New Ways Of Survive As An Independent Recording Artist

I propose that all unsigned rising artist should target the business side of the music industry to be successful in the entertainment business because it allows the artist to be taken seriously and make solid connections that can further his/her career. Learning the works of the music industry also enables a new artist to be further successful and profitable. Recent studies show that most new artists without professional representation and a business mindset have a slimmer chance in getting signed to major or independent labels (Lowry, 2011). Overall, the specific change needed is that unsigned artists should be concentrating on their careers as professionals and not amateurs, thus focusing on the ins and outs of the music business and

The current music industry is a hard business for all musicians, whether they are a new artist or even a popular radio artist. Modern times have radically changed the way that musicians now make money. Past musicians used to be able to make a living simply by selling their music and playing a few major concerts to survive and even lives some luxurious lives and not really have to focus on anything except the art that they were creating. The music industry has transformed from being an art to becoming a challenging business job for anyone involved. Today, most musicians have to also be able to handle managerial business to get anywhere and make money or find someone to help them. Current musicians need to do more than just sell music

Many people have dreams of being a part of the music industry and becoming successful musicians, but do not seem to do the research necessary to make the dream come true. The music industry is a branch of the entertainment industry and is where music, whether it is recordings or performances, is distributed and sold to the public. One of the problems is that people do not realize the risks that come with being a part of the music industry and being a musician. There are many factors that come into play when deciding to pursue a career in the music industry. Factors would include having noteworthy knowledge of music, originality, publicity, and business entitlement.

Music will never be obsolete, the medium may diminish but the music will remain. These pivotal issues are where we as individuals who become formally educated in the industry work to keep it afloat. These issues range from artists not receiving or earning very little royalty payments, artists and musicians having a harder time becoming mainstream due to the ease of access to technology, cancelled concerts because of low ticket sales, and rising ticket prices and inflation from resellers; The list is vast. The key to researching one of these fascinating topics is first identifying my goal for the research. In finding a topic that I believe progresses the industry I need to present a diligent case study that I nurtured. At first, I thought about building a new module to the form new standards for RIAA Certifications but then I realized that Adele has sold over 7 million copies of “25” and is currently number one on Billboard. This is the follow up album to “21” that never left the charts before her next album was released. I also recalled a night of watching a jaw-dropping episode of Scandal only to have Beyoncé unhinge what was left of my mandible when she released “Beyoncé” out the clear digital skies. It appealed to me because I can recall as a middle schooler anticipating first week sales of my favorite artists. I am not sure if that was normal 11 year old behavior but I will own it! We can agree that most of these artists possess a unique spark that allows them to prevail against the negative elements, so researching their creative footprint would not necessarily benefit upcoming artists as having a niche of their own is key. In my navigation through technology and my observations of the industry I have noticed a general upset when it comes to award shows as it pertains to nominees and

‘Independent record labels have been around since music started being recorded’ (King, 2012, p.13). Created by fanatics with a passion for music, the recording and production process was often self-funded and the purpose was to nurture talent and creativity. Most of the major record companies we know today would have once started in this manner (King, 2012).

Nothing is more enjoyable than listening to your favorite song. All over the world, people listen to music on a daily basis. Music plays a major part in a tremendous number of people’s lives. While they are enjoying the music, they do not think about how the song came about. Music is not just the sound you hear or the voices in the background. People do not think about what is behind the scenes of where music comes from. Before the song is completed, someone has to make it happen. In music, there are different careers which are the song writer, the manager, the marketing executive, and the produced. Each of these careers play a huge role in how music is brought to the public.

The truth is, these days it may actually be even harder to become a music producer than ever before. Precisely because all the technical requirements are within almost anyone’s grasp, everyone who wants to record and mix music is doing it and that’s means is a lot of competition. Some people may think that music production and beat making is the same well there a totally complete difference between the two. A beat maker is someone who creates beats. Nowadays, it’s usually done on some type of computer. A beat machine like an MPC or sampling keyboard is the same thing. They are just pieces of hardware with their own internal CPU systems. So for the sake of argument, let’s just say that 99% of modern music is done on a system that contains and internal CPU. The beat maker is literally composing a full piece of music. They are playing the drums or programming, keyboards, instruments, various sounds, percussion, you name it. Sometimes, they take other pieces of music that already exists and manipulate them into brand new beats in other words, sampling. All of this is done on a computer most of the time with just a computer hooked up to

However, in this era, almost anyone can pick up sound editing software, make some noise with it, and post that on the internet. Sometimes an artist does not even require any instruments- computers can emulate electric guitars and pianos quite well at the moment. Thousands upon thousands of tracks by independent artists lie in wait, snuggled into corners of sites like Bandcamp. Although the large amount of both bad and good music makes sifting through it all tiresome, once someone finds a few artists that they enjoy, they discover others easily.

