If content syndication and distribution is the hottest topic on this blog at the moment, then music metrics is a close second. Over the weekend, I played with a new service I read about on Hypebot called RockDex. More like Google Alerts than Google Analytics for measuring music buzz, the free point-and-shoot service leverages the API’s of several social networks to measure an artist’s volume of mentions on Twitter and Blip.fm, content on YouTube and Flickr, and fans and listens on Last.fm and iLike, producing a score out of one hundred for each category. Third-party ‘how-to’ recommendations are placed strategically next to each score in an effort to help the artist raise his social buzz and, in turn, score on RockDex. I am not quite sure how useful or even representative this service is. I am guessing that it is intended as a snapshot of a broader service to come or marketing collateral for Music Arsenal, the company’s paid web-based CRM solution for artists and record labels, reminiscent of ArtistForce.
Three very important shifts have taken place over the last decade. All of them are having a major impact on the way independent artists build their career. First, the record labels, movie studios, and other media companies no longer spend the time and energy they once did on discovering undiscovered talent. They’re more interested in promoting established artists, which they believe is a safer bet. Second, the tools to produce music, movies, books, and other kinds of art have been democratized: from ProTools to Garage Band to Final Cut Pro, they’re accessible and inexpensive. Third, the channels to distribute all sorts of creative products have also been blown wide open: today, anyone can distribute a video or a song or an image to a global audience, for free, on sites like MySpace, YouTube, and iTunes.
The result is the noisiest, most chaotic marketplace that creative artists have ever known. That noise and chaos creates the two biggest challenges facing artists today: how do you cultivate a big audience for your work, and how do you leverage that audience to support your career financially?
Scott Kirsner wrote Fans, Friends & Followers to address those challenges with useful strategies, examples, explanations, and first-person success stories. It includes an overview of the tools, sites, and services that pioneering artists are using to create a new relationship with their audience. The heart of the book is a collection of thirty interviews with visual artists, comedians, animators, documentary filmmakers, musicians, writers, and others who’ve pioneered new ways to build a creative career online (and off). It delves into the business models that can support leaving the day job behind. Musicians in the book include Damian Kulash of the band OK Go, talking about how they collaborate with their fans; Jill Sobule, who financed her 2009 release, “California Years,” through her Web site; DJ Spooky; lounge lizard Richard Cheese; and Jonathan Coulton, who has legions of fans who produce their own videos for his songs. And all of the material in the book was collected in 2008 and 2009.
Band Metrics is a data analytics and decision support system for the music industry, helping its users define and learn about their target audiences. The system gathers pertinent data about artists and displays manageable statistics and assumptions for its users’ insight, application and marketing advantage. For instance, Band Metrics will provide feedback about an artist’s presence on a variety of social networks which, in turn, can be applied to target promotional campaigns and isolate the areas where the artist may more effectively invest his resources. Currently in private Beta, interested parties can apply for an invitation to test the site. I’m waiting for mine.
Digital music distribution is a hot item on this blog and those who read it know that I keep a close eye on the three major players catering to small independents, namely ReverbNation, TuneCore, and CD Baby. All three have lowered the barrier of entry for indie artists and small labels to distribute their catalogues to iTunes and other major online retailers for upfront fees as opposed to hefty commissions by the likes of The Orchard, INgrooves, IODA, IRIS, and others, who generally avoid small players anyway. Now, a new digital music distribution dotcom has emerged but with an ad-supported business model. WaTunes aims to thrive on ad revenue by providing artists and labels with a free (no frontend fees, no backend commissions) distribution channel to online retailers such as iTunes, Napster, and eMusic.
The slightly questionable website service description and makeshift appearance promises to provide the same level of content marketing and distribution as its rivals, and much more. In theory, WaTunes is offering a very attractive service to a huge potential market, but is it sustainable? SpiralFrog, We7 and Qtrax have yet to prove that their ad-supported download services have legs. In this economy, I’m not sure that any upstart can scale on advertising revenue alone.
