The way of the future ....

PaulBrewer

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055424629

Here's an interesting post ...

Seziertisch

I think it was the Incredible String Band that sold a limited number of fan tickets to accompany them into the studio as a means to finance the recording of one of their albums. A similar idea.

11811

Its an Interesting idea, kinda like the notion of having a "personalized" album, plus its a good way for them to generate some money for the recording.
altho it must be hard to get people to part with cash a few months before getting an album.. what if its complete *s***?

studiorat

I always thought Idlewild had it pretty good with their record company. Can't remember the label but Earl Brutus and Scarfo were on it too, scotish company. I worked on the first album 11 years ago! Bloody hell.

11811

Fierce Panda StudioRat? That was only for their first EP afaik,
then they were on Food/EMI for a good while. Their last offering was on Sanctuary Records, this is where they ran into problems I think..

fitz

This is definitely becoming more popular. It ain't new, it's been around a couple of years at this point, just hasn't been getting the profile. It's an interesting business model, but there's additional cost for the artist when it comes to delivering the extras to their patrons.

There's online package options too:

http://www.sellaband.com/

studiorat

Cuddleworthy wrote: »

Fierce Panda StudioRat? That was only for their first EP afaik,
then they were on Food/EMI for a good while. Their last offering was on Sanctuary Records, this is where they ran into problems I think..

Deceptive Records. Johnathan Fireeater were on it too. Deceptive seemed like good lads, they signed a deal on a beer-mat with another band around the time.

I think extra content is really important these days. Cool packaging, video content etc, otherwise what's to discourage punters from just ripping it off.

fitz

I think you're dead right there.
It's all about the extras.
I think Trent Reznor is a the bleeding edge of where to go with new business models.
His models aren't gonna work for new artists, but I can see a lot of established acts following his lead. Pity Radioheads gimmicky In Rainbows release got out there before his far superior Ghosts model. That was just genius.

studiorat

I remember reading about Reznor's publicity a few years ago. I still couldn't figure out exactly what there were at though. Didn't the put on a secret gig and have riot police arrive and film the lot or something?

jtsuited

jaysus it's a pity idlewild are doing this. I mean it's a great idea but if anyone can find a band who slid down a steeper hill since 'the remote part', stick your answers on a postcard to.....

although there was that first track on warnings/promises. hideously cheesy but fairly decent nonetheless.

PaulBrewer

Proper 'Indie' is returning for the foreseeable future.

The downside is there aren't big bucks about to kickstart things.

The upside is that now is the best time to be an Indie Artiste as the playing field may not be this even for quite a while!

fitz

studiorat wrote: »

I remember reading about Reznor's publicity a few years ago. I still couldn't figure out exactly what there were at though. Didn't the put on a secret gig and have riot police arrive and film the lot or something?

Yeah, wrote an album of songs, Year Zero, set in an imagined distopian future, 15 years down the line. Big online alternate reality game...leaked songs left in venue bathrooms on usb keys, clues to point to websites hidden on the usb keys, or if you looked at the spectral analysis etc...puzzles pointing from one site on to the next, each giving you more information about this imagined social backdrop that the songs were written to. It all culminated with certain people who'd participated online getting sent packages with a mobile phone and instructions to await a call. They all got calls and further instructions with a time and place to go to. They went, signed disclaimers, got put on a bus, got brought to a warehouse where they attended meeting/rally for "Art Is Resistance" (fictional subversive anti-government movement in this imagined future), and then get sheparded from one room to the next, at which point the lights come on and they get a live NIN gig. They're within 2 foot of the stage. 5 songs in, a fake SWAT team storm the place and they're all rushed to "escape" back onto the bus. There's talk of turning the whole concept the album/online propaganda was based on into a tv series, which will lead to another album. Grand scale, but it's just something different and something that really got the fans going. Very theatrical.

Ghosts was a brilliant release too.
He just posted "2 weeks" on his site, and the net went wild with speculation.
2 weeks later he brought out a double album of instrumental bits, with loads of different options for buying it, from $5 download to $300 download, physical copy, dvds with multitracks for remixing, album on vinyl and signed table-art book, of which only 2500 were made. Those $300 copies sold in a day. $750,000. In one day. Incredible. He's recognised peoples interest in the extras, and has given it to them.
Not as do-able for new artists, but it makes you think about what else you can do to extend your art beyond the music, giving more to the listener and possibly making it more likely to get publicity and sales.
You have to be doing something different to the next guy.

studiorat

Wow, I did read an interview with him about it but it kind of took it as if you already knew what had happend. Very cool.

fitz

There's footage on youtube. Looks class...
I think it's a lot easier to give more to your fanbase, once you have one, by using the (often low cost) possiblities that the web provides for marketing and delivery of content.
If you're gonna release something now, why not have a decent media pack for download from you site; nice wallpapers/desktop themes, videocasts with "making of" content, or interviews, multitrack stems for people to download/remix, ringtones....
Tbh, I think, if you're not considering this kinda stuff as part of an album release these days, you should really look at how you're going about it. Particularly as an independent, you have to do everything you can to get people to pay attention, and this kind of stuff isn't really that difficult to organise, nor will it cost you that much.

PaulBrewer

fitz wrote: »

There's footage on youtube. Looks class...
I think it's a lot easier to give more to your fanbase, once you have one, by using the (often low cost) possiblities that the web provides for marketing and delivery of content.
If you're gonna release something now, why not have a decent media pack for download from you site; nice wallpapers/desktop themes, videocasts with "making of" content, or interviews, multitrack stems for people to download/remix, ringtones....
Tbh, I think, if you're not considering this kinda stuff as part of an album release these days, you should really look at how you're going about it. Particularly as an independent, you have to do everything you can to get people to pay attention, and this kind of stuff isn't really that difficult to organise, nor will it cost you that much.

Maybe it ain't all about 'Da Music' after all?

I remember a thread months ago where I said whatever 'it' is about, it's ALWAYS about entertainment, whether one likes it or not.