New Music Strategies and Being Human

Last weekend I was invited to sit on the panel of an exciting and lively debate held at the wonderful Being Human warehouse in Frome, Somerset.

Chaired by Andrew Dubber, the debate focused on digital strategies for independent music.  Also on the panel was Will Plowman of innovative Bristol based label A Future Without and electronic producer, the fantastic Laura B.

Keep reading and I'll share a link to a fabulous free ebook that every independent musician, band, label, manager and producer should have . . .

Like all debates on the future of any media industry in the face of an ever changing digital revolution, this one seemed to focus on a few major points:

1. How can I stop my music being shared?
2. Given everything is available for free, how can I make money?
3. What roles do traditional "Music Industry" businesses have in the new media economy?

How can I stop my music being shared?

This is a question which is relevant to anyone with niche content that they distribute electronically, be they a musician, photographer, writer or journalist.  The panel were all in agreement that you can't stop music being shared.  The technologies that make music available for free are out there and they can't be stopped.  Instead, ask how can you use technologies, such as peer to peer file sharing, to your advantage?

Laura B has had one song downloaded over 80,000 times through a single site.  That's 80,000 people who have listened to her music.  These people might like what they have heard enough to visit her website or MySpace page and listen to some more music.  If some of them like other songs they might think about subscribing to her newsletter.  If she uses her newsletter to send them another exclusive track they might even be persuaded to go and see her perform live and maybe, just maybe, visit iTunes or 7 Digital and buy her album.

Allowing your content to be distributed free is the first step in building a relationship with your audience.  No one is going to buy your music without hearing it first so let them hear it, let EVERYONE hear it.

Given everything is available free, how can I make money?

Good question.  The consensus among the panel was "get creative".  The old models are gone.  No one can sit in an ivory tower creating something perfect, then just wait for people to buy it.

Think about yourself as not just an artist but a brand.  Don't just sell music but give people a reason to buy into your whole package.

Add value to everything.  Make sure that when someone does give you money they get value and are treated with respect.

Look for new revenue streams and never stop looking because the digital world is changing all the time. 

What roles do traditional 'Music Industry' businesses have in the new media economy?

In the past, record labels, publishers and managers have either paid artists large sums of money or have been involved in aquiring large sums of money.  Labels and publishers traditionally paid artists large advances in lieu of future royalities.  The trade off for the artist would be signing away all their rights in a piece of music, usually for ever!

Like everything else in the digital revolution, this has changed.  Labels and publishers have been burned by multi-million dollar record deals with artists who have underperformed and left them high and dry.  The big advances have all but dissappeared.  So, what's the point?

These companies still have a vital role to play.  They are the gatekeepers of revenue streams which the artist can't reach on their own.  Ad agencies, film producers, tv companies and other media outlets still need great music but they need help in getting it.  They can't wade through demo tapes, so they call their publishing chums and ask them to make recommendations.

Increasingly, the big money is with synchronization deals which can only be gained with either massive exposure or by being plugged in to the network which is the wider music industry.

The great news for artists is that because the labels aren't giving out the big advances they get to retain more rights.  Of course, the labels take a large cut of any deals they make but artists now have much more control.

So what do I do now?

It's simple.  Andrew Dubber has written a fantastic ebook called "The 20 Things You Must Know About Music Online" and you can download it for free here.  It's full of very simple advice.  I'm going to be following the advice myself.  If you take a look at my own website, www.JeanJacquesSmoothie.com, you'll see a woefully out of date site, which I hearby public promise in front of all of you to improve, update and use!