As musicians, we know there are musicians out there putting out quality music. The question that should come to mind is “Why is it so hard to find?” Real talent and new music is out there, but because of the unrest in the music industry, artists who break the mold are not being selected by the record companies for contracts. A&R companies such as Taxi get new talent in all the time, but record companies keep calling for the same cookie cutter sound that no one wants to buy. If you find the good stuff, you have to actively search. Unfortunately, when you contantly hear on the radio the same cookie cutter material, you come to a fast assumption that the talent has disappeared.
Because of this cookie cutter philosophy, musicians have had to become more creative and more self-reliant. Since the big companies are not searching the way they used to, musicians have to promote their work. Getting our work out there and noticed requires relying on connections and increasing the impression upon the target markets. Thus, letting people know you have a unique sound requires some marketing skills.
As listeners, to find new we have to search outside traditional means. Since indie musicians are the ones with a unique product, the most obvious place to look should become the Internet. If we search places suc as MySpace, music download sites, and indie distribution channels, the odds of finding something fresh is likely.
Like a good snack or meal, it takes trial and error and when we find a good one we should notate it and share the word with others. That’s the way music is right now. It’s like that little hole in the wall restaurant that’s been there but had to go out and sample it to realize that it can compete with the current competition.
