Thundertone, which has released cutting edge singles with U Brown and Earl 16.
“They’re becoming increasingly aware of the sophisticated marketing tactics the majors employ to plug their artists.
“Savvy buyers are also fully aware that the singles chart is based on corporate marketing might, not the quality of independent music out there.
“This means it’s essential for any label to have a strong online presence.”
Direct Avenues
With so many direct avenues now open between bands and audiences, the question has been raised as to whether labels are necessary any more, or whether they will be in the near future.
A whole virtual world of online labels, distributors and stores is already established, with more being set up each day.
Yet the physical world of CDs, vinyl and face to face promotion/business dealing is all still very much alive, and many doubt that traditional industry processes will cease operating altogether.
“Record labels aren't totally obsolete yet,” reckons Tom Adeyoola, frontman of unsigned hip hop outfit Bussetti.
“Most bands would still rather be playing music than dealing with the business side of things and the financial backing of a label is still essential when you want to break out to a bigger public.
“But in a year or two...who knows?”
Hard To Succeed Without
Katharine Alcock, singer with talented Zero-7-esque chill out champions Maya and side project Southern Down concurs: “On the whole, even in today's climate, artists would find it hard to succeed without being signed to a label,” reckons Katharine.
“We are no exception. We can keep projects going on a small scale via the net, but without the time and resources that a contract would offer, we'll be unable to focus as much attention onto making music and getting it out there as we would like.
“We all have demanding full-time careers, and need to earn money to live and make music.
“Labels are signing fewer and fewer artists.
“This is the reality for us and many other musicians at the moment.
“At least the net enables us to get our stuff out there for other people to listen to and enjoy.
“Ultimately, that's the whole point of making music.”
Keep Options Open
Perhaps the most sensible thing for new artists then, is to keep all options open.
Use the internet to gain visibility and build a fan base, to test out your music and bolster your contact book.
If it works out well and you can make a living without a record deal, all well and good.
But it’s worth bearing in mind that there are also many good labels around ready to help out those who are willing to also help themselves.
“I don't believe that getting a record deal is necessarily moving ‘up’,” concludes Bob Baker, whose BuzzFactor site offers marketing tips for unsigned artists.
“Teaming up with a label makes sense if you get to the point where you can't handle the workload of growing CD sales, booking requests etc.
“But wanting a label to bail you out because you're not making much progress on your own is not a wise move.
“Do it yourself first…it's the surest path to success.”
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Digital Distribution?
504 Productions can now help indie artist reach a bigger audience.
If you are wanting to get your music on Beatport, Breakbeat Online, Beatsource, DJ Download and so on.....then give me a shout.
Looking for artists to distribute and promote........
Email me at dantheman@504productions.com
If you are wanting to get your music on Beatport, Breakbeat Online, Beatsource, DJ Download and so on.....then give me a shout.
Looking for artists to distribute and promote........
Email me at dantheman@504productions.com
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
ReverbNation Registers 200,000th Band
ReverbNation, the leading Marketing and Promotion Platform technology for Musicians, Labels, Managers, and Venues, signed up its 200,000th Artist last week, adding 100,000 in the last six months alone. In addition, over 6,000 Labels and Managers have created profiles to promote themselves and their rosters, and more than 2,500 Venues and Clubs are using the 'venue tools' to help pack their shows, grow their fan bases, and integrate promotional efforts with musicians. To date, Artists and Labels have posted nearly 700,000 full-length songs to the site.
The success can be primarily attributed to the free suite of Fan Relationship Management (FRM) technologies the company provides for Artists, Labels, Managers, and Venues . The suite includes a content repository, promotional widgets and applications for viral distribution across social networks and blogs, integrated Street Team tools for motivating, tracking, and rewarding rabid fans, a communication platform to keep Artists connected with fans, and a comprehensive stats package to provide the insight they need to make marketing and promotion decisions.
"Its like Salesforce.com for Bands and Labels," said Josh Baron, Editor-in-Chief of Relix Magazine, 'The Magazine for Music'.
Since inception, the company has focused on helping "Independent" Artists and Labels by providing marketing tools, for free, that are usually reserved for major labels with large budgets.
"In all my years as a musician's coach and mentor, I have never seen the likes of ReverbNation for Indie musicians. They get it," says Madalyn Sklar, owner of GoGirls Music and operator of the 'Indiemusiccoach.com' website. "They absolutely understand the needs of the independent musician and build software that makes a difference for them everyday."
"Are you an Artist that needs to generate a newsletter and send it out to 10,000 fans?" asks indie Artist Jeff Nelson of the Syracuse, N.Y. Rock band 'Merit'. "Need a music player for your homepage or your Facebook page? Want to build a Street Team and have their actions tracked automatically? Want to know how long people listen to your songs before they turn them off, or if they passed them on to friends? Do you need help finding venues for your tour? I need all of that. ReverbNation delivers this and more. These guys offer the sickest platform of tools I've ever seen, and I can actually afford it, because it's free."
Use of the ReverbNation technology has recently spilled over from the indie ranks to some of the more recognized names in music as well, like 50 Cent, Kenny Chesney, Madonna, O.A.R., Natasha Bedingfield, Trans Siberian Orchestra, Sara Bareilles, and Sean Kingston, to name a few. Over 60 of the Billboard Top 100 now have a presence at ReverbNation.com.
