The Free Music Revolution

In my generation we have seen music sold on records, then on tapes, to cd's, and finally being free on the internet. It's been amazing as a musician being in the middle of this change in power over the years and I'm personally thrilled with the direction the internet is taking music.

 

It All Started with Napster

Napster started in 1999 and quickly found popularity as a file sharing host among music listeners. It also caught the attention of the music execs, musicians themselves and the RIAA just as quick. Established acts called it theft (Metallica, Dr. Dre, Madonna) where forward thinking bands saw how it benefited them and worked with the power of the internet. The best example is RadioHead: Napster helped them gain popularity in 2000 and they continue to make their mp3 albums free on the internet to this day and have grown to be one of the most popular bands worldwide.

 

 

RIAA: The Cigarette Industry's Cousin

Some of my least favorite people have been in the music industry since 1952 and represent the "interests" of the record labels and their copyrights. They have the most to lose in this internet market with consumers and music artists having the most to gain. This is the organization that in order for consumers to continue buying cd's at the local mall for $18.00 a pop... resorted to suing peer to peer file sharing individuals; one being a 12 year old girl. Thank goodness they have stopped this tactic and are no longer suing individuals using shareware or peer to peer file sharing services.

 

What is DRM?

DRM or Digital Rights Management - imposes limitations on the usage of digital content and devices able to access your downloads. For example, if you download off iTunes you can only play your music on their devices and you truly do not "OWN" the product like when you have a recording in MP3 format. This has been a source of debate for years and finally online distributors are making their MP3 download DRM-free. Both UseNext and eMusic make it easy for you to own music in MP3 format.

 

 

The Future of Music?

I admit, it's a pretty confusing time of change we live in right now when it comes to music. However, the forecast is clear in the fact that music and the internet belong together. I love the direction we are headed as I am exposed to more and more great music from relatively obscure artists. As a songwriter this helps me grow my "musical vocabulary" just like a child learning their language benefits from being able to sponge off being around as many articulate people as possible. You can benefit as well by discovering as much music as you can... and I can help you with that.

 

Me playing with my old punk band "Naked Midget" in the mid-90s.

 

 

Questions for Brandon

Music is my passion and I am continually educating myself on new artists, download services, industry happenings...etc. Feel free to shoot me off any questions you might have and I've included some recently asked ones below:

 

"Brandon...love your music thanks for the downloads. Do you think Napster's paid service is worth anything? Thanks..Dave I don't use them Dave...but they've got one hell of a library. They are going DRM free in Q2 of this year so perhaps I'll do their free 7 day trial and check them out again.   "Why did the RIAA start suing people?" Crazy huh. Well, it was the only way they knew to take back "control". In fact, the whole internet industry is extremely hard to regulate...just ask the government. So they resorted to scare tactics which ultimately did not work and they have given up fighting the battle on this front thank goodness.   "You say that free music downloads help music artists. How can that be if they are not getting paid for their music?" Good question. In fact, the artists are still figuring this out and the answer is not the same for everyone. In my business I am able to access large numbers of new fans through giving away free music... I record and play all my instruments so it's cheap enough for me to do this. For other artists giving away their music allows them to grow their fanbase and tour making money off live performances. Others are able to find new sponsors and monetize their fanbase through promoting products. There's no clear cut easy answer but believe it or not there are many artists doing very well without making a dime off music sales.   What do you think will be the next big breakthrough when it comes to music and the internet? Wow, wouldn't it be nice to have that crystal ball right about now and we'd go into business together. If I were to venture a guess it would be something where there is more intimacy between artist and fan. Look at Ashton Kutcher beating out CNN to a million followers on Twitter! I love being able to build rapport with listeners but I'm pretty obscure and internet saavy. Someone is going to make it easier for the big artists to grow closer to their fans without them fearing for their saftey. And that person will be a rich man (or woman) =}   What indie artist are you into right now? I'm big into Andrew Bird at the moment. He came into town and blew me away with his live solo act. Dude uses a processor to record layers upon layers of just his playing while doing this with multiple instruments. Just an incredible talent and I honestly like the songwriting and voice to go on top of his virtuoso playing abilities. Check him out on eMusic and download 25 of his tracks FREE.

Follow Me on Twitter! I've just opened an account I'll use to discuss new music and downloading. My musical tastes range from Indie Rock, 80s New Wave, Punk, Goth Rock, Jazz, Classical, Classic Rock, Blues, R&B, Hip-Hop and more...so we have lots to talk about and discover. Click Here