Common misconceptions
In this internet, talent show era there are lots of misconceptions about how to promote music to reach a wider audience. The idea that great music will automatically attract an audience is a great idea, but not reality. The reality is that any artist is going to need external support to break out of a small circle of fans to a wider audience. Historically artists would engage in touring to reach new enthusiasts and there’s still a place for this but of course with the decline of grassroots venues that option is limited.
Traditionally record companies would take care of promotion, but of course its all on the artist’s tab or “advance” for signing to the label. This allows investment for product promotion, but its like having a credit card that is never paid off. The trade will work for some artists but these days many artists prefer to have more control over their work.
Bandcamp “light at the end of the tunnel” will it last?
For many artists Bandcamp was a welcome new model that allowed artists to finally generate better margins for their work. The platform founded in 2007 by Oddpost co-founder Ethan Diamond and programmers Shawn Grunberger, Joe Holt and Neal Tucker, with headquarters in Oakland, California. Bandcamp was acquired by Epic Games in March 2022, before it was sold to Songtradr in September 2023.
During covid once a month, 100% of all sales went directly to the artist. For many artists Bandcamp has become a lifeline for income, but that lifeline is now in question. Recently Bandcamp was sold for a second time and the new owners have already laid off staff. A music producer commented that this is probably the demise of this new platform – “Once the money men get involved, its all about the cash and creativity is way down the list” Hopefully this will not be the case, but history shows us that artists are usually given a really raw deal in “the music business”
Artist naivity?
Some artists have incredibly naive thinking about music promotion and advertising. All promotions of any services and products require advertising to reach an expanded audience and this means investment of time and money. Some artist thinking around this issue is naive in the extreme and at times hilarious. The super fans are often equally well intentioned but delusional in their thinking and not realising how the music business works in the real world,
There are countless examples including moaning on social media about how social media is not helping them for free and how how music promotion companies are all in some way false. The same artists will of course have no problem in offering financial inducements to posting on their videos, offering Amazon vouchers and other such incentives! The reality is that unless you work with a spirit of collaboration and working with like minds, you will always have a limited audience reach. There are many companies like Sprizzy and other who can assist artists with promotion in a professional manner in co-operation with Google and other concerns and this is standard in the music business. Suggesting that this is in some way “cheating” is of course as delusional as suggesting that all paid advertising on any medium is not ethical! If you want to reach an audience beyond your mum and chosen friends, you are going to need money and/or a means to reach a wider audience!
The effect of the internet on the music industry
I was recently lucky enough to record a great interview with Sylvie Simmons, world famous music journalist, author and musician. One of the subjects was the effect of the internet and streaming on the music industry. Here’s a short clip from the main interview.
The pros and cons of superfans and the moaners
These days its not uncommon for artists to have superfans. This can be a two edged sword. On a positive note, such individuals can be a welcome and much needed source of income. The downside is that they can encourage delusional thinking for artists suggesting that everything they do is “awesome” which can create an echo chamber that is not helpful for bulding an audience. One superfan once hilariously commented on social media “People should be dragged into listening to this artist” hardly a comment that is going to encourage a new audience. Another group of fans decided to make the artist FB page private and then wondered why they had no new interest. This myopic polarised thinking is always going to be a problem and its a case of “don’t confuse me with the facts, my mind is made up!”
When they realised the error and made a new group public again, they had lost 50% of members. The same artist withdrew from all streaming and major professional distribution, another car crash decision. In realising the mistake he’d now massively reduced his audience reach and is mostly known as a person who is constantly complaining, a real turn off for any new audience interest. The tragedy is that this myopic thinking reduces any chance of reaching a wider audience and I’ve realised that you have to leave some people to work it out for themselves. I applaud the enthusiasm, but respectfully always point out that collaboration is a better strategy than having a totally polarised position and refusing to listen to any other points of view.
I’m sympathetic to how tough it is for some artists, but endless moaning online is not going to attract a new audience. Yes, artists can have hard times like anyone else, but anyone wanting to attract new fans needs to focus on uplifting people’s spirits. This does not preclude creating sad songs of course, but too much “playing the victim” is a big commercial mistake. Inevitably some artists will slip through the net and for mental health and many other reasons will not reach a wider audience. I talked to Sylvie about this in the forthcoming main interview
Conclusion
I have massive respect for anyone wanting to earn music from their music. In the advent of streaming that has essentially killed a valuable income stream, most income is from live performances. Those live opportunities and subsequent income streams are reduced with venues closing and Brexit. This means its tough for artists to generate income to fund the time to create music. Of course many will have teaching and other income streams to generate predictable income streams needed for day to day living.
The world is better with access to great music and the GER philosophy is that this is best served through collaboration between artists and other like minds. I’m also mindful that everyone has a point of view, but I am more interested in those who have experience and success over many decades than other folks. Ultimately the world is better for access to a variety of great music and discussion and debate help to make this possible.
STOP PRESS, GUARDIAN ARTICLE ON BANDCAMP
Half the staff at Bandcamp, the online music platform known for championing independent artists and labels, have been laid off following the recent purchase of the company by music licensing startup Songtradr.
Songtradr confirmed the purchase from Epic Games last month, writing in a statement: “This acquisition will help Bandcamp continue to grow within a music-first company and enable Songtradr to expand its capabilities to support the artist community.” Financial terms were not disclosed.
Announcing the layoffs, Songtradr outlined that it had completed its acquisition of Bandcamp and explained: “Over the past few years the operating costs of Bandcamp have significantly increased … After a comprehensive evaluation, including the importance of roles for smooth business operations and pre-existing functions at Songtradr, 50% of Bandcamp employees have accepted offers to join Songtradr.”
This means the remaining 50% will not have their contracts renewed. The Guardian has contacted Songtradr’s press representatives for further comment.
Bandcamp, an online music store and community with more than five million artists and labels was founded in 2007 and acquired by Fortnite developer Epic Games in March last year. It is renowned for supporting underground music by letting fans buy downloads and physical media direct from artists and labels, with Bandcamp taking a small fee.
Celebrated initiatives include in-house editorial platform Bandcamp Daily, which promotes music from outside the mainstream, and Bandcamp Fridays, a promotion started during the Covid-19 pandemic where the company’s fees are waived on certain Fridays to maximise returns for artists and labels. The company says that its customers have spent $1.2bn during the lifetime of the company, with an average of 82% of revenue going to the artist or label.
A statement shared on social media by the workers’ union, Bandcamp United, described the news of layoffs as “heartbreaking”.
It said: “We love our jobs, the platform we’ve built, and the Bandcamp community. We’re glad we have our union – co-workers who have each other’s backs. We’ll be moving together to decide what our next steps are. On Wednesday we return to the bargaining table with Epic Games, and we’ll keep you updated.”
The union had been fighting for recognition from Songtradr, and on 12 October it posted online urging people to sign a petition so they could begin negotiations with the new buyers to offer jobs to all existing staff members.
Two weeks earlier, Songtradr had told the union that it would not extend job offers to all of Bandcamp’s staff.