Said Chris "Broadway" Romero, Creative Director, G-Unit Records (50 Cent), "ReverbNation's TuneWidget and tracking tools have been great for us here at G-Unit Records and Thisis50.com. Their tools and applications let our fans easily become involved in the marketing and promotion of our music across the web. There are a lot of 'all in one' solutions out there, but the ReverbNation platform is the only one that allows us to develop a marketing strategy first, then use the technology to execute it."
"We build technology that can help virtually any musician, label, manager, or venue," says Lou Plaia, Co-Founder and V.P. of Artist Relations at ReverbNation.com. "We help Artists take the music to the people, wherever those fans are spending their time online, and then empower Artists with tools for leveraging their content to drive real business objectives at those touch points. Artist objectives might include selling music, merch, or tickets, extracting valuable fan relationships from the social networks, or keeping content up to date across all of their sites. We give them real insight into what's happening with their content and how their marketing efforts are affecting their overall Band EquityTM. At the end of the day, the most important asset an Artist has is their portfolio of fan relationships, and it's our mission to help them grow that asset."
Over the coming months, ReverbNation will expand the offerings to Artists even further, giving them more tools to succeed at the 'business' part of the music business, including: Low-cost digital distribution to iTunes and other retailers, a dynamic 'Reverb Press Kit' for media outreach and gig submissions, a ringtone generator and sales tool, and several enhancements to the FanReach communication tool. In addition, the company plans to introduce an "Artist Sponsorship Platform' where Brands can link up with thousands of interested Artists at a time, creating a new revenue stream for Artists in these challenging times of declining music sales.
http://www.reverbnation.com/tearsoftechnology
The success can be primarily attributed to the free suite of Fan Relationship Management (FRM) technologies the company provides for Artists, Labels, Managers, and Venues . The suite includes a content repository, promotional widgets and applications for viral distribution across social networks and blogs, integrated Street Team tools for motivating, tracking, and rewarding rabid fans, a communication platform to keep Artists connected with fans, and a comprehensive stats package to provide the insight they need to make marketing and promotion decisions.
"Its like Salesforce.com for Bands and Labels," said Josh Baron, Editor-in-Chief of Relix Magazine, 'The Magazine for Music'.
Since inception, the company has focused on helping "Independent" Artists and Labels by providing marketing tools, for free, that are usually reserved for major labels with large budgets.
"In all my years as a musician's coach and mentor, I have never seen the likes of ReverbNation for Indie musicians. They get it," says Madalyn Sklar, owner of GoGirls Music and operator of the 'Indiemusiccoach.com' website. "They absolutely understand the needs of the independent musician and build software that makes a difference for them everyday."
"Are you an Artist that needs to generate a newsletter and send it out to 10,000 fans?" asks indie Artist Jeff Nelson of the Syracuse, N.Y. Rock band 'Merit'. "Need a music player for your homepage or your Facebook page? Want to build a Street Team and have their actions tracked automatically? Want to know how long people listen to your songs before they turn them off, or if they passed them on to friends? Do you need help finding venues for your tour? I need all of that. ReverbNation delivers this and more. These guys offer the sickest platform of tools I've ever seen, and I can actually afford it, because it's free."
Use of the ReverbNation technology has recently spilled over from the indie ranks to some of the more recognized names in music as well, like 50 Cent, Kenny Chesney, Madonna, O.A.R., Natasha Bedingfield, Trans Siberian Orchestra, Sara Bareilles, and Sean Kingston, to name a few. Over 60 of the Billboard Top 100 now have a presence at ReverbNation.com.
Said Chris "Broadway" Romero, Creative Director, G-Unit Records (50 Cent), "ReverbNation's TuneWidget and tracking tools have been great for us here at G-Unit Records and Thisis50.com. Their tools and applications let our fans easily become involved in the marketing and promotion of our music across the web. There are a lot of 'all in one' solutions out there, but the ReverbNation platform is the only one that allows us to develop a marketing strategy first, then use the technology to execute it."
"We build technology that can help virtually any musician, label, manager, or venue," says Lou Plaia, Co-Founder and V.P. of Artist Relations at ReverbNation.com. "We help Artists take the music to the people, wherever those fans are spending their time online, and then empower Artists with tools for leveraging their content to drive real business objectives at those touch points. Artist objectives might include selling music, merch, or tickets, extracting valuable fan relationships from the social networks, or keeping content up to date across all of their sites. We give them real insight into what's happening with their content and how their marketing efforts are affecting their overall Band EquityTM. At the end of the day, the most important asset an Artist has is their portfolio of fan relationships, and it's our mission to help them grow that asset."
Over the coming months, ReverbNation will expand the offerings to Artists even further, giving them more tools to succeed at the 'business' part of the music business, including: Low-cost digital distribution to iTunes and other retailers, a dynamic 'Reverb Press Kit' for media outreach and gig submissions, a ringtone generator and sales tool, and several enhancements to the FanReach communication tool. In addition, the company plans to introduce an "Artist Sponsorship Platform' where Brands can link up with thousands of interested Artists at a time, creating a new revenue stream for Artists in these challenging times of declining music sales.
http://www.reverbnation.com/tearsoftechnology
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