Posts Tagged: ‘radio station’
The Indispensable Musician – Part 2: The Musician-Centered Paradigm
- by John on March 27th, 2010
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MUSICIAN CREATES MUSIC –> MUSICIAN TELLS FANS –> FANS MIGHT BUY
There was a time when I believed I could make a living by creating music that I loved, slapping it onto a CD, sending it to CDBaby, promoting it on a radio station, getting it discovered by a label, and watching my inbox for sales reports. Perhaps a bit naive for the new kid on the block, but that was my childish dream. I tried it. That model failed.
In his book, Free: The Future of a Radical Price, Chris Anderson clearly lays out the dilemma with this model. The cost of goods is heading toward zero, competition is skyrocketing, and the perceived value has plummeted.
For example, I rarely buy music. Yep, a musician who rarely buys music. My iPhone holds several days worth of music. I can download countless MP3s from various artists’ websites, Amazon.com, and other legitimate sources. When I want to listen to something new, I swing over to Pandora. When I reach the limit on the free account, I swing over to Last.fm, theSixtyOne.com, or Uvumi.com for unlimited streaming. Most of the CDs I own were given as gifts.
How does a musician eek out a living in the world of FREE? Unless he tours and sells a ton of CDs and tickets, he’s not going to survive. His CDs will continue to sit and collect dust in the closet. Then, after exhausting himself, he settles back into a more reliable source of income, hopefully something he really enjoys. Music becomes a hobby for nights and weekends.
There’s got to be a better way.
Prev…Part 1: Introduction