ANTI-HERO: Unpretty (2005) Video is undoubtedly a powerful medium, and in the view of many entertainment critics, “the ultimate medium of the future”. From a cultural perspective, it The business point of view also points out, that perhaps one of video’s most beneficial attributes, is that it has the ability to evoke emotion, and illustrate [...]
Vol 3, Issue 19: EcoArtists, 10 Quick Steps to Make Your Music More Green
In any profession, with the good comes the bad. While music has the potential to be inspirational, even life-changing in some circumstances, part of what goes along with one’s artistic professionalization is an emphasis on touring (which involves travelling great distances in gas-guzzling vans) and shifting units (ie: the selling of mass manufactured non-biodegradable materials [...]
Vol 3, Issue 18: Entrepreneurial Artists: Three Canadian Rockers Who’ve Successfully Married Commerce with Craft
When it comes to art and the assignment of qualities such as “authentic”, “genuine”, “original”, and the like, Romantic ideologies are still largely responsible for informing the public’s sensibilities. There remains a wide-held belief, extending to all creative endeavours, that mainstream success necessitates corporate exploitation, and formulaic expression, while true art is obscure, and can [...]
Vol 3, Issue 17: Starting up Your Own Label Pt #4: Designing Your Label’s Look & Branding Its Identity
To appropriate a successful marketing campaign, of Sprite’s, which could have as easily been applied to the record biz as it was to soft drinks, “image is everything”, and if you want your label taken seriously, you need to create an identity for it that speaks to your mission, audience, and potential roster list. Last [...]
Vol 3, Issue 16: Starting up Your Own Label Pt #3: Getting Your Infrastructure in Order
Upon making the initial decision to create your own indie label, there will be a ton of subsequent choices you’ll need to make right from the get-go. For instance, do you want your label to represent your act solely, or in the future (once established), do you plan on reaching out to other indie artists [...]
Vol 3, Issue 15: Starting up Your Own Label Pt #2: It’s All About the Money
After you’ve assembled your army of professional business alliances (which you should endeavour to continue growing throughout your career), the next step is to get your money in order. With any business, start up capital is an absolute must as there will be many expenses, both planned and unexpected, that will pop up along the [...]
Vol 3, Issue 14: Key Steps to Starting Your Own Successful Indie Label Pt #1
Back in 2003, when I was still a teenager, and when I was convinced that being in an all girl band was a good idea (how we learn as we age), I devised the plan to create my own indie label, HER Records, in order to release our debut album in a more professional manner, [...]
Vol 3, Issue 13: The Booking Monopoly & Its Consequences for Concert Goers
As we learned over the past few weeks, the industry’s growing power, in the arena of booking, has major consequences for the indie musician. However, the effects of this latest attempt at monopoly do not just end there. Because booking agencies are able to limit and dictate the kinds of venues at which indie artists [...]
Vol 3, Issue 12: How Booking Companies Work to Keep Indie Artists Off the Main Stage
As established in our discussion last time, the latest tactic that the industry has adopted in order to maintain its hegemony within the biz’s changing climate has its roots in booking practises, and derives its strength, just as previous music business practises have, through the creation of a system based on exclusivity. As much as [...]