Business models aside, I’m somewhat concerned about WaTunes’ cryptic service description and the fact that their web pages are riddled with spelling mistakes and poor marketing copy. It’s a bit like walking into a fancy restaurant only to notice that the toilets are overflowing with shit halfway through your dinner. Going with my gut here (no pun intended), I feel that the musician-led platform may be biting off more than they can chew… but I would love to be proven otherwise. I like free. Who doesn’t?
Slicethepie and Bebo announced a co-venture this week whereby Bebo members will have the opportunity to grab the A&R seat at Slicethepie’s artist career-funding network. Strikingly similar in concept to Sellaband, Slicethepie is tapping into the leading British social network’s community assets while Sellaband remains very much an independent platform. The music “business” role-play idea has been embraced by a number of players in one form or another, including Songness, TheNextBigSound, and Soundout, a Slicethepie imprint, based on the belief that if potential fans are provided with both a true hand in an artist’s fledgling career as well as a financial incentive, consumer loyalty and word-of-mouth shall follow. Perhaps the shape of things to come.
I’ve been following Bandcamp for a little while now (see earlier post) and I noticed today that the company made some revisions to its home page. Most notably, Bandcamp created a “features” page which lists the entire suite of tools and services. I was also delighted to learn that Bandcamp now provides Creative Commons licensing designations:
Under the Creative Commons licensing designations, artists who make their music public, in this case via Bandcamp, are providing limited rights to other artists and music fans who wish to remix, share, or use the music in a variety of ways without having to formally ask permission.
As an artist, getting your ass on stage and performing to as many people as often as possible is key. In the US, SXSW is arguably the largest draw of both music fans and artists, certainly independent artists. Should you get on a SXSW stage? Of course you should. However, assuming that you are not yet well known, playing live at an over-crowded and super competitive event has its limitations. Sometimes, you have to get off the stage in order to truly make an impact and, year after year, I’m seeing more independent artists attending music conferences, on their own behalf, and with their business hat on. Although the largest of the lot, Midem in Cannes and Popkomm in Berlin, also offer a variety of live performance opportunities to acts big and small, the true event value is in the aimless wondering between the booths and random handshakes with industry professionals. I’m not joking. You’ll meet a lot more people on the floor than on stage. If you meet someone who wants to hear you play, both Midem and Popkomm have listening rooms big enough for you to perform acoustically. If nothing else, attending these events will teach you a lot about the current music market and provide you with the confidence to approach prospective partners who may [or may not] invest in your next recording, touring, licensing, or writing initiative. You never know.
Songness, launched last summer, provides a platform for songwriters and performing artists to receive feedback from prospective fans. Much like the SoundOut concept, Songness is geared toward populating relevant marketing reports through “virtual focus groups” that will help its music-making users identify potential fans and improve their craft through constructive criticism. Songness has taken a unique approach to artist-to-fan interaction by focusing on the relationship between the artist and fan as the music is being created, rewritten and improved, rather than engaging the fan with the finished musical product, a strategy which OurStage and Sellaband have deployed with lots of financing and reasonable traction (see The Next Big Sound also). With Songness, the idea is to test your songs before you go to market. There is also the promise of turning new fans into paying customers but here, I think, Songness may be getting carried away. I haven’t signed-up yet but the site looks good and the concept relevant.
Motley Crue’s guitarist, Mick Mars, has struck a deal with the celebrity services division of Paid Inc., a new media company with a strong focus on online relationship and ecommerce solutions for celebrities, to build a brand new website at www.MickMars.tv and host a range artist-to-fan relationship features to maximize Mars’ online presence. In addition to offering Mar’s musical portfolio, the site will introduce new and exclusive guitar clinics, educational resources, and personal performance tips and video demonstrations. There will also be a strong focus on authentic Motley memorabilia and a new line of merchandise, all under the Paid Inc. celebrity brand management umbrella.
Today marks the launch of We Are Listening’s brand new site! We have spent almost a year developing and implementing a facelift for the platform and backend features that will improve the overall user experience and song contest and lyric writing contest entry workflow. Soon, every participant in our music competitions will have access to a backend dashboard with entry management and content security tools. It’s all fairly straight forward stuff, really. Although re-branded, We Are Listening’s commitment to world class opportunities, awards, and musician resources for indie artists and unsigned bands remains at the forefront of the company’s mission.
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