Hope for unsigned artists/bands?

[Zweite Version]

Wow! [url=http://specials.msn.com/customad/content/digitalhq/article7.asp]This[/url] story blew me away!

[Duhduh]

There is hope...

[Salyphus]

Hey, they [url=http://www.maktub.com/music/Maktub_Just_Like_Murder.mp3]sound[/url] pretty good :thu:

[Salyphus]

I should attribute my post above, since I linked directly to the file. Maktub http://www.maktub.com/music/ Never heard of 'em before but I like it.

[Skip_dup1]

great move-I can only wonder why more haven`t done it, and why we`re not seeing more ads like BAND SEEKS DRUMMER-EXPERIENCED WEB DESIGNER ONLY.

[Jotown]

Very interesting piece. Two things stand out though. Their web presence is a direct result of being "Splashed on the cover of the Seatle Times", not an underground media source for sure. The other thing is that the band's goal is still to get a deal with a major label. All that work, just to get signed, and possibly never released, tied up to some label for 3 or 4 years. If I were them I would be trying to raise capital, and find their own distribution, and truly be a new paradigm artist. It sounds like they are using unconventional means to be a conventional band. They should stick to the path they are on. Just my take on it. :)

[Super 8]

[quote]Originally posted by Jotown: [b] The other thing is that the band's goal is still to get a deal with a major label. All that work, just to get signed, [/b][/quote]Good point!!! If they are smart, they'll establish themselves and just use the label for distribution. If you are already proven, you can write your own contract. Otherwise, I agree, keep the labels out of this. When the labels what to cut the fat, they get rid of the artists. But it's the artists who make the music! Why not cut the labels?

[Henchman]

Yeah, if your selling 5000 per week independently, why the hell would you sign a major deal that would require you to sell 10 times that to make the same amount of money. Of which you'll never see a dime because of the bullshit expenses like flying the A&R guy to Rio to see you're live show. And pay for his 5 star hotelsuite , hookers, and star dinners at 5 star restaurants. While you eat kraft dinner at the roach infested motel.

[Jotown]

I have put alot of thought into what I like to call the "New Paradigm Record Biz", so I am always interested in anyone doing it without the old giants. I wish the band success, it's just that as long as your holy grail is a record deal with a major label, you are bound to be dissapointed and screwed. Not necesarily in that order.

[aliengroover]

They should just pimp the record biz like Master P does, but with better music. He used his independant sales as leverage and wouldn't budge until Priority agreed to his terms and be his distributor. He basically said, "Look, I'm giving you a piece of the bigger pie I'm about to bake." If you can do it, do it all night long. Don't pussyfoot yourself into the negative by signing with a major and have your career end in a few minutes (as is sometimes the case when halfway decent sellers sign over). Peace

[Mats Olsson.]

This is all cool but how can bands like this get the good distribution, the good gigs and the good airplay when all that stuff is owned by like 5 major conglomerates? Seems like artists will eventually get to a point where they are forced to sign away their independence. It really disturbs me when TV, radio, press, venues, promotors, distribution, satelites, cable networks and all sorts of telecommunications are operated & owned by the same people. How long will it take until they figure out how to control the web as well? /Mats

[mikegrijak]

These guys have some SERIOUS TALENT! WOW!

[mikegrijak]

[quote] I have put alot of thought into what I like to call the "New Paradigm Record Biz", so I am always interested in anyone doing it without the old giants. [/quote]Jotown, do you have the time to elaborate on this "New Paradigm Record Biz? I would really love to hear your thoughts on this. If you have already posted at length on this, can you point me in its direction?

[Chaz]

[quote]Originally posted by mikegrijak: [QBJotown, do you have the time to elaborate on this "New Paradigm Record Biz? I would really love to hear your thoughts on this. If you have already posted at length on this, can you point me in its direction?[/QB][/quote]Ditto! :cool:

[Kevin F]

I think this is just a sign of things to come. Eventually there would be no need for a label, that is assuming you have the tech savy and business skills to perform all the tasks that a label typically does. But if you can do it you can make more money with fewer sales because you aren't haveing to subsidize all of the other artists on the label that go nowhere yet use up the labels resources.

[schmee]

anyone who watched this same path occur in the visual arts going through the DTP, digital printing and web (on screen) revolutions in the 80s and 90s, as well as what's currently happening in the video genres... will understand the same thing is happening with music (and most other disciplines). by that i mean, when most pieces of art are produced commercially, what you are seeing is the effort of the Art Director, working with a very small team or no team at all, using technology to bring together collectively the work of many diverse masters/artists. the artists are the illustrators, photographers, and other talents which have a specific mastery of their "axe", but have little or no interest/capability for producing the holistic piece. and it will be a piece which will need to be distributed in 5 formats, and branded out into a series of some 400+ items. it's the same process used in the analog world in more grandiose productions (film scores for example), it's just that the whole thing is being compartmentalized by industry so that things are purchased on a per-use basis, rather than the completely organic/integrated means required by analog processes. all the back and forth that used to go on from top decision maker down to the third chair trombone, are now replicated in technology and to the highest standard to where most of that process can be handled in a much more economically efficient manner. so all artistic direction and control is essentially handled through this centralized (and technified) "director". so if you want to be a band director in the traditional format, you're going to one day need to have a really good clue about how to also distribute your work, or know someone who can act as an agent on that basis - rather than rely on the predetermined analog paths of distribution that exist up till today, and came to completely control the entire production process. and in a stretch, because tech facilitates it, and because the director has considerable experience with one or more of these arts, the director can and will opt to cut out the artist altogether because the standard of execution for that single element of a much larger production is not required to be terribly high. especially if the artwork (however commerical) is only intended to exist for about two weeks. nothing new, just don't need to physically have what quincy jones does, to pull it off at a decent standard. the critical thing about the digital revolution which is still easy to misunderstand - is realizing that the massive concern of production and distribution is what has changed for all worlds - and in such a way where what previously required many thousands or tens of people to do anything, is no longer necessarry. it sounds really scary i'm sure, as it means the artist is going to have to master yet another realm jsut to be successful, but it is actually much more liberating reality for artists than the more traditional path of relying on pluralistic ignorance or money determine what is successful or not. it also gives artists incredible avanues from which to earn a living and continue making what they really want to. and when you drop the ego, tech is easy even for analog heads (it's actually easier because they understand intrinsicly the underlying principles, which is an easy way to defang a digital head). "perhaps the times they were a changing ducking and diving, bobbing and weaving but now they're more often rearrangin distinctly sublime, yet subtley decieving" :wave:

[Wrave]

I dunno. I like the concept. Put yer stuff out where it can be heard, give 'em a sample, ask for a contribution if the listener likes the sample and then, if they really like it, sell 'em the whole CD. Course, you'ld have to be careful to reserve your "monster hit" on the CD. If the industry is going to recover, they're gonna have to try things like this. Just my $.02.

[Jotown]

Good post David. The things that you are talking about are very feasible. That is why I keep on harping about the value of music. If the monetary value of recorded music becomes zero dollars, all the technology in the world won't matter. People will just stop paying for music because they can get it for free. If on the other hand, rampant downloading is impeded, at least long enough for these new technologies, and models to emerge, We could then be in for a true musical renaissance where artists could self publish and distribute their work, and actually get paid for it. What a concept. :thu: