www.earbuzz.com message~
Posted: Tue Jun 05, 2007 12:13 pm
June 4, 2007
Dear Artists and earBuzz Music Buyers,
Intro
This is my first blather letter. .and rather than getting this by email you will soon be able to go to the earBuzz blather site. Blather is a comment that was on one of my final English papers in college - it basically means to go on and on without much literary direction. .what i say tends to meander and get lost and then i have to find my way back, and sometimes that's not possible. So, here goes my first blather:
Indie Artist term less applicable
I can't take credit for this philosophy, because it was born from several discussions with artists and with our staff, but there is a paradigm shift going on in this industry and the philosophy offered to me was poignant. It goes something like this - there are no longer independent artists, just artists who have various ways of promoting themselves. The indie artist title is going away. Maybe not for a few years - but its days are numbered. And it makes sense, right? When music is compared to fine art or the written word, you don't hear those creative people saying they are 'indie fine artists' or 'indie authors'. .they are just artists and authors.
Music Career Facilitators
The music world is moving into a direction where an entirely new industry is going to emerge that manages all the different options music artists have at their disposal. These people will be 'music career facilitators'. .some called managers and labels now. .but the future of this position is to put all the pieces together for the artist so that the artist can create, record, and tour. They'll take care of where the CDs and downloads should be sold, ensuring MySpace presence, throwing a YouTube video or two up, maintaining and servicing mailing lists, contest/festival entries, legal advice and functions, replication, distribution, radio play, etc. . - and I believe these facilitators will create vibrant and profitable careers for the artists while side-stepping today's "label" affiliation. .The evolution is in full swing. Labels will adapt and become some of these facilitors - but the rules are changing and only the entities that can manage the flexibility of the changes will do well. if you have seen the movie Dark City, and how the buildings change place and morph, that's what seems to be happening in this industry.
Unavoidable
And it has to happen. One of the driving reasons it's inevitable is that artists have access to the finest recording studios in the world - right in their computers - for less than 2 hours at a $250/hr professional recording studio.
Music, Authors, and Fine Art
I was in Barnes and Noble the other day and was awed by the hundreds of thousands of titles in the retail store. I wondered why THESE artists can be successful selling their work in quantity like this - both in stores and online - someone's making a living. Fine artists have their works on display in galleries and in art fairs - they're making a living. Chances are, when you pick up a random book in B&N or see a piece of new art - you have NO idea who the artist or author is. The same has not been true of music and one of the reasons has been access to the artists' chosen media - the canvas and the typewriter. Authors and artists have been only limited by their own artistic output since canvas is canvas and the blank page looks the same to all authors when they start. It's only been in the last 5 years that we music artists have been able to record world-class quality sounds in our bedrooms for pennies. The tools have been made available to us and because of it, we do not need the DEAL to record and turn out great music.. we are limited only by our own ability to operate the software and how we record the music. We can still hire an engineer - and probably should. We can have it mastered and mixed by a pro - but again, these choices are part of an arsenal of options that music artists have access to.
Access to All
And access is the key. It's all out there and no entity is the exclusive holder of that access any more. Internet radio and T.V. is growing rapidly and the day will come when the music we share will be new to everyone we share it with - an individual statement. Music will be like fine art is now - and individual discovery will be the norm, not force fed as it is today. The new music business is moving into the hands of those who create.
Us
At earBuzz.com we sell your CDs and downloads AND return 100% of the price to you. And. .at $2/mo for membership it's the price of a good cup of coffee and an option for your future access to the new industry. Call or write - musicfreedom@earbuzz.com or 888-earBuzz.
earBuzz update:
Numbers and Quality
ok. .so we have a wonderful relationship with GoGirlsMusic.net. We are selling downloads about 5 to 1 over CDs and have 295 new users (artists and buyers) based on 500,000 hits and 25,000 unique visitors in the last few weeks. .which is not surprising and reassures me that our almost two years in development of the new site was the right direction to take. We are converting over our legacy artists (you) at a good rate. We've heard it taking months to get songs up on other sites through other channels. I'm pleased to report that we are taking about a week per artist - both new and legacy members. Something that shouldn't get lost in this process is that we're encoding all tracks into 30-second clips, all tracks into mp3 songs for purchase, and all tracks into HD-audio 256-bit AAC non-DRM format. We were the first to go live with this format last month and the quality is really amazing. Equally cool is that your buyers are paying 89 cents for each track and you get all of it.
Growing Pains
Artist stats will be up within the next two weeks so you can see who's buying, who's listening, how often, and how much you have been paid and are due - all stats are being implemented in real time. Our business development relationships are going smoothly too - as we have several duplicator/replicators that are working out details to provide packages to their customers to get on earBuzz. As with all launches, we have had our share of bugs that have been fixed the past few weeks. We discovered that you who are registering aren't getting your 'Welcome' email. That's being fixed today. Also being fixed is that buyers are going to have to choose mp3 or m4a for their download - currently they get both in their download queue. Not a big deal, but we're fixing it.
