Reshaping Music

Comment

Comment by Dave Graves on January 6, 2012 at 1:53pm

Yes I agree.. I have now updated and started adding all tunes on here sorry for the long break.. Im back now and until the Road calls will check in at least once a week..   Thx for your support. You have all mine cos were fight for the same cause...       

            R*F*B*

Comment by ATOMICVISIONS MUSIC NETWORK on May 23, 2011 at 2:34am

After reading these comments I want to invite you all to check out Atomic Sound & Visions Music Network. This is not spam or a plug, it's my vision of everything you are talking about. I have worked my way around the music industry for over 20 years. I have cleaned toilets at venues to handing a coca cola to Bono. In these years I've analyzed what it takes to be successful in the industry. I have seen the faults and want to do my part to improve them. That's where the senseless plug of my network comes in. I'm glad to be here at Melodic Revolution and glad to see the passion from so many for the music. Please join us and let me help spread the word in my part of this revolution!
Show your passion, become a member and don't be scared off by the metal bands or the politic view points from some of our artist.

Comment by David Slater on May 14, 2011 at 5:58am

I agree with Terri, the ARTIST must engage the FAN, and not so much generate a friendship, but a rapport, that brings the FAN closer to the music, how it was created, what was the original theme or thought for the song. I think this is where Indie artists can make a difference.
Since Indie artists are not dealing with millions of fans, yet, there is more time for a more personal touch. And I'm talking FANS here, not artist to artist, as is the norm right now on sites like ReverbNation.
It's cool to have support from friends, but this has to expand to a true FAN BASE.
Use more of the FREE tools, like Bandcamp, to market your music! Nick uses it with great finesse, for all the music that is release from Melodic Revolution, and so far the only cost is 10 cents per gig, for bandwidth. (correct me if I'm wrong Nick)
ALL the other store front sites are taking 40% or more, that means you have to SELL 40% more to get to the break even point.
Just a FANS point of view.

Comment by Terri G on May 13, 2011 at 7:31am

Personally interacting with our subscribers (fans) is the key to selling your music. They want to know who you are. Unfortunately it's not all about the music. It's about presenting yourself as a musician.

Comment by Smokin Joe Wiseman on May 12, 2011 at 11:14am

Wow - a real discussion! A tractor trailer load of feelings. Without naming a site - there's one that has a bank and I've been a member for 4 years or so. I paid to have my music placed on their site and so far, I have a total of $5.26 in the bank. Sometime after I die, I will probably break even.

I wish I had Richie's youth and energy. He has been tremendously generous in sharing his internet discoveries. His emotion is from the heart and I hear you my friend.

I do have a simple financial goal - I want to break even on my projects (CD's) so that I can keep building more. I got lucky on one song and broke even on that song alone. I am into my 4th project and am not breaking even but I have the artist's desire to create more songs and to cover songs I like or that suit the project I'm working on.

This site kind of came out of the blue and the terms are quite liberal. Many sites have agreement terms that give the owners of the site all kinds of ownership of our intellectual property. I have found that it pays to read those agreements before signing on to any site. Do not just click the "I agree to the terms and conditions" box and move ahead. Some of the terms are incredible in their veracity! I have loaded my music on many sites and have probably been snagged by some of those agreements but "C'est la vie" I get a little more savvy as I move along and try to get my music heard and achieve my financial goal. As a roots musician I am not likely to do better than that but will accept the financial rewards that may or may not come my way. It's all about the song!

 

Comment by Maggie Seligman on May 12, 2011 at 9:43am

It's interesting to read these comments--most are talking from their own experience, which is fine, but to generalize from that particular?  A point of view: music is an art form.  The idea that people can sell their art and become celebrated for it is a fairly new one.  In the past (into the early part of the last century), many artists were outsiders.  When you are an outsider, you are free to do what you want.  When you decide to sell yourself in order to achieve that celebrity, you are basically selling out.  Your art is processed and homogenized and you, too, become a product that is being bought and sold.  The music business preys on the ego of the artist, luring it along.  Being a musician has to be about creating your art--not exploiting it. As a musician, one should want to avoid being owned or controlled.  (At the end of the day I would rather be able to maintain my creative freedom and integrity--my songs and my sound--than get sucked into the machine.)   If musicians play the games and play by the rules of the music business, it perpetuates the game, the rules, and the status quo.  Go your own way and do and be something different. 

Comment by Subject to Thoughts on May 12, 2011 at 1:19am

I'm with you Matthew, I've been working on this project since 1999 (first as a hobby). It's still like a hobby, but it's a bit more evolved now. Damn, can't believe it's already been 12 years since I started this.

 

Since the start, I guess success also depends on the music you play. Our music is not your 3 minute songs, so I guess, popularity is not in our side. Anyway, I vowed to myself that I would rather make music that no one hears or buys than to play the garbage heard on radio. Some might call it "self absorbed," but that too me is music integrity.  Anyway, we've garnered some media attention throughout the years, received radio airplay, etc., yet, we're probably also in about the $ 50 - 100 range that we've sold. Pretty pathetic, but what can you do? So promotion can be a "hit or miss" kind of thing, but in all, promotion is the only way people will hear your stuff.

 

But most importantly, you must have luck on your side. At the end of the day, it's all about being at the right place and at the right time or playing the type of music people want to hear at a particular time. Unfortunately, luck nor faith is something I have.

Comment by Matthew Meadows on May 11, 2011 at 9:43pm

Richie, I think the problem is a little more nuanced than the position you've laid out here.  You've never had to promote your music in order for it to succeed but that doesn't necessarily make it true in the general sense.  I think you underestimate the magnitude of your own success because you're a nice guy.

 

The business model has already been redefined from what it was a generation and will continue to change over time.  I just haven't figured out the role my music has in it, if much of anything.  My album's been very well received, selected for multiple licensing opportunities and broadcast to millions both online and over FM, but my total haul to date is somewhere in the neighborhood of $50.  Hopefully the dialog that unfolds will yield some obvious guidance for those of us looking to enjoy some return on our investment.  I'm going to make new music regardless, and I intend for it to melt your face off, but I would make more/better/faster if I enjoyed the same degree of success that you have.  Cheers, bud!

Comment by Smokin Joe Wiseman on May 11, 2011 at 7:39pm

When cassette tapes allowed massive copying and sharing of music, the activity was built into the price of cassette recorders. A similar pricing needs to be built into internet delivery or data storage devices or both.

Comment by David Slater on April 21, 2010 at 6:00pm

Will be interesting to get the ARTIST perspective on this NEW WAVE. I can tweet my brains out, but I'm not on the FRONT LINES.
I know one thing for sure... THERE IS a lot more music in this world than what the local RADIO STATIONS feed us.
Back in the day, as MTV was starting, in Canada we had a show called the NEW MUSIC, which showcased local talent in live venues. But VIDEO almost did kill the radio star.
It may be OFF TOPIC for this site, but when groups like OK GO walk away from a label like EMI, just for more control of THEIR PRODUCT, makes you wonder why there is still the DRAW for the labels, but without the backing of DEEP POCKETS, getting played on MTV is a tough sell.

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