Whether you’re playing songs at a greasy truck stop for 65 bucks and a cheeseburger or you’re in a Greyhound bus trucking down to North Carolina to meet some hodgepodge director of a documentary film about children that breast feed until age 10. Chances are you’re an independent musician. Sure, making music is great and it’s loads of fun, but is it reasonable to think that we can actually sustain a living by saying buck you to the man and doing It all on our own? According to Talking Heads frontal David Byrne, it’s totally plausible.
Artists used to need the labels to bankroll their recordings. Most simply didn’t have the SSL 5,000 (Mullen) necessary to rent a professional studio and pay an engineer and producer. For many artists -? maybe even most -? this is no longer the case. Now an album can be made on the same laptop you use to check email. ” (Byrne, 2007) In other words, if you have 1000 dollars, you can buy a Macro, purchase a universal Serial Bus (USB) microphone, record, mix, and master your own songs without leaving your Traditionally record labels were in charge of spending hundreds of thousands of Lars on recording, packaging and distributing music.
With the invention of the internet, there’s a dramatic shift in business practices and record labels are losing money hand over fist. According to Ron Gimbals: “The recording industry is hemorrhaging financially from declining CD sales and is desperately seeking ways to stop the bleeding. In attempts to recover lost sales, the recording industry has done everything from lawsuits against file-sharers to dropping the prices of CDC. ” (Gimbals, 2005) In layman’s terms, it means that the internet is dipping into these conglomerates sockets and they’re desperately scrambling to try and stop the bleeding.
It’s no wonder why the popular band Radioed said buck off to major labels and released their record “In Rainbows” D. I. Y. (do it yourself) “At this end of the spectrum, the artist stands to receive the largest percentage of income from sales per unit -? sales of not everyone is as smart as those nerdy Radioed boys. ” David Byrne opines. (Byrne, 2007) That may sound all peachy keen and loaded with roses and sunshine, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves, major labels have been around for years and it’s clear that they’re to going anywhere. Take a cue from Marina Pallet. After selling 10,000 albums on own, I entered into a new record deal with Warner Pros licensing the album, and I got shot in the marketing arm that only a major label can bring. Suddenly, the same single that I had released to little fanfare (apart from Radio 2, to which I pretty much owe my career) was put on radio playbills everywhere and became a chart hit. Supermarkets started stocking my album. A major label has money, leverage and influence that is simply unavailable to most independents, and that isn’t going to change any time pallet, 2011)
If you don’t believe Marina, take it from the man who signed Elliot Smith, R. E. M. Rod Stewart and my more famous acts, former Reprise and Warner Brothers president: Larry Warmonger. “It really is a tough question. Ultimately I think that if you’re looking to be an artist with a career, a long term career, for the most part major labels is the Nay to go. ” (Warmonger, 2006) Most independent labels don’t get any radio airplay, so it’s interesting situation. “look you still need radio. The world has not changed that much {et. ” (Warmonger, 2006).
I spoke with 5 different classmates about whether independent musicians could unique and interesting in it’s own respect. I always find it interesting to listen to the people that haven’t been absorbed or warped by the entertainment business. The first person I interviewed was Steven Discard. Steven wants to be an actor and plans on going to Albany after D. C. C. When I asked him if independent musicians can survive he told me that “through social media and hard work and dedication, musicians can sustain a living while being independent. “If you want something bad enough, you’re going to put in the effort by going out to local shows, handing out flyers and making a name for yourself” (Discard, 2012) The Next interviewee was Dylan Cake. Dylan plans on being a youth minister and in his spare time he edits videos. Dylan perception is what I feel most people’s perception is. “l don’t think you can plan a retirement being an independent musician. I think that you might be able to sustain yourself for a bit, but eventually without support from the big guys, you’re goanna get lost” (Cake, 2012) The next person I interviewed was Marimbas Weissmuller.
Marimba’s a very soft- spoken women who goes to Duchess for liberal arts she Marimbas took this class because she is fascinated by the media and it’s interaction with society. I feel bad for the independent artists. It has to be a very hard lifestyle working all the time and not seeing any reward. Although I think it can work, there’s lots of hard work involved and Most likely my favorite interview was with a gentleman by the name of Daniel oriel. Daniel is the kind of guy that leads by example.
He’s a Com student and is into film production. “l definitely think independent artists can sustain a living. Independent artists have complete control over their intellectual property. Nobody’s getting into their art, nobody’s constantly hassling them for money. If they have a good product, ongoing to build their fan base and eventually majors are going to try and grab them up. Like with any industry, If you’re talented, people are going to try and use you”. Oh so true. (Tortellini, 2012) The final person I talked to was Stephanie Alicia.
Stephanie wants to be a writer, but it seems as if she’s too afraid to push herself out of fear of failure. “If I could do Anteater I wanted, I would choose to be a struggling author all of my life, but chances are, I’m going to do a 9-5 instead”. I’d like to think that independent artists can survive, but I don’t think it’s a comfortable living” (Alicia, 2012) My opinion is mixed. Eve been an independent artist and Eve been signed to labels. Both are interesting. On one hand, being independent gives you the freedom and total control of your work.
You’re doing everything yourself, you have nobody to answer to, you get no sleep the social networking sites, after awhile it feels as if you’re a slave to your art, scratch that, you are. It’s your music; it’s your message; it’s your life. Add on top of all the financial headaches and bills that go along with managing a business. Being on a major label gives you breathing room. There’s money coming in, we’re taking care of promoting, they have people running your social networking sites, they have people putting your face in magazines and on all those teeny popper magazines.
There’s a business manager, you’re Job is to focus on making the hits! Rhea problem is, is that music and art is completely subjective. What do shirt and ties about being on a road, writing a song, bleeding for what you believe in? Most of them Newer in failed bands or never have picked up an instrument before in their life. It’s ridiculous sometimes when you actually meet some of the people that work at these labels. How can we fix this problem? Easy, stop having major corporations run the radio stations and dictate to the people what music’s played on them.
If people cared enough, there could be change. Just like Steel, it’s only as strong as the hand that wields it. These radio stations are only popular because people listen to them. If people cared they would stand up and fight for their right! I find that sometimes the people have been turning into clear channel zombies. So I’ll address this situation again? “Can you make a sustainable living being by being an independent artist? ” Yes, if you’re smart, and you don’t travel too far, you Our product slowly and secure dedicated fans. It’s possible to pay your bills and have a DOD time.