Music Sharing

1. Music Sharing Cindy Royal, Ph.D Associate Professor Texas State University School of Journalism and Mass Communication croyal@txstate.edu www.cindyroyal.com www.onthatnote.com tech.cindyroyal.net twitter.com/cindyroyal facebook.com/cindyroyal

2. 5 Tips for Musicians to Engage Fans Digitally • Add functionality that will connect to your fans. • Technology is not a “one size fits all” solution. • Do not underestimate time commitments. • Create a plan for implementation and awareness. • Use all available web properties.

3. Direct To Fan Music Marketing • Technology has given artists at all levels the opportunity to sell and market to their fans in a clear, inexpensive, engaging fashion online. • Many emerging artists see less value in signing to a label and instead choose to steer clear of entangling contractual obligations. • Established artists are choosing not to renew their label contracts at a record pace, realizing that the brand they have developed can be leveraged without a label. • “The greatest thing about the future of music is that artists have choice of who their partners are,” he said. “It’s not about ‘getting signed’ — it’s about choosing the right team and running a smart business. • Artists at all levels finally have the tools necessary to build and maintain an environment that lets them dictate the terms of their business.

4. The New Rockstar Paradigm • Written by OKGo lead singer Damien Kulash • Creative videos helped sales • Once relied on investment and support from a major label. Now we make a comparable living raising money directly from fans and through licensing and sponsorship. • We're just moving out of the brief period—a flash in history's pan—when an artist could expect to make a living selling records alone. • A powerful experience could be packaged in plastic and then bought and sold like any other commercial product. • Music becoming more of an experience and less of an object. • Corporate sponsorship and licensing • Parted from label. OKGo’s idea of what constitutes success and how to wring income out of it eventually wound up too far apart from EMI's. • But who’s willing to take a risk on less established artists?

5. Whose Tube? • Also written by Kulash • Treadmill video, 2006. Published on YouTube, without labels knowledge • Spread virally • For new album and videos, EMI wanted embedding to be disabled, so they could generate revenue. • This eliminated one of the methods for fans to share • Drop in views • Record companies as startup capital for bands; spread risk • “If record companies can’t adapt to this new world, they will die out; and without advances, so will the futures of many talented bands.” • “Curbing the viral spread of videos isn’t benefiting the company’s bottom line, or the music it’s there to support. The sooner record companies realize this, the better — though I fear it may already be too late.”

6. Beware the New New Thing • One more by Kulash • Invited to a hearing on net neutrality • How much control should network operators be allowed to have over the information on their lines? • Common carriage laws • Argument - since the Internet is no longer primarily run on phone lines, the laws of data equality no longer apply • They reason that they own the fiber optic and coaxial lines, so they should be able to do whatever they want with the information crossing them. • “What we should worry about more is not what’s kept from us today, but what will be built (or not built) in the years to come.” • “Value should come from the quality of information, not the control of access to it.”

7. Kickstarter • Example, April Smith, no label • Funded SXSW visit with Kickstarter; fans contributed • “I just felt like if I could do it on my own, I could make the record I wanted to make and not have to answer to anyone.” • Crowdfunding or micropatronage • New method for would-be artists, athletes and journalists, among others, to finance creative endeavors and adventures, gauging interest in their work and negating the financial risk. • Artist creates fundraising goal. If they don’t meet goal, they don’t get the money. • Promote with social media • Offer funding incentives • “You're making the decision to build your business around yourself, and it's a blessing and a curse. You have ultimate control but ultimate responsibility at the same time.” • Also, Pledge Music – specifically for musicians

8. The Art of Asking • Musician Amanda Palmer, big social media following • Interesting beginning; living statue • Direct connection with fans – new relationship • Twitter, random closeness • “Your music has helped my daughter so much. Thank you for staying here.” • Begging? Is this fair? Get a job? Things in people’s heads that prevent them from asking. • Give away music, ask for help. • Left label, turned to crowdfunding. Fell into connections, asked fans to catch. • Asking makes you vulnerable; trust-based • Criticized after successful Kickstarter ($1.2M, 25,000 people) for running a promotion for a fan/musicians and didn’t pay (decided later to pay) • Blogging and tweeting, not about our tour dates and new video, but about work, art, fears, mistakes • When we really see each other, we want to help each other • What if we started asking, how do we let people pay for music?