DIY Music Industry

The music industry is going through considerable changes these days. Most of these changes are fueled by advancements in technology. It seems to be a cyclical occurrence for our industry. If you look back through the history of the this business, you will notice that every 25 five years of so, there is a new disruptive technology that changes at least some aspect of the business considerably.

The changes we are seeing today are very different from the changes we have seen in the past. In the past, we saw a lot of changes in formats; mono recording to stereo recording, the LP to the Cassette to the CD. AM to FM broadcasting etc.... The changes we are seeing today are centered around information and communications. Anyone with a computer or a cellphone recognizes this has had a significant change in their own lives but it is sometimes more difficult to see is how this changes our industry.

Digital technologies have had a significant impact on the costs of creating, distributing and promoting the music you make. As explained in the book “The Long Tail” by editor-in-chief of Wired Magazine, Chris Anderson, we are moving from an industry of scarcity to an industry of abundance. By this he means that the industry has developed over the years based primarily on barriers that existed. For example, top of the line recording equipment is expensive and it requires knowledge and experience in the areas of acoustics and electronics. Similarly, in the area of distribution, it is expensive to ship physical units and manage all the different retail accounts. Promotions are no different. It is difficult to get your music played on radio or on television. Today, much of this is still the same but what has changed is that these scarce avenues of opportunity are no longer the only path one needs to succeed. Digital recording is now extremely cheap and can be done in ones home studio, the cost of digital distribution is minimal over the internet and self promotion is far easier and there are an enormous number of outlets on world wide web.

The limiting factors facing artists today are not the expensive resources controlled by a few influential and powerful people. The limiting factor is really one's time. Production, distribution and promotion can now all be done by you but do you have the time and the skills to do it all? The answer is probably a bit of Yes and No. But don't get discouraged, there are many companies popping to help you.

In the old industry of scarcity, the rules were imposed on you by the those controlling the limited resources. Today, artists have more options. The trade-off is that it means a lot more work for you. If having options is important to you and you want to retain control of your career, you are heading down the Do-It-Yourself music industry path. No one is going to 'take care' of you on this path but you will also retain control and ownership of everything you do. You will have to educate yourself on almost every aspect of the business and technology. It is a lot of work but there is an increasing number of opportunities available to create, distribute and promote. You may choose to do some yourself, you may hire professional help or even tap into your fan base for volunteers. It is a brave new world out there but make no mistake about it, music industry is a difficult industry and no matter which approach you take, it is always hard work.

Next time, I will start to dig a little deeper into specific technologies that may provide new opportunities in the area of music creation, distribution or promotions.