To YouTube or Not to YouTube
June 24, 2009 by BrentWoody · 3 Comments
Recently, I spoke with two artists with opposing views. One believes that getting all the web exposure he can possibly get will work to his benefit in the long run. Greater web presence equals greater awareness equals greater fan-base equals more downloads and so on. He’s not the least bit concerned that putting his songs up on youtube or myspace will dilute the market for his music. He cares not one bit about whether his fans infringe his copyrights by downloading his songs, making copies and giving them to all their friends. In fact, that’s just what he wants them to do! The other artist says, man, if he puts these songs out there, even for purchase, no one will buy them because once someone gets one, all the potential buyers will just make illegal copies and pass them around and no matter how big his fan-base is, he won’t be able to make it without traditional CD sales.
I know this discussion isn’t quite this simple. But, still, at its core, we’re talking two different music-sales business models. Which one makes more sense? Which works better in the digital space? And here’s a thought – is the answer different depending on the artist?
Seth Godin writes that “[t]he only way your organization is going to make an impact is to market in the way only you can. Not by following some expert’s rules or following the herd, but by doing it in the way that works. For you.” Wow. Isn’t the way we market as musicians just the opposite? We wait to see what is working, then we plan within that particular business paradigm until it doesn’t work anymore, then wait to see how it changes, and so on. Should artists be following the herd or blazing their own trails?
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In regards to “Which works better in the digital space” it would be the first model. You Tube can allow you to have much more exposure to many more people. It allows you to have a much broader audience. If the listener likes your music/video, you can direct them to your web page where they can order CD’s directly from you (as the second artist wanting to do) and find out more about you as an artist.
With this being said regarding the first artist, I do not believe this, “will work to his benefit in the long run.” Here are some reasons why I believe this;
First of all, he has a “Don’t care, whatever” attitude in his vocabulary! He says, “He’s not the least bit concerned” and “cares not one bit.” How the heck is he going to succeed with a poor attitude? What’s going to keep him going and to help sustain him during the heights and lows of not only his career but also of his life?
Second, you better care about your music and its production; especially regards to copyright. To be just seeing how much you can release out there without having any sense of caring or concern is totally unprofessional in my opinion. It’s quality, not quantity that counts!
Third, it does not matter how many fans you have out there or how many sites you are on, if the fans notice that you are not paying any attention to your work, or worse yet, not paying any attention to them, they are not going to support you. They will go to the artist who has their best interest at heart. Business, whether it be the music industry, hospitality, clothing, food & beverage, or what have you, it’s about building and creating relationships. Period. If you like them, they will support you and refer others to you.
In conclusion, there are many options out there to our disposal in regards to marketing. It can be overwhelming. The digital age has so many advantages out there for the artist wanting to be heard. I believe myself as the artist must do my homework. Find out what sites; My Space, You Tube, Facebook, Twitter, etc. works best for me and give them a try. Not all of them are created equal. However, at the end of the day, no matter which site(s) I choose, when it is time to log off, I want to make sure my music is not only a true reflection of me, but also a true reflection of my fans.
Good comments, Cory. Attitude has a lot to do with success, doesn’t it? With respect to the first artist, I don’t think he was saying he doesn’t care about his product. In fact, judging by the quality of his content, I’d say he has high standards. What he was saying was that he will accept activities such as downloading, copying and distributing freely, believing that allowing those activities will result in an expanding fan base and more buyers for new content. It’s not a novel concept. Numerous acts have taken the same approach.
Personally, I completely believe that the approach to digital marketing/sales/promotion completely depends on the artist. There’s definitely no “one size fits all” model in this new music business, and the possibilities are exhausting for artists. That being said, I don’t think it’s a matter of “should” I place my music in the digital realm; unless you’re target market is the Amish, you need to figure out a digital distribution model for your music because that’s how people are consuming it now. It’s a matter of “how,” and musicians, more than ever, are educating themselves on the possibilities.
With specific regard to “free” music sites like myspace, iLike, etc I think the artists needs to strike a personal balance of promotion and sales. Streaming without allowing downloading is always a nice option, especially because it alleviates (barring hacking past DRM) the possibility of transferring the music to other devices AND forces users to bring their traffic to YOUR page in order to experience the music. However, the possibility of ticking off your fans is a risk here – let’s fact it, people are used to getting music for free now. Along the same lines, each artist needs to evaluate where the value in their careers lie. As a practical measure, CD sales don’t make artists that much money. I’m not saying that recorded music doesn’t have value – it does, but market demand has shifted that value so that recorded music as almost a promotional tools to get fans to the real money-makers… the show!
It’s a very personal choice, but I always recommend that, as Corey said, musician “do their homework.” Read through the boring terms and find out what users – and the site itself – can do with your music. Talk to people about how they interact with social networking sites. This insight will help you make educated choices about their online presence.