As we've spent the last few years trying to get our music out there, we've heard over and over again about how much better it is now for independent artists to get heard. Obviously, pre-internet there was no way you could reach such a worldwide audience without the help of a record label or promoter. You can post your music just about anywhere and people from all over can potentially discover you. That is an incredibly powerful tool that enables artists who would never have been heard to get their music to people in countries halfway around the world.
However, on the flip side, the internet is completely saturated with independent artists(us included!) and the chances of people finding you through all that, is not that great. Also, it's SO much easier(and cheaper!) to make music from home. Personally, we think it's great that the tools of music creation are available to so many. However, it's hard to distinguish yourself as a legitimate band vs. just a bedroom hobbyist. In a perfect world there would be a way for people looking for new bands to separate them out and find them AND a place for hobbyists to post their music. We're not saying going back to the record label era but, maybe, some kind of filtering that helps bands, and their potential fans, locate serious new artists. Obviously, a lot of it comes down to hard work and perseverance, which hasn't changed. It's just that we know a few hardworking artists who, like ourselves, have found the internet both a powerful tool and a completely flooded market.
Tell us what you think- has the internet music 'revolution' been a good thing or is there still a ways to go?
I think the Internet is slowly creating a way of thinking. Just because we all have total access to all things, doesn't mean that everything posted is good or even worth a listen. However due to the impersonal nature of the Internet, you better be ready for people to rip you to shreds online if they don't like your stuff. Case & Point:
ReplyDeletehttp://bit.ly/bwQzOA
This guy's music is awesome in my opinion, but people seem to not like it because it's not "Ground Breaking" or "fresh" etc.. Have a read on the comments. This is pretty much the general attitude of people on the Internet.
There was a period of time where I didn't feel like I was ever going to discover amazing or interesting bands anymore because of the Internet. Two things happened that changed that, and now I'm finding acts that I not only enjoy their music, but sometimes am communicating and becoming "key-pals" (modern day "Pen-Pal") with.
The two things are:
Pandora and Soundcloud.
Now, I find the same excitement driving down the road with my iPhone streaming pandora. All of the sudden a band like Marbert Rocel comes on and I'm excited to know about them! I bookmark the song, get home, check out the album, buy it- and then research the band! It's the most rewarding thing to find acts like this amongst the cacophony of crap out there.
Feels like I'm alone in the way of getting back to the adventure of it all.. I don't have to be blown away every time I find new music. I just want to enjoy it, even if it's a re-hash of things before.. Isn't everything?