The music industry has changed in very quickly in so many ways it almost seems impossible. Thomas Edison recorded the first voice in 1877 and now we listen to hundreds of different types of music on devices that hold more information than the computers that sent the first astronaut to the moon. People have been getting music in tons of ways for the past hundred plus years and when the internet came into the picture, the music industry sky rocketed. People could get their own music out and be heard just by clicking a few measly buttons and using the internet to stream millions of songs with high speed. But even though the internet has helped the music industry by making it easier to distribute, advertise, and produce music, it still has its disadvantages.

No one can deny that technology is actively changing the music industry. Production, distribution and sales of music have been affected dramatically within the last 10 years along with artists, composers, and technicians. Most of the changes have been great for consumers, but vastly negative for professionals in the music industry, however a few artists have found ways to adapt to the changing atmosphere of digitally downloaded music and use it to their advantage. We’ve seen music change form from physical, tangible products like records and CD’s to electronic single tracks stored in an invisible cloud. Two major factors in this sudden revolution are online music stores (specifically iTunes) and file sharing websites that allow music to be downloaded illegally.

Artists will get the most out of social networks by taking advantage of the services they offer and still pursue some routes artists traditionally take. The present state of the industry promotes competition within the industry because there is so much music out there and so much of it is available for free. However, the influence of social media presents a great opportunity for artists to pursue a career in the music industry, generating their own revenue through tours and digital sales. In this age, there is a greater incentive for artists to start independent careers because they can make money by

“Before the days of YouTube and the Internet, a band 's chances of striking it big depended on record companies. If a band was lucky enough to get a record deal, it gained access to a label 's vast resources and connections. The company paid for the band 's studio time, … and got its music played on the radio, reaching millions of record buying Americans” (Majerol, 1). Now, anyone with talent can post a video of themselves and become an internet sensation, only to then receive a deal with a label to continue growing their career. The issue is, with the Internet came digital downloading, and with the growing popularity of digital downloading came illegal downloading, known as Digital Piracy, which has affected the music industry greatly. This issue affects everyone involved in the Music Industry. From the small CD store owner to the Artist on stage, everyone has and continues to be affected by the growing popularity of digital downloading services. Artists, producers, and songwriters lose an estimated 12.5 Billion USD every year to illegal digital music services. Further, the economic impact from [digital downloading] is an estimated loss of 2+ Billion USD (Storrs, 1). This money affects the “little guys” in the industry and the average worker within the industry.

Over the past decade, the use of CDs has been replaced with online streaming and retailing. This has eliminated much of the record companies revenues as they were used to making most of their profit off of distribution and promotion of physical copies of artists albums (Niemen). This has caused for a major shift and remodeling of major players in the music industries business models. Companies such Sony, Warner Music Group and Universal Music Group have started to completely rethink the way they conduct business (Forbes). In the past record labels were not only responsible for production, distribution and promotion of an artist and his/her music, but they also acted as a bank (Forbes), funding the artists tours and recording sessions. Recently, these music giants have been moving towards becoming more of a modular network organization. What this means is that they are less occupied with the nitty gritty, and more focused on what they do best which is distribution and promotion. This also allows for more freedom of creativity for the artist as well as fairer split of profits (Forbes). This adaption of new business models clearly shows the versatility of the music industry in adapting to new times and technologies.

The music industry is a 32 billion dollar industry, offering a huge opportunity if it can be penetrated. However, it is fraught with challenges. ArtistsArtists, producers, and record companies have little idea on how to find and create success in the industrygo abo. The dominant players, i.e. record companies utfind pursuing the production of thethe next big hit by producing in masses and hopingin hope that one turns out good, . This is shown evidenced by the low hit success rate of 10%. of a song topping music charts (Pg. 1, P2). What entails is an industrial marketing practice of huge inefficiencies and unwise budget expenditure (Pg.

The creation of musical works has always been culminated by several different processes and usually involves many people. The process takes a lot of time delaying the release of music. Advancement in technology has played a significant role in the music production by lowering the length of time it takes to produce recorded material. Artists usually sign a contract with a recording company that markets their music products. The internet and low-cost recording technologies have created a “do-it-yourself” music movement. New artists have gained worldwide recognition without landing a recording contract with a major record label.