Free Music: Response to Reddit

On December 28th, 2009 Music Without Labels & Beat-Play asked the public (using reddit), “What needs to happen in order for music to become free and the artist still get paid?” This is a very controversial topic right now seeing as piracy is one of the leading issues in the music industry today. Here is what some of the social media world and redditters had to say about this topic:

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The invention of the Toolbox, and how it can save Music

What came first, the toolbox or the tool? This is not a trick question, it’s obviously the tool, and we have proof. However, with the emergence of more tools, and more applications for these tools, it became apparent that another tool, a tool’s tool, was needed: the Toolbox.

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File Sharing 3.0

Today I ran across an article called “File sharing: Piracy or activism?” by Open Attitude blogger Andrew Currie. This is a legitimate question that we as a community have the responsibility and duty to decide on. The answer however may not be as unreachable as we think. In fact, I will reveal it very soon. The solution comes with a slight shift in the perspective of conventional thinking. The method is to seek out any problems that arise given the circumstances, in order to determine what a successful design should include. The problem here is simple and I think can be best explained by one of the comments that was in response to that blog article, by Reddit user PhastPhoodPhool: “When you start likening manufactured objects and digitally reproduced data as objects of value, then you have already presented an ethical dilemma. How can you charge full price for something that is free to reproduce? That is why it is so easy to download. It only represents a loss if you otherwise would have realistically paid for whatever you’re downloading. The whole side of the copyright holders is totally impartial to the facts.”

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Music Without Labels & Beat-Play Interview with John Bowser from Sha Na Na

Visit us at Music Without Labels

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Music Without Labels & Beat-Play at the Independent Music Conference –Northampton, MA - November 19-23, 2009

Founder and President of Music Without Labels, Dante Cullari, has been blessed with the pleasure to speak at this year’s Independent Music Conference in Northampton this Saturday at the Clarion Hotel in Northampton, MA, in which, he will be one of a select expert group of panelists, mentors, and workshop presenters, gathered to discuss empowering ideas for indie musicians to achieve success. The four day long IMC, offers many influential opportunities for independent artists, thanks to the educational and internetworking platform provided by the event’s coordinator, InterMixx.

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Simple Strategies for Marketing Your Band in the Next Generation Music Biz

Finding effective strategies for marketing your band is a priority. Most would agree with this, but only when you get time to think about it. The problem for many bands is actually finding the time to think, then think marketing then think ‘strategies’. It amazes me how many times I still come across bands who are still…….

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Music Without Labels & Beat-Play Interview with Lokeii

I am originally from Colorado.  I was born in Littleton, Colorado. When I was a year old, my family and I moved to California.  I lived in Orange County until I was six years old, then we relocated to Dallas, Texas.  After Dallas, we moved to St. Louis, MO and I lived there from fourth grade until I graduated from high school.  I normally tell people I am from four states.  Each state I have lived in is a deep part of my psyche and has formed my perception of the world.  The easy answer would be St. Louis because that is where I spent the majority of my life, but like I previously stated, I consider the other three states a very important part of my life.

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Creation Over Promotion

Every independent artist in today’s music business has the same question. When will the right person hear my music? The problem with this way of thinking is the fact that you have now set your focus on pleasing someone that could ‘potentially’ help you out, rather than focusing on the creation and production of new music. Musicians are supposed to create new music to stimulate the fans interest, but in today’s market every band and record label has the focus set towards publicizing the already created music.

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“Direct-to-Fan Live Sessions” via Audiolife and Ustream

The next gen music biz music keeps rolling out new opportunities for musicians to creatively pursue new revenue streams: To take advantage of this you need to talk to your fans, ask for ideas, get them involved, interact as much as possible as I mentioned in a previous post. (See Marketing is everything - Let me show you how!) Here’s a great example of someone who is doing just that using Audiolife and Ustream…..

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MusicWithoutLabels & Beat-Play Interview with John Swanson

It’s really hard to get people’s ear – both industry people and music buyers.  Everyone knows CD sales are down and digital sales are up – seems like one needs to find a mix of both, along with licensing opportunities, and live performance revenue.  Most potential music buyers seem to be content to either listen to what’s currently on the radio or listen to their favorite oldies.  Those who are out there really searching for indie music and new stuff are in the minority – I know they’re out there – but they have so many choices on the internet now.  If I could just get their ear for a second… Other challenges would be similar to what other artist’s face I guess; small fish/ big pond.  There are so many other artists out there.  Technology has opened up the floodgates.  My style is very retro-but-with-contemporary vibe.

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Music Without Labels & Beat-Play Interview with IndepenDRUM

Give us some background. Where are you from originally, where are you now, how did you get there? To take you all the way back, I was born and raised in a town northwest of Boston. My family is pretty musical. My grandfather was a musician, and my father is a multi-instrumentalist  musician and comedian. My younger brother is also a musician. I was very fortunate that my parents were very supportive in music growing up. I mean my father was always having guys over to play and I would be sitting in at a young age. 

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Music Without Labels & Beat-Play Interview with Soi Dissant

Give us some background. Where are you from originally, where are you now, how did you get there? 

My name is Soi Disant. And I am part of The Blue Roof Group that has been blue for the past four or five years since I left my past life behind. The Blue Roof is a cumulative and diverse group that incorporates my, that is Soi Disant, creative surges into one file as it were. It’s a whole other personality almost to the other me. I am predominantly a musician. But I also write poetry. I have published one poetry book independently and have created a series of short stories too. They can be accessed at lulu.com. I am also a fine artist and actor too.

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Music Without Labels & Beat-Play Interview with Silvercord

Give us some background. Where are you from originally, where are you now, how did you get there?

I am originally from Caro, Michigan USA but moved to Seoul after graduating from a degree in music at Eastern Michigan University. I have been living and writing, producing and performing music in South Korea for the last seven years.

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The Captain Midnight Band Interview with Music Without Labels & Beat-Play

The Captain Midnight thing started in Oxford, MS around 1992 as part of a theatrical rock band called “Cardinal Fluff”. The band was formed as a backlash to the “Grunge” movement, which was itself a backlash to the unending parade of “Hair Metal” bands coming out of L.A. in the late 80’s. Lots of lashing going on. We were writing suggestive lyrics and doing perverse things onstage, and in order to protect our parents’ professional careers, we adopted aliases. I became Captain Midnight during a wild, LSD-fueled vision quest.

When Cardinal Fluff folded in 1999, I moved to New Orleans and kept the Midnight persona intact. I became involved with some UNO Jazz students who were short a guitar player.  We developed into a Jazz-Rock-Hip-Hop-Jam band called “CRÖNK” and had some success. We were doing shows with guys like Galactic, Merl Saunders & Melvin Seals, as well as playing Jazz Fest, French Quarter Fest, doing some cool tours, etc. all within months of the bands inception.

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