Support Network Neutrality with "Rock The Net"
August 31, 2007 by Jo Minor · 1 Comment
If you believe in “net neutrality”, i.e the ability for everyone to have equal access to online music and other online resources. you may wanna join the Rock the Net movement. You can get your band registered as a supported, and you can display their event dates, maps and more.
An excerpt from an article on the site:
Why Net Neutrality is Important for Musicians
The last decade has seen an independent music revolution powered by the Internet. An obscure band like OK Go rockets to national attention on the strength of a clever YouTube video. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah sells thousands of records based on blog buzz, and Sufjan Stevens sells out concert halls solely on the basis of Internet play. Fans have never had such a dizzying array of music choices before, and artists have never had an easier time reaching receptive audiences. And that’s just music - the net has opened the door for a wide range of media from political bloggers to amateur filmmakers. A big reason these changes have occurred is because the Internet treats all users the same. Whether they are major players like iTunes or an independent record label like Dischord, everyone has equal access to the Internet. If the web has worked so well, why change it?
Some cable Internet service providers such as Verizon and AT&T have proposed charging Internet content providers for having their web sites load faster. It’s essentially a toll for using the Internet “highway” these ISPs have built. The proposal would create a “tiered” web. Companies that are able to afford the fees would have better service. Those that can’t pay would be relegated to slower service. In the worst-case scenario, ISPs might even block certain web sites.
Site: http://www.futureofmusic.org/rockthenet/index.cfm
Indie Music Resources at Indie-Music.com
August 31, 2007 by Jo Minor · 3 Comments
Indie-Music.com is ranked number 1 in Google for the search term “indie music”, and that’s how I found them. And I’m glad I did, cos this site has a lot of great benefits the readers of this blog are going to love.
Here’s what’s worth mentioning:
- Promote your music - By paying $9.95 and up, you can create a profile and promote your music. The higher the music scores, the greater its exposure. This site gets over 5 million hits a month so you’ll possibly end up with more than a few loyal fans here.
- Indie music directory - they have tons of links that you can follow, which covers everything from record labels, to CD printing, local music studios, and even to blogs like this one
- Classifieds - Post a free / paid ad for your upcoming gig, guitars you wanna sell, and more
- Indie Music magazine - Online ezine that goes out to over 17,000 subscribers. If you want to promote your band / band services in the ezine, you can get an ad between $50 and $120
Site: www.Indie-Music.com
Professional Recording with Jeff Barnett, The Audio Dude
August 30, 2007 by Jo Minor · Leave a Comment
Jeff Barnett is the guy behind the custom recording work at SongwritersRecordingStudio.com
SongwritersRecordingStudio.com offers many services including professional demos, radio jingles, on hold music, custom songwriting, CD duplication for your original projects, and web design and hosting tailored to the needs of musicians and their careers.
Site: www.SongwritersRecordingStudio.com
Indie Vision Music
August 30, 2007 by Jo Minor · Leave a Comment
Indie Vision Music is a cool blog on indie music and music marketing. You can get some cool interviews with indie artists and also join their forum, where there’s tons of stuff going on.
Indie Vision Music is maintained by Josh, and runs on Wordpress with a really eye-catching design.
Site: www.IndieVisionMusic.com
Independent Music in Indonesia at IndieBandung.com
August 24, 2007 by Jo Minor · Leave a Comment
Indonesian artists rejoice! IndieBandung.com to save the day!
Most of the site is in Bahasa Indonesia, and even the English descriptions sound like another language. Therefore it’s no secret that I don’t understand some stuff over there, but I’ll take a shot at explaining the site.
- IndieBandung is a site dedicated to independent artists from the Indonesian region
- There’s also a forum where bands and artists come together to share contacts, promote events and stuff
- There are also several interviews with several Indonesian acts, on topics from their musical career to their advice for other musicians
- They also have a band chart but I’m not too sure how often it’s updated
They have great branding, and all their banners look excellent. But the site itself seems to be mismanaged. Like a lot of indie sites I’ve seen, it seems like it just died. Cause of death unknown.
Please correct me if you can understand the language. This is the best I can do.
