Few can deny that the Internet is changing the face of music.
The unshaven kid who frequents coffee shops armed only with his
acoustic guitar no longer has to post fliers all over the city to
attract an audience, but can simply post an Internet bulletin to
let hundreds of people know. The group of garage-rockers down the
street who used to hand-burn thousands of CDs and mail them out one
by one now can host their entire album on a Web site for free.
In the last two years, Web sites such as PureVolume.com and
MySpace Music have given hundreds of thousands of unsigned
musicians the opportunity to post their music on the Internet.
MySpace is a free social networking Web site, comprised of millions
of users who can create their own account and, in a matter of
minutes, write journal posts, comment on their friends’ pages
and discover people with similar interests. Similarly, artists who
sign up on MySpace Music can upload MP3s, post lyrics, make songs
available for download, offer booking information and associate
with other like-minded musicians.
“We have a PureVolume and a MySpace (account), and
they’re really important as far as trying to have as much
exposure as possible to the online audience,” said Taylor
Rice, a UCLA second-year undeclared student and guitarist of indie
outfit Cavil at Rest. “We talk to people all the time through
the inbox and comments.”
This opportunity to communicate through the Internet with
millions of music lovers also allows musicians to actively witness
how their music is being received and see which songs are being
played the most.
“Every time someone leaves me feedback, it inspires me to
write another song,” said San Diego-based singer/songwriter
Ryan Cox. “It gives me a good feeling that people are
enjoying what I do and it makes my writing a little
better.”
“It definitely has an impact on encouraging us as
musicians, as a young band that’s struggling to make
it,” agreed Rice.
With so many artists trying to establish themselves and
competing for the attention of fans, however, music-hosting Web
sites can also seem daunting. Many established groups, ranging from
mainstream superstars Kanye West and U2 to alternative rock acts
such as Weezer and Ben Folds, use MySpace alongside unsigned and
underground artists.
“There are so many other artists that have so many styles
and obviously, there are a lot of people that are way better than
me,” Cox said. “But I’m trying to create my own
style of music, so as long as I stick with what I do musically and
feed my own person, I don’t feel intimidated by other
people’s stuff because mine is different.”
MySpace has attempted to even the scales with its MySpace
Records compilations, placing independent artists on the same CD as
Weezer and Dashboard Confessional. Additionally, a prime feature of
the MySpace home page is a rotating featured band.
Voxtrot, an indie rock band who will perform at a Campus Events
concert at the Cooperage on March 13, experienced firsthand the
benefit of being a featured artist one week.
“We just logged on one day and it was there. It was
bizarre, but really helpful,” said Ramesh Srivastava, the
band’s front man. “We just logged on and ta-da, we got
around 7,000 new friends in seven days.”
As music-hosting Web sites continue to evolve, they afford new
opportunities to their artists. In addition to using Myspace Music
to sell albums and merchandise, Cavil at Rest has used the Internet
to promote its live performances.
“We tried to book a tour last summer, going up the coast
by ourselves without any booking agent, without any manager, and we
used Myspace primarily as a tool to do that,” Rice said.
“It’s really important for networking, booking local
shows (and) trading shows. We’ve done a lot of deals like
that.”
Some Web sites have taken this concept even further. Justin
Goldberg, head of Indie911.com and a music-industry figure for the
last 15 years, realizes the potential effect the Internet can have
on musicians.
“Indie911 was set up to bridge the chasm between the
signed artist and the unsigned artist,” Goldberg said.
“We sell digital downloads; we offer film and television
licensing; we track radio play; we distribute songs throughout the
internet radio stations through partners; … we set up gigs; we
have a monthly showcase at The Viper Room. We do just about
everything you can think of to help an independent artist forward
their career.”
Record companies have also become increasingly involved in the
Internet music industry, searching for new ways to make a profit in
an international market that has lost $9 billion in the last five
years, totaling a 20 percent decline in revenue.
“We had this huge hold on releasing our EP because the
printing got all messed up,” Rice said. “So we released
it online a month early and through that, we got attention from
managers and attention from record labels.”
Since the early Internet release of Cavil at Rest’s EP,
titled “Apples to Oranges,” the band has had an offer
from Abacus Records, done a showcase for Virgin Records, and
expects various label representatives to be in attendance at
upcoming shows.
While some see obtaining a record deal as the ultimate goal,
Goldberg warns that in an era in which an unsigned artist is
capable of doing so much independent of record labels, artists
should proceed with caution.
“My advice would be to hold off on a record deal as long
as possible, because record companies don’t discover talent
anymore,” he said. “They simply acquire
revenue-generating machines, and they don’t really care what
it is.”
As the role of record companies becomes decreasingly personal
and the simplicity of putting music on the Internet grows
exponentially, some worry that the integrity of music will be
compromised.
“It seems that people are just doing it now because
it’s easy,” Cox said. “They don’t respect
the music.”
“It’s sort of a double-edged sword,” Goldberg
added. “With the advent of Pro Tools and other digital
music-making resources, the overall quality of demos is higher. The
(sound) quality has improved but the number of great artists has
remained the same.”
For those who hope they are among that number of great artists,
the Internet offers a world of possibilities. Though sites such as
MySpace and Indie911 have already established firm roles in the
music industry and now offer unsigned musicians and major label
bands alike an astonishing number of services, Goldberg says things
are just getting started.
“Ultimately, it’s the greatest thing to ever happen
to music,” he said. “But, like most great things, it
takes a while for people to adjust to what it means.”