[Click HERE to read "What Record Labels Don't Want You To Know, Pt. 1: This Machine Kills Record Labels"]
Whether your weapon of choice is an acoustic guitar, a laptop, or your voice– whether you’re an army-of-1 or one amongst a large artistic community– you are taking part in the independent music revolution that is dismantling the major label system, and you’re using the tools that are now available to you to direct your own career and creativity.
As their dominance wanes, major labels have even stopped performing the one important task they used to be (in most cases) absolutely necessary for– helping artists build a fanbase, audience, and platform that can support a lifelong career.
Once upon a time…
In the not-so-fairy-tale past, labels would “discover” an artist, “nurture” them, and take them from obscurity to superstardom. Of course, let’s not forget that the old road to stardom was lined with the rotting carcasses of bands and artists who were NOT signed (and thus, they were suffocated from lack of distribution, publicity, recording advances, etc.), or bands who WERE signed only to be shelved, tweaked beyond recognition, or crushed under a massive debt.
For every “success story,” you can be sure there were hundreds, probably thousands of forgotten casualties from the major label system.
Back to the Future
Let’s flash forward to today, when most major labels don’t want anything to do with you until you’ve PROVEN beyond a shadow of a doubt that you have tens of thousands of fans you’ve earned through your own hard work, that you’ve sold tens of thousands of albums on your own, and that you’ve established a formidable web and social media presence with YouTube buzz to boot. In a nutshell, major labels don’t want to touch you with a ten foot poll until you’ve proven you don’t need them.
And then, well, … YOU STILL DON’T NEED THEM.
At that point, why would you give over control of your career, cut them in on money you earned, or sacrifice that direct connection to your fans? Sure, you don’t want to end up working 60 hours a week on the biz side of your career and never have time to write, record, or tour– but this no longer means you need a major label; if you’re lucky enough to reach that decision-point, you’ll have the bargaining power to assemble an amazing team (booker, manager, social strategist, video and art coordinator) that will answer to YOU!
But let’s not put the cart before the horse. First, we have to answer a simple question…
How do you build your own fanbase?
Here are 9 areas where artists can now take the reins and start building an audience today:
(click the links for detailed advice on each of these items)
1. Promote, sell, and share your music across Social Media like Facebook and Twitter.
2. Establish a presence on YouTube and Vimeo with affordable music videos.
3. Book your own sustainable and profitable tours.
4. Handle your own college, commercial, and internet radio promotion.
5. Record and release your music on your timeline, and keep your fans engaged in the process.
6. Control your online identity by directly managing your artist data so that it is easier for music fans to discover you!
7. License your music for TV, film, commercials, games, and apps.
8. Maintain your own online presence with a pro blog or website.
9. Manage the physical and digital distribution of your music so fans can easily purchase your music!
Yes. It can be a lot of work, but if you’re planning to build a music career in today’s marketplace then you have to view your band as a startup business. Not many new businesses succeed by coasting on talent alone; it takes long hours, smarts, and perseverance.
Yep, perseverance. You’ll probably fail at a few things along the way. But failure ain’t forever! Little and big failures alike can make us wiser.
So start building your fanbase today. If a major label comes knocking on the door a year or two (or ten) from now, YOU’LL be the one in the position to say yes or no, according to what’s best for your career.
-Chris R. at CD Baby
P.S. If you happen to be in Memphis, TN this week for the 24th International Folk Alliance Conference, come visit us at the CD Baby booth! We’ll be giving out a free 4-page foldout called “This Machine Kills Record Labels” that contains tons of great tips on promoting yourself using Twitter, booking your own tours, and launching your own college radio campaign.
Oh, and there will be prizes! Hope to see you in Memphis.
Sell your music YOUR way with CD Baby.
