Archive for August, 2008
We all can write a song and record it. The challenge is getting that song heard by the masses. In the days gone by, the only way to make it big was to get signed by one of the major record labels. There were no other mediums of getting your music heard. Now, there are many ways to publish that song (as long as the necessary copyrights have been filed). Some of those ways just to name a few are:
- Band or Personal web site
- MySpace
- Tunecore
The two most popular are definitely publishing the track on MySpace and/or listing the tracks for download on your own site. Facebook has just recently gotten into the music segment of the social networking game. If profit is part of the plan, one can use distribution services to help promote your name.
Let us not forget the method that can work wonders, word-of-mouth. With current technology, we can make copies of our works on CDs and MP3 on the computer and graphically make it look good. Make many copies of CDs or MP3s and hand them out to friends and family. If they think it’s good stuff, they will start the snowball effect rolling.
Another way of promoting yourself is to have someone host a performance featuring you either at their home or at the park. These concerts tend to be very personal, so make sure to have copies of your songs available to hand out. If the guests like what they hear, then others will want to have you play your songs at their events and the calls will start coming.
Even though it has become easier to get music out there for people to hear and experience, it involves a lot more time on the artists part to market. It is only after tons of hours of hard work and practice that one might get picked up by the big labels. In the meantime, we keep plugging along doing what we do best and that is writing great songs with great music and getting people’s opinions.
Many artists start out trying to be role models for their audience, but then something goes wrong. It seems that the philosophies and goals of the record labels and the artist don’t always meet in the middle; the philosophies and morals of the artist get derailed by marketing efforts of the labels. Unfortunately, a very large message is delivered through the wardrobe of the artists and when dealing with certain age groups, it is imperative to influence in a positive way rather than negative.
We all know that style is heavily dictated by stars who wear them. Style and the clothes that are worn by the artists on stage make an impression. Therefore, if an artist is made to wear something provocative, it sends out a non-verbal message that it is Ok to wear styles of that type when it really should not be. Wearing those styles can also send out misinformation about yourself. For example, if you’re going to wear something provocative just because an artist wore it, it is saying to others that you are seeking sexual pleasure when indeed you are the opposite.
We need more artists and record labels to promote positive actions in our current society rather than the negative that we have been bombarded with over the last couple of decades. Artists have always been able to make people aware of what is going on in the world and the changes that need to be made. Well…The one change that can be made can begin with them and that is doing what is right if they want to be models for others.