Site: www.IndieBandung.com
Indie Music Directory at IndieBible.com
August 23, 2007 by Jo Minor · Leave a Comment
The Indie Bible is a 320-page music directory that is published once a year. In each publication you’ll find thousands of listings for places where you can push your indie marketing efforts to.
The ebook (digital book) version costs $34.95 but you can also get soft-bound copies sent to your doorstep with additional shipping and handling charges. There are a few update packages available too, for existing customers. You can choose between different versions here, and payment is done via Paypal.
You can also sign-up for their monthly newsletter, which currently goes out to 17,000 subscribers. In the newsletter you’ll receive 40-50 new sources every month that can help in your indie marketing efforts, including services that want to review your CD, play your songs on the radio, distribute your music and sell your downloads.
The only thing I didn’t quite like about the site is the use of heavy images that load slower than just plain ol’ text. I think the site could use a re-design to improve readability.
Site: www.IndieBible.com
The Future of Music Policy Summit 2007
August 22, 2007 by Jo Minor · Leave a Comment
Wanna be part of the future of music and have your say in music marketing? Then make sure you join the policy summit on September 17-18, 2007 in Washington DC.
There are over 30 panel speakers, from all different aspects or the music industry. You can expect to cover pretty much everything you want to know here, just refer to the schedule.
You can pay to attend for one day or both days, and there’s a discount for early birds and online registrations.
This is an annual event. They are also giving out music scholarships.
Site: www.FutureOfMusic.org
Showcase Your Music to A&R Reps
August 22, 2007 by Jo Minor · 5 Comments
ShowCaseYourMusic.com makes an interesting promise: Get massive publicity and hopefully land a record deal in the process.
Basically, what you do here is create a profile page (they call it a showcase) just as you would with your MySpace page. And just like Myspace, the site itself looks like crap.
The basic idea is that A&R reps are going to come to the site, and search for artists to invest a couple of thousands in. How true that is, I don’t know.
If you’ve used this service and had any luck with them, do submit a comment below.
Site: www.ShowcaseYourMusic.com
Should There Be Democracy in a Band?
August 22, 2007 by Jo Minor · 2 Comments
I believe in democracy. But let not lie to ourselves - democracy has it’s weaknesses.
The same weaknesses can be seen in a band that practices democracy. Everything takes a long time. It takes a long time to decide on a song title. It takes a long time to decide on practice sessions. It takes a long time to decide what songs to play first.
It takes a long time to do anything, period!
Wouldn’t it be better, if one person made all the decisions for the band?
Don’t most of the greatest moments in history, the greatest music ever played, and the greatest albums ever produced come from one person’s genius and choices?
If there needs to be some kind of compromise, let’s call it a “partial democracy”. That way, the band leader makes the important decisions with regards to the direction of the band, but there is still room for other band members to give their suggestions and vote on certain topics.
What’s your opinion? How does it work in YOUR band? Do let me know by submitting a comment below..
Independent Malaysian Bands at i-Bands.net
August 18, 2007 by Jo Minor · Leave a Comment
Where do independent bands in Malaysia go to get more exposure for their music? It happens at www.I-bands.net among other places, but the website itself seems to be a half-baked idea.
According to the site:
i-bands is basically a free band/artist website management and audio hosting service for Malaysian independent bands & artists. i-bands allows them to upload and manage their songs, news, profiles & contact information via a user-friendly interface which requires no prior knowledge of HTML at all (it will help but it’s not necessary).
Don’t get me wrong; their forums seem to be active but there are many parts for the site that seems to be “under construction”. Considering that the site was up since 2004, that’s a hell of a long time!
i-Bands has their own music charts which features the top 20 most played songs on the site. It also features the top 20 songs in individual genres. The charts however have no online streaming capabilities. Instead, when you click on the songs you’ll download an iTunes playlist that streams the songs in your iTunes. Not a real big problem, though it would be better to have an integrated online player.
They also have an online space for Malaysian bands, but most of these are empty. i-Bands should consider NOT offering a Myspace-like service and instead focus on the music distribution / advice niche.
There’s a message on the forum that says “A brand new i-Bands is coming your way” - but no information on when or what to expect. I sure hope it’s soon, cos this is an example of a site with a lot of promise.
See: www.I-Bands.net
