Is An Independent Music Revolution Coming?

Is An Independent Music Revolution Coming?

Over the last few decades the music companies have been calling the shots. Why wouldn't they as they controlled the production, the distribution and the marketing. Control for them meant massive profits and being able to dictate to their Artists. Over the last few years things have started to change as software for computers have gotten better and produced great Studio systems that one can even use in the home, and the Internet has let Artists market their music to a huge amount of people.

In what its seems to be an insatiable appetite to make more and more money, their unwillingness to change with the new technology and to keep the control, the music companies have seen the sales of CDs drop each year. First they stamped out Napster instead of embracing them. Then they tried DRM on MP3's. Kept CD prices ridiculously high. Stopped the production of the Single. Now they try to enforce high royalty rates on the web streaming services, which has the effect of putting these services out of business, where as they should be using them to 'promote' the music they sell.The latest thing is forcing ISP's to cut off people who download any music that hasn't been paid for after being warned 3 times - 3 strikes and your out! Big Brother is here!

In the last month a new concept has again arrived to challenge the music companies and give Independent Artists a way of promoting their music, selling their music and make more of the money. WCUT Radio in New York is an Independent Web Radio Station which offers Independent Artists the opportunity to play their music to an ever increasing listener base. It is early days, but each week the web Radio station has more listeners. These listeners want to hear new, unsigned, unheard of Artists, and as the word gets around, listeners have come from outside New York, all around the USA and in Australia, England and parts of Europe.

This week WCUT Radio has teamed up with three other popular web radio stations: Red Babe in Minsk, Belarus; London Web Radio in London, England; and Desert One in Las Vegas, USA; and negotiations are under way with web radio stations in Australia and India, to play some of the music from WCUT Radio. They have also partnered with KryKey Personal Web Radio to sell MP3's and merchandise in their store, giving Independent Artists an opportunity to sell their music and also t-shirts, caps, etc with their logo. Developmental Sound Labs is also in the mix with Studio facilities to create great tracks.

Is this where music is going? Artists teaming up with smaller companies, making music, promoting and selling the music and all the while keeping the majority of the money? Is it the opposite of what is happening when an Artist signs up with a music company? Time will tell!

The Revolution has started. Viva Le Revolution!