Pros come aboard
We have also brought on a marketing/communications director to get the word out to the press to attract more consumers and artists to the site - her name is Joey Baker and she starts this week. You might also be getting a call from one of our Artist relations representative to see where you're at with your career and make sure any questions about the status of your membership get answered. Of course, you can always call me at 707-746-7537 x101. My wife, Lucinda, herself an accomplished musician, and our team are working hard to build the kind of company that will help change the music world to the benefit of artists. As with any couple, she's the yang to my yin, and her pragmatic input complements my dreamer state perfectly - I'm very thankful for her support and love. We also are lucky to have Frank Stockton on board. Frank is our Business Development Manager and his contribution will be forging inroads to help get your music in front of more ears with programs like earBuzz Radio Ready and soon to be announced alliances with some pretty impressive organizations. earBuzz will also be launching earBuzz Records over the next few months, run by one of my college buddies and a world-class engineer, producer, and the 10 year former A&R director of one the finest major music labels. We all agree that things are changing in the music business and this is the right direction for us to go.
Whining and winning
On a personal note, the last two years have been very trying as we've watched and waited for the completed development of the site. I am not afraid to share all of the joy and ugliness that has painted this experience and will over time. My resolve to make earBuzz the 'place to buy independent music' has never been stronger and will continue as long as I'm able to run the business. I plan on that being at least another 40 years. My own music has taken a back seat to this mission. Even so, I'm grateful for the friendship of John Gentry Tennyson for his artistic collaborations. We are doing some cool things musically and hopefully will again soon. earBuzz's focus is on you, our artists, your support, and the task of building an audience for you that is as excited to support you 100% of purchases as you are to receive that 100% support. It doesn't hurt that we are delivering the best sound quality available on the internet.
More later. .
Kind regards,
Don Kimenker
founder, earBuzz.com
707-746-7537 x101
888-earBuzz (888-327-2899)
Indie-Music.com - "no other site on the net comes close to earBuzz.com".
Disc Makers.com - Discmakers.com music distribution resource
Electronic Musician - earBuzz.com "provides the highest recoupment from CD sales (on the net)."
Musician's Web Handbook - earBuzz.com, "is a dream come true for independent musicians".
Keyboard Magazine posts earBuzz.com "the most generous music site on the net".
AudioMelody says "you get a True homepage for your music, where you can sell your own CDs and keep 100%".
About.com - "earBuzz.com is great for independent artists".
Lunchbox Recordings says "earBuzz.com is a wonderful online record store with articulate reviews and inviting design".
earBuzz.com
"supporting indie artists 100%"
Dear Artists and earBuzz Music Buyers,
Intro
This is my first blather letter. .and rather than getting this by email you will soon be able to go to the earBuzz blather site. Blather is a comment that was on one of my final English papers in college - it basically means to go on and on without much literary direction. .what i say tends to meander and get lost and then i have to find my way back, and sometimes that's not possible. So, here goes my first blather:
Indie Artist term less applicable
I can't take credit for this philosophy, because it was born from several discussions with artists and with our staff, but there is a paradigm shift going on in this industry and the philosophy offered to me was poignant. It goes something like this - there are no longer independent artists, just artists who have various ways of promoting themselves. The indie artist title is going away. Maybe not for a few years - but its days are numbered. And it makes sense, right? When music is compared to fine art or the written word, you don't hear those creative people saying they are 'indie fine artists' or 'indie authors'. .they are just artists and authors.
Music Career Facilitators
The music world is moving into a direction where an entirely new industry is going to emerge that manages all the different options music artists have at their disposal. These people will be 'music career facilitators'. .some called managers and labels now. .but the future of this position is to put all the pieces together for the artist so that the artist can create, record, and tour. They'll take care of where the CDs and downloads should be sold, ensuring MySpace presence, throwing a YouTube video or two up, maintaining and servicing mailing lists, contest/festival entries, legal advice and functions, replication, distribution, radio play, etc. . - and I believe these facilitators will create vibrant and profitable careers for the artists while side-stepping today's "label" affiliation. .The evolution is in full swing. Labels will adapt and become some of these facilitors - but the rules are changing and only the entities that can manage the flexibility of the changes will do well. if you have seen the movie Dark City, and how the buildings change place and morph, that's what seems to be happening in this industry.
Unavoidable
And it has to happen. One of the driving reasons it's inevitable is that artists have access to the finest recording studios in the world - right in their computers - for less than 2 hours at a $250/hr professional recording studio.
Music, Authors, and Fine Art
I was in Barnes and Noble the other day and was awed by the hundreds of thousands of titles in the retail store. I wondered why THESE artists can be successful selling their work in quantity like this - both in stores and online - someone's making a living. Fine artists have their works on display in galleries and in art fairs - they're making a living. Chances are, when you pick up a random book in B&N or see a piece of new art - you have NO idea who the artist or author is. The same has not been true of music and one of the reasons has been access to the artists' chosen media - the canvas and the typewriter. Authors and artists have been only limited by their own artistic output since canvas is canvas and the blank page looks the same to all authors when they start. It's only been in the last 5 years that we music artists have been able to record world-class quality sounds in our bedrooms for pennies. The tools have been made available to us and because of it, we do not need the DEAL to record and turn out great music.. we are limited only by our own ability to operate the software and how we record the music. We can still hire an engineer - and probably should. We can have it mastered and mixed by a pro - but again, these choices are part of an arsenal of options that music artists have access to.
