marc wrote:
> ... or we can seek real alternatives in
> mp3/cdr/tape/file/whatever sharing and trading, in getting in touch with
> local and global artists trying to achieve similar ends, and in educating
> people to think about things differently.
once you start seeking out MP3 files from unknown artists, there's no
telling what you might find. some of the most original music is hidden
on the net somewhere, & its author probably doesn't even think of
themselves as a "valid" musician (because like most they have been led
to think you're not a musician until you get a contract).
this was my first, & biggest surprise when i started my online label no
type: that there were so many talented musicians & composers worldwide
with no record label contract. how could this happen? as with many
things, it's usually a combination of very simple things. creating a
demo costs a tremendous amount of money & time; not simply recording it
(fortunately you can do this at home now) but pressing it, collecting
addresses, sending it around, following up, etc. following this
paradigm, every mistake is another expense. one might need to create 10
highly "professional" demos before a producer pays attention. not to
mention that you usually don't get any interest from a demo alone; a
producer will want to know if you have a strong following (who will buy
your CDs), if your live shows are popular, etc. when you get to a
certain point it doesn't matter at all what kind of music you play so
long as someone sees a market for it.
online labels & music repositories help short-circuiting this state of
affairs, by cutting down many costs which have nothing to do with the
musician's talent or vision. the biggest problem from that point onward
(at least if you intend to make it into a "career") is popularity: how
to build a fan base. 2 years ago MP3 had a pretty bad name to it & no
one would trust an MP3 label unless it offered tracks from well-known
artists. right now it's getting better; i know we are gaining some
reputation simply because we are still there after 2 years & a half, &
some of the artists associated with us are beginning to make a mark on
their own; this reflects positively with the rest of the site.
in the end, i would bet that no investor would have ever given us a
chance. but without using any money, we've managed to build a
collection of music that is interesting & challenging on many levels,
well done & which i personally _enjoy_ much more than many of the things
i buy on CD or vinyl! & more importantly, this music has no strings
attached & belongs to those who made it only; it can be changed,
removed, or posted elsewhere at will. this follows my belief that
"artistic property" should never be transferrable to anyone, & that the
act of buying someone else's "copyright" is in fact a form of slavery.
(for the record, "artistic property", the right to own the tangible form
of something you have created (i.e. not the idea behind it), is
different than "intellectual property" which should never exist to begin
with, as pharmaceutical & biotech corporations continue to demonstrate.)
~ david
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