Can Independent Music Survive?

One of the most important and yet difficult issues I see facing independent artists today is receiving enough exposure. Unfortunately, it costs so much money to advertise and promote to the mass markets, most indie-artists, no matter how great, will never be heard by the general public. For the most part, indie-artists have all the freedom these days. We have the ability to produce affordable, high-quality recordings, distribute and sell our own music, promote online etc., all without the ‘assistance’ of a major label. However, there’s a proverbial ‘brick wall’ that prevents indie-artists from getting our music into the many necessary commercial outlets like FM radio, retail chains, national magazines like Rolling-Stone, and major network television stations like VH1 and MTV.

These are the places where the masses tune in, and unfortunately, these outlets are basically ‘blocked’ for indie-artists. At the most, we get a ‘local-show’ or ‘indie-hour’ or ‘consignment shelf’ and that’s it. It’s class segregation between the indies and the majors, and it is extremely difficult, near impossible, for a true indie-artist to be OMNIPRESENT in the music market. It comes down to money and ratings, and it’s for this reason that most indie-artists would gladly sign away 90% or more to a major record label for the chance to be promoted through the label’s vast network of outlets.

The artist’s hope is to establish a recognized name for themselves and continue making music. Still, if the artist is fortunate enough to become recognized, nine-out-of-ten signed artists remain in debt to the record label, and will never make money from the records they sell. And while Internet radio and online webzines are helping to level the playing field for many indie-artists, the major outlets where the music-buying masses predominantly go to find their music are still RESERVED FOR ARTISTS THAT ARE OWNED BY LARGE COMPANIES. It’s a separation of class, in favor of the ones that have the financial power to buy into the system. In an industry where 80% of music sales still occur at bricks-’n'-mortar retail outlets, how can an independent artist even break in?

The odds are definitely stacked against us, considering that every indie-artist that has their music available online is competing for the same 20% of online music buyers as every major label. Furthermore, no physical distributor is going to effectively distribute an indie-artist, when they know that there’s no substantial promotion money behind them! That’s where everybody says TOUR, TOUR, TOUR, but even touring usually costs the artist money, and most reputable venues are leery to book an indie-artist, let alone guarantee payment, when the indie-artist isn’t getting the exposure of their major competitors… It’s a very tough, and very real roadblock for all indie-artists: One that needs to be recognized and overcome.

INDEPENDENT ARTISTS NEED THE SAME OPPORTUNITIES TO BE EXPOSED THROUGH THE SAME OUTLETS AS MAJOR LABEL ARTISTS. If an artist has enough persistence to write the music, record it, package it, promote it, and do everything else required to present it at a professional level, there needs to be A PLATFORM TO EXPOSE THE INDEPENDENT ARTIST’S WORK TO THE MAINSTREAM PUBLIC! Otherwise, independent artists will dry up and the market will continue to be dominated by the deep pockets of the big record labels and major media companies.

Written by Sheldon Tarsha
More: Guest Columns, Tarsha