Survival for New Artists 101

            With the advent of the digital downloads, obtaining music as we knew it becomes a thing of the past and is a much simpler process now.  An article by David Byrne gives a multitude of interesting facts about the history of music to current, albeit 2007, standards in which we obtain music for our use.

            I loved Byrne’s description of the history of music.  He described music in the past was used strictly for social function and entertainment.  Nearly every possible social avenue you could think of from pubs to soirees to the church as well as the home.  Once music was performed, that was the extent of your experience. You could only relive it in your mind. 

            As he relates, music in the 20^th century is part of our “social fabric”; indeed, it permeates our lives.  There are few instances where you do not associate music with events in your life.

            I said all of that to give hope to the new, emerging music artist.  Our technology is reinventing itself almost daily!  Think of how far the recording industry has traveled in 135 years: from the first phonograph in 1877 by Thomas Edison to the current mp3 and digital downloads.

            Now, there are several different distribution models for the music industry:

             If you want to have a stress-free and hands-off experience, then the 360 deal is for you.  Every aspect of your career and music distribution is handled for you with a wider degree of promotion.  Byrne lists the Pussycat Dolls, Korn and Robin Williams as artists letting one organization handle their touring, recording, merch but with little creative control. The one positive of such a deal would be the money often offered up front.  The recent signing of Madonna to Live Nation will be a model worth watching to see how she maintains control of her career.

            On the other end of the spectrum is the self-distribution model where “the music is self-produced, self-written, self-played, and self-marketed.”  (¶33).  The upside to this approach would be the advantage of having complete control over your music, how it is produced, recorded and distributed. The downside, not very cost effective if you are on limited funds.

            Check out the rest of the article to find out more about the other distribution models available for new artists.  Byrne has several charts and statistics to back up his information.  Just like each of us is unique, one of these models will fit your needs. 

Byrne, D. (2007, December 18). David Byrne's Survival Strategies for Emerging Artists.    Wired.com . Retrieved February 19, 2012, from http://www.wired.com/print/entertainment/music/magazine/16-01/ff_byrne