I haven’t checked out the entire organization, so do your homework, but I followed a blog to downhill battle’s listing of the reasons to rid ourselves of the labels. Their sixth reason is something I’ve believed for years – Musicians will make a better living.
Here’s the longstanding equation:
- A select group of musicians interact with millions and millions of fans around the world. These megastars make a lot of money (well, most of them do).
- Just below them is a large group of musicians that make an okay living interacting with millions and millions of fans.
- Then there are the 100’s of thousands of musicians struggling to make a living interacting with a small group of loyal fans.
For the musicians in the first and second groups, the labels play the important role of getting their music to the masses. In exchange, they keep most of the billions and billions of dollars spent by the fans.
Here’s the new model
- 100’s of thousands of musicians create dedicated and tightly knit groups of 100’s of thousands of fans and keep most of the money for themselves.
- The truly great ones are likely to reach millions of fans and make a lot of money.
In my mind, it’s no different than the successful club bands I saw on Long Island as a kid. No, they weren’t playing to coliseums, but they made a really good living playing to packed houses anytime they wanted.
The internet and new technologies allow you to create “packed houses” that span the globe. I hope you’re excited…
