The playing field is being leveled in the music industry. If you don’t start building a community to sell your product to; product beyond just music, you are selling yourself short.
Patrick Sullivan, CEO of RightsFlow had this to say,
With the music consumption model that exists today, the winners are the set of artists who take advantage of the building blocks to generate community and commerce. Given the ease of access to distribution channels and the toolkit available to artists today, (CD Baby, DiscMakers, ReverbNation, Topspin, Tunecore, etc.), opportunity exists for all musicians to successfully create and connect globally. This digital evolution has created a new set of winners who are creatively and artistically stimulating perception of their music… perception that equals value by actually fueling a reality of revenue. The tools are available to all: drive perception; drive value; drive success.
In the old model 90% of artists didn’t make money and had to keep their day gig. In the new environment, 100% of artists can be winners by creating positive income streams and finding some level of success.
“While they may still need to work the day gig, a real choice and a real opportunity exists to play and be heard that just wasn’t available before.”
The system now allows the set of “winners” to maximize the perception, drive perceived value, and generate real value that cuts through the clutter and makes people want to listen. The new system gives the 90% that didn’t make money previously a real shot to be heard, connect and make — at least and at last — a bit of their own money. The revenue streams are out there… develop your blueprint to success and claim them for yourself.
I hear so many artists – mostly in the folk world, admittedly – who want to dwell in the “but it’s just supposed to be about making music” mindset, and don’t (or won’t) see that it IS about making music, and making that music available and compelling for your audience is a big part of their responsibility as artists. I mentioned Erica Wheeler in my blog post earlier today – she’s done this so well with her Seven Soulful Ways to Connect to Place eBook and talks on conservation that dovetail into her songs.
It seems so obvious to me. You want to be able to make music as a career and bring your music to as many as possible, to do that you will need money to support yourself. Absolutely nothing wrong in asking your fans and supporters for money in exchange for something they value and appreciate. If you decide to ignore the commerce than you will eventually reach a point where you have stop making music because you need to do something else to survive.
“Product beyond just music” – Yes! Artists are just as valuable as people as they are as musicians and access to them is just as valuable as access to their music. Live shows are a combination of both and the obvious money maker, but artists don’t have to be making or playing music all the time to be making money. Technology channels that offer direct, intimate interactions between artists and fans can most definitely be monetized.