Crowd-funded record label
ourlabel.com
Crowd-funded record label
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Re: Crowd-funded record label
#2I run a small record label, one that I'd like to think acknowledges all the realities of trying to make and sell music in the post-Napster age.
My problem with something like this is, I suppose, my problem with Talent Shows, or "Vote For Your Favorite Artist!" contests on MTV, or American Idol: the wisdom of the crowds when applied to aesthetics produces inane garbage.
The purpose of art is to expand the human experience. Good bands shock and surprise you, give you new sensations in new ways. The best musicians produce intensely personal expressions of their own emotional reality, to which people with similar internal clockwork respond.
Bring everyone together to see which music they can agree on, and what they will end up picking is the average of all their emotional experiences, the music which relates only the most accessible and universal of concerns. Sorry, but even impeccably-crafted boring music is still boring.
To bring this down to Earth a bit: the future of music is disintegration, not centralization. It makes no sense for me to compete for eyeballs in a crowded marketplace when I can set up my own download site overnight and start getting in touch with blogs that directly address people who like the music I play.
Music will continue to niche down and atomize until there are taste-makers, distribution channels, and a healthy community of artists for every possible genre and sub-genre. My "conversion rate," so to speak, will be much higher on sites like these than it would be in giant competitive marketplaces like the one linked above.
Re: Crowd-funded record label
#3Not interested in signup forms. They're boring. Post when you actually have content.
Re: Crowd-funded record label
#4Check out http://www.sonicangel.com/ which is very similar and started last year. They are already quite successful.
Re: Crowd-funded record label
#5I run a small record label, one that I'd like to think acknowledges all the realities of trying to make and sell music in the post-Napster age. My problem with something like this is, I suppose, my problem with Talent Shows, or "Vote For Your Favorite Artist!" contests on MTV, or American Idol: the wisdom of the crowds when applied to aesthetics produces inane garbage. The purpose of art is to expand the human experi…
OurLabel is not trying to be a online Talent Show, or even a "Vote for your Favorite Artist" contest. Instead it is a platform for artists to crowd-source the funding and promotion of their recording projects as well as a service that artists can use to gain support in the production, marketing, publishing, and distribution of their project. To put it in terms of things that already exists, its MySpace + Kickstarter + various support services + CDBaby.
Its not about bringing people together to see music they can agree on. Its about showcasing music of all types and letting people who are interested in, and/or fans of that music support it from start/finish.
Re: Crowd-funded record label
#6Check out http://www.sonicangel.com/ which is very similar and started last year. They are already quite successful.
True, SonicAngel is very similar, but there are some huge differences as well, one of which is that every artist/band has an opportunity to produce an album if they raise the funds to do so. With SonicAngel you have to essentially be discovered/signed with SonicAngel to take advantage of the crowd-funding and some other site features.
Re: Crowd-funded record label
#7Not interested in signup forms. They're boring. Post when you actually have content.
Fair enough. Just trying to get the idea out there and to spread the word, but will definitely post back soon when ready with content.
Re: Crowd-funded record label
#8I don't understand what it is needed for. What does a record label do these days? Not counting the few people who still want to buy actual records.
Re: Crowd-funded record label
#9I don't understand what it is needed for. What does a record label do these days? Not counting the few people who still want to buy actual records.
The key here is the hybrid-model (think Kickstarter + traditional label). Labels promote their artists. Very few artists succeed in do-it-yourself models like Kickstarter. They may be able to raise the money needed to record an album, but do they have the resources and expertise to market it on their own?
Secondly, getting the fans involved in the whole process is interesting (especially when they can derive rewards from their engagement). There are a lot of big music fans out there that would love to have a say and a piece in the action.
Re: Crowd-funded record label
#10I run a small record label, one that I'd like to think acknowledges all the realities of trying to make and sell music in the post-Napster age. My problem with something like this is, I suppose, my problem with Talent Shows, or "Vote For Your Favorite Artist!" contests on MTV, or American Idol: the wisdom of the crowds when applied to aesthetics produces inane garbage. The purpose of art is to expand the human experi…
That is so true. There is a record label, my major company, built around this idea. While they produce great success and enjoyable music. when you listen to it it's like there is a lack of identity. Often times it's like I could have crafted those songs if I had sampled the best part of every pop record of the last twenty years