Access to All
And access is the key. It's all out there and no entity is the exclusive holder of that access any more. Internet radio and T.V. is growing rapidly and the day will come when the music we share will be new to everyone we share it with - an individual statement. Music will be like fine art is now - and individual discovery will be the norm, not force fed as it is today. The new music business is moving into the hands of those who create.
Us
At earBuzz.com we sell your CDs and downloads AND return 100% of the price to you. And. .at $2/mo for membership it's the price of a good cup of coffee and an option for your future access to the new industry. Call or write - musicfreedom@earbuzz.com or 888-earBuzz.
earBuzz update:
Numbers and Quality
ok. .so we have a wonderful relationship with GoGirlsMusic.net. We are selling downloads about 5 to 1 over CDs and have 295 new users (artists and buyers) based on 500,000 hits and 25,000 unique visitors in the last few weeks. .which is not surprising and reassures me that our almost two years in development of the new site was the right direction to take. We are converting over our legacy artists (you) at a good rate. We've heard it taking months to get songs up on other sites through other channels. I'm pleased to report that we are taking about a week per artist - both new and legacy members. Something that shouldn't get lost in this process is that we're encoding all tracks into 30-second clips, all tracks into mp3 songs for purchase, and all tracks into HD-audio 256-bit AAC non-DRM format. We were the first to go live with this format last month and the quality is really amazing. Equally cool is that your buyers are paying 89 cents for each track and you get all of it.
Growing Pains
Artist stats will be up within the next two weeks so you can see who's buying, who's listening, how often, and how much you have been paid and are due - all stats are being implemented in real time. Our business development relationships are going smoothly too - as we have several duplicator/replicators that are working out details to provide packages to their customers to get on earBuzz. As with all launches, we have had our share of bugs that have been fixed the past few weeks. We discovered that you who are registering aren't getting your 'Welcome' email. That's being fixed today. Also being fixed is that buyers are going to have to choose mp3 or m4a for their download - currently they get both in their download queue. Not a big deal, but we're fixing it.
Pros come aboard
We have also brought on a marketing/communications director to get the word out to the press to attract more consumers and artists to the site - her name is Joey Baker and she starts this week. You might also be getting a call from one of our Artist relations representative to see where you're at with your career and make sure any questions about the status of your membership get answered. Of course, you can always call me at 707-746-7537 x101. My wife, Lucinda, herself an accomplished musician, and our team are working hard to build the kind of company that will help change the music world to the benefit of artists. As with any couple, she's the yang to my yin, and her pragmatic input complements my dreamer state perfectly - I'm very thankful for her support and love. We also are lucky to have Frank Stockton on board. Frank is our Business Development Manager and his contribution will be forging inroads to help get your music in front of more ears with programs like earBuzz Radio Ready and soon to be announced alliances with some pretty impressive organizations. earBuzz will also be launching earBuzz Records over the next few months, run by one of my college buddies and a world-class engineer, producer, and the 10 year former A&R director of one the finest major music labels. We all agree that things are changing in the music business and this is the right direction for us to go.
Whining and winning
On a personal note, the last two years have been very trying as we've watched and waited for the completed development of the site. I am not afraid to share all of the joy and ugliness that has painted this experience and will over time. My resolve to make earBuzz the 'place to buy independent music' has never been stronger and will continue as long as I'm able to run the business. I plan on that being at least another 40 years. My own music has taken a back seat to this mission. Even so, I'm grateful for the friendship of John Gentry Tennyson for his artistic collaborations. We are doing some cool things musically and hopefully will again soon. earBuzz's focus is on you, our artists, your support, and the task of building an audience for you that is as excited to support you 100% of purchases as you are to receive that 100% support. It doesn't hurt that we are delivering the best sound quality available on the internet.
More later. .
Kind regards,
Don Kimenker
founder, earBuzz.com
707-746-7537 x101
888-earBuzz (888-327-2899)
Indie-Music.com - "no other site on the net comes close to earBuzz.com".
Disc Makers.com - Discmakers.com music distribution resource
Electronic Musician - earBuzz.com "provides the highest recoupment from CD sales (on the net)."
Musician's Web Handbook - earBuzz.com, "is a dream come true for independent musicians".
Keyboard Magazine posts earBuzz.com "the most generous music site on the net".
AudioMelody says "you get a True homepage for your music, where you can sell your own CDs and keep 100%".
About.com - "earBuzz.com is great for independent artists".
Lunchbox Recordings says "earBuzz.com is a wonderful online record store with articulate reviews and inviting design".
earBuzz.com
"supporting indie artists 100%"