Many books aimed at indie musicians seem to lure us with a hundred Cinderella-like stories where the happy ending is the A&R rep, the fairy godmother, "discovers" the band and connects to a major label to sign for a huge contract. Those books give advice on how to get noticed, and look attractive for that one break that will make you famous.

 

If you are looking for that kind of happy ending for you and your band, we can't help you. Based on what we've learned through our research, and what we discuss in the Realities For Indie Bands section, we think that if the Major Labels are the prince, then after the marriage he doesn't turn out to be so charming. The story ends with you doing drudgework for the prince rather than your sisters. Oh, and he owns the rights to all of your music too. And according to some articles, your fairy godmother, the A&R rep, is nowhere to be seen after you sign.

 

When we drop the fairy tales, we find that the traditional route turns out to be either inaccessible, or a very poor choice, and at the same time, the prince isn't the only game in town anymore. Technology is the key. There are entire books about the changing music industry, but it can be boiled down to a sentence: The former middlemen, and the expenses that go with them, are no longer necessary.

 

For recording music, a good quality recording studio used to be out of the hands of all but the elite music groups. Now, a computer and some quality microphones can be enough to make a solid recording. For distributing music, you used to have to rely on the major labels and their distributors, but with the internet and indie music stories, you can sell and distribute your music directly to fans all over the world without having to convince a closed-minded record exec first. In the meantime, music fans don't want the physical CD's anymore anyway, and are happy to purchase music at the online music stores which welcome indies and their business. It's true that promotion is always difficult, but the internet levels that playing field as well.

 

The term Do It Yourself, or DIY, does not mean second-rate work or options. It means leveraging increasingly powerful technologies and businesses to distribute and promote your music. In the end, you believe in your own work more than anyone else in the world. You are your most powerful advocate. What you need are the tools to do this. The Survival Guide is written with this in mind, where we share ideas on how to use the internet, indie music stores, distribution, and other companies to promote your music, and get your work out as far as possible.

 

Without question, there is hard work ahead of you, but you are working for yourself. It's the cost of continuing to own your own music, and keeping it under your control. But it's a cost worth paying.

 

Next: The Business of the Band

 

Many books aimed at indie musicians seem to lure us with a hundred Cinderella-like stories where the happy ending is the A&R rep, the fairy godmother, "discovers" the band and connects to a major label to sign for a huge contract. Those books give advice on how to get noticed, and look attractive for that one break that will make you famous.

 

If you are looking for that kind of happy ending for you and your band, we can't help you. Based on what we've learned through our research, and what we discuss in the Realities For Indie Bands section, we think that if the Major Labels are the prince, then after the marriage he doesn't turn out to be so charming. The story ends with you doing drudgework for the prince rather than your sisters. Oh, and he owns the rights to all of your music too. And according to some articles, your fairy godmother, the A&R rep, is nowhere to be seen after you sign.

 

When we drop the fairy tails, we find that the traditional route turns out to be either inaccessible, or a very poor choice, and at the same time, the prince isn't the only game in town anymore. Technology is the key. There are entire books about the changing music industry, but it can be boiled down to a sentence: The former middlemen, and the expenses that go with them, are no longer necessary.

 

For recording music, a good quality recording studio used to be out of the hands of all but the elite music groups. Now, a computer and some quality microphones can be enough to make a solid recording. For distributing music, you used to have to rely on the major labels and their distributors, but with the internet and indie music stories, you can sell and distribute your music directly to fans all over the world without having to convince a closed-minded record exec first. In the meantime, music fans don't want the physical CD's anymore anyway, and are happy to purchase music at the online music stores which welcome indies and their business. It's true that promotion is always difficult, but the internet levels that playing field as well.

 

The term Do It Yourself, or DIY, does not mean second-rate work or options. It means leveraging increasingly powerful technologies and businesses to distribute and promote your music. In the end, you believe in your own work more than anyone else in the world. You are your most powerful advocate. What you need are the tools to do this. The Survival Guide is written with this in mind, where we share ideas on how to use the internet, indie music stores, distribution, and other companies to promote your music, and get your work out as far as possible.

 

Without question, there is hard work ahead of you, but you are working for yourself. It's the cost of continuing to own your own music, and keeping it under your control. But it's a cost worth paying.

 

Next: The Business of the Band

 

Many books aimed at indie musicians seem to lure us with a hundred Cinderella-like stories where the happy ending is the A&R rep, the fairy godmother, "discovers" the band and connects to a major label to sign for a huge contract. Those books give advice on how to get noticed, and look attractive for that one break that will make you famous.

If you are looking for that kind of happy ending for you and your band, we can't help you. Based on what we've learned through our research, and what we discuss in the Realities For Indie Bands section, we think that if the Major Labels are the prince, then after the marriage he doesn't turn out to be so charming. The story ends with you doing drudgework for the prince rather than your sisters. Oh, and he owns the rights to all of your music too. And according to some articles, your fairy godmother, the A&R rep, is nowhere to be seen after you sign.

When we drop the fairy tails, we find that the traditional route turns out to be either inaccessible, or a very poor choice, and at the same time, the prince isn't the only game in town anymore. Technology is the key. There are entire books about the changing music industry, but it can be boiled down to a sentence: The former middlemen, and the expenses that go with them, are no longer necessary.

For recording music, a good quality recording studio used to be out of the hands of all but the elite music groups. Now, a computer and some quality microphones can be enough to make a solid recording. For distributing music, you used to have to rely on the major labels and their distributors, but with the internet and indie music stories, you can sell and distribute your music directly to fans all over the world without having to convince a closed-minded record exec first. In the meantime, music fans don't want the physical CD's anymore anyway, and are happy to purchase music at the online music stores which welcome indies and their business. It's true that promotion is always difficult, but the internet levels that playing field as well.

The term Do It Yourself, or DIY, does not mean second-rate work or options. It means leveraging increasingly powerful technologies and businesses to distribute and promote your music. In the end, you believe in your own work more than anyone else in the world. You are your most powerful advocate. What you need are the tools to do this. The Survival Guide is written with this in mind, where we share ideas on how to use the internet, indie music stores, distribution, and other companies to promote your music, and get your work out as far as possible.

Without question, there is hard work ahead of you, but you are working for yourself. It's the cost of continuing to own your own music, and keeping it under your control. But it's a cost worth paying.