Few people understand just how difficult it is for young emerging music artists to sustain their craft, let alone make a living at it. The world is full of talented musicians, singers and rappers who struggle every day to get their music heard and who have no real economical distribution channel for reaching the masses. The internet should have made it easier, but in fact it’s become harder than ever to rise above the noise of the millions of artists trying so desperately to be heard.
We’ve all heard the endless stories of struggling artists living out of their cars and working dead-end jobs just to support their passion. As many as I’ve heard, and continue to hear, I can't help but wonder about those that weren’t so lucky.
I’m not talking about those who lacked the talent. I’m talking about those gifted artists who just couldn’t afford to keep it going and who ultimately faded away into oblivion. Truth is, the world will never know just how many incredible and truly gifted artists we’ve missed out on simply because they couldn’t financially sustain themselves long enough to “make it”. Let’s face it, talent doesn’t always dictate who will sell music and who won’t.
Could it be that the Fans are the solution!
For years fans have devoutly supported the music industry not only by purchasing music, but by providing the single best marketing machine on the planet. Nothing, since the beginning of the recording industry, has resulted in more album sales than the simple act of one person exuberantly telling another about a new artist they heard or a new album they just bought. The general public has always been directly responsible for the success and failure of any artist.
That’s why I find it so incredibly hard to understand the thinking of the Recording Industry Association of America. The RIAA has filed more than 35,000 copyright infringement lawsuits since 2003. Just when they should be embracing the fans, they’re instead choosing to treat them as pariah.
While I absolutely do not support the violation of copyright law or the violation of the rights of artists, it seems that suing the very goose that built their golden egg is not only counterproductive, but just plain foolish.
I remember when buying a new album was like an event. I would go to the record store and browse the aisles admiring all of the album covers and after finally making my selection, I’d pay an actual person at an actual checkout counter. When I got home I’d tear the plastic wrapping off and listen for hours while reading the liner notes.
Today’s typical music purchase has no tangible feeling or similar emotions that we felt or associated with buying music years ago. You simply click a few buttons and bam, you’re listening to it on your ipod. No liner notes, no human interaction. It’s no wonder illegal downloading is so prevalent. It almost seems like a victimless crime. It’s just you and your computer.
The hard question is; how do you make the act of illegally downloading music seem as wrong as putting a CD under your coat and walking out of a store?
Perhaps a better tact to supporting Indie Music and preserving the sanctity of the artist’s copyrights is to embrace the fans!
Why not a plan that makes fans a part of the process? One that creates a dynamic that’s less retailer/consumer, but more like a partnership. If illegally downloading music meant stealing from not only the artists, but from other fans or themselves, would they be less likely to Kazaa? Would they begin to police themselves and others? If you had some ownership in an album or song, would it bother you if someone else obtained a copy illegally? I think that it might, and that’s why I believe that it’s a social experiment worth exploring.
Don’t get me wrong, no plan would ever completely eliminate piracy and illegal downloading. Even in the times long before MP3’s, there was theft, but I think embracing the fans in a way that gives them a vested interest in preserving and protecting the music, would be a huge step in the right direction.
I firmly believe that fans finally deserve to be rewarded for getting behind their favorite artists and spreading the word about the music they love. While at the same time, and just as passionately, I believe that music artists deserve to be compensated for providing us with their heart and soul in the form of recorded sound.
If indie music artists want to promote and sell music in a manner that’s safer and more economical, things will have to change. It’s time for a paradigm shift in the way Independent Music is promoted and sold.
Empower The Fans!
Howard Archer
EFCMag.comEmpoweredFanClub.com
