It is certainly easy for artists to feel overwhelmed and defeated in today’s marketplace. Because the Majors , in their sloth and greed did not define a new direction, they failed. Not only themselves, but the whole industry of listeners. When software companies and video game companies were innovating, sometimes more than once a year, the record companies were litigating and praying for a miracle. As a good friend once said, if it was a shoe store with only two good pairs of shoes and everything else was garbage, they wouldn’t last a season. Well, they lasted a little longer than a season, but mostly from catalog sales, and now the internet has wiped that out forever. Also on the independent artist front, I empathize with the overwhelming feelings that most indie artists have , between social networking, printing up flyers, answering emails and posts, and writing, producing, and manufacturing, most artists are doing the work of ten people or more. This is a stark contrast to what I used to see when I would go into labels for meetings. It was not unusual to see most of the people on the floor surfing the internet, chatting with colleagues, or just daydreaming.
That was then , this is now. I predict in the next two years a collapse of the major label system, similar to the intransigence of General motors in the face of competition from abroad. While toyota innovated and listened closely to customers, the labels sued their customers. The get what they deserve. As for artists, I strongly suggest reaching out to the vast talent pool that is being created by the economic downturn. As an engineer/producer that had many hit records and awards, I can personally tell you that my mantra is innovate or die. I am looking into more and more ways of trying to make my projects a better experience for listeners, whether its adding HD mixes, videos, biographical material, free mp3s to share with friends. All these add value to the listener, and echoing what I read above a happy listener is the name of the game. the music business is not dead, its only lying in the middle of the road…It’s high time we pick ourselves up and get out there and prove that the indie model can work. Ive seen it first hand.
Bassy bob is a veteran of the business, with 30 years mixing records for artists like christina aguilera, sheryl crow, bob dylan, and biggie smalls. He now considers himself an “indie” artist. He also teaches mixing now to indie producers and mixers.
