Nightflying: The Entertainment Guide

     It’s no secret that many successful business ventures called for cutting out the middle man.In every industry business people have sought to “get to the source” or “cut out the middle man” for a more lucrative profit. The Internet has opened an array of windows for the present day musician. The dinosaur age has ended, no more clueless paths to finding a gig in different towns, begging and bribing radio DJ’s, shopping for publishers and record companies, and sending pricy press kits. Now a band or musician can book a gig at a coffee shop in Amsterdam comfortably from his couch in Booger Hollow, Arkansas. I’m not saying that no talent is needed, or that everyone will be successful, (remember patience is a virtue) and persistence is a must in this “biz”. Cutting out an agent, or promoters cut of the gig money may mean the band gets a hotel instead of sleeping in the van or at the local shelter.
    Has the music industry lost its need for publishers, record companies, and maybe even agents & managers? Will artists be able to launch their own careers without waiting for that, “big break”? The answer can be yes for the persistent and computer savvy musician. The Internet has launched major careers for quite a few bands that might not have made it out of the garage if not for their networking skills.
    Today, Internet connections can link musicians directly to their audience. Artist websites and free social forums such as MySpace, Reverb Nation, Face Book, Jambase, and countless others provide a vast audience in the millions, with most users always looking for new music. There is also a certain lure to “unfound music” stemming from the “Under ground scene”, Internet listeners stumble across new music and if they like it, feel they have struck a private gold mine, or became a member of a private club.
    There are countless free Internet radio stations such as www.songvault.fm that are always looking for new music to play on their stations, thus prompting the listener to maybe go to your site and buy your music. Even satellite radio offers unsigned stations that you can pitch your music to.
    Selling your music has never been easier, digital mp3 sites such as CD Baby, SNOCAP, Tunecore, even Yahoo and Amazon, for a percentage, help to cut out CD distribution, CD stores, publishers, and even physical CD’s. Distributing options for CD’s such as Disk Makers can also be a cheap way to sell CD’s to your audience. A good home studio can cut out expensive record company recording costs. Home studio programs such as Pro Tools, Sonar, and Cake Walk provide studio quality digital recordings now up to 64 bit. For a little less money, self contained recording units from
Roland and Korg, can produce radio quality recordings, and a great demo can even be produced on 4-Track tape recorder.
    No question, once you get to the Led Zeppelin or KISS status of your music career, you’re going to need a manager to organize your pyrotechnics show, and an agent to book Madison Square Garden for you. Until then a little hard work and cutting a few corners can save you a lot of money. There are a lot of sharks in the music business and it seems someone always has their hand out in every direction you turn. Finding the Internet sites that fit your music best can provide plenty of free promotion and expose your music, literally, to the world. Modern technology has changed the music business and has opened many doors, and with the music industry growing so vastly, you need all the help you can get.
    With talent, persistence, and creativity you can make your own path into the music biz.
                    ---John Calvin Brewer

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