Re: <OFF-TOPIC>

["Stephen Goodman" <sgoodman@earthlight.net>]

> The mp3.com 'give them samples and sell cds' doesn't work. The 'pay for
> download' doesn't work. The 'make it big on the internet' thing doesn't
> work...

The above would seem to be the popular opinion of the established
brick-and-mortar music biz bunch.  I find it difficult to accept ANY
prediction as to how the future fares for online music promotion/sales, 
most
especially since it's still an industry in its infancy - and for the most
part developing without the assistance of the established biz.  Therefore I
can't accept a wholesale dismissal of this process-in-development.

> If you intend to get paid for your music:
>
> a. send out demos and try to sign up with an established label who can
promote you or,
> b. go out and be a starving musician playing in little clubs to get
attention

...This would seem to be more of the same.  I'm sure quite a lot of folks 
in
the established music biz would prefer it if we all just went away, or
signed up with them as if it were the only way to do business.

> they can only deliver the product, they can't bring you fans.

This is normal.  Unless one wants to go the road as in the "intend to get
paid" section, an equally established method of going broke by the way, the
Artist in Specific (and not just formerly known as...) should take part in
promotion of his or her work.  The huge difference with respect to the
Internet as medium is that one doesn't have to have a great set of kneepads
(for the purpose of begging some cigar-chomper to listen to your work), nor
is it necessary to pay an agent to get your work heard.

I think the big questions would be:

* Do artists wish to do business the way the folks we would rather not do
business with do, or establish a new channel for this altogether, one that
at least initially promises a freedom from the artificial restraints we've
come to know and accept?

* Is our intent as artists to make piles of money via huge venues that
require our "fans" to pay $40 a ticket?  Are most folks aware that Stadium
Rock as such uses a fairly new, and quite fragile, economic model, one that
needn't be followed in order to eventually have satisfaction on a
rent-paying and artistically-fulfilling level?

I'm sure none of us would prefer to just play coffee houses forever.  But
given the new aspect that the Internet brings to our own niches, we'd be
foolish at best to ignore it, and go on as if it will never make a
difference.

******************

And now a word about LinkExchange.  I've been a banner "partner" for as 
long
as it's been available, and frankly it's not been anything close to an
assistance to me in getting folks to my site.  It's generally been 
discussed
in the press how little banners work in this regard; I've debated taking
mine off altogether for some time, since it's probably more of a help to 
the
people who pay LinkExchange than the people who don't.  End run, it comes 
up
tasting like a vampiric process that pretends to benefit the banner
advertiser, while helping the paying advertisers - and LinkExchange - quite
a bit more than You, The Little Guy.  It still remains to be seen just how
much of a help a banner is to folks like us.  As a matter of fact, the idea
is quite a bit less established as a benefit than online promotion and 
sales
of music, much less MP3 files.

Stephen Goodman       * It's the free Loop Of The Week!
EarthLight Productions * http://www.earthlight.net/Studios.html
*
(Hear the NEW "Star Spangled Banner" here!)