Indie Music: Doin it yourself & gettin 'er done!
#TalkNerdyToMeLover's @erinpcapuano
The Indie music scene has always been a DIY (Do it yourself) industry and taken pride in being independent of large corporations. For years Indies were limited as to what they could do with their resources and limited to the amount of resources they actually had. Today all that is different because technology keeps changing and growing. Not only can artists use internet distribution sites to get their CDs out but now you can promote, create, and develop CDs all by the touch of a button. Today the internet is swarming with sites dedicated solely to Indie artists and their plight against large corporations. It's a camaraderie of creative, intellectual, eclectic people with a taste and flair for today's new technology.
You can find many sites dedicated to selling CDs one of the most popular is www.cdbaby.com in business since 1998 and known to help out the little guy with low prices and well known selling capabilities. As they say, "We're just a few people in a cool Portland, Oregon, CD warehouse that looks like a playground." They pride themselves on listening to every CD before they sell it so they can help you find other albums related to the artists you like. They sell CDs that come directly from the musicians. The musician sends them the CD they house them in their warehouse, sell them to consumers and pay the musician directly. It's as easy at 1, 2, 3! What sets cdbaby.com apart from their larger competitors, instead of paying musicians the measly $1-$2 per CD musicians make $6-$12 per CD and are paid weekly. Currently cdbaby.com has 161,069 artists selling their CDs on their site, 2,933,545 CDs sold online to customers, and $37,691,813.59 paid to artists. That's a lot of help to a group that needs all the help they can get.
Indie artists don't have the thousands of dollars it would take to hire some hot shot PR executive, but don't worry, there is always the internet. For affordable representation look no further than www.arielpublicity.com. Founder Ariel Hyatt began her publicity firm 10 years ago in Colorado, since its inception Ariel Publicity has publicized thousands of dates for touring bands, hosted hundreds of special events, launched record release campaigns and served as the PR director to several live music venues and festivals. Ariel has represented such acts and venues as B.B. King Blues Club, Amelias Dream, Sally Taylor, Jen Chapin, George Clinton, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Jennifer Marks and many, many others. Ariel believes in what the artists want to do and say and that appreciation of their music is what makes Ariel the go-to girl for all Indie acts if they want their name in print and their shows packed. It's very rare to come across a person who understands and personifies the adjective "Indie." Ariel does all that and more.
If you're an Indie artist looking to find all these resources, well they have a resource for that too. The Indie Contact Bible is your one stop shop for all things Indie. It truly is the bible to live by if you ever want to make your way through the Indie music industry. All genres of music are covered and they list where you can get your music reviewed and your songs played on the radio. It's a comprehensive, accurate, up to date list of today's best sites. The bible supplies 4000 publications from around the world that will review your CD, 3200 radio stations from around the world that will play your songs, 500 vendors and services that will help you to sell your music, 200 sites where you can upload your band's music files, and 500 useful resources to help promote your band. With over 50 articles that will help an artist's career to move forward. Authors include Tim Sweeney, Daylle Deanna Schwartz, Jeri Goldstein, Brian Austin Whitney, Derek Sivers, Diane Rapaport, Janet Fisher, Jodi Krangle, Lord Litter, and many more. Listed at only $34.95 US it's a plethora of great information for any artist looking to do it themselves.
If you're an artist looking to have your CDs reviewed so you can create some buzz to boost sales than these are the sites for you. www.lilithschild.net , www.collectedsounds.com and www.femmusic.com are all sites that will accept press kits and write reviews or profiles on various female Indie artists. With such a lack of places for females to go the internet has welcomed them with open arms and safe place to be heard. Lilith's Child is a webzine focused on women in music. They have about 6 issues a year all focused on different female artists. Collected Sounds is a site that profiles different female musicians tells you a bit about each one and how to find more of their music. Femmusic is also another type of webzine that profiles and writes reviews on various artists. Each site has fostered female musicians in their own way thrusting many artists into underground stardom.
Artists looking to network and make some connections with other artists can visit www.gogirlsmusic.com. Madalyn Sklar is the President and Founder, she started the site in 1996 with a vision of bringing together independent woman musicians from around the country. They offer a venue for artists to talk and connect but also offer articles from professionals on how to promote yourself, distribute your CDs and get your music reviewed. Excellent business advise from the people who know. www.indiegrrl.com founded by Holly Figueroa an Indie artist herself, is also a hub for Indie female musicians to network. Holly began her site in 1998 as a forum for information, networking, conversation about independent music from a female perspective. Today Indiegrrl has over 1500 members internationally making it the largest organization of its kind in the world.
Songwriting contests have always been a great source for exposure for Indie Musicians and a way to make a bit of extra money as well. www.songwriting.net USA Songwriting Competition has been a great partner to all Indie artists everywhere. It gives them a chance to showcase their talents to a wide range of people. Their partners www.inacoustic.com IAMA International Acoustic Music Awards promotes excellence in Acoustic Music Performance and Artistry. Acoustic artists in various genres can gain exciting radio and web exposure through this competition.
Internet Radio Stations have become all the rage it has replaced the stuffy old radio clock you used to listen to at your desk and given you more of a variety. Some Indie Radio Stations that are available for your listening pleasure are www.3wk.com,www.newartistradio.com, www.somafm.com. All of these stations can be accessed by the internet and streamed live to your computer. This is a great way for artists to get their music out there to listeners for free. The stations adopt the songs to their play lists and with the wonder of the internet you can stream as many songs as you need or want to for as long as you want to.
YouTube is growing at an alarming rate giving video the upper hand in the Indie music world. Artists can post their videos to YouTube and get the word out to their fans via their site or their MySpace profile. With mailing lists and bulletin posting on MySpace it's easy to promote a new video or CD. Today videos can be made with nothing more than a store bought camera and some creativity. Bands like Ok, Go with their music video showing them dancing on Tredmills has started a rage into YouTube and the underground music scene. At one point it was the most watched video and they were invited to perform on MTVs Video Music Awards, with their Tredmills of course. In a world where anything you say and do can be caught on camera it can be a huge plus for Indie musicians. Bad for politicians, good for musicians!
With all of these great resources we've enabled musicians and artists everywhere to spread their wings and fly. The possibilities are endless and there are plenty of people out there willing to lend a helping hand to those Indie artists in need. In the world we live in today consumers are starving for good, original, and creative music and are tired of hearing the same old boring songs. The internet has allowed us to do that it's allowed our voices to be heard. Indie artists supply the amazing music and the internet will handle the rest. I suggest visiting all of these sites and find the artists listen to their music and support them. We keep music alive not corporations.