NEW ERA, NEW SHIT

NEW ERA, NEW SHIT….Wireless Take Over.

Intro

I was first introduced to the Internet in late 1995 and had this splitting perception on the usage of it as I don’t clearly see the effect of internet to myself at that time except for the super fast email. Until today, I had to admit the important of this non-boundaries connection. It makes your daily routine job becomes easier and less time consuming.

The coming of internet not only affected the mass consumer but to the underground world as well. In the early 90’s we can count with finger of bands that have their own electronic mail and websites. Now after millennium, I can say most of the bands have at least a social network channel.

The Dead

With a better internet connection, people can transfer music online. People with mobile gadget such mp3 player or Ipod no longer need any physical media such as tape or CD, they just need internet connection to source their listening pleasure.

Vinyl might still be kept available for die hard collector. No doubt.

Free The Music

The demand of downloading is very huge be it legal or illegal. People can easily find the song they want and after two or three times listening, they can delete it if they are not into it. They won’t lose anything, especially the illegal ones.

Bands now have a new way to make their music heard. They can release their songs to the net either for free or paid downloading. Some people will buy legal digital music, some download illegally, some will download and after that buy the physical album if they like it. There could be few possibilities happen with digital music. Oh ya, trade email address with link for download might be useful for the band/label as well. You might be using the addresses later to spread news or any new material out from the band.

Hand-Screened and Numbered

But, free downloading doesn’t means that you cannot gain money to pay the recording, you still can sell the merchandise. Merchandise is the popular product for label/band to get some money, especially the original and official t-shirt. People will go to the concert with their favorite band t-shirt. Be it a trendy or whatever, the merchandise especially t-shirt will always be sold-out items. That is why you can see now lots of label are selling package of t-shirt and CD with discount, they can save postage as well.

Tweet me, not

Band now don’t have to risk their health with photocopy machine to copy demo cover and flyers like the old days. Now, we have lots of social network that can host their demo online such Myspace, Bandcamp, Reverbnation just to name a few. They don’t have to print flyers no more, just make a jpeq file flyers and posted it in Facebook and later it will reach to millions of people in just minutes. They can even sync it to other social network provider like Twitter to make it spread well. They even can make a life performance and stream it for their fan worldwide to see it. Nothing impossible.

Sending an email blaster is another way. Include all the details about the band such simple biography, next tour date and also a Youtube or Soundcloud sample track of your new album release might help to support the promotion of your band/release.

I wanna be the first

Labels also offer consumer to preorder most of their new release. By this they can know the demand of that release and can set the limit for the first pressing. Pre-order sometimes includes with special free gift as limited patches or signed band’s picture (??) to attract the buyer to get the album faster. Pre order also can help them financially to pay upfront for the pressing plant. Is this another sign of how desperate the record distribution needs the money and the time had come for the demise of record label and physical release?

Outro

To sell the music using CD or tape seems to be very very very hard nowadays. Many of the records label had change their business model. I bet they had reduced the number of printing for physical release every time they put something new out. If not, the labels have to sell it off on ebay for the next 20 years with ‘Rarities: New Old Stock’ tag on it.

Some people they just want to stay, but some tend to move…..