DON'T FORGET! - OUTLETS & ADAPTATION - June 6, 2009

TheHolodigm.com

OUTLETS

A Sohn asserts.

I think that the biggest problem stopping America from finding the next big act is the multitude of outlets for music. With the Internet, everyone has a voice and as much as we all want to believe that the best act will rise to the top naturally, I think that the acts with the most people on computers all day Myspacing are making it impossible.

L. Robinson adds:

ADAPTATION

I think what is key for recording artists today is Internet marketing. Because there are so many bands/artist on the Internet these days, if you don't market yourself properly, you will get lost in the web. There are ways to get your music heard and videos seen so that you can create a fan base (search engine optimization or video optimization). Bands should embrace the changes coming from the Internet.

Hartmann chips in:

In the postmodern record business the "tunes" came in a can. The industry filtered the extant competitors and waded through the, committee constructed, "song pool," to nourish radio with the product "they" decided was a priority. Radio airplay has always provided the driving force that pushes the record promotion business. Various forms of talent television also contribute. As the volume of records increased, the amount of air time available did not. There was a finite amount of space and an infinite amount of recorded music. This forced a fierce competition among the record labels to access those spins on AM & FM radio.

The ubiquity of high speed Internet access has forced all of the core institutions in the music business to join the revolution. The Music Renaissance has been born of the digital convergence. The Internet has killed the postmodern record business; and it has simultaneously opened up a myriad of systems, and protocols for creating, discovering and marketing music products. Despite current supremacy and efficacy, it remains to be seen which of these applications and concepts will prevail and endure?

The collective musical content is lost in the hyper vast theater of cyber-space. The mechanism for defining and selecting the talented will be transformed by technology. The Internet will be the battle ground and the forces of cultural taste, and inspired artists demonstrating talent, will co mingle and breed a consequence that will redefine the economics of music marketing. The primary change is that the fan base chooses and distributes the best songs without paying for the privilege. It takes genuine affection for the act and a willingness to support their survival to get most people to pay for recorded music today.

There are many manipulable factors, but I don't think the number of outlets is the problem. Its the mechanics of the game that must be redesigned. MySpace.com and YouTube.com are only two of the on line instruments that must be understood and mastered to effectively garner an extensive fan base. A well crafted and professionally mounted live act is vital to any artist's survival in The Music Renaissance. Without a strong personal presence in the concert arena, there will be no practical way to enroll paying customers into the fan base.

A serious artist should explore and integrate an array of social networking and viral marketing protocols into their diurnal business practice. As a promotional tool, the Internet is infinitely more powerful than AM and FM radio combined. It is the Weapon of Mass Distribution in music's future. Everybody gets to play, but only the most gifted will survive. The first level of success is survival; that means no day job. In the future the business of music will be conducted in two market places; the Internet and the concert arena. The greatest artists will master both.